<p>Hi - the internet, my professors, and all my other sources have all given me different responses to this question, though I'm by no means the first to ask it. I figured I'd give CC a try.</p>
<p>I'm applying for PhD programs in English this year, with a 690 GRE verbal section. I know, it's not ideal by any means, but I won't have the chance to retake it before applying. I graduated summa cum laude from a top Ivy (HYP, won't say which for the sake of anonymity), I should have solid recommendations from professors who know me well/support me, and my writing sample is legitimately quite good (I guess you'll have to take my word for it). I'm taking the subject test soon and should be able to break 700, if I'm consistent with my practice tests. My question is: will the 690 alone significantly hamper my chances at top programs? By 'top' I mean US News top 10-15ish.</p>
<p>I know the GRE doesn't make or break an application, but these schools are allowed to be selective in every possible way, so I wonder how much a score like this will weigh things down. (Also, please don't bombard this thread with horror stories about humanities grad school - there are plenty of those already.)</p>
<p>Just give this cycle a shot. You don’t have anything to lose with that percentile that you already have (which is impressive by any means).</p>
<p>Hey Buddy, admission committees don’t really care about your GRE. It is the least thing they care about. Committees use it as a filter for unqualified students, and in many instances, even unqualified students get the offer due to their fantastic statement of purpose and writing sample.
Secondly, as for your ranking question, let me tell you what, Princeton Law School is ranked top 10 in the country. You know what’s funny? Princeton doesn’t have a law school.
For graduate schools in English, ranking doesn’t really mean anything. Plenty of people go to Harvard and get no job after graduation, in fact, harvard has an OK English program which hardly compares to University of California Irvine. You probably will get a better chance getting a job out of UCSB than Harvard. But once again, it depends on your field. What’s your field? You want to go to the best school in your field, not the best school in the stupid ranking. But of course, if you just want that glitter on your resume, HPY is always a nicety. (btw, Princeton’s English program and Comp Lit program are very, say, not respectable)</p>
<p>I say you better make your writing sample, statement of purpose, and recommendation really really good. Oh, I forget, you should also mention your foreign language abilities.</p>
<p>Since you don’t have time to retake the GRE, why worry about it? If you have the foreign language requirements and solid primary source research under your belt, you should have a strong application. If you are applying from a HYP with a strong English department, with LORs written by professors whom many know by reputation, then you’ll be in an even better position. And of course, if you do well on the subject GRE, they will probably ignore the general GRE anyway.</p>
<p>But 690 verbal is not bad. It’s higher than the 90th percentile, right? That’s high enough for most programs to move to the next component of your application.</p>
<p>Why are people so obsessed with test scores, when the schools really (really) aren’t? A 690V is better than “not bad” or 90th percentile. It’s actually pretty great. According to Wikipedia, this year 690 hovers somewhere between 96th and 97th percentile (90th is a 630): [Graduate</a> Record Examination - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia](<a href=“http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graduate_Record_Examination]Graduate”>Graduate Record Examinations - Wikipedia). Top schools are not going to reject an applicant with an undergrad from HYP because he or she scored 96th-97th percentile instead of 98th or 99th. At that point, it’s all about the SOP and writing sample. I can understand the disappointment in not seeing that “7,” because it’s only one question away from breaking that magic 700 number, but relax! I’m pretty sure the adcom knows it’s literally a difference in ONE question. You scored better than 96-97% of test takers in all fields and should be proud of it, even if you know you could have broken 700. If the prose/vocabulary of your writing sample illustrates your skills, you have nothing to worry about – they only care about the score to an extent and I think its safe to say 690 crosses the line.</p>