<p>I don't understand the essay section of this test. Ok verbal counts for 800 math counts for 800 and the essays count for 800. I get that. However the essays are scored 1-10, and it seems like no one even talks about the essay portion as if it is a formality. I have to get a 1200 to get into the school I want. It would be a cakewalk if the essays are scored in there equally with the other parts but for some reason I've always gotten the impression they are not. Can somebody enlighten me on this? I don't even know if a 1200 is easy or not. I currently am hovering around a 600 verbal and a 400 math, which isn't a great score but I don't care as long as I get to a 1200.</p>
<p>The essays are scored 0-6, and they are not part of the verbal/quant total for the current GRE. Max score is 1600.</p>
<p>The AWA/essay section on the current GRE is not considered very important by most programs unless you absolutely bomb it. If they want to see your writing ability, they’ll ask for a writing sample.</p>
<p>Your verbal score is quite good, and you really should be able to at least break the mid-500s in math with a little studying, which will get you more than half of the improvement you need.</p>
<p>Well I really just decided to do this in the last month and I haven’t taken a math class since math for liberal arts my very first class, taking it the 13th so yeah not much time. So the essay section adds nothing to the score? Could have swore it was out of 2400. Yeah probably won’t get a 1200 then. I don’t think that’s a set in stone they just like you to have a 1200. Considering my GPA and it’s a masters program I don’t think my GRE scores scores should matter all that much, but I have no idea.</p>
<p>You need to ask your program of interest whether that GRE line is hard and fast. They may simply discard any application that falls below the cutoff.</p>
<p>Likely won’t figure that out beforehand. The GRE is a ridiculous gauge of academic ability. If it means that much to them I really don’t want to go there. They do make you take one stats course there but math shouldn’t been important whatsoever for any humanities degree.</p>
<p>Why not? Should be a simple phone call to the graduate admissions chair.</p>
<p>400 on the math section is, like, really really low. I sympathize with you, as I got a 540, which is pretty mediocre. But the silver lining in being really really low is that it shouldn’t take much studying and review to bump it quite a bit.</p>