<p>Hello all,
I know this question is asked frequently in this forum. I took GRE a couple of months ago, and I got 4 in analytical writing section. I thought it was okay score. I been browsing on this forum, and people seem to have a lot higher score. </p>
<p>Should I retake GRE to improve my score? I am applying for life science PhDs.</p>
<p>Thanks for you help.</p>
<p>You can look-up all the percentiles for the general GRE at <a href="http://www.ets.org/Media/Tests/GRE/pdf/994994.pdf%5B/url%5D">http://www.ets.org/Media/Tests/GRE/pdf/994994.pdf</a> (page 13 of 24). A 4.0 on the analytical writing section corresponds to 33rd percentile. The nature of the 0.5 point increments corresponding to ~20 percentile each in that range makes it a rough gauge of ability, in my opinion.</p>
<p>ETS reports the mean AW section grade was 4.1 with a standard deviation of 0.9. It then reports that all the "broad intended graduate major field" had an average score of 4.1 or above (kinda strange, no?). Life sciences averaged at a 4.2, which was above engineering and business with 4.1 and tied with physical sciences at 4.2. Whether you should retake depends on how much weight your programs have the writing section carry.</p>