GRE score for graduate admission

Just completed the GRE for grad school. 160 quantative (76th percentile) and 161 verbal (78th percentile). Don’t know yet about analytical writing.

Looking online, it appears these are competitive for engineering graduate studies.

Any comments from those here?

First, graduate admissions are much more holistic than undergraduate admissions and the weight of GRE scores in the admissions process is somewhere in the middle of all of the possible factors. More important are GPA, research experience, and reference letters (in many cases).

That having been said, a 160 is middling for engineers. That score is competitive for a lot of schools but will be well below average at many of the top schools. That doesn’t mean you won’t be admitted, but it definitely isn’t going to stand out.

Research experience and faculty references will be the biggest boon for you. Engineering programs are often very competitive. 160 isn’t great for a top-50 engineering grad program. Certainly not impossible with solid research experience and good recommendations from your professors. In general your research and references are marginally more important than your GPA or GRE scores if you’re applying for PhD programs. Masters degree programs are often the other way around.