I am applying to a few economics doctoral programs and I’m a little worried about my GRE scores. 160 on Quant, 147 on verbal, and a 4 on writing. I took it again 4 weeks later and got a 159 on Quant and 152 on Verbal. For undergrad I got a 3.85 GPA, earned departmental honors in economics, and I’m a member of Phi Beta Kappa. My math background includes 90 percent As in Calculus one through three, linear algebra, and a few statistics courses. I’m not looking to get into any school in the top 50 US News rankings, but most programs I’m aiming for are between 50th to 90th on US News. Are these GRE scores too low for admissions?
What are your best percentile scores, about 73rd, 54th and 60th? Remember, the GRE is taken by college students/graduates who are contemplating graduate school, by definition an exclusive group. In light of this, your above average scores should appear quite credible to many graduate programs in the context of your academic achievements.
If you choose moderately selective programs to apply to, you will be fine. The highly selective programs often triage on GRE and that is to your disadvantage. The less selective programs will tend to read all the applications and be more holistic. This is to your advantage if you have really good letters and research experience.
GRE scores are being questioned these days as they are known to be biased. You might find some good programs that do not require the GRE or are GRE optional. In that case, apply there for sure and don’t send the GRE scores.
Be aware that Unis ranked that far down the food chain don’t always offer full funding. Don’t attend any doctoral program w/o full funding.