<p>I am looking into MS programs in EE at Berkeley and Stanford.
MY gre scores are:</p>
<p>Q: 165
V: 162</p>
<p>I am an undergrad at Caltech, but not a super star (overall GPA 3.6, but average around 3.8 - 4.0 on pure EE courses). I've done some research, but no papers or anything. I've developed decent relationships with all the professors I am asking recs from, so I'd like to say they letters will be above average from my school.</p>
<p>I am not too picky about my V score, but my impression is that most engineering students who get into top programs get Q: 170 (which I am pretty sure I can get). Should I just retake the GRE?</p>
<p>I would first check with UC Berkeley and Stanford programs and try to find out what the mean or median GRE scores for admitted applicants have been in recent years to get an idea of how competitive your current scores are likely to be with other applicants. If your scores are well below the mean or median of accepted applicants it would probably not hurt to give it another try.</p>
<p>Verbal scores are very difficult to improve on since reading comprehension is a skill that is acquired over a lifetime and not easily modifiable. Fortunately, it usually is possible to improve your performance on the GRE Q section in the short term by becoming familiar with the types of problems found on the test and practicing. If you do feel you need to raise your Q score to be competitive you can purchase the Q section problems from previous tests. Practice taking them under exam conditions and you could be rewarded with a better score next time.</p>