<p>After taking the GRE, I was fairly happy with my 800Q 590V. I probably could've done better on the verbal if I had gone through more practice tests, but I'm looking at CS programs so I was more just aiming for the "I can read english and sound somewhat educated" score. Anyway, I got my percentiles this morning, and was a little bummed. 94% Q 84% V and a 4.5 (67%?!?!?!) AW. These are lower than the standardized test scores that I'm used to, and I feel like the aw score might be a red flag at top programs. Most of them won't even hint at what scores they're looking for, but I know JHU said they prefer 600 Q 600 V and 600 AW (whatever that is :/). UChicago said they're admits typically score above 50% in verbal and 75% in both quant and aw. </p>
<p>I guess nothing is bad enough to break me, but I was all excited at getting a 1390 and thought I basically just pulled the equivalent of a 1400/1600 SAT only to find out I actually did significantly worse than my 28 (93%) ACT, which isn't even considered a great score. Now I'm wondering if my scores will help me at all, or even if they'll hurt me. Does anyone know what kind of scores the top CS schools want? I'm looking at master's programs.</p>
<p>This answer may be a little belated, since you posted this over a month ago, but in case you’re still troubled, here’s what I think. </p>
<p>First, I think your perception of the GRE’s importance is inflated. I’d love to think that GREs are one of the primary deciding factors too, but from what I’ve read and heard, it doesn’t seem like it. Many people have said that a good GRE won’t get you in, but a bad one will keep you out. Your score is definitely not bad enough to keep you out, so don’t worry about that. Now, as far as how impressive your scores actually are…they’re not THAT impressive considering your field of study. In my quick research, almost all of the top CS program’s GRE Quant average is at least a 750. Cal tech is 800 (if my memory is correct). So while to the layman’s person, a 800Q is fantastic, to the adcoms, I’m sure it’s more common than you think. I mean if you think about it, 6% of the people who took the test the same day as you got an 800, so in a give application cycle, there are thousands of people who scored an 800, and many of them will apply to your program. </p>
<p>Also, you can’t really compare the SAT to the GRE percentile, IMHM. The GRE math is known to be easier than SAT, and the verbal is more of a vocab test. I scored a 500-something on Barron’s verbal practice test, and got a 700 on the real thing after months of memorizing flashcards. My only other source of practice/studying for the verbal was 3 CAT exams. So typically, a high verbal score would mean you’re well-read, but in most cases nowadays, it just means you had a lot of free time and a really good memory. I wouldn’t freak out over your GRE score, but I would definitely not take it as a measurement that you’re better than people who didn’t score as high as you either.</p>
<p>I guess my opinion of top CS programs might be different than yours. I was talking about schools in the 20-35 range. Not so much Cal Tech. Although my opinion probably doesn’t hold any more weight than yours, I’m tempted to believe CS admissions will look at test scores more so than other programs just because I don’t think a lot of their applicants have the research to otherwise differentiate them. Half the schools I applied to said flat out that they don’t expect their masters applicants to have research experience. </p>
<p>But that’s what I don’t get. Everyone here says emphasize research in your LOR’s and SOP and that’s mostly what grad schools want. Well what do they want if they’re not asking for research experience? That’s what freaks me out. I can’t tell if I’m an awesome applicant or a joke, because I don’t know what I’m supposed to have. Perfect GRE’s? A 3.8? Ten years of programming experience with Google? An MIT degree? A dozen publishings? A cool personality??? (None of which describes me, btw) I don’t know what they want to see, and all the webpages give vague, cookie cutter responses like “each applicant is different”. I’m sure there’s more than one criteria, but it would be comforting to have some idea of their priorities and the degree of excellence they expect from these areas.</p>
<p>I don’t know where you are in your app. process, but in an admission-guide pdf-file from a CMU faculty I found on this board, it was stated that they do not really look at GRE but its V and that’s only for foreign nationals to see if they “can read and are somewhat educated”, although for domestic applicants that is not always true! but but probably you do not need to worry about it at all, I don’t where AW sits in a CS program, but I don’t think they really give hoots about it either.</p>
<p>So: For the type of schools you mentioned I do believe your score is great,</p>