<p>I'm confused about how to interpret about my GRE score: 790 Q, 530 V, 4.5 AW. Applying to the top IR programs in a few years (leaving for the Peace Corps in two months). I was consistently scoring in the upper 500s on Kaplan's tests so I'm wondering if it's worth it to spend the money just on a retest for perhaps 50 points (also was hoping for a 5 on AW). You'd think as a journalism major it would be better but oh well. I have almost no time to do additional studying before I leave so I have no idea if I would even improve! What are my chances at the top IR schools (WWS, Fletcher, HKS, etc.) with a terrible verbal score? I've yet to see people posting with verbal scores in the low 500s getting into these schools...</p>
<p>Background: triple major from Northwestern, decent GPA, good internships, ten months in Africa on various trip doing development work and journalism, Peace Corps in Latin America. Hopefully this counts more than a low standardized test score...</p>
<p>On the one hand, the GRE isn’t an especially important factor in the admissions process, and your quantitive is very good (although how much that matters for IR, I don’t know).</p>
<p>On the other hand, you’ll be leaving, as you say, for several years soon, and you won’t be applying anywhere until afterward. How long exactly will you be gone? Bear in mind that GRE scores are only valid for, I think, 5 years. Also, the GRE general test is being changed next year. So that may or may not be better for you; I don’t know much about the new test. Honestly, if I were you and I absolutely had to apply this year, I would just bite the bullet and send out those scores. However, since you aren’t going to be applying anywhere for several years, why not just take the test again when you get back–provided you think you’ll have more time to study then?</p>
<p>Either way, it sounds like everything else about your record is fine, and you shouldn’t sweat it too much. Yeah, your verbal is probably somewhat sub-par for the schools you’re considering, but it’s only a small factor. You’d only be in trouble if the schools you’re applying to use GRE scores as some kind of screening device, which I doubt they do.</p>