<p>Hi, I am about to take the GRE this Friday, and I really have not yet prepared much. I just took a practice exam today, and I scored 500s in verbal, 600s in math, and Prob a 3 or 4 for the writing section. I am very much tempted to cancel my score once I take the test on Friday. </p>
<p>I was wondering if I had a score like the above, it would be a good idea for me to cancel my score? or should I just retake it but do not cancel my score. I go to an Ivy League school studying engineering, and I don't want the graduate admissions people to think, "what's wrong with this person? Did they even study at all?" I'm afraid that will seriously ruin my chance.</p>
<p>First of all, why do you want to go to an Ivy League school? Graduate school rankings are not like undergraduate rankings, and the Ivy League schools are not known for their prowess in engineering. As a matter of fact, in the top 10 engineering schools there are no Ivies. The highest, Cornell, stands at #11. Harvard and Princeton are tied at #18, and Columbia is ranked at #21.</p>
<p>Of course, it depends on your specialty too. Princeton is good for aerospace and chemical; Cornell is good for computer and is ranked #1 for agricultural engineering. Penn is good for bioegineering. The rest are not ranked in the top 10 in any specialty areas.</p>
<p>If you want a decent chance at a top-ranked engineering school (I’m assuming for a master’s degree? correct me if I am wrong) you will need at least a 700+ on the quantitative section, and a 750+ will make you most competitive. The quantitative section is skewed heavily to the right and a 740 is only the 82nd percentile; the top schools will expect their engineers to be the top potential quantitative candidates.</p>
<p>Why register for the test and then not prepare? That thing is $140, no small fee to waste. See if you can possibly reschedule it - you can reschedule up until 3 days before the test (that would’ve been today) for a $50 fee. If you can’t reschedule, go ahead and take the test and see what you get. I don’t think I would cancel those scores, but I would very likely retake the test to see if I could push that Q to 700+.</p>
<p>Maybe I didn’t phrase it clearly, but I was saying right now I am in an Ivy League school studying engineering. I am definitely thinking of retaking the test again, but I was just wondering if I should also cancel the score for this test after I took it? If it’s the score listed as above, would it affect my application greatly?</p>
<p>Oooooooooooooh no I’m just a poor reader at 11 pm :D</p>
<p>But like I said already, you haven’t even taken the test yet, you don’t know what you’re going to score. I would wait to decide whether you are going to cancel until you actually go into the test. Don’t go in with a defeatist attitude knowing you are going to cancel - that could influence your test-taking. Take it as if it counts.</p>
<p>That said, yes, having less than a 700 quantitative when applying to top engineering schools will greatly affect your application. GRE scores can’t get you in but they can keep you out. For example, a score of 640 is only the 57th percentile, and a score of 680 only strikes the 66th percentile. Top engineering schools are going to want to see scores in higher ranks, 75th percentile or higher, which would be a 720.</p>
<p>Look at the websites of the programs to which you are applying and see if you can discern what the average admitted student has on the Q and V sections of the GRE.</p>