Minimum GRE score to get in

[gradaplicant]

I have been an active member here for a few months and would like to say that it has helped me a great deal during my Grad School applications. Even so there is one thing I have noticed here, and that is your GRE score requirements (in the quant section, I don't believe V and A are as important).

In a few posts people have been asking about their profile and if they have what it takes. I have never seen anyone here with a lower score than 160 so I wont comment on that, but in a few cases there have been people with a score of 161-163. A lot of the time they receive the answer that their GRE score is not competitive and that they do not stand a chance.

I for one got that impression when I read this site (having only scored a 162 I was worried). I didn't have the chance to retake the GRE (it is only held 2 times a year here in my country). I received a message from a member here that told me he had been in a similar situation (with a 780) but had gotten into some good programs. So I decided to go a head and apply.

They results are in, and I really can't see that a GRE score of 162 has a whole lot of affect. The schools I was accepted into are:

Columbia - MFE
Cornell - MFE
NYU - MFE
MIT - MF

With this post I just wanted to say that you still have a change even tough your GRE score is under 164. I spoke with the head of MQF at Rutgers and I believe he put it best:

"The mathematics on the GRE are childish. For people with a good mathematical background it will just be luck of the draw if you mess upp 1 or 2 questions. We therefore consider all scores from 750-800 (160-170 on the new scale I believe) to be equal."

 

[darth]

"The mathematics on the GRE are childish. For people with a good mathematical background it will just be luck of the draw if you mess upp 1 or 2 questions. We therefore consider all scores from 750-800 (160-170 on the new scale I believe) to be equal."

I guess the difference between a 160 and 170 would be atleast 6-7 questions ....

 

[AMIRHAMED]

GRE score is just a single part of your application, the committee considers the whole package. No one has to worry if he/she has a single weak point.

 

[AV-Wolverine]

I would guess that bad grades in pertinent math and programming courses would be more likely to preclude you from top programs and not a less-than-average GRE Quant.

 

[markhobbus]

Thank you for posting this. I did not do as well as I would have liked on a practice GRE and thought I would not get a good enough grade for the GRE I'm taking next Friday but I think that with a full week of cramming I will be able to get a sufficient score to still be considered competitive.

Can you say more about your application stats and background to give readers a clearer picture of your profile?