Should I take GRE again and get perfect on math?

[sarahwang]

I took gre a couple of weeks ago and got 166 on verbal and 168 on quant. Although verbal is decent, math is a bit disappointed because it is not perfect and a bit below the quant average for MFE programs (i think average for quant is 169). I am aiming for CMU (top choice) or berkeley or princeton. I know gre is not the only criteria that admission officer is looking for, but I hope it could compensate my not-high gpa. (I studied in a canadian university of undergrad and average is 87/100). Besides gpa, i have around 2 years experience in front office (either sales and trading or portfolio management). but the mfe degree could help me look for jobs in the states(for visa purpose). So i am debating a lot recently if i should take gre again aiming for perfect on quant. but i heard its getting harder to get perfect on quant and it is likely verbal will not be as high as previously. also i am not sure if the time worth it for the extra 2 points on math...

also my second question is.. is 87/100 a low gpa? I'm not sure how to convert it to 4.0 scale. but my major was touch and most courses have class average around 60/100, but i don't think admission officer cares about class average by any chance. and i did graduate on dean's honour list with excellent academic standing...

any suggestion is appreciated! thanks a lot

 

[Mikey V]

Don’t stress! That score is by no means bad for not being a perfect 170. As for the GPA, it sounds high (vs 60/100 as you mention) and academic awards look great to admissions committees.

Reminder: Applications are evaluated holistically. I would focus on writing a humanizing letter and including other projects/competencies in your resume that can only compliment your experience.