Where can I apply with a GRE score of 1400 (Verbal 630 Quantitative 770)?

English as a Second Language Preparation forum for the GRE® Test
1

I took GRE yesterday, and got 1400 (Verbal 630 Quantitative 770).

I am an international student, but took BA and MA in the US (though transfered to the US undergrad from a university in my country at my junior year), and I will apply PhD in political science (int’l relations). Hope to get full scholarship or assistanship.

But the admission in polisci is very tough. Do I still need to take GRE to get higher score? Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks.

PS

2

I think your score is really great.
Which schools are you planning to apply? Emory, Michigan, Madison require above 1300. So you have good chances.
I will also be applying for Phd in poli sci and right now i am working on GRE. Any tips or help would be really appreciated. How can I improve my vocbulary other than memorizing Barrons list, I mean any novels?

Regards

3

hi, nuvic

Thanks for your reply. I think I am going to apply GW, SAIS, Columbia and Cornell. I think these schools are really competitive, and not sure if my GRE score is Ok for them.

By the way, I think the things we have to do on the verbal section is to build up your vocab. What I did is to memorize all the word in barron. Then, I practiced all the question on “Numbertwo.com” (number2.com/). But I think if you study all the vocab in barron, you will be find.

I know this is a very tough task, especially if you don’t have much time(and if you don’t have any time, probably “Word Smart for GRE” would help). But I think it’s worth trying.

PS

4

Today, I received the GRE Analytica writing score, which was 4.5. I think that this score is not good at all for political science, and wondering again if I need to retake the test…

But I am still not sure if I actually have to take the test only for the Analytical Writing. Is there anybody who has experienced these kinds of dilemma?

All comments and advices are appreciated.

PS

5

Contact the schools directly and speak with the admissions officers. They can give you some guidance as to whether you should redo the tests.

6

No way! Don’t contact the school admissions department. Super competative schools have thousands of applicants, and do you think that there is a secretary willing and able to answer all admissions questions? In fact, if you go to each school website, you’ll be told that they ask you not to contact the office about admissions information. For Ivy League schools, you need near perfect scores (and arguably a perfect score on the writing section). Take the test again.

7

Hi!

i am an international student and my gre scores are 630 for verbal and 650 for the quantitative section. i haven’t received the results for the AW yet, but I think it went rather well.
I thought that a score above 600 for international students was good - i am surprised to hear that people repeat the test with a socre above 600. after all, it makes a difference whether english is your native language or not… obviously, international students are gonna score lower than american students.
i was wondering whether someone here could give me advice on where to apply for a phd in political science with these scores… or maybe talk about how their applications went.

i would appreciate it!
thanx
m.