How Important is the GRE?

The Graduate Record Exam (GRE) is a standardised test comprising of verbal, quantitative and writing skills testing sections. In the current format, it scores between 130 and 170 on the verbal and the quantitative sections and 0-6.0 in 0.5 increments on the writing skills section. It is a required test for admissions applications for most US universities and also for some European universities.

Candidates place a lot of importance on the GRE scores and work very hard to score very well on this test. However, a look at the admissions trend of the various US universities shows that the GRE is actually much less important than the other parts of the application. The Statement of Purpose (SOP), the Writing Sample and the Letters of Recommendations (LORs) are the three most important parts of Graduate Admission process. The next comes the previous GPA. The most important aspect for the American universities appears to be the prestige of the institution from where a candidate has got the previous degrees. A candidate with a lower GPA and lower GRE score from a prestigious institution can be accepted over a candidate from a average-ranked institution, if the SOP, Writing Sample and the LORs are good in both cases.

As for the GRE scores themselves, they have varying importance in different disciplines. In Sciences, Technology, Economics and Mathematical disciplines (STEM), the Quantitative scores o the GRE matter a lot and a score lower than 160 out of 170 can jeopardise the admissions chances of the candidate. On the other hand, verbal scores are not very important and a score of 150+ is treated as acceptable. In contrast, in the Social Sciences, both verbal and quantitative scores are important and one should ideally get closer to or above 160 on both sections in order to get admitted into a good Graduate programme. In the Humanities, only the verbal section is important and the candidates are expected to get a good score on the verbal section. Quantitative scores are not regarded as important in the Humanities disciplines even in the most prestigious universities.

This said, as said above, prestige of the previous institutions, SOP, Writing Sample and the LORs are more important than the GRE in all disciplines and if all of these are strong, then a somewhat lower GRE score can get a candidate. But if these are not strong, then a high GRE score can't get the candidate admission. It seems that the GPA is linked with the prestige of the previous institution.

So, a good strategy is to keep all parts of a Graduate application strong and to get the high GRE scores on the sections important in one's discipline. 

Some universities specifically write on their website that GRE is only a requirement and they give importance to the whole application package. In some places, where funding does not automatically guarantee admission, GRE scores can play a role in funding. Some Programmes specifically mention the minimum GRE scores required by them. 

So, it is a good idea to explore the universities' websites thoroughly and enquire from the Programmes about what role the GRE plays in admission. In most cases, it plays a less important role than what is imagined by the candidates.

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