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Going through all the effort of taking the GRE and and then not getting the score you want is difficult. Y'all're likely to be left with a lot of questions: Should I retake the GRE? Will I be able to raise my score? Will it make a difference for grad school admissions? Deciding whether or not to retake the GRE tin can exist a challenging decision, but, luckily, we're here to walk yous through it.

In this guide, we'll explain when you'll be able to retake the GRE, what grad schools think of GRE retakes, the questions you should enquire yourself when deciding whether to take the test over again, and how to ensure you'll get a higher score when retaking the GRE.

Can You Retake the GRE?

Yes, it is possible to retake the GRE, and many people choose to practise and then. In fact, ETS released an infographic, based on data nerveless in 2014, that showed that 1 in 4 test-takers retook the GRE (and that number is growing each twelvemonth). Additionally, the majority of people who took the GRE a second time got a college score.

You lot tin can accept the GRE upward to five times within a 12-month period, as long as the terminal time you took the GRE was at to the lowest degree 21 days ago.

The process of registering for a retake is the same as registering for the GRE for the first time, except you'll already have created an ETS account. If you demand a refresher on how to register for the GRE, cheque out our step-past-step guide to GRE registration.

What Do Schools Recall of GRE Retakes?

Volition retaking the GRE multiple times cause grad schools to recollect y'all're not smart or good at taking tests, thus hurting your chances of admission?Fortunately, the answer is a resounding "no!" Many people accept the GRE more than than once in order to go their highest score. Sometimes you just take a bad twenty-four hour period at the test center, or y'all need to accept the GRE more than one time to larn how to pace yourself, and grad schools are aware of that.

Additionally, ETS recently released a new organization of sending scores chosen ScoreSelect. With ScoreSelect, each time you have the GRE, y'all can cull which scores you'd like to be sent to schools. This ways that, if you've taken the GRE three times, you tin can choose to send just your most recent scores to schools, or only your second scores, or all scores etc. Schools won't meet if you lot're choosing non to send scores from a detail examination date, so if you've taken the GRE three times and choose to only transport your best scores, they wouldn't know you've taken the GRE two other times since they'd but see one set of scores.

Some schools practise inquire that you to transport scores from every GRE you've taken, and if you're applying to one of these schools y'all should comply with those rules. Still, the majority of schools don't require this. This ways that, not simply are most schools fine with you taking the GRE multiple times, yous can too but transport them the scores from your all-time exam and not worry nearly the issue of multiple examination scores. Basically, when deciding whether or not to take the GRE, how schools will view this conclusion shouldn't be a deciding factor.

Should You lot Retake the GRE?

There are several questions you should ask yourself while debating retaking the GRE. Below are six of the about important. Be sure to consider each 1 thoughtfully before making your decision.

How Far Away Are Application Deadlines?

First things first: Do you have time to retake the GRE and submit those scores before access deadlines?If you lot choose which schools to send your scores to while you're still in the exam center, immediately later your complete the GRE and view your unofficial Exact and Quantitative scores, your scores volition be received by schools 10-xv days after you take the test. You'll receive an email telling y'all that your official scores tin be viewed on your My GRE account, and this is also when the schools you indicated will receive your scores.

So, in order to make sure your scores are received in time, don't retake the GRE unless you have at to the lowest degree three weeks between the test date and your earliest awarding deadline. This volition ensure schools receive your scores in fourth dimension and you didn't retake the GRE for nothing.

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How Far Are You From Your Score Goal?

Another major consideration is how far your first GRE score is from your score goal. Your score goal is based on the GRE score requirements/recommendations of the schools you're applying to. (Bank check out our guide if you're not sure how to set a GRE score goal.)

If y'all're only a point or two away from your score goal, that may be expert enough for nearly schools, particularly if y'all didn't meet your score goal in a less important section (such as the Verbal Reasoning department if you lot're applying to programs in a math or science field).GRE scores are almost never the most important part of an application, so if other parts of your application are strong, such as your grades, messages of rec, and extracurriculars/work experience, yous'll likely be fine.

On the flip side, if you missed your score goal by 15 or more than points in either section, you may need to consider drastically changing your preparation methods or fifty-fifty changing which schools you should utilize to birthday. Check out our guide to get a meliorate idea of how much you lot can expect to improve on the GRE. Some schools, still, accept students with significantly lower-than-average GRE scores if their overall awarding is very stiff. Contact the admissions role of detail schools directly if you'd like more information.

In general, yous have the best chances of meeting your goal score and significantly improving your chances of admission with a GRE retake if your total score is nigh 5-xv points lower than you lot want it to exist.

How Much Take You lot Already Prepared?

Did you study a lot before you took the GRE the offset fourth dimension, or did you lot have the test without a lot of prior training?If you lot didn't practise a lot of studying the starting time time, you'll have an easier chance of raising your score on a retake. Information technology's during the outset few hours of GRE studying that you make the biggest improvements in your score since you can get all the low-hanging fruit: equations you were mixing up, careless mistakes y'all were making, a certain question blazon you had no experience with etc.

If you already put in a lot of grooming time, it'll exist more challenging to brand major improvements with a GRE retake. All the same, information technology can be done, especially if y'all make changes to the way you study and the prep materials you use. Run across the side by side section for more details on how to exercise this. You lot tin can likewise check out our guide to learning how long you need to report for the GRE

How Was Exam Solar day?

Did anything happen during exam day that caused you to be distracted and potentially injure your score? This could include being sick, hearing distracting noises such as construction or someone sniffling during the test, having something else on your mind like another big examination or personal outcome that makes it difficult to concentrate, or even just being last to the examination and feeling anxious and stressed when you sit.

Annihilation that stopped you from being calm and full focused on test 24-hour interval could have negatively impacted your score. If this happened to you the first time you lot took the GRE and you experience information technology won't happen once again during the retake (if it's something you tin can control), you may be able to raise your score only by having a better examination day experience the second time around.

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If you sit next to someone who has the sniffles on test day, you may discover it hard to concentrate and non get the GRE score you'd hoped for.

Will Taking the GRE Over again Pose a Financial Hardship?

Each fourth dimension you lot register for a GRE test date, information technology will cost yous $205, and that's more than just pocket change. If you can afford that amount, then you don't need to worry well-nigh this factor, only if the test fee would pose a fiscal hardship on your or your family, you may desire to think more than carefully almost whether it's the all-time choice and if you have a solid plan for how you're going to improve.

You may besides consider checking if you lot are eligible for the GRE Fee Reduction plan. If you are, yous'll receive a waiver that covers one-half the toll of taking the GRE. Also, if y'all already received a fee reduction waiver within the past year, you lot can easily fill out a form to receive another waiver. Larn more about the GRE Fee Reduction Program by reading our guide.

Do You Have a Programme For How Yous Volition Meliorate?

If, during your studying and on exam day the second time effectually,  y'all do everything the same equally you did the beginning time yous took the GRE, your score likely won't modify much. In order to see a significant improvement in your score (which is probable what you're looking for), you'll accept to accept a game programme for exactly how you're going to improve during this retake. The following section has several ideas to help you get started.

Retaking the GRE: 4 Tips to Meliorate Your Score

One time yous've decided on retaking the GRE, yous should aim to do everything you can betwixt now and exam day to maximize your score. Use these v tips to help raise your GRE score.

Create a Study Schedule

One time you've committed to a GRE retake, you should create a study schedule and so y'all know when you're supposed to exist studying. Setting aside a regular time to written report each day or week, such as weekdays from 7:00-8:30pm or Saturdays from one:00-5:00, will make information technology easier to study because you'll know ahead of time when you lot should be studying and can arrange the rest of your schedule around it.

You lot should also include regular goals in your study schedule that y'all promise to run across, such as, "I want to understand Sentence Equivalence questions past the end of the calendar week," or "I want to have raised my Verbal score five points before the end of the month." Setting these goals volition aid encourage y'all to study and ensure yous are on rails to run across your goal scores.

Pinpoint Where You lot Made Mistakes

1 of the best means to increase the effectiveness of your studying is to accurately pinpoint where you demand to make the most improvements, so focus your studying on those areas. Go through the GRE yous took, and look at every question you answered incorrectly. Do you see any patterns? Did you practise well in Verbal Reasoning but didn't score equally high for Quantitative Reasoning? Then await more specifically. Which Quantitative Reasoning questions did you struggle the virtually on? Algebra questions? Geometry questions? Those that included graphs or charts?

Once you've figured out where your weaknesses are, target those areas with your studying. This will help yous focus your studying on the topics you need to improve the nearly in, and thus, tin get you the biggest increases in score.

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Consider New/Boosted Prep Materials

The study materials you employ have a significant impact on how well you practise on the examination. A proficient prep book and good practice tests can be the deviation between an average score and a great score. If you didn't use a prep book the first time you took the GRE, or don't think the one you used helped you equally much equally yous wanted, you should consider a new one.

Check out our guide to the best GRE prep books to figure out the best i for you. Also, practise tests are an of import part of learning most the GRE and tracking your progress. Learn more nigh the best practise GREs to take.

Try Out New Study Methods

If you studied a significant amount before your first GRE and didn't get the score you wanted, y'all'll likely also demand to modify upwardly your report methods before your retake.

One of the well-nigh common mistakes people make when studying is to written report too passively. This means you're just dragging your eyes across the page without actually taking any information in. To avoid this, endeavour dissimilar study methods, such as using flashcards, including more exercise questions in your studying, and stopping every few pages of notes to ensure yous're actually retaining the information you lot're reading.

If you want more construction or guidance during your preparation, you lot may likewise want to await into hiring a tutor or enrolling in a GRE prep course. These options cost more than but buying study materials, but they tin assist you go large improvements in your score, especially if yous aren't sure how to go nearly studying on your ain.

Decision: Is Retaking the GRE Correct for You?

If yous didn't get the score you were hoping for on the GRE, yous make be wondering, "should I retake the GRE?" About a quarter of all people who take the GRE accept it more once, and the majority of them go a higher score on their 2d try.

When deciding whether or not to retake the GRE, consider the following questions:

  • How Far Away Are Application Deadlines?
  • How Far Are You From Your Score Goal?
  • How Much Have You Already Prepared?
  • How Was Test Day?
  • Volition Taking the GRE Again Pose a Financial Hardship?
  • Do You lot Have a Plan For How Yous Will Improve?

If you lot practise decide to retake the GRE, you should take steps to maximize your chances of improving your score such as creating a report schedule, figuring out where you made mistakes, and trying out new study materials and study methods.

What's Next?

How much can y'all expect to improve your score when yous retake the GRE? Larn how to gauge how much you lot'll raise your GRE score by reading our guide.

Just how long should you be studying for the GRE anyway? Our guide walks you through how to calculate the number of hours you'll need to set bated in social club to reach your score goals.

Want more information on GRE scoring? Learn exactly how each department of the GRE is scored so yous know how to become every indicate possible.

Gear up to amend your GRE score past vii points?

Nosotros've written a eBook almost the tiptop 5 strategies you must be using to accept a shot at improving your GRE score. Download it for complimentary now:



Christine graduated from Michigan State Academy with degrees in Ecology Biology and Geography and received her Master's from Duke University. In high school she scored in the 99th percentile on the SAT and was named a National Merit Finalist. She has taught English language and biology in several countries. View all posts by Christine Sarikas