Should I retake the GRE?

[LabToPA23]

I got a verbal score of 143 and quantitative score of 150, I have not received my score for the writing yet. Was wondering if I should retake it based on other aspects of my application? Standardized testing was never my strong suit :(

 

Cumulative GPA: 3.42

Science GPA: 3.69

HCE: 2400 hours as a hospital lab scientist

Shadowing: 4 PAs total (about 50 hours and counting)

Volunteering: about 100 hours and counting (Trauma ICU with direct patient contact)

 

 

[rev ronin]

My general advice is "not unless you're sure you can better your score"  In general, I think verbal is the more important of the two sub scores, and analytical writing score weighs between them.

 

The rest of your stats don't matter to the question at hand: even if you're a rock star, you still need to do your best on each part of your application.  Ditto if you're barely scraping minimums.  So... if that's the case, why don't I recommend GRE retakes for everyone?

 

Because your score is what you scored, and it's not really all that likely to change unless you're willing to invest serious time and energy into the retake effort.  Even then, if you studied well ahead of time, you're really not that likely to benefit.  What if you score the same?  Or worse, worse?

[UGoLong]

If you are about 50th percentile or more, don't sweat it. If significantly below, then consider it.

 

 

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[sushithefish]

Verbal is a little low. I agree with rev ronin; don't retake it unless you think you'll do better. However, I believe that the GRE is something you CAN learn to do well, and by studying more or differently, you can definitely increase your scores. Of course, you should always try your best, but try getting that Verbal score to at least 150. If you absolutely feel that you can't get a good GRE score, apply to schools that don't require GRE or schools with no minimum GRE score. 

[Wake PA-S]

I think it depends on the schools that you are trying to get into as well.  It could use a boost but unless you have a solid way to improve your verbal it's probably not worth it.  You have a good amount of HCE and shadowing so that should help, and your GPA isn't too bad.