Retake GRE? (168 Q, 161V) and Application Advice

[jackjack]

Hello,

Today I took the GRE and my unofficial results were a 168 on quantitative reasoning and 161 on verbal reasoning. On my powerprep plus tests, I was averaging a 169 Q and 163 V, so I am a bit disappointed but not surprised since I was definitely super nervous. I am planning to apply to Carnegie Mellon MSCF, MIT MFin, Princeton MFin, NYU MFE, Cornell MFE, UChicago MFM, and Columbia MFE. I know Carnegie Mellon's average quant GRE is 169, so I was wondering if I should retake it. I know 168 is close to average, but slightly below, so I'm not sure what to do.

GPA: With regards to the rest of my application, I went to university for a year and then transferred to Brown where I studied applied math. Brown does not calculate GPA, and I have taken 1 or 2 courses pass-fail. How are pass-failed classes evaluated for GPA purposes? Assuming pass-failed classes don't count towards my GPA, my GPA at Brown would be 3.95, but if pass-fail courses counted as a B, I would have a 3.86.

Relevant courses taken include:
I have taken a wide array of math courses including courses in probability, statistics, stochastic calculus, analysis, operations research, monte carlo simulations, numerical optimization, programming, econometrics, and Calc 1-4

Work experience: I did a lot of tutoring throughout college, and interned at a private credit firm for a summer where I then worked part-time. I am now am a research analyst at an investment bank, building Python models for one of their policy divisions.

Recs: I think the my recs from professors will be 7-8/10 and the rec from my senior colleague a 9/10.

Research Experience: I publish research for my job, but it is proprietary so I cannot do more than just describe it in my application.

Based on this, do you think I should retake the GRE? I feel like I can do better, just not if it is worth it. Also, any additional feedback would be great My work experience, while still based in math and programming, is not a traditional quantitative analyst role, so I am curious as to how admissions will feel about that. And do you think I am competitive for the schools I listed? Thank you for reading

 

[Andy Nguyen]

Are you a domestic or international students? I wouldn't retake it if it's up to me. No program will reject a good candidate with a 168 Q. And from the Tracker, a lot of people with 170 Q got denied from a lot of places so it's just a small factor.
Why are you not applying to Baruch, Columbia MAFN, GaTech but include NYU MFE. Just curious to hear your reasoning.
I would take the C++ here to bulletproof you programming skill. Python is a good skill to have but C++ opens a lot more doors for you.

 

[jackjack]

Are you a domestic or international students? I wouldn't retake it if it's up to me. No program will reject a good candidate with a 168 Q. And from the Tracker, a lot of people with 170 Q got denied from a lot of places so it's just a small factor.
Why are you not applying to Baruch, Columbia MAFN, GaTech but include NYU MFE. Just curious to hear your reasoning.
I would take the C++ here to bulletproof you programming skill. Python is a good skill to have but C++ opens a lot more doors for you.

Thank you for the response! I am a domestic student. I am proficient in C++, and have that listed on my resume, but do not have a certificate - are certificates something they look for? Also, I'm not applying to GaTech as it is a bit far for me, and I chose NYU over the other two since the application is free for me lol.

 

[Andy Nguyen]

Got you. Domestic student, no retake GRE then.
Programs would want C++ as a course taken or certificate like one we offer. CMU MSCF will require you to take this course if you haven't and got admitted there.
You seem like a strong candidate and should aim for all the top programs that meet your needs.
Best of luck and please use the Tracker as you progress during this admission cycle.

 

[jackjack]

Got you. Domestic student, no retake GRE then.
Programs would want C++ as a course taken or certificate like one we offer. CMU MSCF will require you to take this course if you haven't and got admitted there.
You seem like a strong candidate and should aim for all the top programs that meet your needs.
Best of luck and please use the Tracker as you progress during this admission cycle.

Thank you! I will aim to get the certificate then, as all of my programming courses were in Python.

 

[jackjack]

Got you. Domestic student, no retake GRE then.
Programs would want C++ as a course taken or certificate like one we offer. CMU MSCF will require you to take this course if you haven't and got admitted there.
You seem like a strong candidate and should aim for all the top programs that meet your needs.
Best of luck and please use the Tracker as you progress during this admission cycle.

One more question - for programs where it is optional to submit GRE, do you recommend submitting this score? Or should I just not submit any score? Thank you

 

[Andy Nguyen]

There is no solid rule for this so this is only my thinking: use your GRE even when it's optional. It's just a check on the list for them.
You are domestic students which is heavily in your favor during this climate. You went to Brown doing applied math with a high GPA. Your GRE Q is not that bad. In fact, I bet most programs would ignore your GRE Q.
Relax and focus on other aspects of the applications.