How does a low quantitative score on GRE general exam affect admissions to mathematics PhD programs?

Question

I am applying to pure math grad school for Ph.D. this fall (usually top 20-25).

I just took my GRE test and found out that my Quantitative score for General GRE is 156. I am not sure about the percentile yet for this particular exam, but this is typically around 64th percentile among GRE test-takers.

Thus, if I want to present strong applications to math grad schools like UT Austin, UCLA, Columbia, Ohio State is the quantitative score enough?

The rest of my application is decent with about (3.7 gpa), research and publication. However I scored in the lower end of 600 for math gre. As you can tell I have high anxiety before such tests but I would like to avoid bringing up this point in my application as I am sure that the admission committee sees reason like this on its applications a lot.

Answer 1

Unsurprisingly, mathematics PhD applicants are rumored to have very high GRE general test quantitative scores.

I found a few links by web search where PhD programs list the average GRE scores for their students. (Everyone, please feel free to edit this to add more.)

• Penn State: https://www.math.psu.edu/grad/phd/faq.php

• Duke: http://gradschool.duke.edu/about/statistics/mathematics-phd-admissions-and-enrollment-statistics

• U Penn: http://www.math.upenn.edu/grad/graddata.html

• U Maryland Applied Math and Statistics: http://www.amsc.umd.edu/join_us/faq.html#Tests3

• Georgia Tech: http://www.math.gatech.edu/academics/graduate/faqs-graduate-admissions#MINGRE

These sites all show average quantitative GRE score is in the high 160s, which corresponds to about the 90th percentile (which was around 795 out of 800 on the old scale). So, if these statistics are accurate, the rumors are true.

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Now, for the more personal side of the question. You asked if the scores are "enough". Most schools have no firm minimum score. If you have sufficiently good credentials, you can overcome the low GRE score. What you will need, certainly, are very good letters of recommendation.

I would include a statement about anxiety in your personal statement, because even if the committee has heard it before, they haven't heard it from you.

You may also want to make sure you have diversified your applications: don't just apply to top-25 departments. There are a lot of perfectly fine schools lower in the rankings, which may not be as broadly strong but which may be strong in particular areas of interest to you.