Just took the GRE.

[pelagius]

Originally Posted by All-American

Well then, I direct the original question to you. In those 100s of Phd apps, what would you typically consider to be a good score on the GRE? If what I've got isn't good enough, I probably will take it again, unless I decide to jump ship and join forces with the lawyers.

I may not be that helpful. I can tell you what PhDs programs in finance or economics look for but I am assuming your thinking of a "Classics" or "Biblical Studies" program. Econ and Finance programs heavily weight the quantitative portion. Back when it had the analytical section that was a heavy weight as well because it was the best predictor of post PhD publishing success. I would guess that a "Classics" program would more heavily weight the Verbal score. I could be wrong though. If forced to guess, I think your guantitative score is probably quite high for a top Classics program and your verbal may be on the low side. However, your verbal may be good enough for a solid Classics program. I looked up an article on JSTOR and mean Verbal GRE scores for Classics was around 600 in the late 80s although it had fallen considerable from the 70s (see: "How the Mighty are Falling: in the Classical Journal, 1990). Sorry I don't have up to date numbers. Chinocoug was mentioning average scores across disciplines the other day so you might see if he knows. Finally, I don't know how much Classics programs weight the GRE relative to letters of rec, courses taken, and grades.