Question about how important the GRE score is for graduate school

One Reader Ask A question..........

Hey there, I apologize if this question has been asked before as it is a little difficult using the reddit search. However, I just recently took the GRE as an undergraduate senior and I'm not too happy with my scores of 153 in both quant and verbal. This equates to 53% in the quant portion as well as 58% in the verbal. I have to wait roughly two weeks before receiving the written grade.

My main question is whether or not I will be disqualified upon applying to phd programs based upon the GRE. At the moment my overall GPA is a 3.6 with a major GPA of 3.7, I work as an organic chemistry TA (2nd year), general chemistry lab assistant (2nd year), had a summer internship at a pharmaceutical company, and have been performing research at my university for 9 months now (It will continue until I graduate this may).

Will these credentials weigh more than the GRE score or am I pretty much screwed? Any feedback would be really appreciated!

In Reply Of The Question You Must Understood How GRE Score Related Of your admission 

The GRE doesn't matter insofar as it will not get you bonus points on your application no matter how good it is, but 53% for quant is too low for most decent schools to even consider your application very seriously (the notable exception to this being if you have published some papers, particularly first author papers). The math on the GRE is nothing compared to the math you should have taken as an undergraduate going into a PhD program, so most schools expect you to be in the 85%+ at a minimum, and getting even a single question wrong will drop you down around 90% if I recall correctly.

You are not screwed, but you should retake it. Don't sweat the other sections too much, but do better on the quantitative stuff and you'll be fine.

It also depends on what caliber of schools you are looking at. If you want to be in the top 5-10 programs (Berkley, MIT, Wisconsin, etc) you need to set yourself to a much higher standard for your GRE and GPA. However, if you are looking at more realistic, yet still very good, programs your GPA and GRE scores dont have to be extremely high percentiles. 85% minimum is over stating things. Its not the minimum you need, its what you want, and being near there will be satisfactory.

Your 53% is far too low, but a reasonable improvement on your 2nd try will probably have you in a good position for those Top 25 programs. 

Why And When I Need GRE

When applying for admissions to universities, you will need a GRE or GMAT, depending upon what the college or university accepts.  For international students applying to US universities, you will need a TOEFL or IELTS along with GRE or GMAT score to apply for admissions.

Even if you have completed your bachelors in USA, are a US citizen or resident, you will need a GRE to get admissions for Masters or Graduation for most the colleges.

What Is GRE

To get straight to the point, this article intends to answer the question: What are the GRE and GMAT exams all about? To begin with, however, let's look at the US education system and find out how the GRE helps in the process of getting there.
The US education system consists of 12 years of schooling, four years of undergraduate study (such as a BA or BS) and two years of graduate study. Most colleges or universities expect you to have four years of  undergraduate study, three years of undergraduate and a year's Masters.

Admission cycles
Most US colleges and universities offer admissions twice a year. The first is in September, known as the Fall semester. The second is in February -- the Spring semester. You have a choice of joining a college in either semester.
The GRE
Individuals applying to graduate schools in order to pursue a Masters in Arts (MA) or Science (MS) take the GRE (Graduate Record Examination). The test helps schools by providing them with common measures for comparing the qualifications of applicants.

Admission cycles
Most US colleges and universities offer admissions twice a year. The first is in September, known as the Fall semester. The second is in February -- the Spring semester. You have a choice of joining a college in either semester.
The GRE
Individuals applying to graduate schools in order to pursue a Masters in Arts (MA) or Science (MS) take the GRE (Graduate Record Examination). The test helps schools by providing them with common measures for comparing the qualifications of applicants.
There are two types of tests
. The General Test measures verbal and quantitative ability, and analytical writing skills. Data shows that scores on the GRE General Test consistently predict graduate school students' grades and performance.
. The Subject Test measures the achievement in a particular subject area or extensive background in that discipline. These tests are in the following areas: Biochemistry, Cell and Molecular Biology, Biology, Chemistry, Computer Science, Literature (English), Physics and Psychology.
Our emphasis will be on the General Test, as that will be the eligibility criteria for most programs you intend to pursue.
Why GRE?
In addition to being an admission criterion, schools often use GRE scores to determine eligibility for merit-based grants and fellowships, as well as teaching and research assistantships programs. The large state schools establish cut-off points for GRE scores to limit the application pool, while others use GRE scores to directly determine how much financial support you receive. Investing time and effort in preparing for the GRE today can help you get into the grad school of your choice and can greatly increase your chances of getting financial aid.
The GRE is conducted by the Education Testing Services group (ETS). For now, the test can be taken all the year round. From coming year, however, there will be fixed dates. The fees for the test are US$140 (Rs 7,000).
The exam in detail
The GRE consists of three main sections: Verbal, Quantitative and Analytical Writing. The Verbal and Quantitative Scores are out of a scale of 200-800 each. The Analytical Writing section is of a maximum of six points. The most important thing is the test is Computer Adaptive, which means the next question that appears onscreen depends on whether the previous question has been answered correctly or not.
The Analytical Writing section tests your critical thinking and writing skills. It assesses your ability to articulate and support complex ideas, analyse an argument, and sustain a focused and coherent discussion. It does not assess specific content knowledge.
The Verbal section measures your ability to analyse and evaluate written material and synthesize information obtained from it, to analyse relationships among component parts of sentences, to recognize relationships between words and concepts, and to reason with words in solving problems. There is a balance of passages across different subject matter areas: humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences.
The Quantitative section measures your basic mathematical skills, your understanding of elementary mathematical concepts, and your ability to reason quantitatively and solve problems in a quantitative setting. There is a balance of questions requiring arithmetic, algebra, geometry and data analysis.