GRE Scores: A complete guide to help you understand your GRE result

What is the main goal of the GRE test?

GRE scores are one of the requirements of universities to assess candidates along with other mandatory requirements. These scores measure a student’s language, reasoning, math, critical, and analytical thinking skills overall. A good GRE score helps your application and even helps you get scholarships.

So, how do you achieve your dream score on the GRE? The first step is to understand the scoring in each of the GRE sections.

Here’s all you need to know about GRE scoring, what is considered a good GRE score, how the GRE scores are calculated, and how universities use these scores.

Understanding the GRE General Test Sections and Scores

After you take the GRE test, you will get an overall total score (with all section scores combined) and scores for individual sections, such as analytical writing, verbal reasoning, and quantitative reasoning.

Note that analytical writing scoring is done separately and is not included in the overall score. For unanswered questions, a No Score (NS) will be given.

The GRE scoring pattern for the 3 sections of the GRE is as follows:

Verbal and Quantitative Reasoning Scores - How They Work

These scores indicate the number of correctly answered questions, including the difficulty level. The measures of questions in these sections are adaptive. For example, depending on your answers in the first section, the measures for questions in the next section are determined. The difficulty level of the second section can be either lower, medium, or higher. Based on this, the final raw score is calculated. This is a measure of the number of correctly answered questions.

A process known as “Equating” converts the raw scores to scaled scores, which factor in the difficulty level of questions in each section. Each question is assigned 1 point or raw score.

Tip: The possible score is 81 overall on the GRE, which means answering more questions correctly can increase your overall score (from below average to above average).

Analytical Writing Scores - How They Work

Analytical writing scores indicate the quality of your essay. This section tests your critical and analytical thinking skills. These are assessed via a 6-point holistic scale (0-6), including computer scores from the ETS-developed e-rater scoring engine (computerised programme).

You will get scores based on your essay quality and the task assigned. There are two tasks (Analyse an Issue and Analyse an Argument) in this section. They are scored independently. If these two scores match, the average will be the overall score for this section. If they don’t match they are rated separately, and the average is taken. In other words, only one overall score is given for the analytical writing section.

Here’s a quick view of the scores in this section. For more details on scoring patterns, visit the official ETS scoring section.

Scoring Percentiles in GRE

Percentile scores indicate your performance relative to others for each section of the GRE.

Verbal And Quantitative Reasoning Percentiles

Here is the conversion from the GRE’s scaled scores to their respective percentiles in relation to the verbal and quantitative reasoning sections.

Analytical Writing Percentiles

This is the percentile range for analytical writing score levels.

What is a Good GRE Score?

GRE scores are typically mandated by the universities you are applying to, which gives you an idea of how to prepare for the GRE. On average, however, verbal reasoning scores of 150 or above, quantitative reasoning scores of 155 or above, and 4.0 or higher in analytical writing are considered very good. In terms of percentiles, scoring in the 75th percentile is considered good.

Here are GRE scores and their categories:

How to Score 300+ on the GRE?

The GRE scoring scale is 260 to 340 from verbal and quantitative reasoning sections, which include 130 to 170 points each. So, to score above 300, you must achieve a score of at least 150 in each of these sections.

Focus on preparing well in English and math to achieve this score. You will need about three months to prepare for the GRE. Take several practice tests and answer sample questions to assess and improve your shortcomings.

How Do Universities Use GRE Scores?

GRE scores are an essential part of the university application process abroad. Through their research-based objectivity and scoring measures, GRE scores help universities assess a candidate’s ability and background.

GRE scores are accepted across thousands of business, law, and other graduate schools. It’s also worth noting that most universities consider only verbal and quantitative reasoning scores. Some universities may consider your score in quantitative reasoning but not verbal reasoning, and vice versa. For example, for an engineering course, quantitative reasoning scores are more important than verbal reasoning. But, if you’re applying to language, linguistics, humanities, or social science courses, verbal reasoning scores are more important.

It’s good to focus on the GRE section that’s closely related to your field of study and score well to increase your chances of acceptance. Additionally, GRE scores are also considered by universities when awarding scholarships to deserving candidates.

Get Started with the GRE

Even though the GRE test can be challenging, it’s possible to get a good score. By understanding the GRE sections, scoring structure, and patterns as outlined here, you can master the GRE test easily. You can also focus on your chosen field of study and align your preparation towards the relevant GRE section to make it easier.

There are several GRE practice tests and sample questions available on the ETS website, like POWERPREP online, POWERPREP PLUS, and others to help you with the GRE test.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I leave any questions unanswered in the GRE?

Surprisingly, yes. You can leave one or two questions unanswered in the verbal or quantitative reasoning sections and still score well.

How to receive GRE scores?

The GRE scores are published approximately 10-15 days after the test date. For shorter GRE, the results are published after eight to 10 days.

You can obtain the GRE scores through the ETS Data Manager, a fast and secure online system to view and print score reports. This is updated bi-weekly and is available till the validity expires. You can also view responses to the analytical writing tasks in the ETS Data Manager.

The GRE paper scores are sent to universities. If an institute doesn’t accept paper reports, request the Dean or the admissions office of the institute to contact ETS.

What is the validity of the GRE scores?

The GRE scores are valid for up to 5 years after the test date.

To how many universities can the GRE scores be sent?

You can send your GRE scores to a maximum of 4 higher education universities or institutions. This is included in your test fee. To send your scores to more than four universities, you can order Additional Score Reports (ASRs). However, it incurs additional charges (USD 35 per score). For more details, refer to the ETS website.

Note that it takes five business days (approximately) to process and send your test scores to institutions. So, factor this in when ordering additional test scores.

Can I use more than one GRE score for my application?

Yes, you can choose your best score to send to universities, if you take the GRE test more than once. Some universities may need all your test scores.

ETS offers a ScoreSelect feature, which enables you to select the best GRE test scores and send them to universities. You can choose from the following options:

• Most Recent - to send your latest scores
• All - to send all your scores within the last five years
• Any - Send any score within the last years

Editor's note: This article was originally published in August 2015 by our content writer, Kavitha Vijeyavelan. We have since revised it to include up-to-date information and ensure its comprehensiveness.