What’s a Good GRE Score?
A good GRE score is subjective and depends on which school you will be applying to. Start by finding average GRE scores for the schools you plan to apply to. This will help you understand how important these scores are as part of your application and give you a target to work towards.
If you’ve found yourself needing to get higher GRE scores after taking a practice test, make sure to fully understand how scoring works. Sometimes raising your overall score by just a few points can be very challenging and requires true dedication to reach your target school.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
- How GRE Scoring Works
- How Schools Use GRE Scores
- Good GRE Scores
- GRE Scoring Percentiles
- How to Improve Your GRE Score
- GRE Practice Questions
In general, here is what you need to know about GRE scores.
- You will receive an overall score on the GRE and scores for each section of the exam.
- Your overall GRE score will be somewhere between 260 – 340.
- The range for scores in the verbal and quantitative sections is 130-170 in one-point increments.
- The range for scores in analytical writing is 0 – 6 in half-point increments.
- The mean GRE scores for each section amongst recent test takers were ~151 in Verbal, ~155 in Quantitative, and ~3.5 in Writing.
- A good GRE score for each section is generally considered 158+ for Verbal, 159+ for Quantitative, and 4.5+ for Writing, and an overall score of 318+ which places you into the 75th percentile or higher.
How GRE Scoring Works
You will receive scores for each section of the GRE and also an overall score which gets calculated based on the scores you receive on the quantitative and verbal sections. The Essay (Analytical Writing) section score does not factor into your overall GRE score and is scored separately.
Verbal and Quantitative scores reflect the number of questions you answer correctly and difficulty level. Essay (Analytical Writing) scores reflect the quality of your essay response.
The first Verbal section and the first Quantitative section are both routing modules, so the number of questions you get right in these routing modules determines the difficulty level of your second section in both Verbal and Quant.
Your second sections could be lower-difficulty, medium-difficulty, or higher-difficulty, and the difficulty level of your second section will in part determine your final score.
[ RELATED: How is the GRE scored? ]
There are only 81 possible overall scores (from 260 to 340) possible on the GRE. That means that answering just a few more questions correctly can push your score from just average to far above average.
GRE SCORE EXPERT TIP
How Schools Use GRE Scores
Graduate and professional programs use your overall and section GRE scores to assess your readiness for the program you are applying to. GRE scores demonstrate your ability to succeed and give admissions officers one more factor to look at when deciding to admit you or not.
Remember that GRE scores are only one of many factors that are used to determine your readiness. Personal statements, transcripts, letters of recommendation, and sometimes even work experience can all be used to decide on your application.
If you are applying for a math-heavy program like engineering, you will probably need higher GRE scores in Quantitative than in Verbal. This logic also applies to English degrees where you will probably be expected to have higher Verbal scores than in other degree programs.
[ RELATED: Average GRE scores for top Graduate School Programs ]
GRE Score Ranges: Average, Good, and Highest GRE Scores
GRE Scoring Percentiles
Together with your GRE scores, you’ll also receive a percentile rank, which is intended to give you an idea of how well your scores measure up against other GRE test takers. The higher your percentile rank, the more likely you are to get into a top graduate program.
GRE Verbal + Quantitative Scaled Scores and Percentiles
The percentile scores listed below in the verbal and quantitative conversion calculator, rate your performance relative to that of a large sample population of other GRE takers.
As provided by ETS, the creator of the GRE, possible GRE scores and their coinciding percentiles are as follows:
GRE Analytical Writing Score Levels and Percentiles
| GRE writing score | GRE writing percentile |
|---|---|
| 6.0 | 99% |
| 5.5 | 98% |
| 5.0 | 92% |
| 4.5 | 81% |
| 4.0 | 57% |
| 3.5 | 39% |
| 3.0 | 15% |
| 2.5 | 7% |
| 2.0 | 2% |
| 1.5 | 1% |
| 1.0 | 1% |
| 0.5 | 1% |
| 0.0 | 1% |
How to Improve Your GRE Score
To improve your GRE score you will need to honestly assess your most recent practice test results to determine how much you need to improve. Remember you’re not aiming for perfection, just for scores that align with historical scores from the degree programs you plan to apply to.
Studying for 3 months is the benchmark for GRE prep. This will give you enough time to seriously focus on your weaknesses and lightly refresh your knowledge of your strengths. It will give you plenty of time to take multiple practice tests and use practice questions to stay sharp.
Studying for at least 3 months will also give you the ability to pivot if needed and hire a GRE tutor to give you the one-on-one attention you need.
[ RELATED: GRE 3-Month Study Plan ]
Quiz: Verbal Diagnostic GRE Practice Questions
Quiz: Math Diagnostic GRE Practice Questions
Written by Kaplan experts, reviewed by Gordon Spector, GRE Veteran Instructor and Content Developer. Gordon has taught thousands of students how to master the GRE for over 10 years and is one of the most well-known instructors in the industry.
