What's a Good GRE Score? The Ultimate Guide | Albert.io (2024)

The Graduate Record Examination (GRE) is the most common admission test for graduate and business school admissions throughout the world. The standardized test measures four key areas: verbal reasoning, quantitative reasoning, critical thinking, and analytical writing skills, which are typically important for success in graduate and business schools. A large number of prospective graduate and business school applicants worldwide take the GRE. The exam gives a standardized way for schools’ admission offices to differentiate between applicants and helps them judge their qualifications.

The GRE forms one of the key parts of your application along with your undergraduate transcripts, recommendation letters, CV or resumé, and your essays of descriptions of other qualifications. The test is available at hundreds of test centers worldwide and is commonly taken through computer-based testing. Non-computer based testing is not available for the US and Canada. However, it is available in different parts of the world on a limited basis.

How Important is the GRE?

The GRE is important because it is a required part of applications for most graduate schools throughout the world. The admission staff has to judge a student’s ability based on the large number of details they provide in their applications. The GRE gives a standardized score that they can use to compare students of widely different backgrounds and qualifications.

A poor GRE score can make it difficult for you to get admission into the school. However, an excellent GRE score may not guarantee your admission, but it certainly helps by giving a general sense of your ability. GRE scores can also be an important factor for financial aid, merit-based scholarships, fellowships, etc.

How is the GRE’s Revised General Test Structured and Scored?

The test lasts for 3 hours and 45 minutes total, with each section having a 1-minute break and a 10-minute break after the third section. There are three measures within the test: Analytical Writing, Verbal Reasoning, and Quantitative Reasoning.

Analytical Writing

This section focuses on your ability to provide written responses based on the given tasks. The section aims at measuring your ability to explain and support your ideas, sustain your argument using the given claims and evidence, as well as your grip over common elements of written English.

This section is scored by two readers, with each reader giving a score using a six-point holistic scale. The readers are trained to give a standardized score based on the given task and the quality of response written by the test taker. If the scores given by both readers differ by more than one point, a third reader is asked to resolve the difference. Otherwise, the scores of both the readers are averaged to give each response its score. The scores are then averaged and rounded to the nearest half-point interval, giving the final score for the Analytical Writing section. Only a single score is reported for this section, which is on a scale from 0 to 6 with half-point increments.

Verbal Reasoning and Quantitative Reasoning

The Verbal Reasoning section measures your ability to analyze the given written material and form conclusions based on the given material. This section measures how well you can understand the text given to you and how you apply that understanding to answer questions in different contexts. The exam can focus on individual words, sentences, texts, concepts, and subtexts, as well as how different entities and words might relate to one another.

The Quantitative Reasoning section aims at measuring basic mathematical skills and understandings of principal mathematical concepts related to arithmetic, algebra, geometry, and data analysis. This measure has problems with quantitative information and measures how well you can solve these problems using mathematical models.

These two measures of the GRE revised General Test are scored by the number of correct responses to the given questions included in the sections. These two sections’ scores are reported on a scale from 130 to 170 with 1-point increments.

What is a Good GRE Score to Aim for? How much do Graduate Programs Expect?

This is a question perhaps every test taker asks before taking the exam. Average GRE scores vary a lot between different graduate schools and programs and can range anywhere from 149 to 170 for both Verbal and Quantitative measures. Top programs can have an average GRE score in the range of 160-170 for each section. Both the Verbal and the Quantitative measures of the GRE have a range from 130 to 170, and the average score for both these measures is about 151.

Below are some scores for a few top graduate programs. The Educational Testing Service (ETS) itself does not provide official numbers and averages. However, these numbers are deemed indicative of the average score by applicants who enter the program.

Table 1: Example GRE scores for select top US universities, according to US News & World Report.

The top programs require a score in 160s for both the sections with some having an average GRE score of 165+. Most top programs in the country will be expecting a score around 160 or more.

Let’s look at the distribution of GRE scores for test takers worldwide, as given by ETS.

Table 2: GRE Score Percentiles for Test Takers Between 2012 and 2015.

A score of 165 is in the 95th percentile, meaning that if you score 165 in the Verbal or Quantitative Section, you will be in the top 5% of all test takers. If so, the GRE score will be a strong positive factor for your application. GRE scores range from 160-170 in the top-level graduate programs because the top percentile of students apply to these programs with the hope of being selected.

An average score for the GRE is about 151 for both measures, which is not outstanding. For every point increase around the average GRE score range, your percentile increase can be massive. This happens because many scores cluster around the average. This also means that if you have a GRE score ranging from 150 to 160, your percentile can be 50-75, meaning you can be anywhere from average to the top 25%.

A score of 157, which is in the 75th percentile, means you scored better than 75% of the test takers, something of which you can be very proud. A score in this range is something you can apply to most graduate programs with strong hope to get in without re-taking the GRE.

However, a score of less than 148 would mean 75% of the test takers did better than you did, which would not reflect well on your application. At this GRE score range, you should prepare to study and re-take the exam.

What if You were not able to Achieve a High GRE Score?

One should always remember that the GRE does not a definitive entrance exam. Even when someone scores 170 in both measures, it is not guaranteed that they will get admission in the graduate school of their choice. Your application consists of a large number of qualifications with the GRE just being one part. A score in the 75th percentile might not be ideal, but it is certainly a good GRE score, and it will open doors, even for top programs.

The number of factors involved in any admission application makes it impossible to determine an ideal GRE score. You should always research your chosen schools, in order to figure out their expectation, and the average scores of admitted students, so you can prepare for that score.

How Hard can a 330+ GRE Score be?

One should always remember that the GRE is a standardized test, which means it has predictable aspects. The trick is to understand the test as well as you can and prepare specifically for the GRE from mock tests, study plans, and preparation strategies.

However, it is also important to remember that a 330+ score is in the 98th percentile of all GRE scores. This means that only 2% of the test takers can achieve this score and over 98% of people are below this score. It can be as difficult to increase your score from 320 to 330 as it is to score 320 in the first place. At this GRE score range, the slightest mistake or misfortune hampers your result.

This is not to discourage you from trying to get 330+, but it is to remind you that very few can achieve it. Your primary aim should be to get a good GRE score for the program you wish to enroll, and very rarely will a program require a score of 330 or more. If you believe you need 330+, then you should be disciplined and practice as much as you can, using official and unofficial resources, some of which are highlighted in the next section.

How can You Prepare for the GRE?

There are plenty of resources available to teach you the types of questions on the GRE and how you can best master them. Anyone willing to put in the time can get a good GRE score. Here are a few points that can help you improve your score:

1. Use resources specifically created for the GRE revised General Test.
2. A common mistake is to view the test’s structure but then prepare from general language, math, or aptitude course books. Not only is this more time consuming, but it can also lead to lower scores, since it does not prepare you specifically for the kind of questions asked on the GRE. Albert offers an excellent set of interactive exercises for Verbal and Quantitative Reasoning measures that can help you prepare for the actual exam.
3. Practice only on authentic adaptive tests. GRE is a specifically crafted exam, and it is not difficult to get authentic tests, both official and unofficial. Ensure that the tests you take are electronic, adaptive by section, and score similarly to the official test.
4. You should be prepared for the 3 hour and 45 minute computer-based test. Sitting on a computer for so long can be tiring, and you should be prepared for such conditions.
5. Vocabulary is an important aspect of GRE, but you do not need to stress about it. The GRE does not have a very broad dictionary, and it is easy to find the right words to increase your GRE score significantly. 111 Must Know Vocab Words for GRE Verbal is one excellent resource to get you started.
6. Practice as much as you can. Scoring perfectly on one practice test is not enough; you should be able to score well on multiple tests without much trouble before taking the actual GRE itself. Practice helps minimize the variance, which can occur on the actual test, and it helps you hold your nerve better.
7. Continuously review your performance in the practice tests. Focus on areas where you are doing poorly and see whether your preparation is helping you improve scores.
8. Take the official practice tests at least once. ETS makes available some practice tests, all of which feature questions which were in actual GRE tests. These can provide a good estimation for what to expect.

The first step for anyone taking the GRE is to determine which kind of graduate program they are aiming for, research about that program, and aim for a score ideal for that program range.

Do you feel you cannot score well enough to get into top graduate programs in the country? You would be surprised by how well you can perform if you study with the right motivation and guide.

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