GRE Scoring: Section-Wise Score
GRE
GRE Quant and Verbal sections of the GRE exam are scored on a scale of 130 – 170. The GRE Analytical writing section of two writing tasks uses a score of 0 – 6. Read on as we explain the concept of GRE scoring for each section to candidates looking to appear for their GRE Test.
ETS releases the scorecard of the GRE Exam in 8 to 10 days from the date you complete the test. This is the most difficult phase for a GRE test taker as they can only predict their total GRE Score based on their performance. There are three sections in the Graduate Record Examination. Verbal Reasoning Section and Quantitative Reasoning score would be reported on a scale of 130 – 170 with a 1-point increment each. At the same time, Analytical Scores would be reported on a scale of 0 – 6 in half-point increments.
The maximum GRE score a test taker can receive for either of the sections Verbal/Quant is 170. Test takers get 30 minutes for one writing task "Analyze an issue" in the Analytical Writing Section. A score of this section ranges between 0–6, in half-point increments.
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GRE Scoring Range
Here is the score range of different sections of GRE.
| GRE Sections | Score Scale |
|---|---|
| GRE Verbal Reasoning | 130–170, in 1-point increments |
| GRE Quantitative Reasoning | 130–170, in 1-point increments |
| GRE Analytical Writing | 0–6, in half-point increments |
How GRE Scores are Calculated: Verbal & Quantitative Reasoning
The GRE Verbal and Quantitative Reasoning sections are adaptive in nature. This means the difficulty level of subsequent sections would be based on your performance in the earlier section. Within each section, all questions contribute equally to the final score. There are 27 questions in the Verbal and Quantitative Reasoning section.
For each of the two sections of the exam, a raw score is computed. It depends on the number of questions you answered correctly. The raw score is then converted to a scaled score between 130 – 170 through a process known as equating.
| Number of Correct Responses | GRE Raw Score | GRE Scaled Score (Verbal & Quantitative Section) |
|---|---|---|
| 0 – 5 | 0 – 5 | 130 – 135 |
| 6 – 10 | 6 – 10 | 136 – 140 |
| 11 – 15 | 11 – 15 | 141 – 145 |
| 16 – 20 | 16 – 20 | 146 – 150 |
| 21 – 25 | 21 – 25 | 151 – 155 |
| 26 – 30 | 26 – 30 | 156 – 160 |
| 31 – 35 | 31 – 35 | 161 – 165 |
| 36 – 40 | 36 – 40 | 166 – 170 |
How the GRE Scores are Calculated: Analytical Writing Section
In the GRE Analytical Writing section, candidates are required to attempt only one writing task within 30 minutes, which is ‘Analyze an Issue’ task. The essay is assessed by at least one trained rater using a 6-point scale. Here the human rater is looking at the overall quality of the essay which includes critical thinking and analytical writing skills rather than grammar and mechanics.
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The essay is evaluated using an ETS-developed e-rater scoring engine, a computerized program adept at identifying writing proficiency-related essay attributes. All essay responses on the Analytical Writing section are reviewed by trained analysts using ETS essay similarity detection software and by experienced content experts.
Read: How to Calculate GRE Score Section Wise?
GRE Score Reporting
GRE test takers will be informed over email once their GRE test scores (official score report) are available in their ETS test taker account 10 – 15 days from the time of appearing for the GRE Exam. Your official Institution Score Report will also be sent to the score recipients you designated on test day. Candidates should note that while your GRE Official Score Report which is accessible through their ETS account would have personal information and is intended for the test taker alone. The Institution Score Report which would be sent to the institution would have only select information.
GRE Official Score Report vs. GRE Institution Score Report
| GRE Official Score Report (For Test Takers) |
GRE Institution Score Report (For Universities) |
|---|---|
| Contact information (name, phone number and email) | Contact information (name, address, phone number, email) |
| Date of birth | Date of birth |
| Gender | Gender |
| Intended graduate major | Your intended graduate major field |
| GRE Test date(s) | The GRE test dates and score(s) you choose to report with the ScoreSelect option and the associated percentile ranks |
| GRE test score(s) and the associated percentile ranks | |
| Authorized score recipients or fellowship sponsors and the scores reported to those institutions | n/a |
| A cumulative record of scores reported within the last 5 years | n/a |
GRE Scores Validity
Your GRE scores are valid for a total of 5 years from the day of your GRE General Test. So, if you took the GRE exam on September 08, 2023, your scores would be valid through September 8, 2028.
GRE Scoring: What is a Good GRE Score?
Candidates should note that GRE scores are program-specific as opposed to the popular belief that they are a university requirement. Meaning, that a particular university could have different GRE Cut Offs based on the programmes they offer. When we talk about a good GRE score, any GRE score for the Quantitative Reasoning section that is near or above 160 is good enough to get you into most programmes offered at top universities. However, highly competitive programmes with a focus on mathematics might prefer a GRE score of around 165. When we talk about a good GRE score for the verbal section, a score of 150 or higher is considered a good score.
Candidates should note that math-heavy graduate programmes would require students to have a high GRE Quantitative Score and usually our less weightage on Verbal Scores. Similarly, candidates looking to pursue humanities subjects for their graduate programmes would be required to have a higher verbal score as compared to Quant scores.
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GRE Percentile
Admission officers are often equally interested to know about your GRE Percentile. The GRE percentile/percentage would basically be the percentage of students the candidate has outperformed on each section of the exam. Mostly, they are interested to know how you performed as compared to your peers. Anything in the 75th percentile or higher in all three sections of the test will generally be good enough to get into the most competitive graduate programmes. However, some prestigious programmes may want to see higher scores.
GRE Percentiles July 2020 – June 2023
The table below shows the percentage of test takers scoring lower than the selected scaled scores. The data is based on the performance of all individuals who tested between July 1, 2020 and June 30, 2023.
| Scaled Score | Verbal Reasoning Percentile | Quantitative Reasoning Percentile |
|---|---|---|
| 170 | 99 | 92 |
| 169 | 99 | 87 |
| 168 | 98 | 83 |
| 167 | 97 | 78 |
| 166 | 96 | 74 |
| 165 | 95 | 70 |
| 164 | 93 | 66 |
| 163 | 91 | 63 |
| 162 | 89 | 60 |
| 161 | 86 | 57 |
| 160 | 84 | 53 |
| 159 | 80 | 50 |
| 158 | 77 | 48 |
| 157 | 73 | 45 |
| 156 | 70 | 49 |
Source: ETS
GRE Percentiles July 2020 – June 2023
The table below shows the percentage of test takers scoring lower than the selected scaled scores. The data is based on the performance of all individuals who tested between July 1, 2020 and June 30, 2023.
| Score Level | Analytical Writing |
|---|---|
| 6.0 | 99 |
| 5.5 | 98 |
| 5.0 | 92 |
| 4.5 | 83 |
| 4.0 | 59 |
| 3.5 | 41 |
| 3.0 | 16 |
Source: ETS
A total of 1,039,310 test takers took the Verbal Reasoning measure, 1,041,330 took the Quantitative Reasoning measure and 1,037,639 took the Analytical Writing measure between July 1, 2020 and June 30, 2023.
Q: What sections of the GRE are scored?
Q: What is the syllabus and exam pattern of GRE?
Check the table below to know the about the latest pattern and syllabus of GRE :
| GRE Exam Sections | GRE Exam Pattern | Section-Wise Syllabus |
|---|---|---|
| Analytical Writing (One Section) | One "Analyze an Issue" task (30 Minutes) | |
| Quantitative Reasoning (Two Sections) |
|
|
| Verbal Reasoning (Two Sections) |
|
|
| Total | 5 Sections: 55 Questions |
Q: What is the new GRE pattern?
According to updated GRE Exam Pattern announced by ETS, here are the important points that you need to note.
- GRE Exam test duration is less than 2 hours (1 hour and 58 minutes). Earlier, it was 3 hours and 45 minutes.
- There are five sections in the exam to assess Analytical Writing, Quantitative Reasoning and Verbal Reasoning. Earlier, there were 6 sections.
Q: What is the GRE exam pattern?
The ETS recently announced a major change in the GRE Exam Pattern. According to the latest GRE test pattern, there will be analytical writing, quantitative reasoning, and verbal reasoning topics in the exam to assess the skills of students. The duration of the updated GRE exam format is 1 hour and 58 minutes only.
Here is the updated duration of GRE exam sections.
- GRE Analytical Writing- 30 Minutes
- GRE Quantitative Reasoning - 41 Minutes
- GRE Verbal Reasoning- 47 Minutes
To prepare according to the new pattern, students need to create a strategy from scratch. Also, they can explore the GRE Study Plan for Beginners to get help in creating a preparation plan.
Q: Is there any negative marking in GRE exam?
No, there is no negative marking in the GRE exam. This means you don't need to worry about deductions to your score for incorrect answers. However, we wouldn't recommend random guessing, as the GRE is a computer-adaptive test. The difficulty level of your next question will be based on your performance on previous questions.
Q: How is the GRE exam scoring pattern?
Understanding the scoring pattern of Graduate Record Examinations is an important part of your preparation. There is no negative marking in the GRE Exam. It means you don't need to worry about score deductions.
The difficulty of the second section in (Verbal Reasoning and Quantitative Reasoning) depends on the performance in first section. GRE Analytical Writing measured on a scale of 0 - 6 in half-point increments.
Here is the section-wise range of GRE score:
Section | GRE Score Range |
|---|---|
Verbal Reasoning | 130–170, in 1-point increments |
Quantitative Reasoning | 130–170, in 1-point increments |
Analytical Writing | 0–6, in half-point increments |
Q: Is university of West of Scotland good for international students?
The University of the West of Scotland has five modern and diverse campuses in United Kingdom. The University has welcomed more than 3,000 international students which are representing 1/3 of the globe. They also have 130 European partners who are actively in global study and exchange options through the Commonwealth universities programmes. The University also offers study abroad opportunities for UWS who are eligible for the same and also have more than 20 transnational education partners worldwide which helps them deliver UWS Bachelors and Masters Degrees around the world.
Q: Is Hertfordshire University hard to get into?
With a 70% acceptance rate, the University of Hertfordshire is not hard to get into and follows easy selection criteria during admissions. This does not mean the university accepts all the students applying for different programs. The selection is based on academic performance, English language requirements, references, and many more. Some of the programs at Hertfordshire even demand an experience of 4-5 years. Students must fulfill the eligibility criteria to enroll in any programme at Hertfordshire University. In addition, students with average performance can showcase their relevant experience or extracurricular activities participation to increase their selection probability.
Q: Does the University of Essex require IELTS?
International students whose native language is not English must meet the University of Essex English language requirements to get admission. The university accepts IELTS scores as proof of English language proficiency. Mentioned below are the IELTS scores required for UG and PG admission at the university:
English Language Test | Score |
|---|---|
IELTS | Overall score of 5.5 to 8.0 with minimum of 5.5 to 7.5 in each section |
The university also accepts the score of other English language tests such as TOEFL and PTE for admission to undergraduate and graduate programs:
English Language Test | Score |
TOEFL iBT | Overall score of 72 to 114 |
PTE | Overall score of 59 to 84 with minimum of 59 to 80 in each section |
Also read: Required IELTS Score for UK Universities
Q: What are the various sections included in the syllabus of GRE exam?
The GRE exam portion is divided into three sections: Analytical Writing section, Quantitative Reasoning section, and Verbal Reasoning section. However, these categories are made up of multiple topics which are tested during the entire duration of the Graduate Record Examination. Note that, this syllabus is different from GRE subject test syllabus.
How to Prepare for GRE Exam?
To prepare for the Graduate Record Exam and get the desired score, you need to follow the tips mentioned below:
- Understand the exam format and syllabus topics
- Set realistic goals
- Create a study plan and practice regularly
- Utilize effective study materials and online resources
- Develop strong verbal reasoning skills and practice vocabulary
Apart from these, you can use other GRE preparation tips and understand how to score 300 to 320 in GRE Exam in first attempt? That's all about the topic. Candidates can get in touch with us in the comments below. Looking for assistance with University admissions? Get in touch with our Shiksha Study Abroad Counsellors, here.
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The scored sections of GRE are Verbal Reasoning, Quantitative Reasoning, and Analytical Writing. While the Verbal Reasoning and Quantitative Reasoning sections contribute to the final score, the Analytical Writing section is scored separately. Unscored sections, such as an experimental or research section, may also be present but do not factor into your final score.