If you plan to take the GRE, you are probably trying to understand how the scoring and GRE percentiles work.
Studying for the GRE is already a challenge on its own, so we are here to help you understand the GRE score percentiles, breaking down for you the most essential information.
In this article, we will cover how GRE ranking works, how the GRE score percentiles are calculated, and what is considered a good score, while answering a few other important questions.
Let’s dive right in.
Quick Summary
- GRE percentiles reveal the percentage of students who scored below you.
- GRE percentiles differ for each GRE section.
- The Quant and Verbal sections have a GRE score range between 130 and 170, with the average being around 150-155.
- Different grad programs have different expectations, some valuing verbal skills, others quantitative, impacting your ideal GRE scores.
- Aiming for the 75th percentile or more will give you a competitive edge.
How Does GRE Ranking Work?
The GRE is a standardized test that evaluates test takers’ knowledge within 3 sections:
- Verbal Reasoning (multi-choice, 27 questions)
- Quantitative Reasoning (multi-choice, 27 questions)
- Analytical Writing (essay).
Before going into the percentile rank, you need to understand the scaled score for each section of the GRE.
The scaled score derives from the GRE raw score, which is the number of questions you answered correctly.
These raw scores are converted to scaled scores through a process called equating.
According to ETS:
“The equating process accounts for minor variations in difficulty among the different test editions as well as the differences in difficulty introduced by the section-level adaptation. Thus, a given scaled score for a particular measure reflects the same level of performance regardless of which second section was selected and when the test was taken.”
Both the verbal and quantitative sections have a GRE score range between 130 (lowest score) and 170 (max score), in 1-point increments.
The range of scores for the Analytical Writing section is 0 to 6, in half-point increments.
Let’s break down this information in a table and include the average score, according to the latest data from ETS.
GRE Section | GRE Score Ranges | Average GRE scores* |
Verbal Reasoning | 130-170 | 150.94 |
Quantitative Reasoning | 130-170 | 155.44 |
Analytical Writing | 0-6 | 3.56 |
*Based on the performance of all test takers between July 1, 2019, and June 30, 2022. | ||
The maximum score possible for the GRE exam is 340. The Analytical Writing section is not factored in your final score.
What Are GRE Score Percentiles?
GRE score percentiles reflect the percentage of test-takers who received a score below yours.
It is not your raw score (how many answers you got correct), but a calculation of how you compare to other students.
For example, if you score in the 80th percentile, this means that 80% of test takers scored below you, and 20% scored higher than you.
The higher the percentage, the better your score is.
Percentile scores are calculated based on the performance of test-takers who took the same version of the GRE within the past three years.
So, when students receive their score reports, you will see your GRE scaled score plus the percentile for each section.
Here you take a look at a sample of the score report.
Are GRE Score Percentiles The Same For All Sections Of The Test?
The GRE score percentiles are not the same for all sections of the test. Each section of the GRE is scored separately, so the GRE percentiles will vary.
This means that a certain percentile in the Verbal Reasoning section doesn’t equate to the same level of performance as the same percentile in the Quantitative Reasoning section.
For example, if your Verbal Reasoning score is 161, this means your score is better than 87% of test takers, while the same scaled score in the Quantitative Reasoning section equates to the 65th percentile.
The highest GRE score in Verbal Reasoning puts you in the 99th percentile, while the max Quantitative Reasoning score corresponds to the 94th percentile only.
This tells you that more students have higher results in the Quant section.
Here are the most recent GRE percentile scores released by EST:
Verbal Reasoning | Quantitative Reasoning | ||
GRE Scores | Percentile | GRE Scores | Percentile |
170 | 99th | 170 | 94th |
169 | 99th | 169 | 91st |
168 | 98th | 168 | 87th |
167 | 97th | 167 | 83rd |
166 | 96th | 166 | 80th |
165 | 95th | 165 | 76th |
164 | 94th | 164 | 73rd |
163 | 92nd | 163 | 70th |
162 | 89th | 162 | 68th |
161 | 87th | 161 | 65th |
160 | 84th | 160 | 61st |
159 | 81st | 159 | 58th |
158 | 77th | 158 | 55th |
157 | 73rd | 157 | 52nd |
156 | 70th | 156 | 49th |
155 | 65th | 155 | 46th |
154 | 60th | 154 | 42nd |
153 | 56th | 153 | 39th |
152 | 50th | 152 | 36th |
151 | 46th | 151 | 33rd |
150 | 41st | 150 | 30th |
149 | 36th | 149 | 27th |
148 | 32nd | 148 | 24th |
147 | 29th | 147 | 21st |
146 | 25th | 146 | 18th |
145 | 22nd | 145 | 15th |
144 | 19th | 144 | 13th |
143 | 17th | 143 | 11th |
142 | 15th | 142 | 9th |
141 | 12th | 141 | 7th |
140 | 10th | 140 | 6th |
139 | 9th | 139 | 5th |
138 | 7th | 138 | 4th |
137 | 6th | 137 | 3rd |
136 | 5th | 136 | 2nd |
135 | 4th | 135 | 1st |
134 | 3rd | 134 | 1st |
133 | 2nd | 133 | 1st |
132 | 2nd | 132 | -- |
131 | 1st | 131 | -- |
130 | -- | 130 | -- |
Blank cells imply that there were no GRE test takers above or below the specified GRE score range.
Here are the percentile scores for the Analytical Writing section:
Analytical Writing | |
GRE Scores | Percentile Ranking |
6.0 | 99th |
5.5 | 98th |
5.0 | 91st |
4.5 | 81st |
4.0 | 56th |
3.5 | 38th |
3.0 | 15th |
2.5 | 7th |
2.0 | 2nd |
1.5 | 1st |
1.0 | -- |
0.5 | -- |
0.0 | -- |
Why Does My GRE Score Percentile Matter?
Your GRE score percentile is important because it helps Universities understand your performance in comparison to other students.
Universities use this information to determine your eligibility for admission into their programs.
A high GRE score percentile demonstrates your academic strength and potential to succeed.
Some top graduate programs are very competitive, so the GRE score percentile is used to determine who are the most eligible candidates.
Average scores may not be enough to enroll in a top, highly competitive graduate program, for example.
Make sure you check the requirements for your graduate program of choice.
It’s also important to consider that different graduate programs will have different expectations when it comes to your GRE score percentiles.
A graduate program in data science, for example, will care more about your Quantitative Reasoning score than your Verbal score.
On the other hand, if you’re trying to enter an MFA in Creative Writing, then your Verbal GRE percentile rank should be high.
How Are GRE Percentile Scores Calculated?
Your Verbal Reasoning and Quantitative Reasoning scores are based on the number of questions you answered correctly in those parts of the test.
Both the Verbal Reasoning and Quantitative Reasoning sections are adaptive to your performance.
If you do well on the first part, the computer picks a slightly harder second part. All the questions in each part contribute equally to your final score.
For each section, they calculate a raw score, which is just the number of questions you got right.
To make it fair, they convert the raw score to a scaled score through a process called equating.
This process makes sure the scores are fair, even if the test had different versions or if you got a harder set of questions.
So, your scaled score reflects how well you did, no matter when you took the test or which second part you got.
When it comes to the Analytical Writing section, your essay writing skills are evaluated using a 6-point scale.
This scale includes a score from the e-rater® scoring engine, a computer program by ETS that can identify features related to writing ability.
Holistic scoring means your essay is evaluated as a whole. The score is based on how well you address the given task and the overall quality of your essay.
Trained analysts, along with ETS essay similarity detection software and content experts, review all essay responses.
GRE percentiles are calculated by comparing your performance to that of other test-takers within a specific time frame, usually 3 years.
They are based on the scaled scores and reflect the percentage of students who scored below you.
How To Interpret Your GRE Score Percentile
As we explained before, the percentile reflects the percentage of individuals who scored lower than you.
For instance, if your percentile is 80, it means you scored higher than 80% of test-takers, while 20% scored higher than you.
So, the higher the percentile, the better.
Be aware that GRE percentile scores are different for verbal and quantitative reasoning.
For example, if your verbal score is 152, you are in the 50th percentile, but in Quant, the same score puts you in the 36th percentile.
To interpret your scores, also consider the specific expectations of your chosen graduate program. Some programs may prioritize one section over the other.
For more detailed information on how to interpret your scores, you can check this ETS publication.
Why Did My GRE Score Percentile Change?
If your GRE score percentile changed, it is because ETS updated its score statistics.
They do it periodically (every 3 years) to reflect more current score data, as the percentile rank is based on the scores of all students who took the test within a specific time frame.
Currently, that time frame is between July 1, 2019, and June 30, 2022.
This shouldn’t bring you any problems, as universities are aware of the periodic updates on GRE test scores.
What Is A Good GRE Score Percentile In 2024?
What is considered a good GRE score percentile will depend on your individual goals and expectations, as well as the specific graduate school you are applying to.
There isn’t a definitive answer to this question.
Don’t get too caught up on what is a good GRE score or a bad one.
Try to understand your goals first, and make sure you check if your chosen grad program has a cutoff score for the GRE.
As we discussed, some programs will also value a higher score on one of the sections over the other.
Nevertheless, the average scores can give you some pointers on what could be considered a good GRE score.
As we saw, the current mean score in the Verbal Reasoning section is 151, and 155 in the Quantitative Reasoning section. The average Analytical Writing score is 3.6.
As a rule of thumb, we could say that anywhere between the 70th and 90th percentile is a good GRE score, and above the 90th percentile you have a very competitive GRE score.
But again, a good GRE score is the one that will get you into the graduate program of your choice.
What GRE Percentile Score Do I Need For Graduate School?
Again, this will depend on the graduate program you are applying to. There isn’t one definitive answer.
It is always recommended that you check if the school you’re applying to has a minimum GRE passing score requirement. This information can usually be found on the school’s website.
Additionally, you should check with the school’s admissions department to get the most accurate information.
You can also try to look up the GRE score ranges among admitted students at the schools you are considering.
Having an idea of the average GRE score already gives you a benchmark on which to base your target score.
For your reference, here are the GRE general test average scores classified by intended broad graduate field, released by ETS.
Intended Graduate Major Field | Verbal Reasoning | Quantitative Reasoning | Analytical Writing |
Business | 152 | 158 | 3.7 |
Education | 151 | 148 | 3.8 |
Engineering | 151 | 160 | 3.5 |
Humanities and Arts | 157 | 151 | 4.1 |
Law | 155 | 153 | 4.2 |
Life Sciences | 151 | 150 | 3.8 |
Physical Sciences | 152 | 161 | 3.5 |
Social and Behavioral Sciences | 154 | 153 | 4.0 |
Trying to get a few points above the average score for your graduate field can be a reasonable goal.
When it comes to percentiles, according to a graduate school admissions counselor at IvyWise, anything above the 75th percentile is generally good enough to enter competitive grad programs.
Remember, quantitative section scores may be more important for certain grad programs, while verbal scores will be more valued by other programs.
Some specific programs may also require that you take a GRE subject test instead of the general GRE test.
GRE Percentiles For Most Common Scores
As we’ve seen, the GRE scores range from a minimum GRE score of 130 to a GRE max score of 170 for each section.
The maximum GRE total score is 340. To help you better understand your GRE percentiles, let’s take a look at some common scores and their corresponding GRE percentiles.
Verbal Reasoning | |
Score of 150 | 41st percentile |
Score of 152 | 50th percentile |
Score of 155 | 65th percentile |
Score of 160 | 84th percentile |
Quantitative Reasoning | |
Score of 150 | 30th percentile |
Score of 155 | 46th percentile |
Score of 156 | 50th percentile |
Score of 160 | 61st percentile |
Analytical Writing | |
Score of 3.5 | 38th percentile |
Score of 4 | 56th percentile |
Score of 4.5 | 81st percentile |
Score of 5 | 91st percentile |
What Is Considered A Bad GRE Score Percentile?
Again, good or bad GRE scores will depend on your personal goals and program of choice.
We could say that anything below the average test scores will be less competitive.
As we’ve seen, the average Quantitative scores fall around 155 (46th percentile) and the average verbal scores fall around 151 (46th percentile).
You should try to keep your total score above the 50th percentile.
Anything below the 25th percentile means that your results are worse than the majority of GRE test takers, and it will become much harder to access your chosen grad school.
FAQs About GRE Score Percentiles
What percentile should I aim for on the GRE?
It depends on the grad program you’re applying to.
Check student’s GRE average scores for that program and determine a minimum goal.
Nonetheless, you should try to score above 50 percent of other test takers.
What percentile is 320 on the GRE?
A score of 320 is considered good and puts you around the 80th percentile.
What score is the 75th percentile on the GRE?
The 75th percentile corresponds to a score of between 157 and 158 on the Verbal section and between 164 and 165 on the Quant section.
What score is the 96th percentile on the GRE?
The 96th percentile corresponds to a score of around 166 on the Verbal section and 170 on the Quant section.
Conclusion
As a GRE test taker, it’s important to understand the intricacies of GRE scoring and the GRE score range.
It’s not just about how many questions you get right, but how you stack up against others.
The GRE percentiles show this by telling you what percentage of students scored below you. The higher your GRE percentile score, the better.
Remember, though, what’s considered a good score can vary. Different grad schools have different expectations.
Some care more about Quant scores, some about your Verbal scores.
So, figure out what your dream program values the most, aim for a percentile that makes you stand out, and you’re on your way to ace the GRE exam!
