To secure admission in the reputed grad schools for pursuing MBA or PhD or masters, a candidate needs to showcase their knowledge level by scoring high in the GRE exam. Conducted by the Educational Testing Service, the GRE General Test assesses a test taker in terms of their verbal, quant and analytical writing skills out of a GRE score total of 340. Now the big question that lies – ‘what is a good GRE score out of 340?’
There is no wonder every test taker will try hard to score the most, but it must be noted every university and most of their programs have a predetermined set of GRE scores. For further understanding of the GRE score range let us keep reading.
How does GRE Scoring Work?
To have a deep understanding of ‘what is a good GRE score out of 340?’ the method of ‘how the GRE is scored?’ should be explained.
The GRE score distribution is categorised as:
The GRE score is the composite score of GRE verbal and GRE quant out of 340. Now, the GRE analytical writing section is calculated in a distinctive way and it is also not as vital as the other two. The GRE analytical writing section is calculated on a GRE score scale of 0.0 – 6.0 and in half-point increments.
There are points to be noted about the GRE scores:
- Grad schools generally focus on a sectional GRE score – either verbal or quant
- Grad schools only concentrate on the sectional score related to the field of study the test taker is opting for
- For instance, a grad school will be inclined more towards a candidate’s GRE quant score who is applying for engineering than the verbal
Determining a Good GRE Score
There is a tendency among test takers to look for the total GRE score out of 340, but that is the ultimate way to find if it is a good GRE score. The finest way is to find through GRE score percentiles.
GRE percentiles state the percentage of candidates the test-taker performed better than. The greater the GRE percentile, the better is your performance in that section. GRE is not scored on a total of 340 in an absolute manner and therefore, it is not possible to find the percentiles of the GRE as a whole.
Note: Anything above the GRE percentile of 50th is considered sober as that states you scored better than 50% of the other test-takers.
The following table will explain the GRE score to percentile conversion:
| GRE Percentile | GRE Verbal Score | GRE Quant Score | Score Interpretation |
|---|---|---|---|
| 99 | 169-170 | 170 | Excellent |
| 90 | 162 | 166 | Very Good |
| 75 | 157 | 160 | Good |
| 50 | 150-151 | 153 | Average |
| 25 | 144-145 | 147 | Below Average |
| 10 | 139-140 | 141 | Poor |
| 1 | 132 and below | 134 and below | Very Poor |
It is quite comprehensible from the above table that the GRE verbal scores are lesser on the same percentile level than the GRE quant scores. This happens because most of the test takers score higher in the quant section making it a cutthroat competition.
Points studied from the above table:
- ‘What is a good GRE score out of 340?’ depends solely on the sectional score
- A 162 GRE score means the 90th percentile in verbal,
- Whereas, the same score is equal to 80th percentile in quant
Coming to the GRE analytical writing section, though it is not equally crucial like the other two, it is always recommended to achieve a proper score in this section too.
| GRE Percentile | GRE AW Score | Score Interpretation |
|---|---|---|
| 99 | 6.0 | Excellent |
| 98 | 5.5 | |
| 92 | 5.0 | Very Good |
| 82 | 4.5 | Good |
| 59 | 4.0 | Average |
| 41 | 3.5 | |
| 17 | 3.0 | Below Average |
| 7 | 2.5 | Poor |
| 2 | 2.0 | Very Poor |
| 1 | 1.5 and below |
The above table is an indicator of the GRE AW performance along with the scores.
Now, after studying the GRE score to percentile conversions, a general performance level indicator can be ascertained from the information given.
The test takers can focus on the GRE scores stated in the picture above to understand their range of scores and improvement requirement.
Figuring out the Good GRE Score for you
The best way to determine ‘what is good GRE score out of 340?’ is to figure out which program you’re applying and in which grad school and by following the steps.
STEP 1: Design a Chart
Make a chart comprising of the list of preferred universities, their requirements, GRE verbal and quant scores. It will appear somewhat like:
| Grad Schools | What they require | GRE verbal score | GRE quant score |
|---|---|---|---|
| University of Pennsylvania | - | - | - |
| University of Michigan | - | - | - |
| UC Berkeley | - | - | - |
| Harvard University | - | - | - |
STEP 2: Researching information
In this step, find out the required information like:
- Average scores: This includes the GRE scores of the previously admitted applicant.
- Recommended scores: The scores advised by the schools to be maintained to secure admission
- Minimum required scores: The lowest possible GRE scores one can get to apply to that program
For instance, in the University of Pennsylvania’s Graduate School of Education, a test taker applying for Ed.M. will have to achieve a GRE verbal score of 155 and quant score of 156 and GRE AW 4.1. Whereas the University of Michigan demands a verbal score of 157, the quant score of 152 and AW score of 4.5 in the same educational program.
Where to find the information about the scores:
- University webpage in the admission/program pages
- Never rely on the unofficial website
- If you’re not getting average scores, search for recommended or minimum scores
STEP 3: Finally fill out the Chart
After searching for all the information, it may happen that the university has published the average scores and few have published percentiles.
STEP 4: Calculate the GRE scores
Now when the test taker has all the information, find out the highest GRE score for both quant and verbal. Start preparing hard for GRE so that you can achieve that score. Once you achieve that score, applying in other grad schools will also become easier.
Hence, all this information about ‘what is a good GRE score out of 340?’ will help the test takers in achieving high GRE scores.
*The article might have information for the previous academic years, which will be updated soon subject to the notification issued by the University/College.
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