GRE Test Scores - Discover How You Scored
March 2, 2010 | Leave a Comment
GRE scores are regularly confusing to students. Common questions include: “What is a good GRE test score?” and “What GRE test scores do universities need?” To answer these questions, it’s vital that you know what’s on the GRE exam and how the scores are determined.
The GRE Verbal and Quantitative Reasoning parts are scored on a scale of 200 to 800, with 10 point increments. The GRE Analytical Writing portion is scored over a 0 to 6 scale with 0.5 increments. Your scores in the Verbal and Quantitative parts are based on your performance on the questions you were given and on the entire number of questions cleared in the time given.
The verbal and quantitative sections for the GRE Test are administered in a “computer-adaptive testing” (CAT) format. The CAT format changes the difficulty of the questions determined by how a user answers the questions. An average difficulty question is applied initially, and then harder questions are applied if the first question is answered properly, or less demanding questions are administered if the first question is missed. The purpose of the CAT approach is to vary the questions according to the student’s skill. While using CAT approach, you are not given the ability to go back and modify answers to previous questions, and one should answer each question to go on.
Deciphering your GRE Test Scores
The best way to comprehend your GRE examination scores is by comparing them to other students and considering what your preferred schools want. The information below shows your percentile matched against other students. For instance, if you scored a 500 on your GRE Verbal Reasoning test score, this implies that your percentile score is 61 (i.e., you scored higher than 61% of the other students who took the GRE Test). For students who took the GRE exam between July 1, 2004 and June 30, 2007, the average (mean) GRE Scores were 462 for Verbal Reasoning, 584 for Quantitative Reasoning and 4.0 for Analytical Writing.
Summary of GRE Percentiles
Scaled GRE Score | Verbal Reasoning % | Quantitative Reasoning Percent
800 —|— 99 —|— 94
700 —|— 97 —|— 72
600 —|— 85 —|— 48
500 —|— 61 —|— 28
400 —|— 33 —|— 13
300 —|— 07 —|— 04
One idea is obvious regarding GRE Scores - in order to perform well on the GRE Examination, it’s essential to be ready.
Scott Mansfield is the Test Editor for Test-Guide.com, a provider of free GRE study guides. Test-Guide.com provides free test preparation for GRE, SAT, ACT, GMAT, TOEFL exams and more. Helps test takers improve their scores. Find out test dates and how to interpret your test scores. Includes free practice exams, test taking tips, and study guides.