The Graduate Record Examination (GRE) is a standard competitive assessment to measure the academic skills of international students applying for postgraduate courses abroad. GRE percentiles are accepted as proof of academic achievement in several universities in countries like the USA, Canada, and Australia, among others. The GRE score percentile plays an important role in determining your performance compared to other test takers.
Table of Contents
- What are GRE percentiles?
- GRE score range 2024
- GRE score percentiles 2024 for General test
- GRE score percentiles
- GRE score percentiles 2024 for Subject test
- GRE percentiles for most common scores
- How to improve your GRE percentile score?
- Frequently asked questions
- What is the highest GRE score?
- What is a good GRE score out of 340?
- What's the average GRE score?
- What is the GRE score range?
- What percentile is my GRE score?
- What is a competitive GRE score?
- What is the 50th percentile for GRE?
- What is 159 verbal GRE percentile?
- Is 298 a good GRE score?
- Is 306 a good GRE score
What are GRE percentiles?
GRE percentiles refer to the percentage of candidates who scored below you on the exam. It is an important metric used by educational institutions to evaluate candidates and proceed with their applications. A high percentile score can improve your chances of admission.
For example, if you score in the 85th percentile, then you have scored better than 85% of the candidates who took the exam, and only 15% of them scored better than you.
So, the higher your percentile, the better your score is. Also, it is important to note that GRE percentiles and GRE score ranges are not the same. Here’s a detailed rundown of the GRE score percentiles 2024.
GRE score range 2024
Before we learn about the GRE percentiles, it is important for you to understand the sections present and the scores provided in the exam. Here is a breakdown of the GRE score range of each section.
GRE score range for General Test 2024
| GRE section | GRE score range | Point increment | Student average score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Verbal Reasoning | 130-170 | 1 | 150.37 |
| Quantitative Reasoning | 130-170 | 1 | 153.66 |
| Analytical Writing | 0-6 | 0.5 | 3.6 |
Note: GRE has recorded the average score between July 1, 2018, and June 30, 2021.
The total score range for the verbal and quantitative reasoning sections is 260-340. Your performance is determined by the number of questions answered in a given time in these sections. There are two terms you should understand before checking your GRE percentiles.
- Raw score - The number of questions you have answered correctly.
- Scaled score - The raw score converted to bring between the GRE score range 130-170.
How are the GRE percentile scores calculated?
The GRE uses a method known as equating to make the scaled score precise and balanced for evaluation. ETS has not revealed the process of equating.
GRE raw score and scaled score chart 2024
| GRE raw score range (no. of questions answered correctly) | GRE scaled score |
|---|---|
| 0-5 | 130-135 |
| 5-10 | 135-140 |
| 10-15 | 140-145 |
| 15-20 | 145-150 |
| 20-25 | 150-155 |
| 25-30 | 155-160 |
| 30-35 | 160-165 |
| 35-40 | 165-170 |
What is GRE scored out of?
The total score of the GRE exam, excluding the analytical writing section, is 340.
GRE score percentiles 2024 for General test
The raw score is obtained from the number of questions you have answered correctly, which is then converted to your scaled score. Here’s the score chart that depicts the scaled scores to percentiles for the GRE.
GRE score percentiles
GRE percentiles for Verbal and Quantitative Reasoning 2024
| Scaled Score | Verbal Reasoning Percentile Rank | Quantitative Reasoning Percentile Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 170 | 99 | 94 |
| 169 | 99 | 91 |
| 168 | 98 | 87 |
| 167 | 97 | 83 |
| 166 | 96 | 80 |
| 165 | 95 | 76 |
| 164 | 94 | 73 |
| 163 | 92 | 70 |
| 162 | 89 | 68 |
| 161 | 87 | 65 |
| 160 | 84 | 61 |
| 159 | 81 | 58 |
| 158 | 77 | 55 |
| 157 | 73 | 52 |
| 156 | 70 | 49 |
| 155 | 65 | 46 |
| 154 | 60 | 42 |
| 153 | 56 | 39 |
| 152 | 50 | 36 |
| 151 | 46 | 33 |
| 150 | 41 | 30 |
| 149 | 36 | 27 |
| 148 | 32 | 24 |
| 147 | 29 | 21 |
| 146 | 25 | 18 |
| 145 | 22 | 15 |
| 144 | 19 | 13 |
| 143 | 17 | 11 |
| 142 | 15 | 9 |
| 141 | 12 | 7 |
| 140 | 10 | 6 |
| 139 | 9 | 5 |
| 138 | 7 | 4 |
| 137 | 6 | 3 |
| 136 | 5 | 2 |
| 135 | 4 | 1 |
| 134 | 3 | 1 |
| 133 | 2 | 1 |
| 132 | 2 | - |
| 131 | 1 | – |
| 130 | – | – |
Source: ETS
What is 160 verbal GRE percentile?
The GRE percentile for 160 in the verbal reasoning section is 86%.
GRE percentiles for Analytical Writing 2024
| Analytical Writing score | GRE writing score percentiles |
|---|---|
| 6 | 99 |
| 5.5 | 97 |
| 5 | 91 |
| 4.5 | 79 |
| 4 | 54 |
| 3.5 | 37 |
| 3 | 13 |
| 2.5 | 6 |
| 2 | 2 |
| 1.5 | 1 |
| 1 | – |
| 0.5 | – |
| 0 | – |
Source: ETS
GRE score percentiles 2024 for Subject test
The average GRE score range for the subjects in the Subject test is between 200-990 and consists of a 10-point increment. While the scores differ, the GRE percentiles for the General and Subject tests remain the same.
GRE percentiles for Subject test
| Scaled Score | GRE chemistry percentiles | GRE math percentiles | GRE physics percentiles | GRE psychology percentiles |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 980 | - | - | 95 | - |
| 960 | 99 | 97 | 92 | - |
| 940 | 99 | 96 | 88 | - |
| 920 | 98 | 95 | 85 | - |
| 900 | 86 | 94 | 81 | - |
| 880 | 94 | 81 | 78 | - |
| 860 | 90 | 87 | 74 | - |
| 840 | 86 | 83 | 70 | - |
| 820 | 81 | 79 | 67 | 99 |
| 800 | 77 | 75 | 64 | 97 |
| 780 | 71 | 72 | 61 | 95 |
| 760 | 66 | 67 | 58 | 91 |
| 740 | 61 | 64 | 54 | 86 |
| 720 | 56 | 60 | 51 | 79 |
| 700 | 50 | 56 | 47 | 72 |
| 680 | 44 | 52 | 43 | 64 |
| 660 | 39 | 49 | 39 | 56 |
| 640 | 34 | 44 | 36 | 49 |
| 620 | 28 | 40 | 32 | 43 |
| 600 | 24 | 36 | 28 | 36 |
| 580 | 19 | 32 | 24 | 31 |
| 560 | 15 | 27 | 20 | 26 |
| 540 | 12 | 23 | 16 | 22 |
| 520 | 9 | 19 | 12 | 18 |
| 500 | 6 | 15 | 9 | 14 |
| 480 | 5 | 11 | 7 | 11 |
| 460 | 3 | 8 | 4 | 9 |
| 440 | 2 | 6 | 3 | 6 |
| 420 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 5 |
| 400 | - | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| 380 | - | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 360 | - | 1 | - | 1 |
| 340 | - | - | - | 1 |
| 200-320 | - | - | - | - |
What is the passing score for GRE?
The GRE exam does not have any passing score for its candidates. The least score a candidate can obtain is 260 (excluding the Analytical Writing section).
What's considered a good GRE score?
It is notable that any score above 310 is considered a good score and is widely acceptable by various educational institutions abroad.
What is GRE max score?
The maximum score a candidate can obtain in the GRE exam is 340 (excluding the Analytical Writing section).
GRE percentiles for most common scores
Students often find it difficult to determine their GRE percentiles from the scores received. The conversion of scaled scores to percentiles may seem confusing, but it is easy to understand and obtain this information. Here are the most common scaled scores to percentiles for your better understanding.
Scaled scores of commonly obtained GRE percentiles 2024
| GRE percentiles | Verbal reasoning | Quantitative reasoning | Analytical writing |
|---|---|---|---|
| GRE 50th percentile | ~151 | ~154 | ~4.0 |
| GRE 60th percentile | ~154 | ~158 | ~4.0 |
| GRE 70th percentile | ~156 | 161 | ~4.0 |
| GRE 80th percentile | ~159 | ~165 | ~5.0 |
| GRE 90th percentile | 162 | 168 | ~5.0 |
| GRE 99th percentile | 170 | - | 6.0 |
Note: The highest score of GRE’s Quantitative Reasoning section comes under the 98th percentile.
How to improve your GRE percentile score?
Here are some useful tips to follow and improve your GRE percentile score.
- Start preparing for the exam at the earliest.
- Set a study goal for yourself.
- Create a study plan with respect to the goal.
- Analyse your mistakes and work on them.
- Make use of online resources, books, and practice tests.
Frequently asked questions
What is the highest GRE score?
The maximum score a candidate can obtain in the GRE exam is 340.
What is a good GRE score out of 340?
Any score above 310 is considered widely acceptable by various educational institutions abroad. Although, top universities accept GRE scores above 320.
What's the average GRE score?
| GRE section | Student average score |
|---|---|
| Verbal Reasoning | 150.37 |
| Quantitative Reasoning | 153.66 |
| Analytical Writing | 3.6 |
What is the GRE score range?
The GRE score range for the various sections.
- Verbal reasoning: 130-170
- Quantitative reasoning: 130-170
- Analytical writing: 0-6
What percentile is my GRE score?
You can check your GRE percentiles from the score range given below.
| GRE score range | Verbal Reasoning percentile | Quantitative Reasoning percentile |
|---|---|---|
| 130-135 | 1-3 | 1-2 |
| 135-140 | 3-11 | 2-7 |
| 140-145 | 11-26 | 7-19 |
| 145-150 | 26-46 | 19-37 |
| 150-155 | 46-68 | 37-56 |
| 155-160 | 68-86 | 56-73 |
| 160-165 | 86-96 | 73-86 |
| 165-170 | 96-99 | 86-96 |
What is a competitive GRE score?
A GRE score range above 328 is considered competitive by top educational institutions abroad.
What is the 50th percentile for GRE?
| GRE percentiles | Verbal reasoning | Quantitative reasoning | Analytical writing |
|---|---|---|---|
| GRE 50th percentile | ~151 | ~154 | ~4.0 |
What is 159 verbal GRE percentile?
The GRE percentiles for 159 in the verbal reasoning section is 83%.
Is 298 a good GRE score?
A GRE score of 298 is considered an average score by educational institutions abroad. There are many universities that accept these scores for admission.
Is 306 a good GRE score
A GRE score of 306 is a good score and is considered by several universities and colleges for admission in the program you apply for.
