The GRE Scoring Scale

An official GRE score report consists of three parts:

• Verbal Scaled Score (on a scale from 200 to 800)
• Quantitative Scaled Score (on a scale from 200 to 800)
• Analytical Writing Score (on a scale from 0 to 6)

The verbal and quantitative sections are comprised of multiple-choice questions. The analytical writing section consists of two essays: one “Present Your Perspective on an Issue” task, and one “Analyze an Argument” task.

The Multiple-Choice Sections

On the computer-based GRE, there are a total of 58 multiple-choice questions: 30 in the verbal section and 28 in the quantitative section. To compute the scaled score for each section, ETS uses an algorithm that takes into account the following factors:

• the number of questions answered within the time permitted
• the number of questions answered correctly
• the statistical characteristics (including level of difficulty) of the questions answered

At the beginning of each section the computer presents a question in the middle range of difficulty. If the question is answered correctly, the next question will be harder, and the score will adjust upwards. If the question is answered incorrectly, the next question will be easier, and the score will adjust downwards. (The test-taker does not see this adjustment, however, because the score is not revealed until the entire test has been completed.) Thus, the computer is constantly recalculating the scaled score as the student progresses through the section.

The more questions that are answered, the more familiar the computer becomes with the skills of the test-taker and consequently, the more certain the computer is of the scaled score it has calculated. Hence, the questions at the beginning of the section count much more than do the questions at the end of the section. For example, by the time Question 25 appears, the computer has had 24 questions’ worth of information from which to derive the proper score range. So even if Question 25 were answered correctly, the increase in score would be minimal compared to the increase in score if Question 2 had been answered correctly.

Upon completing the test, the student must decide whether or not to keep the score. A student who chooses to keep the score is allowed to view the verbal and quantitative scaled scores. A student who chooses to cancel the score is not allowed to view it.

In order to understand the value of a GRE score, it is helpful to know the percentile ranking assigned to that particular score. The percentile ranking expresses the percentage of the test-taking population that receive scores below a particular score. Therefore, the higher the percentile ranking, the more competitive the score. The following table shows the range of possible verbal and quantitative scaled scores and the percentile rankings assigned to those scores.

While the total scaled scores range from 200 to 800, approximately two-thirds of test-takers score between 360 and 600 in verbal and between 420 and 760 in quantitative. Although the verbal and quantitative sections are both scored on the same scale, the percentile associated with an individual score in the verbal section may be different from the percentile associated with the same score in the quantitative section. For example, a verbal scaled score of 540 places a student in the 70th percentile for that section. A quantitative scaled score of 540, however, only places the student in the 37th percentile for that section.

The Analytical Writing Section

The Analytical Writing (AW) score is a single number that is the average of the Present Your Perspective on an Issue essay score and the Analysis of an Argument essay score. Each essay is read and scored by two readers, who each give the essay a grade on a scale from 0 to 6. If the two grades are identical or differ by one point, the average of the two grades becomes the final score for that particular essay. However, if the scores differ by more than one point, a third reader resolves the discrepancy and determines the final score. Once each essay has been assigned a final score, those two final scores are averaged and then rounded to the nearest half-point. This number is the test-taker’s Analytical Writing score.

The following table lists all of the possible AW scaled scores and the percentile rankings assigned to each of them.

Over 90% of test-takers score at least a 3 on the AW scale. Since the essays need to be sent to readers in order to be graded, students cannot view their AW scores on the same day that they take the test. Students who choose to keep their scores receive an official GRE score report via regular mail approximately two weeks later. The AW score is included in this score report.