The three scores
The GRE gives you three numbers. ETS reports Verbal Reasoning and Quantitative Reasoning on a 130–170 scale in 1-point increments, and Analytical Writing on a 0–6 scale in half-point increments (accessed 2026-08-07). There is no single combined GRE score — schools read the three separately.
Why the test adapts to you
The GRE is section-level adaptive within each measure: your performance on the first Verbal or Quantitative section determines the difficulty of the second section of that measure (accessed 2026-08-07). It adapts by section, not question by question, so a strong first section opens up a higher-scoring second one.
From raw answers to a scaled score
Your raw score is simply how many questions you answered correctly. ETS then converts that to the 130–170 scaled score (accessed 2026-08-07), a step that accounts for small difficulty differences between test forms so the same scaled score means the same thing across test dates.
What a percentile adds
A scaled score on its own doesn't tell you where you stand. ETS publishes percentile ranks for each scaled score (accessed 2026-08-07), and because the Quant and Verbal distributions differ, the same number sits at a very different percentile on each measure. When you set a target, set it in percentiles, not just points.
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Sources
Every source below was accessed on the listed date. Pages — especially department admissions pages — change without notice; the links go to the live versions.
- Getting Your GRE General Test Scores — ETS. Accessed 2026-09-10.
- GRE General Test Structure — ETS. Accessed 2026-08-07.
- GRE General Test Interpretive Data (Tables 1A–1C, 2026–27 edition) — ETS. Accessed 2026-08-07.
Related guides
Sources and corrections
Sources last checked 2026-08-07Every source cited on this page was checked on the date shown, and we update the page when a source changes. If something looks wrong, tell us and we'll recheck it.