GRE Result/Scorecard 2023 - Score Report, Validity

Understanding GRE Scores

The number of right answers submitted by the test taker determines the GRE Verbal Reasoning Score and GRE Quantitative Reasoning Score. This is the candidate's raw score, which informs him of the total number of questions properly answered. The raw GRE exam result would eventually be transformed into a scaled number known as Equating.
Each essay in the GRE Analytical Writing section would be scored by one trained rater and an e-rater produced by ETS. If both scores are identical, the average of the two scores is utilised as the final score. If the two ratings, one from the trained rater and one from the ETS-produced e-rater, are not equal, a third, human-trained rater is brought in, and the final result is the average of the two human scores.

GRE Results and Scores Report

Students can access GRE results and scorecards in their accounts 10-15 days after the GRE exam date. Candidates can access their unofficial test scores on the day of the exam but to get the full score report, one has to wait till the final scorecards are released. The conducting body of the exam ETS sends a notification through email once the results are out. 

The GRE score validity is five years which means that ETS will keep the scores report file with them for five years from the date of the exam. Each GRE score is scaled separately so a comparison between scores is not possible. However, the percentile ranks can be used to compare their performance in each section.

GRE Scoring Process

GRE scoring process is as follows:

• The GRE raw scores equate to the number of questions that have been answered correctly.

• An increment in the score is awarded for each correct answer.

• Scores will not be given for unanswered questions.

• If a student marks more than one answer for a question, then there will be no increase in marks.

• The raw score is calculated and converted to a scaled score via the process of equating.

• The equating process equates to minor variations in the difficulty level among different test editions.

• This process helps to understand the same level of ability and difficulty.

• This also signifies that the same number of correct answers on different test editions does not ensure the same scaled scores.

GRE General Test Score Scale

The following table shows the score scale for different sections of the GRE General Test. You must know that if you leave all questions of a particular measure (for eg. Verbal Reasoning, Analytical Writing or Quantitative Reasoning), you will receive NS (No Score) for that particular measure.

According to the table above, the GRE Verbal Reasoning and Quantitative Reasoning sections have a GRE Score Range of 130 to 170 with 1-point increments, whereas the GRE Analytical Writing Part has a GRE Score Range of 0 to 6 with half-point increments. 

Having said that, there is no such thing as a GRE total score when it comes to the GRE General Test. Applicants would receive a scaled score for each portion as well as a percentage score for each section, which would characterise the test taker's score in comparison to other candidates who took the exam. Applicants should avoid using words like GRE total score or best GRE score. 

GRE Subject Test Score Scale

The four GRE Subject Tests ( Chemistry, Mathematics, Physics and Psychology) are scored on a scale of 200 to 900 (where 200 is the lowest score and 900 is the highest). 

• Students get a 10-point increment with each correct answer.

• The GRE Subject Test-Psychology yields subscores on a scale score of 20 to 99 in one point increment.

• Each individual subscore scale of the test occupies only a portion of the score range of 20 to 99.

Who Accepts the GRE Subject Test Scores?

The GRE subject test scores are accepted all over the world by graduate schools. The scores are generally required by particular courses but students can choose to submit their scores for the admission committee to consider the results while assessing the application. It can set students apart from the rest.

Average GRE Scores

According to ETS, the average (mean) GRE score for the Verbal and Quantitative sections is 150 and 153 respectively. On a scale of 100, the median (or 50th percentile) Verbal Reasoning score is 151, whereas, the median Quantitative Reasoning score is 154.

A good GRE score is often in the 75th percentile, while a 90th percentile is an excellent GRE result. On the General Test, the highest overall GRE score possible is 340. As a result, anything above the average score of 300 is considered a flawless GRE score. An excellent GRE score, on the other hand, is dependent on the institution you want to attend.

The table below contains the most recent average score data from ETS:

There is also some fluctuation in average GRE scores depending on the graduate field you wish to pursue. Let us also pay attention to this:

What is a Competitive GRE Score?

Specifically told, a good GRE score will get you into your preferred graduate school programmes. We'll go over this in more detail in the GRE Percentiles section, but what if you want to know what a commonly accepted figure for a "good" or "competitive" GRE score is? A Verbal Reasoning score of 159 or a Quantitative Reasoning score of 163 would put you in the upper 80th percentile. This would put you in the top 20% of all GRE test takers and is comparable to scoring above 1800 on the SAT.

GRE Score Percentiles

Every GRE result consists of two parts: a scaled score (130-170) and a percentile rank. Your scaled score is less relevant than your percentile rank. Your percentile rank compares your GRE scores to those of other test takers. A scaled Verbal score of 150 on the GRE, for example, correlates to around the 47th percentile, indicating that you performed better than 47% of other test takers while doing worse than the other 53%. ETS has revealed the most current GRE percentile ranks.

Source: ETS

The essays are graded differently from the Verbal and Quantitative sections. The associated percentiles are as follows:

Source: ETS

How to Use GRE Average Scores to Determine Your Target GRE Scores?

If you want to know whether your GRE scores are high enough to get into graduate schools, then you must take note of the following steps:

What is Your Starting Point?

Your baseline score will be determined if you take the test before beginning your preparation. You can take a full-length GRE test in order to understand where you stand. You can start your preparation from there as you know the areas where you need to work upon.

Set GRE Score Targets

To determine your GRE score targets, you have to take note of the average GRE scores of the incoming batch of the graduate school to where you wish to take admission. The score is available on the website of the university and the biographies of business schools. You will have to set your target score well above the average GRE score.

Make a Strategy to Bridge the Gap

To bridge the gap between your score and your target score, you need to have a solid plan that may include a test prep course, an online course, GRE books, coaching or self-study. You can also check out these latest GRE preparation tips to ace your GRE exam on the very first attempt!

How to View the GRE Test Scores?

• ETS uploads the score reporting schedules on its official website. 

• As per the schedule, you will receive an email notification stating that your official GRE scores are now available on your ETS Account.

• You will have to visit your ETS account to view your scores. 

• If you want a printed copy of your official GRE score, you may use the online functionality in your ETS account to get a hard copy.

You can check a sample GRE test-taker score report to get a clearer idea.

Cost of GRE Score Review

• You can either request your score review through your ETS Account or fax or mail a completed Score Review Request Form for the same. 

• In either case, you will have to make a payment of US USD 50.

• Make sure that your score review form is received at ETS within 3 months from your test date. 

GRE Score Report

Students' official GRE Score Report is the report that is sent to concerned institutions. The GRE score report contains the following information:

• Name

• Phone Number

• Email Address

• Date of Birth

• Gender

• Test Date(s)

• Intended Graduate Major

• GRE Test Score(s) and the associated GRE Percentile Ranks

• Fellowship Sponsors or Authorised Score Recipients

• Cumulative Record of Scores within the last 5 years

Note: The GRE score reports that are sent to institutions do not contain any information about the other score recipients you have chosen. 

When Will the GRE Scores Be Available?

The availability of the GRE scores depends on the type of GRE test you have taken. The days after which your official GRE scores will be made available on the ETS website vary for both, computer-delivered and paper-delivered GRE tests. 

Availability of the GRE Computer-Delivered Test Scores

• At the end of your computer-delivered GRE test, you are given an option to either Report (view) your scores or Cancel them.

• If you select the Report option, you will be shown your unofficial GRE scores for Quantitative Reasoning and Verbal Reasoning only as the questions are multiple-type questions. 

• For the Analytical Writing sections, the scores will not be shown in the end as they are assessed through an essay scoring process. 

• Your official GRE scores for the computer-delivered test are made available on the official website of ETS about 10 to 15 days after your test date. 

Availability of the GRE Paper-Delivered Test Scores

• Since the assessment of the paper-delivered GRE test takes more time than the computer-delivered test, the uploading of its scores takes more time than the latter. 

• Your official GRE scores for the Computer-Delivered GRE test are made available on your ETS account approximately five weeks after your test date. 

• Your scores will be mailed to the score recipient that you designate during the GRE registration. 

For How Long Can the GRE Scores Be Used?

Like other standardised tests, GRE scores also have validity, which means that after a fixed period of time, the GRE scores are no longer considered valid and you will not be able to send them to your intended graduate school. 

Your GRE scores will remain valid for five years following your testing date. For example, if you take your GRE test on 1st December 2019, your scores will be considered valid till 30 November 2024. After that, you will not be able to report your GRE scores. You can also calculate your GRE scores’ exact validity on the ETS website.

What is a Good GRE Score?

What is a good GRE score is a question that can not be answered while satisfying every kind of scenario. A good GRE score depends on the programme and the university you have applied for. It also depends on the type of GRE test you have taken. The requirement for GRE scores varies from university to university and programme to programme. 

For the Verbal Reasoning section of the GRE test, 150 is considered as an average score, whereas, 152 is considered an average score for the GRE Subject Test - Mathematics. The GRE scores have two components that are GRE percentile rank and scaled score. The scale score for Verbal and Quantitative Reasoning ranges from 130 to 170 (with 130 being the least possible score and 170 as the maximum). For Analytical Writing, the scale ranges from 0 to 6 (with 6.0 being the highest and 1.0 being the lowest). 

The GRE Score Percentile, on the other hand, indicates the comparison of your GRE score with those of the other test-takers. This means if your GRE percentile is 47, you have scored better than the 47% of test-takers. The GRE percentile ranges from 1 to 99. If you score 6.0 on your essays (Analytical Writing), your GRE percentile will be 99. 

GRE General Test - Sending or Cancelling Your Score Report Via ScoreSelect

You'll be asked if you would like to cancel your scores permanently after the last section of the test. During that time, you'll be able to send out your unofficial scores and get a chance to receive free reports from the test centre.

Or, you can also choose not to send them at this time. You can always decide later. This option is only valid for five years from the date of your administration. Remember, though, that your scores are only valid for five years.

You can also decide if you want to report all of your scores to anyone who can access them. Not sending score reports at this time can also be an option. You can still send them later for a fee. 

ScoreSelect is a service that helps you send and receive your scores in a timely manner. It only works for the GRE tests. On the day of the test, you can also customise which schools receive your most recent scores and those taken in the past five years.

If you decide not to send scores to the test centre, just sign in to your account and send additional reports to the schools that you specify for a fee. After sending your scores, you'll be able to select which tests to send them to and which ones to send in the past five years.

All your scores must be reported in their entirety once they're sent to the GRE test centre. Some schools, for instance, want to see all of the scores that an applicant took from the previous tests. To add a score recipient, go to the blue box and select the country where the recipient is located.

If the recipient is in the US, go to the drop-down list and select the country where the recipient is located. About 10 to 15 days after the test, you'll be able to view your scores through your ETS account. Your account will include all the scores that were taken during the past five years. You can also print a copy of these reports from your computer.

If you don't want to send scores to a school on test day, or you prefer to send them to another institution, just go to the main menu and select Order additional score reports. With ScoreSelect, you can customise the number of scores that you send out. You can also get a short video tutorial on how to send additional reports.

How Does the GRE Section-Level Adaptive Test Work?

The first section of a measure is moderately challenging. Your performance in this section will determine which second section you receive. If the first section of a measure is moderately challenging, then you will receive the second section. The more challenging section will be the one where you perform well.

The GRE General Test offers three scores: an analytical writing score, a verbal reasoning score, and a quantitative reasoning score. The scores are computed using a 1-point scale. The scores for the quantitative reasoning and verbal reasoning measures are reported in 1-point increments.