Score Meaning

What Does My GRE Score Mean? (2026)

Full percentile tables for all Verbal and Quantitative scores (130–170), AWA benchmarks by field, section breakdowns, score report guide, improvement expectations, and gap analysis for 8+ programs.

Last updated: 2026 · 12 min read

What Your GRE Score Means in Plain English

The GRE has three components: Verbal Reasoning (130–170), Quantitative Reasoning (130–170), and Analytical Writing (0–6 in 0.5 increments). The average GRE scores for all test-takers are approximately: Verbal 150, Quant 153, AWA 3.5. However, the average among graduate applicants is higher — typically Verbal 155, Quant 157.

What counts as a "good" GRE score depends entirely on your field and target programs. A Quant score of 165 is excellent for a psychology program and barely competitive for a top math PhD. Context is everything.

Verbal

~150

All test-takers avg

163+

Top 10th percentile

Range: 130–170

Quant

~153

All test-takers avg

165+

Top 10th percentile

Range: 130–170

AWA

~3.5

All test-takers avg

5.0+

Top 10th percentile

Range: 0–6 in 0.5 steps

165–170

Both

Exceptional

Top 3–11% (Verbal) or top 4–11% (Quant). Competitive for the most selective programs in any field. A Quant of 168–170 is expected for top Math, Physics, CS, and Economics PhD programs.

158–164

Both

Excellent

Top 15–25%. Above the competitive threshold for most top-50 PhD programs. For Verbal: strong for Social Sciences and Humanities. For Quant: competitive for most STEM programs.

152–157

Both

Good

Top 30–45%. Around or above the median for most graduate programs. Competitive with strong other application components. Not enough alone for the most selective programs.

146–151

Both

Average

Middle range nationally. For most competitive PhD programs, this score will require very strong other components to compensate. Consider retaking if this is significantly below your target program's range.

Below 146

Both

Below Average

Below average for graduate applicants. Most competitive programs will view this as a weakness. Retaking is strongly recommended if GRE is required.

GRE Verbal Reasoning Percentile Table (All Scores 130–170)

Verbal percentiles show how your score compares to all GRE test-takers worldwide. Note that applicants to humanities programs tend to score higher on Verbal than the overall population.

Verbal Score	Percentile	Level
170	99th	Exceptional
169	99th	Exceptional
168	98th	Exceptional
167	98th	Exceptional
166	97th	Exceptional
165	96th	Exceptional
164	95th	Excellent
163	93th	Excellent
162	91th	Excellent
161	89th	Excellent
160	87th	Excellent
159	85th	Excellent
158	82th	Excellent
157	80th	Good
156	77th	Good
155	74th	Good
154	71th	Good
153	68th	Good
152	64th	Good
151	61th	Average
150	57th	Average
149	54th	Average
148	51th	Average
147	47th	Average
146	44th	Average
145	41th	Below Average
144	38th	Below Average
143	35th	Below Average
142	32th	Below Average
141	29th	Below Average
140	26th	Below Average
139	23th	Below Average
138	20th	Below Average
137	17th	Below Average
136	15th	Below Average
135	13th	Below Average
134	11th	Below Average
133	9th	Below Average
132	7th	Below Average
131	5th	Below Average
130	2th	Below Average

GRE Quantitative Reasoning Percentile Table (All Scores 130–170)

Quant percentiles are shifted left compared to Verbal — higher scores are more common on Quant. A Quant score of 165 is at the 89th percentile, while a Verbal 165 is at the 96th percentile. This means a "good" Quant score requires a higher raw number than a comparable Verbal score.

Quant Score	Percentile	Typical Field Context
170	96th	Expected for Math, Physics PhD; strong for all STEM
168	93rd	Strong for CS, Engineering PhD programs
165	89th	Competitive for most STEM PhD programs
163	85th	Good for Engineering; slightly below top CS programs
162	83rd	Competitive for Economics, Biomedical Engineering
160	79th	Average for STEM PhD applicants; competitive for many programs
158	75th	Competitive for Economics, Business, Bio PhD
156	70th	Adequate for most non-STEM programs
155	68th	Good for Social Sciences; borderline for most STEM
153	63rd	Competitive for Psychology, Education PhD programs
152	60th	Below median for STEM applicants; adequate for humanities
150	54th	Around median; competitive for lower-selectivity programs
148	48th	Below median for graduate applicants overall
147	45th	Below average; consider retaking if applying to STEM programs
145	39th	Weak for most graduate programs; strong retake case
144	36th	Well below competitive range for most programs
142	30th	Significantly below competitive range
140	24th	Weak for essentially all programs
138	18th	Very weak; strong retake recommended
135	11th	Below 89% of test-takers
132	5th	Bottom 5%
130	2nd	Lowest functional scores

AWA Score Benchmarks

The Analytical Writing section is scored 0–6 in 0.5-point increments. The average is 3.5. Here is what each score level means and which programs care most:

AWA Score	Level	ETS Description	Cares Most
6.0	Outstanding	Insightful, well-organized; crisp, focused responses; compelling reasoning; command of language	English, Philosophy, Education PhD
5.5	Strong	Demonstrates clear facility with written English; well-developed ideas; minor errors	Humanities, Social Sciences
5.0–5.5	Strong	Well-developed ideas; thoughtful analysis; effective structure; minor errors	Humanities, Social Sciences, Law
4.5	Above Average	Demonstrates competent critical thinking; generally organized; some errors but clear argument	Most competitive programs
4.0–4.5	Adequate	Competent analysis; adequately organized; acceptable control of language elements	Most programs; Business (MBA)
3.5	Average	Limited development; shows adequate facility with basic writing conventions but limited control of reasoning	STEM programs (less critical)
3.0–3.5	Limited	Some competence in analytical writing; inconsistent quality of ideas and argument	STEM programs (rarely concerned)
Below 3.0	Deficient	Fundamental flaws in writing; serious problems with ideas, organization, or language	Red flag for all writing-heavy programs

Section Score Breakdown by Field

GRE section scores carry very different weight depending on your field. This table shows how each section is weighted across major academic disciplines:

Field	Verbal Weight	Quant Weight	AWA Weight	Competitive Ranges
Math / Physics / CS PhD	Low	Critical	Low	V: 150+, Q: 167–170, AWA: 3.5+
Engineering PhD	Low–Moderate	Very High	Low–Moderate	V: 150+, Q: 163–168, AWA: 3.5+
Economics PhD	Moderate	Very High	Moderate	V: 155+, Q: 165+, AWA: 4.0+
Life Sciences / Biology PhD	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	V: 155+, Q: 155+, AWA: 3.5+
Psychology PhD	High	Moderate	High	V: 157+, Q: 151+, AWA: 4.0+
Social Sciences PhD	High	Moderate–High	High	V: 158+, Q: 153+, AWA: 4.5+
Humanities PhD (English, History)	Critical	Low	Critical	V: 163+, Q: 148+, AWA: 5.0+
Public Policy / Affairs	High	High	High	V: 160+, Q: 155+, AWA: 4.0+
Business (MBA/PhD)	Moderate	High	Moderate	V: 155+, Q: 158+, AWA: 4.0+
Education PhD	High	Low–Moderate	Very High	V: 155+, Q: 148+, AWA: 4.5+

How to Interpret Your GRE Score Report

Verbal Reasoning Score (130–170)

Measures reading comprehension, text completion, and sentence equivalence. Higher is better; the scale is the same for all test-takers across all dates. ETS uses equating to ensure scores are comparable across test versions.

Quantitative Reasoning Score (130–170)

Measures arithmetic, algebra, geometry, and data analysis. Same scale as Verbal. Note that the quant distribution is compressed at the high end — a 170 is at the 96th percentile, not 99th.

Analytical Writing Score (0–6, 0.5 steps)

Your AWA score is the average of two essays (Analyze an Issue and Analyze an Argument), each scored by a human rater and an automated scoring engine. It appears on score reports separately.

Percentile Ranks

ETS provides percentile ranks for each section based on the three most recent years of GRE test-taker data. Percentiles shift slightly over time as the testing population changes.

ScoreSelect

You can choose which test date(s) to send to programs. Most Favorable: best single sitting. All: all sittings. Most Recent: most recent sitting. Use this to show your strongest score.

Score Validity

GRE scores are valid for 5 years from the test date. This is longer than TOEFL (2 years) or IELTS (2 years), so an older score can still be used if it falls within the 5-year window.

What Score Improvement Is Realistic?

GRE score improvement depends heavily on which section you are targeting and your starting level.

Starting Score	1st Retake Gain (Verbal)	1st Retake Gain (Quant)	After 6–8 Weeks Study	Max Realistic (3–4 months)
130–140	2–4 pts	3–6 pts	4–8 pts	8–15 pts
140–148	2–4 pts	3–5 pts	3–7 pts	6–12 pts
148–155	1–3 pts	2–4 pts	2–6 pts	5–10 pts
155–160	1–3 pts	2–4 pts	2–5 pts	3–8 pts
160–165	1–2 pts	1–3 pts	1–4 pts	2–6 pts
165–170	0–2 pts	0–2 pts	0–3 pts	0–4 pts (ceiling)

Quant is generally more improvable in the short term because it tests learnable math skills. Verbal improvement requires vocabulary development and reading comprehension practice that takes longer to build. AWA improvement is possible with structured practice on issue and argument essays — learning the scoring rubric and practicing the template can yield 0.5–1.0 point gains.

You can retake the GRE every 21 days, up to 5 times in any continuous 12-month period. ETS ScoreSelect lets you choose which sitting(s) to send — programs only see what you send.

Grad School Context: How Programs Use GRE Scores

Understanding how different types of programs use GRE scores helps you prioritize where to focus.

Hard cutoffs vs. soft minimums

Some programs have published hard minimums (e.g., "minimum Quant 155 for consideration"). Most do not — they use a holistic review where scores below the competitive range are a negative signal rather than an automatic disqualifier. A below-average GRE can be compensated by exceptional research experience, publications, or strong letters from known faculty.

GRE-optional programs (growing trend)

Since 2020, many top programs have made GRE optional: MIT, Stanford, UC Berkeley (most departments), Harvard Medical School, and others. Before investing heavily in GRE prep, check whether your target programs currently require it. If optional, submitting a strong score still helps; submitting a weak score to an optional programme may hurt.

GRE vs. GMAT for business programs

Most top MBA programs now accept both GRE and GMAT equivalently. The GRE may be preferable if you are also applying to non-business graduate programs. ETS publishes a GRE-to-GMAT conversion table. Roughly: GRE 163V+163Q ≈ GMAT 700–720.

What Graduate Programs Actually Look For

Graduate admissions committees use GRE scores in specific, field-dependent ways:

STEM PhD programs: Quant is king. A Quant of 167+ is table stakes at top CS and Engineering programs. Verbal and AWA are noted but rarely disqualifying unless very low (below 145 Verbal).
Humanities PhD: Verbal and AWA matter enormously. A Verbal of 163+ and AWA 5.0+ signals genuine academic writing ability. A 155 Verbal for an English PhD is a concern.
Social Sciences (Psychology, Sociology, Poli Sci): Both sections are reviewed. Quant matters increasingly due to the quantitative turn in social science research methods. AWA 4.0+ expected.
MBA programs: Most MBA programs switched to GMAT-primary, but GRE is broadly accepted. Check each school's conversion table.
GRE-optional programs: If you submit to a GRE-optional program, your scores will be read. Only submit if your scores are competitive for that program's typical admitted range.

Score Gap Analysis by Field — 8+ Programs

How does your GRE compare to competitive ranges in your target field?

Your Verbal	Humanities PhD (163+)	Poli Sci / Soc PhD (160+)	Psychology PhD (157+)	STEM PhD (150+)	Business (155+)	Pub Policy (160+)
148	+15	+12	+9	+2	+7	+12
150	+13	+10	+7	Competitive	+5	+10
152	+11	+8	+5	Competitive	+3	+8
155	+8	+5	+2	Competitive	Competitive	+5
157	+6	+3	Competitive	Strong	Strong	+3
160	+3	Competitive	Strong	Strong	Strong	Competitive
163	Competitive	Strong	Strong	Strong	Strong	Strong
165	Strong	Strong	Strong	Strong	Strong	Strong

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