This exam opens the door to the world of higher education not only in the United States but also in many other countries. After successfully passing this test you can be enrolled in various master's and postgraduate programs, and also, if it is your goal, in business schools. Of course, passing it with a competitive score is not so easy.
Let us start by learning how the test is assessed and what results are considered optimal.
What is a Good Score on the GRE?
Recall that this exam consists of three parts, each of which is evaluated separately. So, these are:
- Verbal Reasoning is checking the skills of perception of information from various sources, analysis, characteristics, generalization and other important skills of working with sources. This part is scored from 130 to 170 points.
- Evaluation of your mathematical skills and critical thinking, knowledge of different sections and laws of math, the degree of development of general abilities to exact sciences – Quantitative Reasoning. The range of assessment of this part of the exam does not differ from the previous one – also from 130 to 170 points.
- Checking of the compilation of a written statement involving the analysis of the proposed scientific information, the ability to argue, give examples and formulate your point of view, as well as testing of grammar and syntax – Analytical Writing. And this task has a range of scores from 1 to 6. However, you can get 0 for it.
For a more accurate understanding of this system, take a look at the GRE grading scale again.
Certainly, many applicants aspire to enter the program in the desired higher education institution. Most of them dream of prestigious universities, and for that they need to score high. It is better that your result will be much higher than average. Then you will be out of competition.
But in that case, you should prepare long and thoroughly. Train not only English and math. Many applicants, depending on their specialty, may need a separate subject test (which, by the way, is evaluated from 200 to 900 in 10-point increments). Hire a tutor for yourself and stay calm. You will find certified professionals to prepare for this exam and will be able to choose the best teacher on the UpskillsTutor website.
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GRE Score Percentiles 2021
In the assessment of this exam, there is still such a concept as a percentile rating. It is calculated by comparing your result with the results of other participants of the exam. For example, if you scored a maximum score of 170 or 6 on one of the sections, then your percentile rank will be 99. As this value shows the percentage of people tested who got less points than you.
The percentage of points and the scores will be different for each section of the exam. Let us look at the GRE score range and percentiles in 2021.
What is the Highest GRE Score?
If we sum up the highest scores for each of the three sections of the examination, we end up with 340. This is the maximum possible result. But even if you score, for example, from 320 points or higher, your result will also be considered excellent.
As for the good level, you should get from 300 to 320 points. That score also gives you a better chance of entering university.
And now the middle level. GRE average scores range from 280 to 300, with such results your opportunities to choose a prestigious university significantly narrow. Finally, if you have a score that is below 260, you almost cannot enroll in а university of your choice.
Let us take a look at the tables of results.
However, remember that this is just a general indicative table. Each college or university usually has its own requirements for the value of the competitive score. This can be either a range of points, for example, 310-330, or one particular score, for example, 335. Therefore, we strongly recommend that you first decide on a university or several universities and find out what is the framework for the results of this exam.
Preparing with an individual tutor means a lot. And the sooner you start preparing, the more likely you will reach the desired result. Why? Because:
- a teacher will identify your current level and weaknesses in the knowledge of individual topics;
- the preparation program and explanation of the topics will be adapted to your abilities;
- you will be able to train GRE task-solving skills and even bring some of them to automatism.
