Are you planning to get admission to graduate school? Preparing for the GRE can then be a doorway to success. The GRE plays a vital role in graduate and business school admissions around the world. But here’s the big question: what is a good GRE score to get admission to top universities?

Don’t worry!! Daniel, your AI exam helper, can guide you on every point of the GRE grading. Whether you’re aiming for a top university to get admission or trying to meet basic admission criteria, Daniel will guide you through every little information you want. If you’re planning to take the GRE at home, it’s essential to understand the specific requirements. Learn more about GRE at home requirements.

Daniel’s guidance will help you understand the GRE scores and percentiles. Let’s get started with Daniel and clarify everything about the GRE exam to put your best in your exam for the Highest GRE scores.

What Do You Know About the GRE?

The GRE test is a renowned test used by graduate and business school students worldwide to examine students’ academic capabilities for admission in different programs, mainly in US colleges. Students get the GRE scores based on the GRE grading system. Its three main sections are:

• Verbal Reasoning
• Quantitative Reasoning
• Analytical Writing

The test is managed by ETS (Educational Testing Service) and is often taken online at a testing center or at home. The GRE scoring pattern is the same for either the GRE at home or the GRE at the test center.

What Is the GRE Grading System?

The GRE is classified into two main sections, which are:

• GRE general test
• GRE subject test

The grading system in the GRE for both sections is different. Let’s discuss the GRE scores for the general test first:

Section	Minimum Score	Maximum Score
Verbal Reasoning	130	170
Quantitative Reasoning	130	170
Analytical Writing	0	6

The GRE score ranges for all of the GRE general test sections are given for you in the table above to help you understand better. Students should be aware of the Scores for the GRE test for all sections. Similarly, let’s discuss now the GRE test scores for the subject test:

Subject Test	Minimum Score	Maximum Score
Biology	200	990
Chemistry	200	990
Literature in English	200	990
Mathematics	200	990
Physics	200	990
Psychology	200	990

The GRE grading system for the GRE subject test is given to you in this table. You can now easily understand the minimum and maximum score of GRE.

Do You Know What Is the GRE Percentile?

This term of “Percentiles for GRE gives you a comparison standard between you and other students. It is another part of the grading system for the GRE. e.g, a student having the 90th percentile means that he scored better than 90% of people who took the test.

Percentiles for each section of the GRE are provided separately. Verbal, quantitative, and analytical writing separate percentile systems help schools to understand your performance in each section separately.

What Do GRE Scores and Percentiles Mean?

• The percentile scale indicates the percentage of students who scored lower than you. For example, consider the GRE score for the Verbal section of 160, and you are in the 84th percentile, which means that you scored better than 84% of students.
• Quantitative scores tend to have lower percentiles at higher scores due to a concentration of high-performing students in this section.
• Analytical writing percentiles reflect performance on a single essay task with scores ranging from 0 to 6 in half-point increments.
• Do you want to know “what is a good GRE score?” Let’s read a further blog with Daniel, your AI exam helper. His expert guidance will help you understand its grading system well.

What to Know About the GRE Percentile Chart for 2025?

Here is the official GRE percentile chart for 2025, based on data from the Educational Testing Service for students between July 1, 2020, and June 30, 2023.

GRE Percentile Chart

Verbal reasoning and quantitative reasoning show the GRE grading scale in terms of the GRE percentile.

Score	Verbal Percentile	Quantitative Percentile
170	99%	94%
165	95%	76%
160	84%	61%
155	65%	46%
150	39%	30%
145	21%	15%
140	9%	6%
135	3%	1%
130	1%	1%

Now, let’s discuss the analytical writing GRE grading scale in terms of percentile:

Score	Percentile
6.0	99%
5.0	91%
4.0	54%
3.0	13%
2.0	2%
1.0	1%

8 Easy Tips For Scoring High On The GRE

Daniel, your AI exam helper, will guide you through its practical and healthy tips to help you score high on the GRE. While these tips will help you score high, but, some students want different methods to achieve their desired results. For a more unconventional approach and need live experts Help just reach our website AI Exam Helper.

Following Daniel’s tips for scoring the GRE high, you can boost your chances of admission to top graduate programs:

1. Understand the Test Format

Students should understand the test format. They should have knowledge about the three sections, e.g, Verbal reasoning, quantitative reasoning, and analytical writing, along with question types, timing, and scoring. If you are familiar with the format, it can reduce your anxiety and help you strategize. Thus, it will improve your overall GRE scores.

2. Build a Strong Study Plan

After knowing about the GRE meaning and the test formats, students should start preparing for the GRE exam at least 2–3 months in advance. They should set a proper schedule with daily and weekly goals. Focus more time on your weak areas but don’t ignore your other sections.

3. Use Official GRE Prep Materials

Students should practice using ETS’s official materials so that they get used to the actual test pattern. Exam preparation resources like the Official GRE Guide, PowerPrep practice tests, and ETS question banks are similar to real exams and help a lot during exams.

4. Practice Time Management

Students also have to take full-length, timed practice tests regularly. This will help students build their stamina and improve their GRE grading. Meanwhile, it improves your ability to perform well during the real exam.

5. Master GRE Math Concepts

Students should focus on foundational math topics like algebra, arithmetic, geometry, and data interpretation. Even simple mistakes can hurt students’ Quant score, so students should have to review thoroughly and practice consistently.

6. Improve Vocabulary for Verbal

They also try to learn high-frequency GRE words. Students should read academic articles to expand their vocabulary and improve reading comprehension.

7. Practice Writing Essays

For the analytical writing section, Students should practice writing essays under timed conditions for the analytical section. You have to focus on creating clear, well-structured arguments with strong examples and proper grammar.

8. Stay Calm and Confident

Don’t stuff yourself before the night. Students should sleep well, eat right, and go to the test with a calm mindset. Anxiety can hurt performance and GRE grading more than lack of preparation.

Competitive GRE Scores Required For Universities

A competitive graduate record exam score for universities typically means scoring between 160–170 in verbal and 165–170 in quantitative reasoning. For the analytical writing section, a strong score is usually 4.5 or higher.

• In case if a student is applying to math GRE or technical programs like engineering or computer science, a high quant score is significant.
• For arts or humanities programs, students are mostly required to have a high verbal score, according to GRE grading.
• Business or economics programs usually expect strong scores from students in both sections.
• In competitive grad school applications, students wants improve their scores. If you’re curious about alternative approaches, Just go to our GRE cheating hacks! Guide and Contact Us.

How Long Does It Take To Get GRE Scores?

• After the GRE general test, students will receive the results of the Verbal and Quantitative sections immediately on the screen. This gives students a quick idea of how they performed in these two main sections. These will be unofficial GRE test scores. However, the official scores will include the result of the analytical writing section also, and their detailed percentile for the GRE.
• The official result will be announced within 10 to 15 days after the students’ test date. ETS will post students’ results to their ETS account and send their results to the schools they have selected.
• For the GRE subject tests, the GRE result may take a longer time. Official scores for subject tests are announced about five weeks after the exam date, with percentile information, which helps schools understand how a student’s performance can be compared to other students in that specific subject.

Understanding GRE Test Score Reports

A detailed summary of a student’s performance in the exam is included in the GRE grading report. The GRE report shows the following:

1. Scores of the GRE sections
2. Percentile Ranks
3. Score Report Recipient
4. Test Date And Score History
5. Score Interpretation Guide

Scores of the GRE Sections:

It includes three main sections with scores. Verbal reasoning and quantitative reasoning both scored on a scale of 130 to 170, and the GRE test score range for analytical writing is 0 to 6.

Percentile Ranks:

The report shows percentile ranks with these sections’ scores. This student’s percentile shows how the student’s performance is better than other students. For example, if a student got a percentile rank of 90, then it means that the student’s score is better than 90% of people who took the test.

Test Date And Score History:

The report also includes the test date and any valid scores from the past five years in addition to the current student’s scores.

Score Report Recipient:

This report also includes the list of universities or institutions where a student’s scores were sent for evaluation. Then, you can finalize your GRE grading.

Score Interpretation Guide:

This GRE test report also helps graduate schools and colleges to evaluate not just students’ scores, but also students performance during online exams. This report is key to knowing where you stand and how to strengthen your graduate school applications.

What Do Your GRE Scores Mean For Grad School?

Your GRE scores play a significant role in your graduate school, but the importance of graduate record examination scores varies by the program and university in which a student wants to enroll. Here’s briefly explained to you by Daniel, your expert guide for online proctored exams:

Baseline Eligibility

Many programs use GRE scores as a first filter. If your GRE grading falls below the average criteria of a specific college, your application might not be reviewed in depth by colleges, especially at competitive schools.

Academic Readiness

• High scores in the Quantitative reasoning section show students strong strength in math and logic, which is important for science, engineering, technology, and mathematics.
• High verbal reasoning scores highlight critical reading and vocabulary skills, which are of great value in the humanities and social sciences.
• A strong analytical writing score shows the student’s clear, structured thinking and writing ability.

Comparison Tool

GRE grading and percentiles help admissions committees of different colleges to compare you against other students worldwide, especially if you come from a lesser-known university or major.

Best GRE Prep Resources And Mock Tests You Must Know

• GRE mock tests are one of the most effective ways to prepare for the actual exam. They help you understand the test structure and improve time management. The most reliable mock tests come from ETS, the official test provider. Thus, your GRE test scoring will be exceptional.
• ETS offers two free full-length PowerPrep Online tests that are similar to the real GRE in terms of difficulty and format of tests. Students can also purchase PowerPrep Plus tests, for more preparation, which provide three additional exams with score explanations.
• Some other platforms also offer high-quality GRE mock tests besides official sites like Magoosh, Kaplan, and Princeton Review. These mock tests are valuable supplements to the ETS tests. Thus, they help students to strengthen their weak areas and become familiar with a range of question patterns. As a result, the overall GRE test score range improves.
• Students can be confident in their performance after taking multiple mock exams throughout their prep journey.

Conclusion:

A good GRE score can open doors for students to top graduate programs in different US colleges. For this, students should know what is a good GRE score?. Daniel will help you get admission to top colleges in the US through his expert tips for getting high scores.

Use Daniels’s guide to evaluate yourself, identify areas for improvement in your exam by practicing, and choose the right prep resources. You can get the highest GRE score with practice, an innovative strategy, and a confident mindset. In short, Daniel’s guidance can lead your path of dreams to success by helping you to get the best GRE grading scores.