GRE Total Marks: How much you should score in 2024?

GRE total marks comprise 340 score with 6 points on 130-170 scale in the quantitative and verbal sections in General. On the other hand, GRE total score for the subject test is evaluated on the basis of 200-990 scale.

Seems difficult to understand?

In this blog, we have discussed all about GRE exam score, its marking system, good GRE marks and more.

Read the blog to get detailed information about GRE scores.

What is the GRE Score? 

The GRE exam pattern follows an adaptive testing method  for verbal and quantitative sections. This means you will receive the difficulty level of the second section/question on the basis of your performance in the first section/question. Results in high marks for difficult sections/questions, contributing to your total GRE score.

The GRE marking system for both GRE formats- GRE general and GRE subject varies, you must understand it to start your GRE preparation to score a good mark.

GRE General Test marks

The GRE general test helps students to enroll for higher education in major fields such as  Business, Education, Engineering, Humanities & Arts, Law, Life Sciences, Physical Sciences, And Social And Behavioural Sciences. It  comprises three sections- Analytical writing, Quantitative and Verbal reasoning.

The quantitative and verbal reasoning sections get scored on the basis of 130-170 scale with 1+ increment and the analytical section gets scored between 0-6 points in half-point increments.

GRE Exam Score Calculation for Quantitative and Verbal Reasoning 

The GRE Verbal Reasoning section and the GRE Quantitative Reasoning section measure the score in the range of 130 to 170 with 1 point increments. The marks you receive for these two sections reflects:

• The number of questions you answer correctly
• The difficulty level of the section
• Speed of answering

GRE Exam Score Calculation for Analytical Writing and Thinking 

The analytical writing section of GRE consists of 1-essay questions. The GRE marking system for this section scores your answer on the basis of your approach of writing. The write-up must display proper reason, assemble evidence to develop a position and communicate complex ideas along with the control of grammar and the mechanics of writing. If a candidate score:

GRE Exam Score Calculation for Quantitative and Verbal Reasoning 

The GRE Verbal Reasoning section and the GRE Quantitative Reasoning section measure the score in the range of 130 to 170 with 1 point increments. The marks you receive for these two sections reflects:

• The number of questions you answer correctly
• The difficulty level of the section
• Speed of answering

GRE Exam Score Calculation for Analytical Writing and Thinking 

The analytical writing section of GRE consists of 1-essay questions. The GRE marking system for this section scores your answer on the basis of your approach of writing. The write-up must display proper reason, assemble evidence to develop a position and communicate complex ideas along with the control of grammar and the mechanics of writing. If a candidate score:

GRE Analytical Writing Score	Status	Description
Score 6 and 5.5	Outstanding	Includes insightful and in depth analysis of complex ideas Supports the objective of the question Consists of good reasons and examples. Uses good sentences, vocabulary, and is well-organized Includes minor or negligible grammatical errors.
Scores 5 and 4.5	Strong	Provides generally thoughtful analysis of ideas Displays the objective of the question Includes logical reason and examples Consist of sentence variety and vocabulary May include minor grammatical errors that affect the meaning of the sentence.
Scores 4 and 3.5	Adequate	Have basic analysis of ideas Presents  the objective of the question Consists of relevant reason and examples Uses clear sentences Includes   grammatical errors
Scores 3 and 2.5	Limited	Include limited analysis Address main point in the write-up Lack good examples or reasons Include weak-sentence structure Lack sentence clarity
Scores 2 and 1.5	Seriously Flawed	Display weak analytical skill Essay lacks organization Includes some confusing sentences
Scores 1 and 0.5	Fundamentally Deficient	Provides little or no evidence of understanding the issue Includes major grammatical error Development of the essay is not exactly on-point
Score 0	NA	The answer can’t be evaluated Uses foreign language to write the answer The analytical writing task doesn’t address the issue of the task

GRE Subject Test Marks

The GRE conducting body ETS,  organizes three subject tests:

1. Mathematics
2. Physics
3. Psychology

Earlier, it also used to conduct chemistry and biology test but it has discontinued them

The marking system for the subject test is between the scale of 200 -990 with 10 points increment. However, you must know for physics and psychology tests the test score gets sub-scored and evaluated on the basis of 20-99 scale with 1 point increments.

In the GRE subject test for any subject, candidates receive marks on the basis of questions they answered correctly.

You must know the subject test score should only be compared with the same subject score.  It means 550 in physics shouldn’t be compared with 550 in Mathematics.

What is the Good GRE Score for 2024? 

The score in the GRE is good or not depending on the institution you’re targeting to get admission. Although, the average GRE score for the verbal section is 150, and for quantitative 152.

Another factor, which suggests if the GRE score is good or not, is its overall percentile. Generally 75th percentile and above is a good GRE score.  Hence, if you achieve above 300 marks, you can consider it a good score.

In the subject test the total GRE marks is 990. Generally, 670 in GRE Mathematics, 715 in Physics, and 620 in Psychology are considered average GRE marks. If you score above this average mark, you can consider it as a good mark.

For your reference, you can take a look at the percentiles of candidates who appeared between 1, July 2019 and 30, June, 2022 for the GRE general or subject test.

GRE Analytical Writing Score Report  (1, July 2019 and 30, June 2022)

Score level	Analytical writing percentile
6.0	99
5.5	98
5.0	91
4.5	81
4.0	56
3.5	38
3.0	15
2.5	7
2.0	2
1.5	1
1.0
0.5
0.0

GRE Verbal and Quantitative Reasoning Score Report  (1, July 2019 and 30, June 2022)

Score level	Verbal Reasoning percentile	Quantitative Reasoning Percentile
170	99	94
169	99	91
168	98	87
167	97	83
166	96	80
165	95	76
164	94	73
163	92	70
162	89	68
161	87	65
160	84	61
159	81	58
158	77	55
157	73	52
156	70	49
155	65	43
154	60	42
153	56	39
152	50	36
151	46
150	41

 

GRE Subject Test Score Report  (1, July 2019 and 30, June 2022)

Score level	Mathematics percentile	Physics  percentile	Psychology  percentile
980		95
960	96	92
940	96	89
920	95	85
900	93	81
880	90	77
860	86	74
840	82	71
820	78	68	99
800	74	64	97
780	71	61	95
760	66	58	91
740	63	55	86
720	58	52	79
700	54	47	72
680	50		64
660	47		57
640			50
620			43

How to Get Good Marks in GRE? 

You must aim to attempt the maximum questions that too correctly, if you want to score good marks in the GRE exam. However, you must know, there is no-negative marking for the wrong attempt. But, your word attempt can impact your next questions’ difficulty level.

The GRE follows an adaptive testing method, so if you get difficult questions, the questions’ value will be high, helping you score good marks in GRE.

Hence, to attempt the GRE confidently, you need to prepare for the GRE exam properly.

Galvanize, the study abroad center offers GRE test preparation classes for the aspirants who want to get admission in various programmes in foreign universities and colleges.

With its sample question paper, study materials, expert guidance, and ofcourse your dedication to prepare for the exam,  you can ensure to score a reputable mark in GRE.

Good GRE marks will help you get admission to universities like University of Pennsylvania, University of Virginia, University of North Carolina, Georgia Institute of Technology, Stanford University and more than 1300 universities and colleges.