{"id":12313,"date":"2024-05-22T11:00:04","date_gmt":"2024-05-22T11:00:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.manhattanprep.com\/gre\/?p=12313"},"modified":"2024-05-22T15:46:00","modified_gmt":"2024-05-22T15:46:00","slug":"good-gre-score","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.manhattanprep.com\/gre\/blog\/good-gre-score\/","title":{"rendered":"What&#8217;s a Good GRE Score?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-12326\" src=\"https:\/\/www.manhattanprep.com\/gre\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2019\/03\/whatsagoodgrescore.jpg\" alt=\"Manhattan Prep GRE Blog - What's a Good GRE Score? by Chelsey Cooley\" width=\"1200\" height=\"628\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.manhattanprep.com\/gre\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2019\/03\/whatsagoodgrescore.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.manhattanprep.com\/gre\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2019\/03\/whatsagoodgrescore-300x157.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.manhattanprep.com\/gre\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2019\/03\/whatsagoodgrescore-768x402.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.manhattanprep.com\/gre\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2019\/03\/whatsagoodgrescore-1024x536.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Any answer to the \u201cwhat\u2019s a good GRE score?\u201d question should come with a disclaimer. Do you want a good GRE score for a PhD program in medieval history, or for an EMBA at your state university? Do you have weak college grades but ten years of work experience, or are you a current student with a 4.0 GPA? The real question to ask is \u201cwhat\u2019s a good GRE score <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">for me<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">?\u201d\u2014and the simple answer is, a good score is whatever score will impress the programs you\u2019re applying to!<\/span><!--more--><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But how good does your score need to be in order to do that? Most of my students are taking the GRE in order to get into MBA programs. Assuming that you\u2019re one of those students, you\u2019re probably reading this article because:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">you want to know what GRE score to target as part of your MBA application.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">you\u2019re wondering whether to take the <a id=\"bloglink\" href=\"https:\/\/www.manhattanprep.com\/gre\/blog\/gre-or-gmat\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">GMAT or GRE<\/a>. <\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">you\u2019re curious about how good a certain GRE score is, relative to the average. <\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We\u2019ll address all three of those points in this article, starting with a deep dive into how GRE scoring works. (And if you\u2019re not an MBA applicant, start with <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.kaptest.com\/study\/gre\/average-gre-scores-for-top-grad-school-programs\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">this article from Kaplan<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> instead!) <\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>What Makes Up a Good GRE Score?<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Your GRE score isn\u2019t just one score, it\u2019s three. Schools can see your Quant score, your Verbal score, and your Analytical Writing score. You could have a good Quant score and a bad Verbal score, or vice versa\u2014even on the same test!<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">By the way, you can\u2019t submit only your Quant score, or only your Verbal score, to a school. You have to send all of the scores from a certain GRE together. You can submit results from multiple GREs, but schools generally won\u2019t pick and choose your highest sections\u2014they\u2019ll look at each test as a whole. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Your GRE Quant score will be a number from 130 to 170. About 6% of test takers earn a perfect Quant score. At the opposite end, very low Quant scores are rare: only about 6% of test takers score in the bottom quarter of the range (140 or below). <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A perfect GRE Verbal score is much rarer than a perfect GRE Quant score. The Verbal scale also goes from 130 to 170, but only 1% of test takers score a 169 or 170, and only 4% earn a 166 or higher. Almost all of us will score between 135 and 165 on Verbal. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Finally, your writing score will be a number from 0.0 to 6.0. Very high and very low GRE writing scores are uncommon. A 4.0, 4.5 or 5.0 is a good GRE writing score, and a 5.5 or 6.0 is exceptionally good. Even a slightly lower score might not seriously affect your applications, as long as you can demonstrate your writing skills in another way.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"What&#039;s a good GRE score and how do I get it? | GRE FAQ\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/zPS8Bn_Ojwg?list=PLYZACiD6j3Vvb6aoZ6h9xZVgd1a2EhYJV\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h3><b>How Common is a Good GRE Score?<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The ETS provides <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ets.org\/s\/gre\/pdf\/gre_guide_table1a.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">data about how common or rare each GRE score is<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. This can give you a broad sense of what counts as a good score. Here\u2019s a summary of the data for GRE Quant, based on scores from 2019 to 2022. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-13022 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.manhattanprep.com\/gre\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2021\/02\/quant-score-edited-table-black.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"632\" height=\"208\" \/><\/p>\n<p>So, 168 is certainly a good GRE Quant score: only one test taker out of every eight has a score that high. For comparison, in 2023, <a href=\"https:\/\/dqydj.com\/income-percentile-calculator\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">one out of every eight people in the United States earned more than $122,000<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Here\u2019s the data for GRE Verbal: <\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-13023 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.manhattanprep.com\/gre\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2021\/02\/verbal-score-edited-table-black.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"632\" height=\"207\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Only one out of every hundred test takers scores a 169+ on Verbal, which is as rare as an individual in the US earning $420,000 a year.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The ETS doesn\u2019t publish data on combined, or overall, GRE scores. However, schools that publish their average GRE scores will typically publish the Quant and Verbal scores separately, so you can compare them to your own scores. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>Do You Need a Good GRE Score for Top MBA Programs? <\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A 168 on GRE Quant is a one-in-eight score, while a 165 is one-in-four. Those are both good GRE scores, since they compare well against the scores that most people earn. But in order to get into a great MBA program, do you need to be one out of eight, or is one out of four good enough? <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As the GRE becomes more popular for MBA applicants, a number of top programs have started publishing their average scores online. <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/poetsandquants.com\/2018\/04\/12\/average-gre-scores-for-top-mba-programs\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This article from Poets &#038; Quants<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> analyzes the data. Here\u2019s a sample of the average GRE scores earned by successful applicants to top MBA programs.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-13024 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.manhattanprep.com\/gre\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2021\/02\/college-scores-edited-table-black.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"633\" height=\"328\" \/><\/p>\n<p>On average, successful applicants to top-10 MBA programs have both GRE scores in the low 150s to mid 160s. For most top-50 schools, a good GRE score is in the high 150s to low 160s on both sections. Based on this data, an overall GRE score of 315 to 320 is a good GRE score for MBA applicants, while a score of 325 is excellent.<\/p>\n<h3><b>What\u2019s Better: A Good GRE Score, or a Good GMAT Score? <\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There are a couple of different ways to compare a GRE score to a GMAT score. For instance, you could look at the percentile that corresponds to your GRE score and find the GMAT score that\u2019s at the same percentile. A 156 on GRE Quant is a 50<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">th<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">-percentile score; a 50<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">th<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">-percentile score on GMAT Quant, correspondingly, is a 44.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, that would give you the wrong impression of your results. Percentiles compare you to everyone who takes a certain test. That\u2019s fine when you\u2019re taking the GMAT, since most people who take the GMAT are MBA applicants. But MBA applicants are only a minority of GRE test takers. Comparing your score to everyone else\u2019s is like comparing apples to oranges.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">One alternative is to use this tool, created by the ETS, to <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ets.org\/gre\/institutions\/admissions\/interpretation_resources\/mba_comparison_tool\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">compare GRE and GMAT scores<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. It isn\u2019t perfect, but it does suggest something interesting: schools seem to be accepting applicants with \u201clower\u201d GRE scores, compared to their GMAT counterparts. <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mbacrystalball.com\/blog\/2015\/06\/19\/average-gre-scores-mba-business-schools\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Here\u2019s an article that analyzes the GMAT or GRE scoring question in greater depth<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Does that mean that weaker test takers can use the GRE to get admitted to top programs? Possibly, but you should be skeptical.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">First, the statistics can\u2019t tell you whether <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">you<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> would get a good score on the GRE or GMAT. Across a large population, some people will perform better on the GMAT, and others will perform better on the GRE. If you\u2019re stronger at the GMAT, your \u201cGMAT advantage\u201d will more than cancel out any \u201cGRE advantage\u201d in applications.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It\u2019s also possible, without more data, that the GRE applicants were better than the GMAT applicants in other ways\u2014aside from their test scores. The number of people submitting GRE scores to most top schools is relatively small, and we don\u2019t know exactly what those applicants look like outside of their scores. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Your best bet is actually to decide which test to take independently: the <\/span><a id=\"bloglink\" href=\"https:\/\/www.manhattanprep.com\/gmat\/blog\/mbamission-manhattan-prep-gmat-vs-gre-infographic\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">GMAT or the GRE<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">? Take your target schools\u2019 average scores for both tests into consideration, but don\u2019t assume automatically that you\u2019ll have better chances with the GRE.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Once you\u2019ve picked your test, research the score data for the schools you\u2019re applying to. Start with the average score for admitted students. Then, set a target right around that average\u2014or a few points higher or lower, depending on the rest of your application. For instance, if you\u2019ve gotten weak grades in Quant-related classes in the past, you might aim for a slightly-higher-than-average GRE Quant score to show that you\u2019ve mastered the subject.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What if your situation is more complicated, and you really don\u2019t know what a good GRE score is for you? Consider contacting an admissions consulting service, such as <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mbamission.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">mbaMission<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2014they\u2019ll even do a free half-hour phone call with applicants. Take a look at our <\/span><a id=\"bloglink\" href=\"https:\/\/www.manhattanprep.com\/gre\/blog\/study-gre-first-two-weeks-1\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">guide to starting your GRE studies<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to learn what\u2019s involved in taking the GRE, and consider signing up for a <\/span><a id=\"bloglink\" href=\"https:\/\/www.manhattanprep.com\/gre\/classes\/free\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">free trial session of any Manhattan Prep GRE course<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><b><i>See that \u201cSUBSCRIBE\u201d button in the top right corner? Click on it to receive all our GRE blog updates straight to your inbox!<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Any answer to the \u201cwhat\u2019s a good GRE score?\u201d question should come with a disclaimer. Do you want a good GRE score for a PhD program in medieval history, or for an EMBA at your state university? Do you have weak college grades but ten years of work experience, or are you a current student [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":99,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[474284,6,733445,154333],"tags":[1363173,1363174],"yst_prominent_words":[1363162,1363155,1363126,1363150,1363148,1363151,1363149,1363043,1363154,1363165,1363164,1363172,1363152,1363159,1362628,1362783,1363153,1363163,1363093],"class_list":["post-12313","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-current-studiers","category-gre-strategies","category-study-tips-2","category-taking-the-gre-2","tag-good-gre-score","tag-gre-score"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.manhattanprep.com\/gre\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12313","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.manhattanprep.com\/gre\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.manhattanprep.com\/gre\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.manhattanprep.com\/gre\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/99"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.manhattanprep.com\/gre\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12313"}],"version-history":[{"count":13,"href":"https:\/\/www.manhattanprep.com\/gre\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12313\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13025,"href":"https:\/\/www.manhattanprep.com\/gre\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12313\/revisions\/13025"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.manhattanprep.com\/gre\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12313"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.manhattanprep.com\/gre\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12313"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.manhattanprep.com\/gre\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12313"},{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.manhattanprep.com\/gre\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=12313"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}