23Nov

Nov 23 2020

What Score to Aim For on Your GRE Exam

Joniel Suezo

Experiences

GRE is an abbreviation for Graduate Record Examination, an exam conducted by ETS or Educational Testing Service. In the examination, the student's verbal and quantitative reasoning and analytical writing skills. The full test stretches to almost four hours or three hours and forty minutes, to be exact.

 

The Necessity of the Scores

The GRE test scores are almost universally necessary for applying for masters or doctoral programs in the US. Some universities in other countries like Canada, the UK, Germany, and France also accept GRE scores, and it is gaining popularity worldwide. Residents of over 180 countries can sit for the test, and it costs you around $200. It is a computer-based test with options to use paper-based versions, but they are becoming rarer by the day.

Score Division

A person's GRE score can range from 130 to 170 in each of the three sections. The GRE test's maximum possible score is 340, and the combined scores can be anything between 260-340. The average score for a GRE is around 305, with the typical student scoring 150 in verbal reasoning and 154 in quantitative reasoning. Many factors affect the GRE score you need as the necessary scores to get admission in graduate courses to differ not only from university to university but from course to course. The variability in required scores makes it essential for you to devote adequate time to researching the score you need. As mentioned at https://mygreexampreparation.com/best-gre-prep-courses/, you should sign up for a prep course as it will help you prepare for the exam. To sum up briefly and generally, you want a score higher than the 75th percentile.

Scores That Help for Grad Schools

As mentioned before, the score you need to attain in your GREs will be determined by the college you want to get admission in. For an Economics degree at Harvard, one of the most demanding college degrees in this respect, you need to score 166-170 in quantitative reasoning and 163-167 in verbal reasoning. In contrast, some other Harvard graduate programs require verbal and quant scores ranging from 155-159.


However, taking a general view of the topic, you need a 75th percentile score. In other words, you usually want a score of 157 and higher in verbal and 161 or higher in quant. You can calculate the GRE percentile by following this link. Keep in mind that there is little room for error in your GRE as the scoring needs to make it necessary for you not to miss more than about 12 questions in verbal and around 8 or 9 in Quant.


If you are keen on or need scholarships to further your career dreams, then a high GRE score is immensely helpful. The scholarships include both the ones provided by the relevant university and several organizations' private scholarships. GRE scores are also useful in acquiring funding for your research.



This article should serve as the much needed first step in achieving your target score thanks to its information. Keep in mind the key to knowing the score you want to do is adequate research. Knowing what score you need will help you concentrate on preparing accordingly for the exam. For example, students applying for Quant leaning programs focus more on their preparation for this particular section. It is also helpful to figure out in advance where and when you will send your GRE score reports. Best of luck!

 

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