GRE Scores Simply Explained

There is no passing score for the GRE exam, but there are varying cutoff GRE scores for different graduates schools. Make sure you check the cutoff GRE scores for any graduate school you are applying to study at. Getting the information is simple enough, just call the school or check the website.

All graduate schools have different policies and ways of weighing the scores along with your grade point average. Usually your GRE scores have more weight than your grade point average, sometimes the GRE score counts for 70 percent and the grade point average 30 percent. When you interpret it, this means the GRE score is worth more than four years of your undergraduate work.

You need to know the average GRE score for each graduate school you want to apply for before you sit the exam. That way you will have had time to prepare for the exam and know what you have to achieve to get the score you need. Knowing the GRE scores you need will motivate you to study hard enough to succeed the first time round.

Your scores can make a huge difference to whether your future career plans are a success or not. So, the more serious you take the GRE, the more likely your scores will be at the level you need to achieve.

What are Acceptable GRE Scores?

Because you cannot pass or fail the GRE, it is your level of scoring that is important. For example, a vocabulary score above 550 and a quantitative score above 700 are acceptable. If you get a lower score, all may not be lost. If you have a strong application in all other areas, the school of your choice may still offer you a place.

Remember, it takes quite some time to put a good application together for the schools of your choice. The GRE scores are only a part of your total application. Your grade point average, interviews, work and life experience, and outside interests and activities all play a role in the admissions process.

You can earn from between 200 and 800 points on the verbal and quantitative sections, and 0 to 6 in the writing section. Most universities do not put much weight on the writing scores, and are much more interested see the quantitative and vocabulary results.

The average scores for each part of the GRE exam in 2008 were:

• Verbal – 462

• Quantitative – 584

• Writing – 4.0

Average GRE Scores

This is a good indication of the types of scores but you will need higher scores than the average for entrance into a master’s program with ant of the Ivy League schools.When contemplating application for a graduate program, check the average GRE scores of any programs that interest you. Here are some average scores for some of the best educational institutions in the country:

• Princeton

o Verbal – 626

o Quantitative – 731

• Dartmouth

o Verbal – 561

o Quantitative – 768

• Columbia

o Verbal – 529

o Quantitative – 773

• Yale

o Verbal – 522

o Quantitative – 743

• Harvard

o Verbal – 555

o Quantitative – 768

• Cornell

o Verbal – 607

o Quantitative – 770

• University of Pennsylvania

o Verbal – 531

o Quantitative – 753

Low GRE Scores

What happens if you do not get the GRE scores you need? Once your results go into the ETS database, they are there for all to see for the next five years. Every time you apply for a graduate program and send in your score report, all your GRE scores are shown for five years.

If you do not get the results you need, you can sit the GRE exam again in the next calendar month. Most of the top schools consider the top two or three set of GRE results. Keep in mind though, if you have two or three weak GRE scores and one strong one then you will not be considered by most of the top graduate programs.

Sitting the GRE is one of the more important exams in your academic life, and if you do not get it right the first time it wastes a lot of valuable time. Spend time preparing for the GRE and you can achieve the scores you need.