1.	A Quantitative score reported on a 200-800 score scale, in 10-point increments
2.	A Verbal score reported on a 200-800 score scale, in 10-point increments
3.	An Analytical Writing score reported on a 0-6 score scale, in half-point increments

Each of these three sections will be discussed at length below, but before we examine the sections individually, let us first discuss the computer-adaptive nature of the GRE. Because the GRE is administered on a computer (as opposed to the more traditional paper-and-pencil format), the test exhibits certain unique characteristics. For instance, only one question at a time is presented, the order of questions is not predetermined, and the test actually responds to your answers and shapes the test in order to most efficiently arrive at your proper score.

The test makers give the following description of the computer-based GRE: “The verbal and quantitative sections of the computer-based General Test are adaptive, which means that the selection of questions is tailored to an examinee’s ability level in each of the measures. Initially, an examinee is presented with a question of about average difficulty. Thereafter, the computer selects questions based upon (1) the statistical characteristics of those questions already answered (including the difficulty level), (2) the required variety of question types, and (3) appropriate coverage of content. The computer-based test format does not require test takers to be familiar with computers; a tutorial section at the beginning of the computer-based test teaches the test taker how to use the testing system.”

In other words, the first question in the Verbal or Quantitative section will be a medium difficulty question. If answered correctly, the computer will supply a somewhat harder question on the assumption that your score is somewhere above that level. If this next question is answered correctly, the following question will again be more difficult. This process continues until a question is missed. At that point, the test will supply a somewhat easier question as it tries to determine if you have reached your score “ceiling.” By increasing or decreasing the difficulty of the questions based on prior response, the test attempts to quickly pinpoint your appropriate score level and then confirm that level. Consequently, the first several questions are used to broadly establish your general scoring range, whereas later questions serve to affirm and pinpoint a specific score:

In the diagram above, correct responses to the first several questions lead to significant jumps in score, whereas later questions make smaller adjustments. A strong beginning followed by a weak finish will produce a higher score than a weak beginning followed by a strong finish. For this reason, your performance early in each section must be as strong as possible, even if this requires using more than the average time allotted per question.

The Quantitative Section
As outlined by ETS, “The quantitative section measures your basic mathematical skills, your understanding of elementary mathematical concepts, and your ability to reason quantitatively and solve problems in a quantitative setting. There is a balance of questions requiring arithmetic, algebra, geometry, and data analysis. These are content areas usually studied in high school.” Your performance on the 28 questions in the Quantitative section is used to determine a score from 200-800, with scores assigned in 10-point increments.

The Verbal Section
The test makers describe the Verbal section as, “The verbal section measures your ability to analyze and evaluate written material and synthesize information obtained from it, to analyze relationships among component parts of sentences, to recognize relationships between words and concepts, and to reason with words in solving problems. There is a balance of passages across different subject matter areas: humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences.” As with the Quantitative section, the Verbal section has its own individual scoring scale ranging from 200-800, and your score on the Verbal section combined with your score from the Quantitative section results in your overall score out of a possible 1600.

While examining the GRE scoring scales it is important not to lose sight of what the scores actually represent. Each score places a student in a certain relative position compared to other test takers. These relative positions are represented through a percentile that correlates to each score and indicates where the test taker falls in the overall pool of test takers. Because the Quantitative and Verbal sections are so divergent with respect to their content and difficulty, score percentiles are assigned to each section individually, and not to the combined score taken as the sum of both sections. The percentile ranking is critical since it is a true indicator of your positioning relative to other test takers, and, consequently, other graduate school applicants.

Percent of Examinees Scoring Lower than Selected Scaled Scores
(Based on the performance of all examinees who tested between July 1, 1999, and June 30, 2002)

SCALED SCORE		VERBAL REASONING		QUANTITATIVE REASONING
800		99		92
780		99		87
760		99		83
740		99		79
720		98		74
700		96		70
680		95		66
660		93		62
640		90		57
620		87		53
600		84		48
580		80		44
560		75		40
540		70		35
520		65		32
500		59		27
480		54		24
460		48		20
440		42		17
420		36		14
400		30		12
380		25		9
360		20		7
340		15		5
320		10		4
300		6		3
280		3		2
260		1		1
240		1		0
220		0		0
200		0		0
Mean		469		591

Based on the percentile rankings at the various scoring levels, it is evident that the Verbal section is markedly more difficult than the Quantitative section for the average test taker. Consider a student who scores a 720 in both sections. A 720 in the Verbal section would place this test taker ahead of 98% of his or her fellow applicants (roughly equivalent to an A or even an A+ by collegiate standards), whereas a 720 on the Quantitative section is only sufficient to place a test taker ahead of 74% of his or her fellow applicants (while a score in the 74th percentile is certainly excellent, it is by no means equivalent to a score in the 98th percentile). The mean scores for the two section further illustrate this trend, as the average for the Quantitative (591) is 122 points higher than the average Verbal score (469). Even a perfect Quantitative score (800) is achieved more frequently among test takers than a Verbal score as low as 660 (it is theoretically easier to score up to 140 points higher on the Quantitative section than the Verbal section at these scoring levels).

Analytical Writing
The Analytical Writing section is composed of two separate essays, an Issue Task and an Argument Task, with allotted times of 45 minutes and 30 minutes, respectively. As described by the test makers, “The analytical writing section tests your critical thinking and analytical writing skills. It assesses your ability to articulate and support complex ideas, analyze an argument, and sustain a focused and coherent discussion. It does not assess specific content knowledge.”

You will receive a single score for the Analytical Writing section, produced by averaging your scores from each of the two individual essays. ETS states, “Each essay receives a score from two trained readers, using a 6-point holistic scale. In holistic scoring, readers are trained to assign scores on the basis of the overall quality of an essay in response to the assigned task. If the two assigned scores differ by more than one point on the scale, the discrepancy is adjudicated by a third GRE reader. Otherwise, the scores from the two readings of an essay are averaged. The final scores on the two essays are then averaged and rounded up to the nearest half-point interval (e.g., 3.0, 3.5). If no essay response is given for either of the 2 tasks in this section, an NS (No Score) is reported for the section. If an essay response is provided for only one of the 2 writing tasks, the task for which no essay response is provided will receive a score of zero.” That zero is then averaged with your score from the other essay resulting in your overall, reported score.

The specific scoring guides for each essay can be seen here on pages 27-29.

Consider the following table for Analytical Writing scores:

Score Level		Percentage of Examinees Scoring Lower than Analytical Writing Score Levels
6		95
5.5		84
5		67
4.5		47
4		28
3.5		14
3		6
2.5		2
2		1
1.5		0
1		0
0.5		0
0		0
Mean		4.28

What is truly interesting about this data is that the average score is not 3 (as would be expected on a scale from 0 to 6). Rather, the average Analytical Writing score reported for graduate school applicants is 4.28, slightly higher than the mid-point on the 0 to 6 scale. In fact, 33% of all applicants score a 5 or higher on the Analytical Writing assessment, a fact that should prove comforting to test takers concerned about the difficulty of scoring at the highest levels on this section.

Ultimately, this discussion of the GRE scoring scale does not change the inherent and obvious truth of the test: to score well you must answer questions correctly. However, a familiarity with the nature of computer adaptive score-determination is an invaluable asset to test takers, and understanding the GRE percentile table allows you to more accurately assess your true position in the national pool, and thus to some degree your position in the graduate school applicant pool. To learn more about the GRE scoring scale, visit the official ETS website, or contact us for more information.