What is a good GRE score? The 2026–27 percentiles and how to set your target
A good GRE score is one at or above the typical score of the programmes you are applying to. As a general benchmark, the average across everyone who took the test between July 2022 and June 2025 was about 151 in Verbal Reasoning and 158 in Quantitative Reasoning, according to ETS's 2026–27 score guide. A score of 160 in both puts you ahead of 82% of test takers in Verbal but only 50% in Quant.
How the GRE is scored
The General Test reports three scores:
| Measure | Range | Steps |
|---|---|---|
| Verbal Reasoning | 130–170 | 1 point |
| Quantitative Reasoning | 130–170 | 1 point |
| Analytical Writing | 0–6 | half a point |
ETS says the Verbal and Quant scores reflect the number of questions you answered correctly and the difficulty level of each section. The essay is scored on a six-point holistic scale, partly by ETS's e-rater scoring engine.
Your score report also shows a percentile rank for each measure: the percentage of test takers who scored lower than you. The current ranks compare you with everyone who tested between 1 July 2022 and 30 June 2025, about 790,000 people per measure.
The averages
From ETS's interpretive data:
| Measure | Mean | Standard deviation |
|---|---|---|
| Verbal Reasoning | 151.39 | 8.43 |
| Quantitative Reasoning | 157.62 | 9.90 |
| Analytical Writing | 3.46 | 0.85 |
Percentiles at common scores
| Score | Verbal percentile | Quant percentile |
|---|---|---|
| 170 | 99 | 89 |
| 168 | 98 | 80 |
| 165 | 95 | 67 |
| 163 | 90 | 60 |
| 160 | 82 | 50 |
| 158 | 76 | 45 |
| 155 | 64 | 37 |
| 153 | 54 | 31 |
| 150 | 39 | 23 |
| 145 | 21 | 12 |
For Analytical Writing, 4.0 is the 63rd percentile, 4.5 the 85th, 5.0 the 93rd and 5.5 the 98th.
Why the same score means different things
The table shows the most surprising thing about GRE scores: the two scales are not comparable. A 165 is the 95th percentile in Verbal and the 67th in Quant. A perfect 170 in Quant is beaten or matched by 11% of test takers, because so many people who take the GRE are strong in maths. ETS says plainly that scores on the different measures should not be compared directly, because each measure is scaled separately; the percentiles are the fair way to compare.
ETS also notes that a given score stands for about the same level of ability whenever it was earned, but its percentile can shift as the group of test takers changes.
So what counts as good for you
It depends on what you are applying to. ETS publishes the average scores of test takers by the field they intend to study:
| Intended field | Verbal | Quant | Writing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Business | 154 | 160 | 3.7 |
| Engineering | 151 | 160 | 3.4 |
| Physical sciences | 152 | 162 | 3.4 |
| Social and behavioural sciences | 154 | 155 | 3.8 |
| Law | 154 | 152 | 3.9 |
| Education | 152 | 150 | 3.7 |
| Life sciences | 150 | 150 | 3.7 |
These are averages of everyone who intends to study the field, not of people admitted. Competitive programmes usually admit people above them.
A way to set a target, step by step:
- Find the numbers for your programmes. Many programmes publish the middle range or average GRE scores of their admitted class. Write down the figure for each programme on your list.
- Weight the measure that matters. An engineering or economics programme will look hardest at Quant; a humanities programme at Verbal and Writing.
- Aim a few points above the average of your most competitive choice. That gives you room for an off day.
- Take a timed practice test to see where you start. The gap between your start and your target tells you how much preparation you need.
A worked example: someone applying to programmes in a quantitative field, whose most selective choice reports an average Quant score of 162, might set a target of 164 to 165 in Quant. By the table above, 165 is the 67th percentile, which is a strong but realistic aim. Their Verbal target could be lower, perhaps the field's 152, if the programme puts little weight on it.
How to close the gap
For Quant, the content is high-school maths: arithmetic, algebra, geometry and data analysis. Most lost points come from slips and slow working rather than unknown topics. Our GRE Quant page sets out what the section covers and its four question types, including quantitative comparisons. Practising numerical reasoning against the clock helps with the arithmetic and data questions.
On what to expect from practice: a meta-analysis of 107 samples found that scores on cognitive ability tests rise by about a quarter of a standard deviation on a second attempt, more with coaching (Hausknecht et al., 2007). On the GRE Quant scale, with its standard deviation of about 10 points, a quarter of a standard deviation is roughly 2 to 3 points. That is our arithmetic on a general result, not a GRE-specific study, but it is a sensible expectation for a retake without much new study. Bigger jumps come from learning content you didn't know. Our guide on what practice can and can't do has more.
Our view, and the limits
Our opinion: for anyone applying to a quantitative field, Quant percentiles are close to useless at the top. The difference between 166 and 170 is 17 percentile points, and we doubt an admissions committee in a maths-heavy field, which sees many 165-plus scores, reads much into it. What matters is reaching the range your programmes report reliably, in timed practice, before test day, so that an ordinary day on the test gets you there.
The limitation: the GRE is one part of an application, and how much it counts varies widely. We don't know any programme's admissions rules beyond what it publishes, and requirements change. Check each programme's current policy before deciding how much to prepare.
Questions people ask
What is the average GRE score?
For people who tested between July 2022 and June 2025, the means were 151.39 in Verbal, 157.62 in Quant and 3.46 in Analytical Writing, according to ETS.
Is 160 a good GRE score?
In Verbal, 160 is the 82nd percentile, which is strong. In Quant it is the 50th percentile, which is average among GRE test takers.
What percentile is a perfect GRE Quant score?
A 170 in Quant is the 89th percentile in ETS's current tables, because many test takers score at the top. A 170 in Verbal is the 99th percentile.
What is a good Analytical Writing score?
A 4.0 is the 63rd percentile and a 4.5 the 85th. Fields such as law and social sciences average higher (3.8 to 3.9) than engineering and physical sciences (3.4).
Do GRE percentiles change?
Yes. ETS updates them each year from the last three years of test takers, so the same score can have a slightly different percentile on a later report.
Practise for it
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