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Shorter GRE - What is a Good GRE Score? The Definitive Guide
[#permalink]
Updated on: 02 Sep 2024, 10:35
Updated on: 02 Sep 2024, 10:35
1
Expert Reply
What is a Good GRE Score?
Short Answer: Good GRE Score = Average of your Master's Program Score.
Check your program's score - usually it is published in the class profile what the average GRE score was as well as what the 10th to 90th percentiles are (these are also important for things such as scholarship hunting and in case you do have an awesome profile, this information will allow you to better tailor your applications). As an example, here is the latest data for the Top 40 MBA programs:
Need more info? Exact average GRE scores for each Top 40 MBA program
What is a GREAT GRE Score?
Note that the top programs often will be hard to impress with a very high GRE scores and it is important to realize that several other elements come into play. Almost everyone applies to top programs with great scores so you need to stand out in other ways. Note that the difference in the high range for Top 10 and Top 20 programs is the same. Therefore, there is no such as thing as a Great GRE score in Top 10. Rather there is a Safe Score There is this concept in Top 20 and Top 40. If you get a high score, you would quite likely qualify for a scholarship or a second consideration or some of your GPA issues may be overlooked. This happens if your score is meaningfully higher than the average. E.g. In top 20 that means your score is 5+ points higher than the average and preferably more. The reasons lower-ranked programs (both Masters and MBA programs) try to entice high-scoring applicants is rankings. The higher the average scores, the better ranking the program gets.
A note about applicants from highly competitive backgrounds such as Indian IT guys and Asian Science Applicants. Many programs are looking to have diverse classes and while they get a large number of qualified applicants from certain backgrounds, Graduate Programs do not want to have a sea of clones. This means that depending on your origin, background, major and sometimes even gender, your "Good" or "Great" GRE score may not be as good or as great since you are competing with other highly qualified applicants. The best way to get a sense of what scores are good score for you, is to connect with some of the current students with a similar background as yours and get a sense from them. Ask them about the class average stats (sometimes it may be rude to ask them for their scores; some people may not be comfortable giving you that info so asking an average is better).
Also because average scores for certain study fields (e.g. Engineering) may be more competitive and more mathematically inclined, your "Good" or "Safe" scores will be different based on the program. Here is an example of average scores
To Do List:
More Resources:
-
Short Answer: Good GRE Score = Average of your Master's Program Score.
Check your program's score - usually it is published in the class profile what the average GRE score was as well as what the 10th to 90th percentiles are (these are also important for things such as scholarship hunting and in case you do have an awesome profile, this information will allow you to better tailor your applications). As an example, here is the latest data for the Top 40 MBA programs:
| Average GRE Scores at Top MBA Programs | ||||
| Program | Average GRE | Quant | Verbal | 10% - 90% Range |
| US Top 10 MBA | 325 | 163 | 162 | 315 - 330 |
| US Top 20 MBA | 319 | 159 | 160 | 306 - 330 |
| US Top 40 MBA | 313 | 157 | 156 | 298 - 326 |
Need more info? Exact average GRE scores for each Top 40 MBA program
What is a GREAT GRE Score?
Note that the top programs often will be hard to impress with a very high GRE scores and it is important to realize that several other elements come into play. Almost everyone applies to top programs with great scores so you need to stand out in other ways. Note that the difference in the high range for Top 10 and Top 20 programs is the same. Therefore, there is no such as thing as a Great GRE score in Top 10. Rather there is a Safe Score There is this concept in Top 20 and Top 40. If you get a high score, you would quite likely qualify for a scholarship or a second consideration or some of your GPA issues may be overlooked. This happens if your score is meaningfully higher than the average. E.g. In top 20 that means your score is 5+ points higher than the average and preferably more. The reasons lower-ranked programs (both Masters and MBA programs) try to entice high-scoring applicants is rankings. The higher the average scores, the better ranking the program gets.
A note about applicants from highly competitive backgrounds such as Indian IT guys and Asian Science Applicants. Many programs are looking to have diverse classes and while they get a large number of qualified applicants from certain backgrounds, Graduate Programs do not want to have a sea of clones. This means that depending on your origin, background, major and sometimes even gender, your "Good" or "Great" GRE score may not be as good or as great since you are competing with other highly qualified applicants. The best way to get a sense of what scores are good score for you, is to connect with some of the current students with a similar background as yours and get a sense from them. Ask them about the class average stats (sometimes it may be rude to ask them for their scores; some people may not be comfortable giving you that info so asking an average is better).
Also because average scores for certain study fields (e.g. Engineering) may be more competitive and more mathematically inclined, your "Good" or "Safe" scores will be different based on the program. Here is an example of average scores
| INTENDED GRADUATE MAJOR FIELD | AVERAGE QUANT SCORE | AVERAGE VERBAL SCORE |
| Life Sciences | 151 | 151 |
| Physical Sciences | 160 | 151 |
| Engineering | 160 | 150 |
| Social and Behavioral Sciences | 151 | 153 |
| Humanities and Arts | 150 | 156 |
| Education | 148 | 151 |
| Business | 155 | 151 |
| Law | 151 | 151 |
| Other Fields | 150 | 151 |
To Do List:
- Take a look at the universities’ average GRE scores;
- Create a "to do" list of the institutions you are interested in applying to;
- Emphasize the side of the score you need for. I.e., most universities give more stress on the score that reflects their nature. If you have the intention to apply for a business graduate program, bet on quant. If you want to go to an Education program: go for the verbal side having more weight;
- Aim to score at least two points above the highest score after you have shortlisted the universities’ average scores. This is also useful because it represents a sort of buffer zone in case parts or elements of your application are somehow weak, you could compensate this with some GRE points more.
More Resources:
- GRE Score Percentiles
- How is the GRE Score Calculated -The Definitive Guide (2021)
- GRE Diagnostic Service - Your report analyzed by the GRE Prep Club)
- GRE Study Plan
- GRE Question Banks
-
Re: Shorter GRE - What is a Good GRE Score? The Definitive Guide
[#permalink]
29 Mar 2021, 10:31
29 Mar 2021, 10:31
2
Expert Reply
Average GRE Scores at Universities Master's Programs in the US
These are the average scores required for the US Universities.
Universities for Revised GRE Scores > 333
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) http://www.mit.edu
- Stanford University http://www.stanford.edu
- University of California- Berkeley http://www.berkeley.edu
- University of Illinois – Urbana Champaign http://www.uiuc.edu
- University of Michigan Ann Arbor http://www.umich.edu
- Cornell University http://www.cornell.edu
- University of Texas at Austin http://www.utexas.edu
- University of Maryland – College park http://www.umd.edu
- University of California – San Diego http://www.ucsd.edu
- California Institute of Technology http://www.caltech.edu
- University of Wisconsin- Madison http://www.wisc.edu
- University of California Los Angles http://www.ucla.edu
- Harvard University http://www.harvard.edu
- Carnegie Mellon University http://www.cmu.edu
Universities for Revised GRE Score > 325
- Purdue University –West Lafayette http://www.purdue.edu
- Princeton University http://www.princeton.edu
- Pennsylvania State University –Univ Park http://www.psu.edu
- Georgia Institute of Technology http://www.gatech.edu
- Virginia poly Tech http://www.vt.edu
- Texas A & M College Station http://www.tamu.edu
- Duke University http://www.duke.edu
- University of Washington – Seattle http://www.washington.edu
- University of Minnesota http://www.umn.edu
- Columbia University http://www.columbia.edu
- Yale University http://www.yale.edu
- Ohio State University http://www.osu.edu
- University of Pittsburgh http://www.pitt.edu
- Brown university (RI) http://www.brown.edu
- John Hopkins University http://www.jhu.edu
- North Carolina State University http://www.ncsu.edu
- Dartmouth College, NH http://www.dartmouth.edu
- Iowa State University http://www.iastate.edu
- University of California- Santa Barbara http://www.ucsb.edu
- Case Western Reserve University http://www.cwru.edu
- Northwestern University (IL) http://www.northwestern.edu
- Arizona State University http://www.asu.edu
- University of Iowa http://www.uiowa.edu
- Rutgers, State Univ of NJ, New Brunswick http://www.rutgers.edu
- Rice University http://www.rice.edu
- University of Rochester http://www.rochester.edu
- University of Virginia http://www.virginia.edu
- University of Pennsylvania http://www.upenn.edu
Universities for Revised GRE Score > 320
- University of Delaware http://www.udel.edu
- University of California – Davis http://www.ucdavis.edu
- University of Colorado –Boulder http://www.colorado.edu
- University of Notre Dame http://www.nd.edu
- University of Chicago http://www.uchicago.edu
- Lehigh University (PA) http://www.lehigh.edu
- University of Southern California http://www.usc.edu
- Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (NY) http://www.rpi.edu
- University of Cincinnati http://www.uc.edu
- University of Florida; Gainesville http://www.ufl.edu
- Washington University St Louis http://www.wustl.edu
- Vanderbilt University (TN) http://www.vanderbilt.edu
- University of California – Irvine http://www.uci.edu
- Michigan State University http://www.msu.edu
- University of Massachusetts – Amherst http://www.umass.edu
- Kansas State University http://www.ksu.edu
- University of Alabama- Tuscaloosa http://www.ua.edu
- University of Arizona-Tucson http://www.arizona.edu
- University of North Carolina- Chapel Hill http://www.unc.edu
- Colorado School of Mines http://www.mines.edu
- University of Illinois at Chicago http://www.uic.edu
- University of New Hampshire http://www.unh.edu
- University of New Mexico http://www.unm.edu
- Boston University http://www.bu.edu
- Colorado State University http://www.colostate.edu
- Auburn University http://www.auburn.edu
- University of Buffalo http://www.buffalo.edu
- University of Akron http://www.uakron.edu
- Drexel University http://www.drexel.edu
- Syracuse University http://www.syr.edu
- Oregon State University http://www.oregonstate.edu
- Clemson University http://www.clemson.edu
Universities for Revised GRE Score > 314
- University of Missouri – Rolla http://www.ust.edu
- University of Nebraska Lincoln http://www.unl.edu
- University of Connecticut http://www.uconn.edu
- University of Utah http://www.utah.edu
- University of Tennessee-Knoxville http://www.utk.edu
- West Virginia University http://www.wvu.edu
- University of Kansas http://www.ku.edu
- SUNY- stony brook http://www.stonybrook.edu
- University of Georgia http://www.uga.edu
- University of Missouri-Columbia http://www.mizzou.edu
- Oklahoma State University http://www.okstate.edu
- Louisiana State University-Baton Rouge http://www.lsu.edu
- University of South Carolina http://www.sc.edu
- Tulane University http://www.tulane.edu
- Indiana University – Bloomington http://www.indiana.edu
- University of Oklahoma http://www.ou.edu
- University of Miami http://www.miami.edu
- University of Texas – Dallas http://www.utdallas.edu
- Ohio University –Athens http://www.ohiou.edu
- University of Houston –Houston http://www.uh.edu
- Michigan technological University http://www.mtu.edu
- University of Maine http://www.umaine.edu
- University of Kentucky http://www.uky.edu
- George Washington University http://www.gwu.edu
- University of Central Florida http://www.ucf.edu
Universities for Revised GRE Score > 310
- Northern Illinois University http://www.niu.edu
- Indiana University Purdue University http://www.iupui.edu
- University of Memphis http://www.memphis.edu
- University of Nevada Los Vegas http://www.unlv.edu
- University of Alabama-Huntsville http://www.uah.edu
- University of Idaho http://www.uidaho.edu
- Mississippi State university http://www.msstate.edu
- University of Missouri, Kansas City http://www.umkc.edu
- University of North Carolina-Charlotte http://www.uncc.edu
- Oregon Graduate Institute of Science &Tech http://www.oit.edu
- George Mason University http://www.gmu.edu
- University of Indianapolis http://www.uindy.edu
- University of Nebraska Omaha http://www.unomaha.edu
- University of South Florida- Tampa http://www.usf.edu
- Middle Tennessee State University http://www.mtsu.edu
- Polytechnic University (NY) http://www.poly.edu
- University of New Orleans http://www.uno.edu
- University of Arkansas- Fayetteville http://www.uark.edu
- Tennessee Technological University http://www.tntech.edu
- University of South Florida http://www.usf.edu
- University of Louisiana-Lafayette http://www.louisiana.edu
- Florida Institute of Technology http://www.fit.edu
- Illinois Institute of Technology http://www.iit.edu
- Washington State University http://www.wsu.edu
- Georgia State University http://www.gsu.edu
Universities for Revised GRE Score > 300
- Texas Tech University http://www.ttu.edu
- Wayne State University http://www.wayne.edu
- California State University, Sacramento http://www.csus.edu
- Missouri State University http://www.missouristate.edu
- New Mexico State University http://www.nmsu.edu
- North Dakota State University http://www.ndsu.edu
- University of Texas-Arlington http://www.uta.edu
- Clarkson University http://www.clarkson.edu
- Wright State University http://www.wright.edu
- University of Tennessee Chattanooga http://www.utc.edu
- University of Tulsa http://www.utulsa.edu
- Portland state university http://www.pdx.edu
- University of Vermont http://www.uvm.edu
- Baylor University, Texas http://www.baylor.edu
- Villanova University http://www.villanova.edu
- University of Tampa http://www.utampa.edu
- Louisiana Tech. University http://www.latech.edu
- New Jersey Institute of Technology http://www.njit.edu
- Idaho State University http://www.isu.edu
- Wichita State University http://www.wichita.edu
- University of Mississippi http://www.olemiss.edu
- Northeastern University http://www.northeastern.edu
- Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville http://www.siue.edu
- University of Alaska- Fairbanks http://www.uaf.edu
- Pace University, NY http://www.pace.edu
- Wright State University http://www.wright.edu
- Chicago State University http://www.csu.edu
- South Dakota State University http://www.sdsu.edu
- East Carolina University http://www.ecu.edu
- University of North Texas http://www.unt.edu
- SUNY Institute of Technology http://www.sunyit.edu
- University of Missouri at St Louis http://www.umsl.edu
- University of Northern Iowa http://www.uni.edu
- University of Toledo http://www.utoledo.edu
- University of Illinois at Springfield http://www.uis.edu
- Old Dominion University, Virginia http://www.odu.edu
Universities for Revised GRE Score > 290
- Northwest Missouri State University http://www.nwmissouri.edu
- Lamar University http://www.lamar.edu
- Illinois State University, Normal http://www.ilstu.edu
- University of Louisville http://www.louisville.edu
- Texas A & M University, Commerce tamu-commerce.edu
- Colorado Technical University, Colorado Springs http://www.coloradotech.edu
- Boise State university, Idaho http://www.boisestate.edu
- Montana State University, Bozeman http://www.montana.edu
- South Dakota School of Mines & technology http://www.sdsmt.edu
- North Carolina Agricultural & Tech State University http://www.ncat.edu
- Southern Illinois University, Carbondale http://www.siuc.edu
- Florida International university http://www.fiu.edu
- North Dakota State University http://www.nodak.edu
- Western Kentucky University http://www.wku.edu
- Bradley University http://www.bradley.edu
- Cleveland State University http://www.csuohio.edu
- University of Bridgeport –CT http://www.bridgeport.edu
- University of Dayton –Ohio http://www.udayton.edu
- Texas A & M university, Kingsville http://www.tamuk.edu
- University of West Florida, Pensacola http://www.uwf.edu
- Eastern Michigan University http://www.emich.edu
- Minnesota State University, Mankato http://www.mnsu.edu
- Suffolk University, MA http://www.suffolk.edu
- University of North Carolina, Greensboro http://www.uncg.edu
- New Mexico Institute of Mining &Tech. http://www.nmt.edu
- University of Central Arkansas http://www.uca.edu
- Southeastern University, DC http://www.seu.edu
- University of Hawaii http://www.hawaii.edu
- University of Texas, Tyler http://www.uttyler.edu
- Eastern Washington University http://www.ewu.edu
- Southern Oregon University, Ashland http://www.sou.edu
- University of Texas at San Antonio http://www.utsa.edu
- State University of West Georgia http://www.westga.edu
- Ball State University http://www.bsu.edu
- University of Texas El Paso http://www.utep.edu
- Columbus State University http://www.columbusstate.edu
- Arkansas State University http://www.astate.edu
- University of Denver http://www.du.edu
- North Dakota State University http://www.ndsu.edu
- New York Institute of Technology http://www.nyit.edu
- California State University, Chico http://www.csuchico.edu
- Dakota State University http://www.dsu.edu
- St Cloud State University http://www.stcloudstate.edu
- Marquette University http://www.marquette.edu
Universities for Revised GRE Score < 290
- Temple University, PA http://www.temple.edu
- City College of the City of New York http://www.cuny.edu
- Northeastern Illinois University http://www.neiu.edu
- University of Detroit Mercy http://www.udmercy.edu
- University of Arkansas Little Rock http://www.ualr.edu
- California State University, Fresno http://www.csufresno.edu
- Alabama A & M University http://www.aamu.edu
- Widener University, Pennsylvania http://www.widener.edu
- Alcorn State University http://www.alcorn.edu
- Gannon University http://www.gannon.edu
- University of Findlay-Ohio http://www.findlay.edu
- San Diego State University, California http://www.sdsu.edu
- Ball State University http://www.bsu.edu
- Northwestern Polytechnic University http://www.npu.edu
- Jacksonville State University http://www.jsu.edu
- Saint Joseph University http://www.sju.edu
- Chapman University http://www.chapman.edu
- Kent State University http://www.kent.edu
- Ferris State University http://www.ferris.edu
- University of New Haven, CT http://www.newhaven.edu
- Farleigh Dickinson University, New Jersey http://www.fdu.edu
- State University of New York, Albany http://www.albany.edu
- College of William & Mary http://www.wm.edu
- East Tennessee State University http://www.etsu.edu
- Southwest Texas State University, San Marcos http://www.txstate.edu
- DePaul University http://www.depaul.edu
- Mc Neese State University http://www.mcneese.edu
- Oakland University http://www.oakland.edu
- Sam Houston State University http://www.shsu.edu
- San Jose state University http://www.sjsu.edu
- William Patterson University http://www.wpunj.edu
- Western Carolina University http://www.wcu.edu
- University of Central Oklahoma http://www.uco.edu
- Widener University http://www.widener.edu
- University of St Thomas, MN http://www.stthomas.edu
- Western Illinois university http://www.wiu.edu
- Bowling Green State University, Ohio http://www.bgsu.edu
- Delaware State University http://www.desu.edu
- State University of New York, New Paltz http://www.newpaltz.edu
- Central Michigan University http://www.cmich.edu
- University of Southern Mississippi http://www.usm.edu
- Indian University South Bend http://www.iusb.edu
- Saint Mary’s University San Antonio http://www.stmarytx.edu
- Shippensburg University, PA http://www.ship.edu
- East Tennessee State University http://www.etsu.edu
- University of Texas, Pan America http://www.utpa.edu
- Jackson State University http://www.jsums.edu
- Oklahoma City University http://www.ocu.edu
- Frostburg State University http://www.frostburg.edu
- La Salle University, PA http://www.lasalle.edu
- Alfred University http://www.alfred.edu
- Monmouth University-New Jersey http://www.monmouth.edu
- Southern New Hampshire University http://www.snhu.edu
- Roosevelt University Chicago http://www.roosevelt.edu
- Drake university http://www.drake.edu
- Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania http://www.ship.edu
- Duquesne University http://www.duq.edu
- Georgia College & State University http://www.gcsu.edu
- Georgia Southern University http://www.georgiasouthern.edu
- Kennesaw State University http://www.kennesaw.edu
- Long Island University http://www.liu.edu
- Loyola University Chicago http://www.luc.edu
- Northern Kentucky University http://www.nku.edu
- Lawrence Tech University http://www.ltu.edu
- Clark Atlanta University http://www.cau.edu
- California State University, Northridge http://www.csun.edu
- Catholic University of America, Washington http://www.cua.edu
- Ohio Dominican College (University), Ohio http://www.ohiodominican.edu
- Ferris State University, Michigan http://www.ferris.edu
- Fitchburg State University, MA http://www.fitchburgstate.edu
- Hawaii Pacific University, Hawaii http://www.hpu.edu
- Northwood University, Michigan http://www.northwood.edu
- Johnson and Wales University, RI http://www.jwu.edu
- Governors State University, Parkway IL http://www.govst.edu
- Troy State University, Alabama http://www.troy.edu
- Stevens Institute of Technology http://www.stevens-tech.edu
- Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton http://www.fau.edu
- Golden Gate University http://www.ggu.edu
- Howard University http://www.howard.edu
- Dominican University http://www.dom.edu
Re: Shorter GRE - What is a Good GRE Score? The Definitive Guide
[#permalink]
20 Nov 2023, 05:58
20 Nov 2023, 05:58
Expert Reply
UPDATED Shorter GRE - What is a Good GRE Score? The Definitive Guide 2023
