However, to begin with, here's what you need to know about your GRE score. The GRE is scored on a scale of 130 to 170 in the verbal and quantitative sections. The writing section is scored on a scale of 0 to 6 in half-point increments. But you don't just receive scores; you also receive a percentile rank, which rates your performance relative to that of a large sample population of other GRE participants.
Because there are so few possible overall scores (only 41) you can get on the GRE, answering a question more correctly might be enough to turn an average score into a great score. Many students confuse their GRE score with a representation of their abilities or talents. You'll have to understand that the GRE score simply reflects your performance on the exam you just took, and that's it. You shouldn't think of scoring as a reflection of your intelligence, your skills, or even your chances of getting into a good graduate program.
Students who score higher on the GRE have only done so by better understanding the test, honing their math and verbal skills, and increasing their test resistance. You can get there too, if you can do all that. STD studies have also concluded that GRE is particularly sub-predictive for women over 25, who account for more than half of the women taking the test. However, if you need a quick review of all concepts, check out Manhattan's eight GRE strategy guides.
Here are 5 things that will dramatically improve your overall profile and therefore help to eclipse your GRE score. In fact, the GRE score is not a deciding factor when it comes to graduate school admissions, as the test score is just one of the factors. It is widely recognized that test takers can be trained to perform well in the GRE if they are able to spend more than hours and thousands of dollars for preparation or tutoring classes. The GRE, as it is best known, is a necessary test for admission to what can amount to thousands of master's and doctoral programs, from astronomy and English to journalism and zoology in the United States.
If you can spend a week or two focusing on mathematical formulas and GRE vocabulary, you'll see a significant increase in math and verbal scores. Many students feel they need to take the GRE before they even think about going to graduate school. But the best GRE study materials, the official ones from the creators of the exam, are surprisingly affordable. You must resolve all issues (shown in red) and pass the computer verification before registering for the test.
ETS offers a variety of free and low-cost tools to help you prepare for the GRE general test so you can feel more confident on test day. But you can't “pass” or “fail” the GRE in the same way you could pass or fail a college exam or professional certification exam. In addition, the GRE score requirement varies from department to department, depending on several factors such as competition, reputation, and others. The GRE Program uses a basic word processor developed by ETS so that people who are familiar or unfamiliar with specific commercial word processing software do not have an advantage or disadvantage.
