# What is a "good" score on the GRE?



## cindyc (Nov 12, 2005)

On the math?
Verbal? 
Writing?

A friend of mine took it. She just called me to tell me her scores (b/c we were sort of helping her study for the math part). I just don't have anything to compare it to. Her math score went *UP* by 225 points from the time she took the practice test a month ago to the time she took the real CAT, but she is concerned about her verbal score. She thinks it was low. 
Anybody know what the averages are, or what graduate schools are looking for?

Thanks,
Cindyc.


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## Dente deLion (Nov 27, 2006)

Wow, a 225-point math improvement is terrific! Good for her, and good for you for giving her a hand!

I did a Yahoo search for "interpreting GRE scores" and found the ETS site (the company that makes the test). The tables on page 13 of the link below show the percentile equivalents, so that should give some idea. As far as what grad schools seek, that would almost certainly vary widely from school to school.

http://www.ets.org/Media/Tests/GRE/pdf/994994.pdf


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## cindyc (Nov 12, 2005)

Dente deLion said:


> Wow, a 225-point math improvement is terrific! Good for her, and good for you for giving her a hand!
> 
> I did a Yahoo search for "interpreting GRE scores" and found the ETS site (the company that makes the test). The tables on page 13 of the link below show the percentile equivalents, so that should give some idea. As far as what grad schools seek, that would almost certainly vary widely from school to school.
> 
> http://www.ets.org/Media/Tests/GRE/pdf/994994.pdf


Thanks!

Cindyc.


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## DC_Hound (Jan 15, 2008)

When I was entering grad school (in 1994), a 500 verbal + 500 quantitative was a perfectly acceptable score and would get you into most programs.


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## lonelyfarmgirl (Feb 6, 2005)

what is a GRE score, and where does one get/take these tests? just curious


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## cindyc (Nov 12, 2005)

I can't remember what the acrostic means but it is the exam you take prior to getting into graduate school. You can find out about it at www.ets.org. As dente de leon said, they make the test.

Thanks,
Cindy


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## cindyc (Nov 12, 2005)

DC_Hound said:


> When I was entering grad school (in 1994), a 500 verbal + 500 quantitative was a perfectly acceptable score and would get you into most programs.



Well, my friend scored a 550 on the math. That was a huge improvement. However, she only scored a 410 on the verbal! She got perfect scores on the writing portion. Should she take it again to improve the verbal score?


Thanks,
Cindyc.


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## DC_Hound (Jan 15, 2008)

As long as the program(s) she is applying for will only look at her highest score, and not any previous scores (or won't average all her attempts), if she thinks she can do better a second time then sure, she should take it again. If she thinks she gave it her best shot, then she should stick with what she has. (This assumes that her score is adequate to get into the program she wants.)

GRE is an acronym for Graduate Record Exam, to answer the earlier postings. Some master's degree programs and most doctoral programs require a GRE or MAT (Millers Analogies Test) as part of the application process. Some specialized graduate programs require other tests, like the MCAT (Medical) or LSAT (Law).

Your friend did a lot better than I did on the quantitative portion!


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## cindy-e (Feb 14, 2008)

DC_Hound said:


> As long as the program(s) she is applying for will only look at her highest score, and not any previous scores (or won't average all her attempts), if she thinks she can do better a second time then sure, she should take it again. If she thinks she gave it her best shot, then she should stick with what she has. (This assumes that her score is adequate to get into the program she wants.)
> 
> GRE is an acronym for Graduate Record Exam, to answer the earlier postings. Some master's degree programs and most doctoral programs require a GRE or MAT (Millers Analogies Test) as part of the application process. Some specialized graduate programs require other tests, like the MCAT (Medical) or LSAT (Law).
> 
> Your friend did a lot better than I did on the quantitative portion!


Thank you for the advice. I will pass it on.

Cindyc. (now logging in as Cindy-e b/c of technical difficulties.)


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