How the GRE General Test is Scored

Current section: Scores > Overview

Overview

The Scoring Process
How the Sections of the General Test Are Scored
General Test Score Scales
Analytical Writing Measure Score Review
Paper-Based Test Hand Scoring
Additional Score Information
Score Reinstatement

The Scoring Process

The processes for calculating reported scores for adaptive tests and traditional paper-and-pencil tests are similar, in that the number of questions answered correctly is adjusted according to the difficulty level of the questions on the test form. Thus, the same number of correct responses on different test forms will not necessarily result in the same reported score.

In paper-and-pencil tests, the differences in difficulty among test forms are relatively small and are adjusted through a process known as score equating. The number of questions answered is also figured into the calculation of the reported score because it limits the number that can be answered correctly.

With adaptive testing, an examinee is administered a set of questions with a difficulty level that is specifically designed to match the examinee's ability level. The mathematical process for calculating a score in this situation incorporates the statistical properties of the questions, the examinee's performance on the questions, and the number of questions that are answered.

How the Sections of the General Test Are Scored

Computer-Based General Test:

Your scores on the Verbal and Quantitative sections of the computer-based General Test depend on your performance on the questions given and on the number of questions answered in the time allotted.

Because both of these sections are computer-adaptive, the questions presented are selected to reflect your performance on preceding questions and the requirements of the test design. Test design factors that influence which questions are presented to you include:

the statistical characteristics (including difficulty level) of the questions already answered
the required variety of question types
the appropriate coverage of content

For the computer-based Analytical Writing section, each essay receives a score from at least one trained reader, using a six-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. The essay score is then reviewed by e-rater, a computerized program developed by ETS, which is being used to monitor the human reader. If the e-rater evaluation and the human score agree, the human score is used as the final score. If they disagree by a certain amount, a second human score is obtained, and the final score is the average of the two human scores.

The final scores on the two essays are then averaged and rounded up to the nearest half-point interval. A single score is reported for the Analytical Writing section.

The primary emphasis in scoring the Analytical Writing section is on your critical thinking and analytical writing skills rather than on grammar and mechanics. (Read the Issue and Argument scoring guides.)

During the scoring process, your essay responses on the Analytical Writing section will be reviewed by ETS essay-similarity-detection software and by experienced essay readers. See Independent Intellectual Activity.

The GRE® Program has recently implemented another review process of individual test performance for the computer-based GRE General Test Verbal and Quantitative sections. The purpose of the process is to analyze each test taker’s performance data to determine if the test presented to the individual was an appropriate selection of test questions by the computer. It appears that in a very small number of cases, the computer algorithm may not have functioned as effectively as intended. As a result, ETS® is offering these test-takers the option of taking a free retest on the affected section only. In this optional retest effort, the GRE® Program is attempting to be as fair as possible to all examinees. (See Retest FAQs.)

Paper-Based General Test:

For the Verbal and Quantitative sections of the paper-based General Test, a raw score is computed. The raw score is the number of questions for which the best answer choice was given.

The raw score is then converted to a scaled score through a process known as equating. The equating process accounts for differences in difficulty among the different test editions so a given scaled score reflects approximately the same level of ability regardless of the edition of the test that was taken.

For the Analytical Writing section, 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. A single score is reported for the Analytical Writing section.

GRE General Test Score Scales

Three scores are reported on the General Test:

a Verbal Reasoning score reported on a 200-800 score scale, in 10-point increments
a Quantitative Reasoning score reported on a 200-800 score scale, in 10-point increments
an Analytical Writing score reported on a 0-6 score scale, in half-point increments

Any section in which you answer no questions at all will be reported as a No Score (NS).

Analytical Writing Measure Score Review - Fee: $55

Test takers may request a review of their Analytical Writing section of the General Test up to six months after the administration. Submit the fee with your written request; include your full name, date of birth, test date, registration number, address, and phone number. Mail the request to the “General Inquiries” address. If the score review process results in a higher or lower score, the new score will be reported.

Paper-Based Test Hand Scoring- Fee: $30

Hand scoring for the Verbal and Quantitative sections of the paper-based General Test is available up to six months after the administration. Submit the fee with your written request; include your full name, date of birth, test date, registration number, address, and phone number. Mail the request to the “General Inquiries” address. If the score review process results in a higher or lower score, the new score(s) will be reported.