What is considered a good score? Average score? Worst score?

[Sealove00]

What is considered a good score? What about average? Worst score?

[uromastyx]

Is this a serious question? We can barely answer this question when it's program specific.

[RubyBright]

Check your program's web page. They normally post expectations, which vary wildly.

[tiarabun]

many programs dont post their cut off scores though

[Biostat_Assistant_Prof]

I'll play...

 

Very poor: <140

Poor: 140-145

Mediocre/Average: 145-155

good:155-160

very good: >160

[midnight]

I'll play...

 

Very poor: <140

Poor: 140-145

Mediocre/Average: 145-155

good:155-160

very good: >160

 

Yeah, I'd say that's a fair enough breakdown if we're forced to label scores that way (though I might expand the "poor" category to include all of the 140s, and I can say that as someone who scored in the 140s on quant my first try!), but it ultimately depends on the program and the field.

 

For some schools, the GRE is merely a formality. Other schools use it as a gatekeeper. Still others expect (tacitly or otherwise) perfect or near-perfect scores.

 

But everyone needs to remember that plenty of people get into grad school with subpar GRE scores while plenty of people with stellar scores are rejected. Your entire application is important, and the GRE alone will not get you into a school.

[Biostat_Assistant_Prof]

Yeah, I'd say that's a fair enough breakdown if we're forced to label scores that way (though I might expand the "poor" category to include all of the 140s, and I can say that as someone who scored in the 140s on quant my first try!), but it ultimately depends on the program and the field.

 

For some schools, the GRE is merely a formality. Other schools use it as a gatekeeper. Still others expect (tacitly or otherwise) perfect or near-perfect scores.

 

But everyone needs to remember that plenty of people get into grad school with subpar GRE scores while plenty of people with stellar scores are rejected. Your entire application is important, and the GRE alone will not get you into a school.

I was basing the mediocre/average score off of the theoretical 150 being exactly the 50th percentile, but it seems that the actual 50th percentile is usually like 151-153, so the middle ground score could definitely be subject to a different interpretation.

Also, this was a general breakdown as an average across all programs. Obviously, it's all relative to your field of study. For me, applying to Biostatistics programs, quant scores if very important. An acceptable/average quant score would be in the 160-164 range, and anything less than 155 would be considered poor.... Whereas, in a field such as literature, I can only imagine anything around 150 is acceptable ( or possibly less)