GRE Score Conversion

By Bhavin Parikh on August 11, 2016 , UPDATED ON April 20, 2019, in About the GRE, GRE Scores

When ETS changed the format of the GRE exam, we received a number of emails asking about how to interpret scores received on the New GRE. Four years later, this GRE score conversion post is still one of our most popular on the Magoosh GRE Blog – which means the New GRE point scale is still confusing, to say the least. After taking the GRE, you’ll receive a score from 130 to 170 for each section math and verbal rather than a score based on the previous scale of 200 – 800. What do those scores mean? And what are you supposed to do with them…?

GRE Score Conversion: New Scale to Old Scale

Many colleges and universities still publish average GRE scores based on the old scale for their admitted students. In order for you to truly understand your score in context you need to convert your new score back to the old scale. I’ve included tables for math and verbal below which will help you with this process. This information comes from the 2016 GRE Guide to the Use of Scores – Concordance Information.

Math Conversion Table

New Score	Old Score
170	800
169	800
168	800
167	800
166	800
165	790
164	790
163	780
162	770
161	770
160	760
159	750
158	740
157	730
156	720
155	700 – 710
154	690
153	680
152	660 – 670
151	640 – 650
150	630
149	610 – 620
148	590 – 600
147	570 – 580
146	550 – 560
145	530 – 540
144	500 – 520
143	480 – 490
142	460 – 470
141	430 – 450
140	400 – 420
139	380 – 390
138	350 – 370
137	330 – 340
136	300 – 320
135	280 – 290
134	260 – 270
133	240 – 250
132	220 – 230
131	200 – 210

Verbal Conversion Table

New Score	Old Score
170	760 – 800
169	740 – 750
168	720 – 730
167	710
166	700
165	680 – 690
164	660 – 670
163	650
162	630 – 640
161	620
160	600 – 610
159	590
158	57 – 580
157	560
156	540 – 500
155	530
154	510 – 520
153	500
152	480 – 490
151	460 – 470
150	450
149	430 – 440
148	420
147	410
146	390 – 400
145	380
144	370
143	360
142	340
141	330
140	320
139	310
138	300
137	290
136	280
135	280
134	270
133	260
132	250
131	240
130	200 – 230

GRE Conversion: Understanding Your Score Percentile

In addition to knowing your score based on the old scale, it’s also important to understand what your percentile rank is. This score percentile table which comes from the concordance table over at ETS, the makers of the GRE, provides you with the percentiles for each score. You can also see your percentile rank on your official score report.

Should You Retake the GRE?

Now that you have a better sense of what your score on the new GRE means, you need to decide whether or not to retake the GRE. If your score is above the average for math and verbal for your target program and school, you should focus on the rest of your application. However, if you are at or below the average, I recommend re-taking the test. In fact, we’ve seen such great improvements from students who have used our online GRE prep prior to retaking the GRE, that we are now offering a GRE score improvement guarantee or you’ll receive your money back.

This is a difficult decision to make, so I highly recommend reading the following posts as you think about whether or not to study for a retake:

Editor’s Note:

This post was originally published in January 2012 and has been updated for freshness, accuracy, and comprehensiveness.

We’ve decided to close comments for this blog post so that we can focus our time on providing support and service to the paying customers of our Magoosh GRE Prep. Between the blog post and the answers to the comments below, we hope that you’ll find an answer to your question, as most questions and answers fall into only a few categories. You can also reference the article and comments available here for more information about a good score. Thanks!

P.S. Ready to improve your GRE score? Get started today.

More from Magoosh

Thomas Benoy August 8, 2012 at 9:22 pm #

Hi Bhavin,

I have scored 157 in Quantitative and 147 for Verbal. I just wrote the exam with 2 weeks preparation. How good are my chances of getting to a good grad school in physics?
- Bhavin August 9, 2012 at 5:08 pm #
  
  Hi Thomas,
  
  Unfortunately I’m not sure what the average scores for Physics programs are. Try using a site such as US News and World Report to learn about average scores and good programs, and I also highly recommend contacting the schools directly.
  
  Good luck!
  Bhavin
sharmila August 8, 2012 at 7:12 am #

heyaaa,
my gre score is 303.. verble-142 and math 161…. i want to get into ny university singapore… do dey consider gre. any other criterias to be considered.??
- Bhavin August 9, 2012 at 5:07 pm #
  
  Hi Sharmila,
  
  Congrats on breaking 300! Unfortunately I’m not familiar with that NY University Singapore. I’d recommend contacting them directly.
  
  Thanks!
  Bhavin
jhansi August 8, 2012 at 1:41 am #

hi bhavin,
I got a gre score of quant-158 and verbal-146.Iam quite disappointed with my verbal score.In overall is score ok to get into good universities . Do u recommend to retake test or should i wait for my toefl score.
shweta July 25, 2012 at 11:10 am #

hi

i took my gre yesterday! i got 150 in quant and 141 in verbal. What do you think about my score? Do i stand a chance of getting information systems in George mason university?
Please help me!
- Bhavin July 26, 2012 at 1:56 pm #
  
  Hi Shweta,
  
  Unfortunately I don’t know specifics about each schools admissions criteria. I recommend reaching out to the school and asking about the average GRE scores of accepted applicants. Retake the GRE if your scores are below average.
  
  I hope that helps!
  Bhavin
Akshay Sharma July 25, 2012 at 4:28 am #

Hi Bhavin,
I am quite disappointed today as i took GRE and got far less than what i had expected. I got V-147 & Q-164. I am very good at quant and was expecting 170 for sure. At present i don’t have any idea how good is this score. I just want to know that can i get a university from top 20 for mechanical engineering ? Or should i take it again.

presently my choices regarding Mechanical Engineering MS course are
Georgia Institute of technology
Texas A&M College station
Ohio State University
University of Florida
Purdue University [Now doesn’t seems feasible now :(]
etc…

kindly evaluate according the possibility of getting admit and suggest regarding retake of GRE.

Thanks in advance.
- Bhavin July 26, 2012 at 1:55 pm #
  
  Hi Akshay,
  
  Thanks for sharing your details! First off, Q164 is not bad. It equates to a 790 on the old scale. Remember that achieving a 170 is extremely difficult as only the top 1% of test takers score that high. A bad day or a a few simple mistakes could be the difference between a 170 and 164. Had you scored a 166 or higher, you would have had the equivalent of an 800 on the old scale. So also remember that you don’t need to score 170 to be competitive with others who have scored 800 on the old exam.
  
  With all this being said, if you are confident that you can increase your Quant score, you may want to retake to break 166 and possibly even get 170. I’d also work on getting Verbal over 150, if not higher so you can be above the general Verbal average.
  
  Good luck!
  Bhavin
Mitali July 17, 2012 at 1:43 am #

hey !!

my GRE score is V 138 AND Q 154…. is it good score??? i came to know that some universities not focus on GRE score. i am in BIO-Medical eng. and i want to do MS in U.S. . Can i get admission on high toffel score if my GRE score is law ??

Thanx !!
- Bhavin July 19, 2012 at 6:52 pm #
  
  Hi, Mitali
  
  It really depends on the program– you should contact the schools directly to see if they take into account high TOEFL scores when evaluating the GRE Verbal scores. Good luck!
  
  Bhavin
Krishna gandhi July 9, 2012 at 2:02 am #

Hi
I am about to write my GRE on 20th Aug but I am confident enough.
Could you plz suggest me something.
And can u plz tell what is the decent score out of 170 ?
- Bhavin July 10, 2012 at 5:41 pm #
  
  Hi, Krishna
  
  I’d recommend our one-month study plan: https://magoosh.com/gre/2012/1-month-gre-study-schedule/.
  
  As for determining what a “decent score” may be for the programs you’re applying to, this post should help you out: https://magoosh.com/gre/2012/what-is-a-good-score-on-the-revised-gre/
  
  Hope that helps!
  Bhavin
Priyanka July 3, 2012 at 9:09 am #

Hey Bhavin!
My GRE score is a 317 with a 157 in Verbal , 160 in quant , 4.0 AWA.
I am studying Biotech Engineering in Mumbai and I am hoping to pursue Masters in Health Administration in the US..
Is the course competitive?
Based on your answer I was also hoping to know if, considering my GRE score I can expect to get into the top 10 colleges for MHA.
Thanks!
Regards,
Priyanka
- Bhavin July 4, 2012 at 1:20 am #
  
  Hi Priyanka,
  
  Congrats on a good score! Unfortunately I don’t know the specifics of that programs or other colleges for MHA. I recommend researching the top 10 colleges, contacting the schools directly, and asking them about their average scores.
  
  Thanks!
  Bhavin
praniesh July 1, 2012 at 9:55 am #

is gre essential for doing pg in germany??what are the best colleges for biotech in german?
- Bhavin July 4, 2012 at 1:17 am #
  
  Hi Praniesh,
  
  I’m not familiar with programs in Germany – I’d recommend contacting the schools directly.
  
  Thanks!
  Bhavin
Ram June 30, 2012 at 2:41 am #

Hi Bhavin,

My GRE Exam is on Jul-16 2012. I attempted for a GRE Powerprep test and got ended up in Verbal 360-460 and Quants 690-790…When visited the ETS Site they said about the conversion of my marks to new scale as V( 143-151) Q( 154-164)…

My Question is How should I interpret it ?
1. As (143 +154 = 297 overall ) or
2. As ( Avg of V (147) + Avg of Q(159) = 306)
3. Or ( 151 + 164 = 315)

Why the new Powerprep is alos giving scores in relative mode?

Wont i get exact marks in my real test?

Where can I find the answer key for the questions in powerprep.

Thanks for your help.
- Bhavin July 1, 2012 at 9:03 pm #
  
  Hi Ram,
  
  Unfortunately, Powerprep is still behind the actual GRE. ETS released Powerprep about 1 year ago before the new GRE was in place and at the time they didn’t know what the scoring scale would be. Students who took the new GRE from August 1 (when it was first available) til early November had to wait until early November to receive their scores, because ETS needed that time to calibrate the new scale. I believe ETS is releasing a new book and version of Powerprep but it won’t be available until August, which is too late for you.
  
  As far as interpreting your scores, unfortunately, there’s no way to know. I’d recommend thinking of it as the average. As far as answer keys, you should be able to see the correct answer if you review your Powerprep answers – however, they don’t provide explanations. We have some explanations here as the paper-based test questions have some overlap with Powerprep. http://gre.magoosh.com/videos-for-revised-gre-paper-test
  
  I hope that helps!
  Bhavin
vishal June 26, 2012 at 7:07 pm #

Hi

I got 307 in new gre.. I am planning to apply for these colleges for cs/mis..oaklohama sitlllwater, suny buffalo, university of floride, university of illinoi chicago and syracuse.. could you tell me the chances in these colleges.. And please suggest me some good colleges for my score. and is it possible to expect financial aid at this score as i have some problem financially. tnx a lot in advance.
- Bhavin June 28, 2012 at 11:01 am #
  
  Hi Vishal,
  
  Unfortunately I don’t know the specifics for these schools. I’d recommend contacting the schools directly and researching their average scores and financial aid requirements. You’ve already done that hard work of identifying the schools!
  
  Bhavin
girish June 26, 2012 at 10:47 am #

hi,
i took my gre yesterday! i got 163 in quant and 150 in verbal. What do you think about my score? Do i stand a chance of getting into a decent university?
- Bhavin June 26, 2012 at 3:10 pm #
  
  Hi Girish,
  
  Your quant score is pretty good and verbal is about average. I recommend following the steps I outline in this article in terms of assessing your chances at various universities: https://magoosh.com/gre/2012/what-is-a-good-score-on-the-revised-gre/
  
  Thanks!
  Bhavin
Sikha June 26, 2012 at 6:16 am #

Hi Bhavin,
i just took a mock test over the internet i didnt understood the scoring system. I thought for every question it carries a one mark. for verbal section the correct the no. of correct answer were 8 and 4 and for quantitative it was 18 and 16 but the total score for verbal i got was 134 and for quantitative it was 165. According to my calculation it should have been 142 for verbal and 164 for quantitative. please help me out with this new gre scoring system
- Bhavin June 26, 2012 at 8:36 am #
  
  Hi Sikha – The scoring unfortunately is not that simple. The sections are adaptive, so if you do well in the 1st math section, you’ll get a harder 2nd math section, and you’ll likely score better. If you don’t do well in the 1st section, you’ll get an easier 2nd section and you won’t do as well. I’d recommend taking mock tests from trusted sources such as ETS, the makers of the GRE. We (Magoosh) also have mock test and score predictors that are fairly accurate from our students’ experiences.
  
  Thanks!
  Bhavin
tobi June 25, 2012 at 1:33 pm #

Thanks! I appreciate…..Also texas state uni was chosen Åñð ₪☺ specificity about ŧђε gre score…pls kindly help ♍ξ find out as well……God bless!
- Bhavin June 26, 2012 at 8:33 am #
  
  Hi Tobi – No problem! Unfortunately, I can’t help further with specific schools, however I highly recommend contacting the schools directly.
  
  Thanks!
  Bhavin
tobi June 24, 2012 at 2:36 am #

Had 304 in both quant Åñð Verbal Åñð 3.5 ana……my school, university of florida require 307, what should I do???
- Bhavin June 25, 2012 at 9:06 am #
  
  Hi – That’s a tough situation but I’ll try to help! I would contact the school and see if they ever make any exceptions. If they don’t make exceptions, I’d recommend retaking the test.
  
  Thanks!
  Bhavin
allwin June 14, 2012 at 9:04 am #

hii bhavin,
i took revised gre and my gre scores are 151,147 and 3 for quant, verb and aw..d university i m applying demands a cut off of 300 .. is it like i need to add up my scores or is their any other format for finding my total score? pls help me..do u think its a decent score?
- Bhavin June 14, 2012 at 11:55 am #
  
  Hi Allwin,
  
  If a unversity has a cutoff, the cutoff usually applies to quant and verbal only. AWA is usually not included in the total, it’s thought of as a separate score. So your score is 298 (151 + 147). You may want to contact the university directly and ask about their requirements, but it looks like you should re-take the GRE to meet the cutoff.
  
  In general, your score is about average at the 50% mark. If you decide to use Magoosh to prep, we do offer a score improvement guarantee, you can learn more here.
  
  I hope that helps!
  Bhavin
  - allwin June 14, 2012 at 10:20 pm #
    
    ok..thanks bhavin.. 🙂
arjun June 13, 2012 at 11:39 am #

Ok. Thanku bhavin
- Bhavin June 14, 2012 at 11:49 am #
  
  You’re welcome!
arjun June 12, 2012 at 11:13 am #

Hi bhavin. I took the revised gre and got a score of 146 in quant as well as in verbal. I got 3 in aw. I hav done eng in civil and lukin to do ms in structural eng. Do you think these scores can get me any decent school in us or uk?
- Bhavin June 13, 2012 at 10:30 am #
  
  Hi Arjun,
  
  I recommend making a list of target schools researching them on US News and World Report (I discuss this approach more in this article).
  
  I hope that helps!
  Bhavin
tisha June 12, 2012 at 1:30 am #

hi,
I took the GRE yesterday and my verbal and quantitative scores were 153 and 156 respectively. How’d like to know if thats enough to enter colleges in the US
- Bhavin June 12, 2012 at 3:57 pm #
  
  Hi Tisha,
  
  Unfortunately I can’t determine what schools you’ll be able to get into. I recommend researching the average scores for your specific target program for those schools (for instance English departments will have different requirements than Engineering departments.) Also, there’s a lot more to an application than GRE scores, such as work or educational experience, etc. The best way to find out is to contact the school directly. I hope that helps!
  
  Bhavin
Karthik June 11, 2012 at 10:24 am #

With verbal – 145
Math- 152
Can I get an admission in any colZ in us
- Bhavin June 11, 2012 at 11:43 am #
  
  Hi Karthik,
  
  You could be admitted but you’ll have to do some research first. I recommend starting with US News and World Report as I mention in this article.
  
  Good luck!
  Bhavin
vartika June 11, 2012 at 8:52 am #

Hey i just took my gre today and i got 150 in verbal and 155 in quant. a total of 305. do you think its a decent score and will get me through decent colleges in the US for MS biotechnology?
- Bhavin June 11, 2012 at 9:08 am #
  
  Hi Vartika,
  
  I’m happy to help! It’s an okay score. I recommend reaching out to a few colleges you are interested in and asking about their average scores. That’s the best way to find out about your chances for admittance.
  
  Bhavin
  - vartika June 11, 2012 at 2:34 pm #
    
    Thank you so much 🙂
lanuk May 18, 2012 at 12:22 am #

Hi…
My scores are
Verbal-136,
Quant-152,
Analytical-3
Should i retake gre?
If yes then both scores will be considered or the highest score would be considered?
Can you just explain me the disadvantages of retaking gre?
- Bhavin May 18, 2012 at 10:44 am #
  
  Hi Lanuk – It’s hard to say without knowing the specifics of the type of program you are looking at. However, I would suggest re-taking. Your verbal score is fairly low and your math is about average. All programs look at GRE scores differently but most would consider at least the highest overall score. In your case, I’d say there’s little risk to taking the GRE again. With the proper prep, I’m sure you could improve. In case you weren’t aware we have a GRE product and offer a 5 point score increase guarantee. You can learn more here: http://gre.magoosh.com/score-guarantee
  
  Thanks!
  Bhavin
gowthami May 10, 2012 at 10:23 am #

Hi…I want to do my Phd in Harvard university..How much I want to score in GRE /GMAT ?
Please help me…I am the university rank holder in BE..Now I am studying MBA in National Institute of Technology Trichy.
- Bhavin May 10, 2012 at 11:08 am #
  
  Hi Gowthami,
  
  Identify the programs that you are interested in at Harvard. Each program will have different admissions criteria. Once you identify the program, use US News and World Report’s grad school rankings (as I mention in this article) to determine average GRE scores. If you can’t find the information there, contact the programs directly by finding the information on the Harvard website.
  
  Thanks,
  Bhavin
Nimrod May 4, 2012 at 7:56 am #

That’s a relief. I thought I didn’t do well at all, but it seems that my grades are not far from what I need to get. Thank you for strengthening me for the second round.
- Bhavin May 4, 2012 at 8:01 am #
  
  No problem, and glad I could help!
Jeff April 22, 2012 at 12:44 am #

Hi Bhavin! I just took the GRE today and my scores were 160 Math and 155 for verbal. The program I want to get into wanted at least 600 in each section for the old GRE, but I spoke to many of my colleagues who are applying for the same program this year and they scored in the 150 range for the verbal as well. I know my math score is a good score since the old score states that I would have gotten a 760, but to say that my new score is equivalent to 530 is a little bit off to me. I really don’t want to retake the GRE, but I want to make sure my scores are good enough to be considered competitive. Thanks.
- Bhavin April 22, 2012 at 11:32 am #
  
  Hi Jeff!
  
  First off, that’s a good overall score. Congrats! I’d recommend contacting the program directly and asking how they address new scores, specifically verbal. I’m actually a bit surprised to hear that they wanted over 600 in each section. On the old scale, above 600 in math is above the 44th percentile while above 600 in verbal is above the 86th percentile. So it’s actually much more difficult to score above 600 in verbal than in math (on a relative basis.) Unless your program is a verbal focused program, I think your score should be competitive. But again, the only way to know for certain is to contact the program directly. You should also ask the program to put you in touch with current student who may be willing to share their scores.
  
  I hope that helps and good luck!
  Bhavin
sankha March 19, 2012 at 1:21 am #

hi,

my gre scores were 167 in quant and 155 in verbal. should i retake my gre?
- Bhavin March 19, 2012 at 8:40 am #
  
  Hi Sankha – Your scores are well above average but your decision to retake depends on the school and program that you are applying to. I recommend reading this article. The article will help you figure out how to assess your current score. Thanks!
Manipal Reddy February 26, 2012 at 11:41 pm #

Hello Sir, My score is 142 in verbal and 158 in quantitative. Will this score be good enough to apply to good universities in the US? If so, please give detailed information.
- Bhavin February 27, 2012 at 10:57 am #
  
  Hi Manipal,
  Unfortunately, we don’t know the typical admissions criteria for various programs. This significantly varies from school to school and program to program. Check out this post for more information about how to find this information.
suganyaa February 21, 2012 at 7:56 pm #

My score is 135 in verbal and 158 in quantitative. Will this score be enough to apply for a phd in canada? If so, please give detailed information. I took my exam on feb 21,2012. Please help me!
- Bhavin February 22, 2012 at 11:54 am #
  
  Unfortunately, we don’t know the typical admissions criteria for various programs. I’d recommend doing research using the US News and World Report or contacting potential schools directly. Thanks!
A.A January 17, 2012 at 8:02 pm #

I got total 282 score out of 340 .The Quant was 144 and don’t know if this would be considered good score as a start. Honestly, I have not studied/practiced for the exam well but from time to time I watch you-tube along with my premium Magoosh account.

Also last two semesters, I got college credits in math and statistics to improve my understanding to these areas and mostly got A in all of them. As far as my knowledge background goes in Math, I am so proud that I got 144 because I have not studied math at all since the first year in high school. In my home country we do have many students that they don’t study math after the first year in high school.

I must say that i only need to practice seriously and put some more time to study Geometry because it is the only area I may have some deficiency with.

I will take the exam one more time but after an extensive well prepared plan so at least I can surpass the 1000 area with the old scale measure. finger crossed.
- Bhavin January 18, 2012 at 9:57 am #
  
  I’m happy to help! I’d recommend checking out this post I wrote which discusses what a good score is on the new gre. Good luck with your re-take and I also suggest taking a look at our study plans.
priya January 16, 2012 at 3:57 pm #

Hi,

On the actual exam will we be giving 40 verbal questions and 40 quant questions approximately?
Based on the correct answer, how can we know what score range we are at?
- Bhavin January 16, 2012 at 4:23 pm #
  
  You will be given 2 math sections of approximately 20 questions in each section and 2 verbal sections with approximately 20 questions in each section. The difficulty of the second of each math and verbal section will be based on your performance on the first of each section. For example, if you do very well on the first verbal section, you will be given a more difficult second verbal section.
  
  To get a sense of your score, I recommend using Powerprep from ETS to take a mock test. At the end of the test you will be given a range for your score. Magoosh will also soon be releasing score prediction for our Premium customers. You can learn more about the product here: http://gre.magoosh.com
  
  Thanks!

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Magoosh Blog — GRE^®Test

Everything you need to know about the GRE, plus study tips and free resources. The perfect companion to your Magoosh GRE prep course.

GRE Score Conversion

GRE Score Conversion: New Scale to Old Scale

Math Conversion Table

Verbal Conversion Table

GRE Conversion: Understanding Your Score Percentile

Should You Retake the GRE?

Most Popular Resources

More from Magoosh

61 Responses to GRE Score Conversion

Menu

Magoosh Blog — GRE®Test

Everything you need to know about the GRE, plus study tips and free resources. The perfect companion to your Magoosh GRE prep course.

GRE Score Conversion: New Scale to Old Scale

Math Conversion Table

Verbal Conversion Table

GRE Conversion: Understanding Your Score Percentile

Should You Retake the GRE?

Most Popular Resources

More from Magoosh

61 Responses to GRE Score Conversion

Magoosh Blog — GRE^®Test