GRE Percentile Calculator: Verbal, Quant and Writing

What GRE percentiles mean

A percentile rank is the share of test takers who scored lower than you. ETS calculates it separately for each section, so the same number can mean very different things in Verbal and Quant. ETS also says the sections should not be compared score for score, because each is scaled separately. Compare percentiles instead.

Scaled score	Verbal percentile	Quant percentile
170	99	89
165	95	67
160	82	50
155	64	37
150	39	23
145	21	12

The average test taker scored 151.4 in Verbal and 157.6 in Quant over that period. That gap is why a Quant score that feels strong is often only middling: a 160 is exactly the 50th percentile. In Analytical Writing, a 4.0 is the 63rd percentile and a 4.5 the 85th.

Faz's rule

Spend your last month of preparation on your weaker percentile, not your favourite section.

Most engineering students I hear from plan to push Quant from 165 to 168 and leave Verbal at 150. That moves Quant from the 67th to the 80th percentile, and leaves Verbal at the 39th. The same effort spent taking Verbal to 155 lifts it to the 64th, and it is the number an admissions reader is more likely to notice.

Why there is no total percentile

ETS reports Verbal, Quant and Writing separately, and its tables give no percentile for the combined Verbal plus Quant score. A figure like “320 is the 80th percentile” on another site is an estimate, not an ETS number. Universities that publish GRE expectations usually do so per section too, and many US programmes have made the GRE optional, while some German universities still ask Indian applicants for it.

Our guide on whether the GRE is required for an MS abroad covers which universities still ask for it, and how to shortlist universities shows where your scores fit. If an English test is next, use the English test score converter, and for business school the GMAT Focus percentile calculator does the same job.

Questions people ask

What percentile is 320 on the GRE?

ETS does not publish one, because it reports each section separately. A 320 made of Verbal 155 and Quant 165 is the 64th percentile in Verbal and the 67th in Quant. A 320 made of 160 and 160 is the 82nd and the 50th.

What percentile is a 170 in GRE Quant?

The 89th percentile, because so many test takers score at or near the top of the Quant scale. A 170 in Verbal is the 99th.

What is a good GRE score for an MS in the US?

It depends on the programme, so check each one’s published figures. As a reference, Quant 160 is the 50th percentile and Verbal 155 the 64th. Many US programmes have made the GRE optional, so a submitted score should strengthen your file.

What is a good Analytical Writing score?

A 4.0 is the 63rd percentile and a 4.5 the 85th. Programmes rarely set a strict cut off, but a score below 3.5, the 40th percentile, can draw attention for writing heavy courses.

When are GRE percentiles updated?

ETS bases them on a recent group of test takers. The current tables cover everyone who tested from 1 July 2022 to 30 June 2025. Your score report shows the percentile ETS applies to your scores.

Where these figures come from

• ETS, GRE General Test interpretive data, Tables 1A to 1C
• ETS, Interpreting your GRE scores, 2026 to 27
• ETS, GRE score interpretation resources

Checked in November 2026. ETS refreshes the reference group from time to time; your score report shows the percentile that applies to you.