What is the average GRE score?
The average GRE score is about 309 out of 340: roughly 151 on Verbal and 158 on Quant, with 3.5 on Analytical Writing. Those are ETS's official means for everyone tested between July 2022 and June 2025, and they move a little each year. An average score sits near the middle of the pool, so it is a baseline rather than a target. Below: where the average ranks on each measure, how common targets compare with it, and how far above it your field expects. Use the percentile calculator to see where any exact score lands.
The average score, section by section
The GRE reports three scores. Each has its own average, and the Quant average sits higher than Verbal for a specific reason.
Add the two scored sections and the average total comes to about 309 out of 340. The exact ETS means are 151.39 for Verbal and 157.62 for Quant, from the 1 July 2022 to 30 June 2025 data window. They drift slightly each year, so treat them as a guide.
Analytical Writing is scored separately on a 0 to 6 scale and is not part of the 260 to 340 total. A 4.0 already clears the average comfortably.
What percentile is the average GRE score?
Close to the middle on each measure, though not exactly at the 50th, because scaled scores are whole numbers and the pools differ.
| Measure | Average score | Percentile of that score |
|---|---|---|
| Verbal | 151 | 43rd |
| Quant | 158 | 45th |
| Total (Verbal + Quant) | 309 | ~50th (estimate) |
| Analytical Writing | 3.5 | 40th |
Put simply, an average GRE score beats a little under half of the people who take the test, because ETS percentiles count only the scores below yours. The people who take it are already a selected group of graduate applicants, so the middle of that pool is a respectable result, just not a distinctive one.
How common GRE scores compare with the average
The question behind most score searches: how far above or below the middle is this number?
| Total score | Versus the average | Estimated percentile |
|---|---|---|
| 300 | 9 points below | ~28th |
| 305 | 4 points below | ~40th |
| 309 (average) | the average | ~50th |
| 315 | 6 points above | ~65th |
| 320 | 11 points above | ~76th |
| 325 | 16 points above | ~85th |
| 330 | 21 points above | ~91st |
So a 300 is a little below average, around the 28th percentile, while a 320 is a clear step above it, around the 76th. For what each total means for admissions, see what is a good GRE score.
Why Quant's average is higher than Verbal's
It is not that Quant is easier. The two sections draw different crowds.
The Quant section draws a large, international, STEM-heavy applicant pool, and many of those test takers score very high on quantitative reasoning. That pushes the Quant average up and compresses the top of the scale. Verbal draws a broader pool, so its average sits lower and the same scaled score earns a higher percentile.
This is why you should never read your total in isolation. A 158 is roughly average in Quant but well above average in Verbal. See GRE percentiles for what each score actually ranks.
The average is a floor, not a target
Matching the mean keeps you in the middle of the pack. Competitive programs expect more, and the section they weight depends on your field.
| Field | Section that matters most | Aim above the average toward |
|---|---|---|
| Engineering / CS | Quant | 163 to 168 |
| Physical sciences / math | Quant | 165 to 170 |
| Humanities / English | Verbal | 160+ |
| Social sciences / policy | Both | 158+ each, balanced |
An average score is not a bad score, but for a competitive program it can quietly leave you below the median of admitted students. Aim a few points above the program's stated average in the section it cares about most.
How to score above the average
Work from a real starting point, not a guess.
- Sit a free, full-length mock test under realistic timing to get your true baseline.
- Compare each section to the average and to your target programs, not just the total.
- Pick the section with the biggest gap to your goal and drill it first.
- Re-test every couple of weeks to confirm the trend, and follow a structured study plan.
Common questions.
See where your score lands
Plug any Verbal and Quant combination into the percentile calculator to see how far above or below the average you are, by section and total.