GRE percentile calculator
The percentile is the number admissions actually reads. Slide your scaled scores to see exactly where you land, using the exact official ETS percentile ranks — then read on for the full tables, field benchmarks, and how to use them.
Your scores
Drag each scale. Percentiles update live.
Where you land
That is around the population average; solid, with clear room to push higher. Verbal is your fastest lever from here.
Verbal and Quant percentiles are the exact official ETS figures. The total percentile is an estimate (a normal model), since ETS does not publish a simple total table.
What a GRE percentile actually means
A percentile is the percentage of test takers who scored lower than you. A 90th-percentile Quant score means you scored higher than 90% of people who took the test in the same period.
Admissions committees read percentiles, not raw scaled scores, because the percentile is what makes a number comparable across the two measures. A 160 is not a 160: on Verbal it is the 82nd percentile, but on Quant the very same 160 is only the 50th. The scales are asymmetric because the test-taking populations differ: a large share of GRE takers are headed into quantitative fields, which pushes the Quant distribution up.
Every Verbal, Quant, and AWA percentile on this page is the exact official ETS figure from the GRE Interpretive Data tables (Tables 1B and 1C), for the data window 1 July 2022 to 30 June 2025. They are not modelled. See our editorial standards for how we source and date every number.
GRE percentile chart: the full Verbal and Quant score chart
This GRE percentile chart is the complete score chart for both measures. Find your scaled score in the first column and read across. The gap between the two percentile columns at the same score is the asymmetry in action.
| Scaled score | Verbal percentile | Quant percentile |
|---|---|---|
| 170 | 99 | 89 |
| 169 | 99 | 85 |
| 168 | 98 | 80 |
| 167 | 97 | 75 |
| 166 | 96 | 72 |
| 165 | 95 | 67 |
| 164 | 93 | 63 |
| 163 | 90 | 60 |
| 162 | 88 | 57 |
| 161 | 85 | 53 |
| 160 | 82 | 50 |
| 159 | 79 | 47 |
| 158 | 76 | 45 |
| 157 | 72 | 42 |
| 156 | 68 | 39 |
| 155 | 64 | 37 |
| 154 | 59 | 34 |
| 153 | 54 | 31 |
| 152 | 48 | 29 |
| 151 | 43 | 26 |
| 150 | 39 | 23 |
| 149 | 34 | 21 |
| 148 | 30 | 19 |
| 147 | 27 | 16 |
| 146 | 24 | 14 |
| 145 | 21 | 12 |
| 144 | 18 | 10 |
| 143 | 16 | 9 |
| 142 | 14 | 7 |
| 141 | 11 | 6 |
| 140 | 10 | 5 |
Reading the asymmetry: a 160 on Verbal is already the 82nd percentile, while on Quant it takes a 168 (80th) to get close. On Verbal a 163 already reaches the 90th; on Quant even a perfect 170 is only the 89th. Quant is simply more crowded at the top.
GRE total score percentile chart (260 to 340)
Most people search for their total, not their section scores. This table estimates where each total sits. Read the honest caveat under it before you quote a number: unlike the Verbal and Quant tables above, these are not official ETS figures.
| Total score (V+Q) | Estimated percentile |
|---|---|
| 340 | 98th |
| 335 | 95th |
| 330 | 91st |
| 325 | 85th |
| 320 | 76th |
| 315 | 65th |
| 310 | 53rd |
| 305 | 40th |
| 300 | 28th |
| 295 | 18th |
| 290 | 11th |
| 285 | 6th |
| 280 | 3rd |
| 275 | 1st |
| 270 | 1st |
| 265 | 1st |
| 260 | 1st |
The milestones people ask about most: a 320 is roughly the 76th percentile, a 330 is about the 91st, and a 310 is about the 53rd. The mean total is close to 309, so a 310 really is around the middle of the field. See what a good GRE score is for what these mean by field.
GRE Quant vs Verbal percentiles
The same scaled score is worth a very different percentile depending on the measure. This is the single most misunderstood thing about GRE scores.
Line the two measures up at the same scaled score and the gap is stark. A 160 is the 82nd percentile on Verbal but only the 50th on Quant. A 165 is the 95th on Verbal but the 67th on Quant. The Quant distribution is shifted upward because a large share of GRE takers are headed into quantitative fields, so a given Quant score is simply more common.
| Scaled score | Verbal percentile | Quant percentile | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 155 | 64 | 37 | +27 |
| 158 | 76 | 45 | +31 |
| 160 | 82 | 50 | +32 |
| 162 | 88 | 57 | +31 |
| 165 | 95 | 67 | +28 |
| 168 | 98 | 80 | +18 |
| 170 | 99 | 89 | +10 |
The practical lesson: to hit the same percentile, you need a higher Quant score than Verbal score. Weigh that against your field when you set a target with the score simulator.
The percentiles worth memorising
If you remember only a handful of anchor points, make it these four — they frame almost every score conversation.
- Quant 160 is the median (50th percentile). Many applicants are surprised that a 160 Quant is merely average.
- Verbal 160 is already strong (82nd). The Verbal scale rewards the same scaled score far more.
- A perfect 170 Quant is the 89th percentile, not the 99th: about 11% of test takers also hit 170 on Quant.
- A 170 Verbal is the 99th percentile and genuinely rare.
Analytical Writing (AWA) percentiles
AWA is scored 0–6 in half-point steps and reported separately from the 260–340 total. Its percentile curve is steep in the middle: a single half-point near the mean moves you a lot.
| AWA score | Percentile |
|---|---|
| 6.0 | 99 |
| 5.5 | 98 |
| 5.0 | 93 |
| 4.5 | 85 |
| 4.0 | 63 |
| 3.5 | 40 |
| 3.0 | 16 |
| 2.5 | 7 |
| 2.0 | 3 |
| 1.5 | 1 |
A 4.5 is the 85th percentile and a 5.0 is the 93rd, so the jump from 4.5 to 5.0 is smaller in percentile terms than it feels. Most programs treat AWA as a threshold (clear roughly a 4.0 to 4.5) rather than a number to maximise. You can get a free, rubric-based estimate of your essay with our AWA grader.
What counts as a good percentile, by field
These are directional norms, not cutoffs. Programs publish ranges, not pass marks, and many are now test-optional — always confirm against the program's own page.
| Goal | Rough target | Approx. percentile | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| General "good" score | 320 total (160 / 160) | ~76th total (est.) | Common rule of thumb, not an ETS standard |
| Competitive STEM | Quant 165+ | ~67th Quant or higher | Engineering, CS, physical sciences |
| Economics PhD | Quant 167+ | ~75th Quant or higher | Field norm; econ programs lean Quant-heavy |
| Humanities / social science | Verbal 160+ | ~82nd Verbal or higher | Verbal carries more weight here |
| Top MBA via the GRE | 325–330 total | ~85th to 91st total (est.) | Programs publish ranges, not cutoffs |
Treat the targets above as direction, not gatekeeping. For the honest, sourced version by goal, see what is a good GRE score and the US News framing. To see where your score lands at specific schools, use the university requirements directory.
Worked example: turning a 320 into percentiles
Say you sat a mock and scored Verbal 158, Quant 162, AWA 4.5. Here is how that reads in percentiles.
- Verbal 158 → 76th percentile. A clearly above-average Verbal score.
- Quant 162 → 57th percentile. Solid, but notice the same effort buys a lower percentile on Quant.
- Total 320 → about the 76th percentile (estimated). ETS does not publish a total table, so this is a normal-model estimate, not an official figure.
- AWA 4.5 → 85th percentile. Comfortably clears the threshold most programs care about.
The takeaway: a "balanced" 320 is not balanced in percentile terms. The Verbal half is doing more for you than the Quant half. To plan the reverse — how many raw questions you need right to hit a target scaled score — use the GRE score calculator, then come back here to convert it to a percentile.
Why the percentile gap should shape your prep
Because Quant is compressed at the top, every Quant point above 165 is worth a disproportionate number of percentile places — and every careless error costs you more. STEM applicants should treat Quant accuracy as the priority; humanities and social-science applicants get more percentile leverage from Verbal. Map your own target with the 320, 325, and 330 guides, then pressure-test it on a free full-length mock and convert the result here.
GRE percentile FAQ.
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