How do most people perform on the GRE? The simplest way to answer this question is to look at average GRE scores.

In this guide, we’ll go over the GRE average scores for all test-takers, the average scores by intended graduate field, and the average scores by gender, country, and ethnicity. We’ll also illuminate what these averages actually mean and how you can leverage this information for your own GRE needs.

 

Average GRE Scores of All Test Takers

Here’s a chart with the GRE average scores of all test-takers for each section, as well as the standard deviation for that section. The standard deviation helps illuminate how spread out from the average most of the scores for that section are.

Section	Average Score	Standard Deviation
Verbal	150	8.5
Quantitative	152.6	9
Analytical Writing	3.5	.9

From GRE Table 1A.

 

Based on data of all test-takers from July 2013 and June 2016, the average GRE score among all test-takers is about a 150 on Verbal, a 153 on Quant, and a 3.5 on analytical writing.

The GRE is designed to have a “normal” distribution. This means that the majority of test-takers (about 68%) score within one standard deviation of the mean (and 95% score within two standard deviations of the mean!). So on Verbal, the bulk of test-takers score between 141 and 159; on Quant, most score between 143 and 162; and on Analytical Writing, most score between 2.5 and 4.5.

Those are the overall average and standard deviation stats for all GRE test-takers, but we can see some interesting phenomena if we examine the averages for different subgroups of test-takers. Next we’ll look at prospective graduate programs of test-takers.

 

 

Average GRE Score by Intended Graduate Major

We see pretty stark differences in GRE score averages when we striate students by intended graduate major field.

Intended Graduate Major Field	# of Test-Takers	Verbal Average	Quant Average	Analytical Writing Average
Agriculture, Natural Resources and Conservation	10,450	151	152	3.6
Biology and Biomedical Sciences	67,975	153	154	3.8
Chemistry	13,543	153	158	3.7
Computer and Information Sciences	50,704	146	156	3.1
Earth, Atmospheric and Marine Sciences	11,596	154	155	3.8
Health and Medical Sciences	131,625	150	149	3.8
Mathematical Sciences	19,283	153	163	3.8
Physics and Astronomy	12,710	156	162	3.8
Other Natural Sciences	297	150	153	3.5
Chemical Engineering	8,528	152	161	3.6
Civil Engineering	15,462	148	158	3.3
Electrical Engineering	48,450	147	158	3.1
Industrial Engineering	5,448	149	159	3.3
Materials Engineering	4,219	153	163	3.6
Mechanical Engineering	30,038	148	158	3.3
Other Engineering	18,130	153	160	3.7
Anthropology and Archaeology	5,888	156	149	4.0
Economics	14,735	154	160	3.8
Political Science	14,947	156	152	4.1
Psychology	65,402	152	149	3.9
Sociology	5,288	152	149	3.8
Social and Behavioral Sciences – Other	6,827	150	148	3.7
Art History, Theory, Criticism	2,508	157	150	4.1
Performance and Studio Arts	3,922	153	151	3.7
English Language and Lit	13,103	157	149	4.2
Foreign Language and Lit	2,983	156	151	4.0
History	8,937	156	148	4.1
Philosophy	2,955	160	154	4.3
Other Arts and Humanities	2,913	157	152	4.1
Education Administration	753	149	148	3.6
Education Curriculum and Instruction	297	151	149	3.8
Early Childhood Education	1,076	148	146	3.6
Elementary Education	2,631	150	148	3.7
Education Evaluation and Research	4,752	151	148	3.8
Higher Education	3,700	151	149	3.9
Secondary Education	2,900	154	151	4.0
Special Education	1,773	149	147	3.7
Student Counseling and Services	3,131	148	146	3.6
Other Education	4,318	152	152	3.7
Accounting	1,884	149	152	3.4
Banking and Finance	5,800	151	161	3.4
Business Administration and Management	14,529	150	151	3.6
Other Business	11,919	149	153	3.5
Architecture and Environmental Design	10,842	150	155	3.4
Communications and Journalism	10,426	150	149	3.7
Family and Consumer Sciences	1,255	149	147	3.7
Library and Archival Studies	1,345	156	149	4.0
Public Administration	3,447	151	149	3.7
Religion and Theology	1,647	157	151	4.2
Social Work	7,618	148	144	3.6
Other Fields	100,825	149	150	3.5

From GRE Table 4 – Extended. 

 

As you would expect, future students in math-heavy disciplines—chemistry, computer science, math, physics, engineering, and finance—have higher average Quant scores. Students in writing-heavy disciplines like English, history, philosophy, library science, and theology tend to have high average Verbal scores. The highest Analytical Writing average—4.3—goes to future philosophy students, and the lowest—3.1—goes to aspiring electrical engineers and computer scientists.

When you’re considering what GRE scores you should aim for, you should definitely check out the average for applicants in your field. For a mid-range program, you’ll want to score several points above the average. This is particularly salient for the more relevant section, whether Verbal or Quant.

Remember, the averages shown here are for applicants, not admitted students! Therefore, you’ll need a higher score than the average for average programs.

If you’re applying to a top-tier program, you’ll need to get a top score on the more relevant section, so the average score statistics may not be quite as useful for you. (Or both, if both sections are relevant like for science writing—sorry!) But it’s still a useful tool to see how you’re positioned within the general pack of applicants in your discipline.

Thus, average scores by intended graduate field can be a useful comparative tool to give you an idea of how you stack up with the other applicants in your field.

 

 

Average GRE Scores by Gender

See below for average GRE scores by gender from July 2012-June 2015.

Gender	% of Test-Takers	Verbal Average	Quant Average	Analytical Writing Average
Men	45	149.5	154.9	3.3
Women	50	150.1	150.8	3.6
No Response	4	152.5	151.2	3.7

Data from ETS Test-Taker Snapshot 2016.

 

As you can see, the average scores on Verbal and Analytical Writing are higher for women, and the average score on Quant is higher for men. This does not actually indicate an underlying phenomenon of men naturally being better at math and women naturally being better at communication.

It’s likely due to a combination of factors. One factor is stereotype threat. Another likely factor is that more men pursue math and STEM fields and more women pursue humanities-focused disciplines, so they are more likely to have advanced skills in these respective areas. This itself is more an indicator that sociocultural forces tend to push people towards these choices than anything else.

Let’s move on to the average scores by citizenship status.

 

 

Average GRE Score by Citizenship

GRE average scores per section are also different by the country of citizenship. The chart below covers the ten nations with the most GRE-takers.

Country	# of Test-Takers	Verbal Average	Quant Average	Analytical Writing Average
United States	326,424	152.8	150.2	3.8
India	99,376	144.0	153.2	2.9
China	45,777	148.4	164.6	3.0
Republic of Korea	5,826	149.9	160.3	3.2
Iran	5,319	143.5	157.3	2.8
Canada	5,171	156.1	154.6	4.2
Saudi Arabia	4,462	137.5	141.6	2.0
Nigeria	3,886	146.4	146.9	3.1
Bangladesh	3,540	144.8	155.7	2.9
Taiwan	3,528	147.1	162.2	2.9

Data from ETS Test-Taker Snapshot 2016.

 

Unsurprisingly, those in English-speaking countries (Canada and the US) perform better on Verbal and Analytical Writing than those in other countries. This makes sense. It’s much easier to do well on a test of your language skills in your native language!

You may also note that in many of these countries, the average Quant score is higher than the US average. Only Saudi Arabia and Nigeria scored lower. This tracks with country-level trends in how students perform at math on the high school level. When we zoom in on the U.S. citizen test-taker population, we see that different ethnic groups also have different GRE average scores.

 

 

Average GRE Scores by Ethnic Group

See below for average GRE scores by ethnic group (among US citizens).

Ethnic Group	% of Test-Takers	Verbal Average	Quant Average	Analytical Writing Average
American Indian	1%	151.5	148.3	3.7
Asian	8%	152.0	152.9	4.0
Hawaiian/Pacific Islander	<1%	152.0	149.8	3.9
Black	14%	146.9	144.4	3.3
Mexican	4%	149.9	147.3	3.6
Puerto Rican	1%	150.2	147.0	3.4
Other Hispanic	6%	149.6	147.6	3.6
White (Non-Hispanic)	59%	153.3	150.8	3.9
Other	4%	152.9	149.6	3.9
No Response	4%	154.1	151.9	3.9

Data from ETS Test-Taker Snapshot 2016.

 

Performance by ethnicity hews closely to score trends for the SAT, with Asian and non-Hispanic White students performing far better on average than Hispanic, black, and American Indian students. This is considered a symptom of unfortunate social and educational inequity within the United States.

 

What Do Average GRE Scores Mean for You?

For the overall GRE test-taker population, the average Verbal score is 150, the average Quant score is 152.6, and the average Analytical Writing score is 3.5.

However, when we subdivide the test-taking population along various characteristics, we see different GRE score averages between subgroups.

The most useful of these subdivisions for a test-taker is prospective graduate area. Those going into quantitative disciplines score higher on Quant, and those going into communication and English-focused disciplines score higher on Verbal.

For a mid-tier program in your discipline, you should aim several points above the average for prospective applicants in your discipline. But if you’re going to top-tier programs, you’ll need to go for a top score on the more relevant section!

Some other trends:

• Women, on average, score higher on Verbal and Analytical Writing, while men score higher on Quant.
• U.S. Citizens score higher on Verbal and Analytical Writing, while non-U.S. citizens score higher on Quant.
• Within U.S. citizens, non-Hispanic White and Asian students have higher average scores, while Black, Hispanic, and American Indian students have lower averages. This hews with the inequities in scoring observed on the SAT.

Obviously, you can’t do a whole lot about your demographic characteristics, and many of the factors that lead to score variation between subgroups are out of your control.

For your own application, the most relevant averages are those for students within your discipline. This will give you an idea of how you perform compared to other people applying for the same general sort of programs.

 

 

What’s Next?

Looking for complete GRE score percentiles? We’ve got them! Also wee our guide to the GRE score range.

Wondering about the lowest possible GRE score? What about the highest possible GRE score?

If you’re wondering what the acronym GRE stands for, we’ve got the answer.