GRE Total Score Calculator

Enter your Verbal and Quantitative Reasoning scores to calculate your GRE total, estimated percentile, and a full performance breakdown.

Created by Luis GonzalezLast updated: May 9, 2026

How to Use This Calculator

1
Enter Verbal Reasoning Score
Input your scaled GRE Verbal Reasoning score, which ranges from 130 to 170.
2
Enter Quantitative Reasoning Score
Input your scaled GRE Quantitative Reasoning score, which also ranges from 130 to 170.
3
Review Your Total Score and Percentile
The calculator will instantly display your combined GRE total score, estimated percentile, and insights into score balance and range.

Example Calculation

A student wants to calculate their total GRE score and percentile with a Verbal score of 158 and a Quantitative score of 164.

Verbal Reasoning Score

158

Quantitative Reasoning Score

164

Results

322

Tips

Aim for a Balanced Score

While a high total score is desirable, a balanced performance across Verbal and Quantitative sections (e.g., 160V/160Q rather than 150V/170Q) often demonstrates broader academic readiness to admissions committees.

Understand Program-Specific Needs

Some graduate programs prioritize one section over the other. For instance, a humanities program might weigh Verbal more heavily, while an engineering program will focus on Quantitative. Tailor your study and score interpretation accordingly.

Don't Forget Analytical Writing

Though not part of the 260-340 total, the Analytical Writing (AWA) score is a crucial third component. A strong AWA score (e.g., 4.0+) demonstrates critical thinking and writing skills essential for graduate-level work.

Unveiling Your Combined GRE Performance

The GRE Total Score Calculator provides an instant calculation of your combined Verbal and Quantitative Reasoning scores, offering a quick snapshot of your overall performance on the exam. This single metric, ranging from 260 to 340, is often the first data point graduate admissions committees consider. For example, a student with a 158 Verbal and 164 Quantitative score achieves a total of 322, placing them in a highly competitive percentile for 2025 graduate admissions.

Holistic View of Your GRE Performance

Your GRE total score, a combination of your Verbal and Quantitative Reasoning scores, offers a crucial snapshot of your overall academic aptitude. However, admissions committees often take a holistic view, considering this total score alongside individual section scores and your Analytical Writing Assessment (AWA) score. A balanced total score, such as 310 (155V/155Q), is often preferred over an imbalanced one like 310 (140V/170Q), as it demonstrates well-rounded abilities. The AWA score, while not part of the 260-340 total, provides direct evidence of your critical thinking and writing skills, which are essential for graduate-level research and communication. Together, these scores paint a comprehensive picture of your readiness for the intellectual demands of a graduate program.

How Your GRE Total Score is Calculated

The GRE Total Score is simply the sum of your scaled Verbal Reasoning score and your scaled Quantitative Reasoning score. Each of these sections is scored on a scale of 130 to 170.

The formula is:

GRE Total Score = Verbal Reasoning Score + Quantitative Reasoning Score

The minimum possible total score is 130 (Verbal) + 130 (Quantitative) = 260. The maximum possible total score is 170 (Verbal) + 170 (Quantitative) = 340.

This straightforward addition provides a single, easy-to-understand metric for your performance on the two core academic aptitude sections of the GRE.

💡 For a more detailed breakdown of your percentile rank across all sections, our GRE Score Percentile Calculator can provide a comprehensive overview.

Calculating a Student's Combined GRE Score

Let's calculate the total GRE score for a student with the following section scores:

Verbal Reasoning Score: 158
Quantitative Reasoning Score: 164

Step 1: Sum the Verbal and Quantitative Scores

Total Score = 158 + 164 = 322

Step 2: Determine Estimated Percentile (based on ETS data for a 322 score)

A total score of 322 typically places a test-taker in the 89th percentile.

This student achieved an impressive total score of 322, indicating a very strong performance that places them in the top quartile of all test-takers. This score is highly competitive for most graduate programs. The balance between their Verbal (158) and Quantitative (164) scores is also strong, demonstrating solid aptitude in both areas.

💡 To see how your total score compares against specific program requirements, our GRE Score to Grad School Requirement Calculator can help you assess your competitiveness.

The Evolution of the GRE Scoring Scale

The GRE scoring scale has undergone significant transformations throughout its history, reflecting evolving educational standards and assessment methodologies. Originally, the Verbal and Quantitative sections were scored on a 200-800 scale, with increments of 10 points. This system, familiar to generations of test-takers, was in place for many decades. However, in August 2011, ETS introduced a revised GRE General Test with a new scoring scale of 130-170, with 1-point increments. The primary rationale for this change was to provide greater differentiation among high-scoring test-takers and to make score interpretation more intuitive. This revised scale, which continues into 2025, aimed to reduce the perception of "perfect" scores and offer a more granular assessment of abilities, ensuring that a student's performance is accurately reflected and compared across a broader range of scores.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the GRE total score?

The GRE total score is the sum of your scaled scores from the Verbal Reasoning and Quantitative Reasoning sections, ranging from a minimum of 260 to a maximum of 340. This combined score provides a single, overarching metric of your performance on these two core academic aptitudes. It is often the first number graduate admissions committees look at, giving them a quick snapshot of your overall academic readiness for their programs.

What is considered a good GRE total score?

A good GRE total score typically falls above 310, though this can vary significantly by program and competitiveness. For highly selective programs, a score of 320 or higher is often expected. For many other programs, a score between 300 and 310 is generally considered acceptable. Always research the average scores of admitted students for your specific target programs to understand what is truly competitive in your chosen field.

How does the GRE total score compare to the GMAT total score?

The GRE total score (260-340) and GMAT total score (200-800) are both used for graduate admissions, primarily for business schools, but they are on different scales. ETS provides a GRE to GMAT Comparison Tool to help applicants and institutions understand equivalent scores. Generally, a GRE total score of 320 is roughly comparable to a GMAT score of 680-700, making it a strong competitive score for business programs.

Does the GRE total score include Analytical Writing?

No, the GRE total score (260-340) does not include the Analytical Writing Assessment (AWA) score. The AWA is reported separately on a scale of 0.0 to 6.0. While it's a critical component of the GRE and an important indicator of writing and critical thinking skills, it's evaluated independently and is not mathematically combined with the Verbal and Quantitative scores to form the 260-340 total.

Can a high total score compensate for a weakness in one section?

A high total score can sometimes compensate for a slight weakness in one section, especially if the weakness is not critical to the target program's focus. For example, a very high Quantitative score might offset a slightly lower Verbal score for an engineering program. However, a significant deficiency in a core area (e.g., very low Quant for a finance program) might still be a concern, even with a strong total score. Programs often look for a balance or specific strengths aligned with their curriculum.