Why GRE Percentiles Matter in 2025

GRE percentiles show how your score ranks compared to other recent test takers, giving admissions committees a clearer way to assess competitiveness than raw scores alone. While  GRE scores themselves haven’t changed much over time, percentiles have dropped dramatically, especially in Quant. A perfect 170 now puts you in the 91st percentile, down from 98% a decade ago.

This shift isn’t random. As the test-taking pool evolves and shrinks, percentile cutoffs have become harder to reach. Some schools even prioritize percentiles over raw scores because they allow for easier cross-test comparisons, such as the GRE and GMAT.

In this post, you’ll learn how GRE percentiles are calculated, how they’ve changed over time, and how they might affect your prep strategy in 2025. Because in today’s admissions landscape, your final score — I mean percentile — may very well depend on it.

Here are the topics we’ll cover:

• How Are GRE Percentiles Calculated?
• What Are the GRE Score Percentiles in 2025?
  • Math and Verbal GRE Percentile Chart
  • What We Can See in the Percentile Data
    • GRE Quant Percentiles 2025–26 vs. 2024–2025
    • GRE Verbal Percentiles 2025–26 vs. 2024–2025
  • AWA Percentile Table
• Estimating Overall GRE Score Percentiles
• How Schools Use GRE Percentiles
• Why Did My GRE Percentile Change?
• Why Are GRE Score Percentiles Decreasing?
• Are GRE Scores Curved?
• Is There a Best Time of Year to Take the GRE to Maximize Your Score?
• Final Thoughts
• Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
• What’s Next?

How Are GRE Percentiles Calculated?

Before we dive into GRE percentiles, let’s take a step back and look at how each of the 3 sections of the GRE is scored. Doing so will help us to logically segue into percentiles.

The quantitative and the verbal sections are both scored on a range from 130–170. Those scores are then added together, yielding a composite GRE score range of 260–340.

The Analytical Writing section (AWA) is based on a score from 0.0–6.0. The writing score is not included in your composite score or total GRE score.

In order to determine GRE percentiles, ETS looks at the GRE score distribution for the last 3 years. For example, they would look at a 320 and determine which percent of scores from the last 3 years scored lower than 320. That number is the percentile.

Now that we’ve touched on how the conversion between scores and percentiles works, let’s take a look at the actual score-to-percentile conversion for each section.

KEY FACT:

The writing score is not included in your composite score or total GRE score.

What Are the GRE Score Percentiles in 2025?

ETS updates GRE percentile data each year based on the previous 3 years of test-taker performance. The tables below reflect the latest data for the 2025–2026 testing year. Note that even small changes in the percentile ranking of a given score can significantly affect how your performance is viewed by admissions committees, especially for competitive programs.

KEY FACT:

Even small changes in percentile ranking can affect how your performance is viewed by admissions committees.

Math and Verbal GRE Percentile Chart

The following are the most recent GRE score percentiles for Quant and Verbal from ETS, which apply to the 2025–2026 testing year.

Source: ETS

What We Can See in the Percentile Data

Two major things jump out from these tables.

First, even a perfect score of 170 on the Quant section puts you only in the top 9%. Second, you can still be at the 99th percentile for Verbal, even if you get 168 — 2 points from a perfect 170. (A 168 in Quant drops you to the 81st percentile.)

Take a look:

There’s one thing that might not jump out from all these numbers if, like most people, you don’t spend your day staring at GRE percent tables. Quant percentiles over the last few years have continued to trend down.

KEY FACT:

GRE Quant percentiles have trended downward in the last few years.

GRE Quant Percentiles 2025–26 vs. 2024–2025

Quant Percentile Decline (2025 vs. 2024)

As you can see in the chart above, many scores — including 160, 165, and even 170 — now map to significantly lower percentiles than they did just a year ago.

For instance, a 160 Quant score dropped from the 53rd percentile to the 50th percentile. Sure, a drop of 3% is somewhat notable. But in 2023, a 160 Quant score was at the 61st percentile. That’s a much steeper drop between 2023 and 2024, and a total drop of 11 percentile points between 2023 and 2025. In other words, in a mere 2 years, a 160 Quant now means something very different. For reference, a 61st percentile today puts you between a 163 and a 164 score.

KEY FACT:

Many GRE Quant scores now map to significantly lower percentiles than they did even just a year ago.

GRE Verbal Percentiles 2025–26 vs. 2024–2025

Verbal percentiles, on the other hand, haven’t changed as much. In fact, in certain cases, they’ve gone up slightly, though this tends to be only for a few scores at the higher percentiles.

Verbal Percentile Stability (2025 vs. 2024)

These percentile charts tell a clear story: while Quant percentiles continue to slide, making it harder to land in the top half of test-takers, Verbal performance has stabilized. This shift means that test-takers aiming for competitive STEM or business programs need to work harder to stand out on Quant.

KEY FACT:

Unlike Quant percentiles, GRE Verbal percentiles have stabilized in recent years.

AWA Percentile Table

The AWA percentile breakdown chart below looks very different from the chart for Verbal and Quant. The main reason is that the AWA section is not based on a 130–170 scale. Instead, it’s based on 0.5 increments across a 0–6 scale.

There is another subtle difference, though. Unlike either Math or Verbal percentiles, which are lower than those from 1–2 years ago, the percentiles for AWA have actually increased. For instance, a 4.5 today puts you in the top 83%, whereas a 4.5 dropped you down to an 81% on the previous score chart. Granted, this is small. Still, the change of percentiles in the opposite direction is notable.

Ultimately, the AWA percentiles don’t matter as much as Verbal and Quant. Schools will almost exclusively focus on AWA scores rather than percentiles. After all, there are so few increments on a 0–6 scale that the percentiles become somewhat moot. Learn more about AWA scoring.

KEY FACT:

Unlike Quant and Verbal percentiles, AWA percentiles have increased.

Estimating Overall GRE Score Percentiles

You may have noticed from the tables above that we only have percentiles for each of the 3 sections. What about total GRE score percentiles? Do we just average the percentiles from Verbal and Quant sections?

Well, not exactly. This might seem counterintuitive, but there isn’t a fixed percent for a total score.

Let’s say 2 students both get a 320 GRE score — a 160 on Quant, corresponding to 53%, and a 160 on Verbal, corresponding to 84%. The average of those percentiles is 67.5%.

Here are a few more examples of how the average percentile would change for the same score:

Notice that the average percentiles aren’t very far apart — less than 3 percentage points. But in more extreme cases, there can be a significant difference. For instance, the average percentile difference between a 170 Verbal/160 Quant and a 160 Verbal/170 Quant can differ by 12%.

In other words, a score of 330 can mean something very different in terms of percentiles, depending on how those 330 points are split up between the Quant and Verbal sections. For that reason, there isn’t a GRE cumulative score percentile. For schools, this means they’ll often look at each section independently to see where each section falls percentile-wise.

KEY FACT:

Schools often focus on the percentile for each section independently.

How Schools Use GRE Percentiles

Because total GRE scores do not map to a fixed GRE percentile, schools often look at the percentile for a specific section. For example, a STEM-leaning competitive school might want to use a cut-off of the top 10% for Quant scores. Less competitive schools, on the other hand, might require applicants to obtain a 50th percentile on both sections. Learn more about average GRE scores in this post.

Percentiles also allow schools to compare scores across different exams. For instance, business schools often accept both a GRE and a GMAT score. Figuring out exactly how a specific score in 1 test translates to another can be tricky. However, comparing percentiles for the Quant and Verbal sections between the GRE and GMAT is relatively straightforward.

Finally, the meaning of percentiles is fixed (scores, not so). A top 10% means exactly that: the top 10% of applicants. Whether that represents a 168 or a 166, for example, is something that can change over the course of the year when ETS releases new data. For schools, determining how you stack up against the current applicant pool is what’s important.

KEY FACT:

  Percentiles allow programs that accept both the GRE and GMAT to easily compare test performance across both exams.

Why Did My GRE Percentile Change?

Around July each year, ETS adjusts the percentiles for each of the 3 sections. ETS bases this change on a shifting dataset, which accommodates the most recent year’s scores into a rolling 3-year period. What this means is that overnight (literally), your percentile can change.

This can be potentially disheartening for students who see themselves as “slipping.” Students might also be alarmed that there is now a discrepancy between what they reported to schools and what the schools now see.

Should you be concerned?

Not at all. Admissions know this and anticipate that your submitted percentiles won’t always exactly match the most recent ETS data. As for being discouraged, don’t worry — everyone else in your year’s cohort also saw a drop. And the drop is usually small.

Now, you might be thinking, wait, a drop? Why not an increase? Fantastic question, which I’ll discuss below.

KEY FACT:

Your percentile compares your test performance with the performance of test takers in your cohort.

Why Are GRE Score Percentiles Decreasing?

You might be tempted to think the test is getting easier. After all, if your 158 is easier for this year’s crop of students to attain, a percentage drop is inevitable. But here’s the thing: over the last 10 years, the GRE has gotten more difficult, only recently plateauing in difficulty.

So what could possibly account for the decrease in percentiles?

Recent students choosing to take the test have performed better as a group than in prior years.

This phenomenon is surely multifaceted: students prep longer, high-quality resources have proliferated online, ETS has released more practice material, and on and on.

The best explanation?

There is 1 cause that likely best explains the decreasing percentiles: the GRE is now optional for many programs. The result is that those expecting to score high are more likely to take the exam than those who think they won’t do very well. The overall effect is that the percentile drops a bit.

Ultimately, the purpose of this section isn’t to dissect this complex issue. It’s to arm you with a key piece of information:

The GRE is getting more competitive.

To stay ahead, you’ll need to double down on your efforts — find the best study plan and the best resources, and plan on prepping longer than a student 10 years ago might have.

KEY FACT:

The GRE is getting more competitive, which means you need to study smarter and harder to achieve a higher percentile.

Are GRE Scores Curved?

The short answer: No, GRE scores are not curved.

Why not? Because the GRE is a standardized test, you’re being compared to how you score against other students over the course of 3 years.

What if the test you happened to take was especially difficult? Well, then this difference will be captured by a complex process called equating.

Think of it this way: if a Verbal section ends up being harder than other Verbal sections, the test realizes it’s not fair for you to be impacted just because you decided to take the test that day. As a result, the test writers need to ensure the difficulty of the test is balanced between different versions.

Enter equating. This allows a student to miss 1 (or sometimes 2) more questions on a “harder” Verbal test and still receive the same score as someone who received the “easier” Verbal test.

Remember, percentiles ultimately matter. Focus on doing your best on test day, not worrying about how difficult a section seems.

KEY FACT:

Equating helps even out the scores between test takers who encounter variations in difficulty between test versions.

Is There a Best Time of Year to Take the GRE to Maximize Your Score?

The short answer: No, there’s no best time of year to take the GRE.

If you closely read the last section, you can infer the answer to this question. Remember, any variance in difficulty will be accounted for by equating. So, say the October 2025 Quant section was a doozy, whereas the December 2025 test was much easier. If you missed 5 questions on the December test but missed 7 on the October test, those could work out to be the same score.

KEY FACT:

Because equating balances any variance in difficulty between tests, there’s no “best” time to take the GRE.

Let’s now wrap up with some final thoughts on GRE percentiles.

Final Thoughts

Now that we’ve covered GRE percentiles and you probably have a much better understanding of why they’re important, you might be wondering: How does that affect how I prep?

A good way of looking at it is to imagine how colleges will think of your GRE score. If you’re applying to a program in which quantitative ability is important, they won’t see a GRE score of, say, 160, and think, “160 out of 170 is not bad.” They’ll likely think, “This student is around the 50% mark.”

That isn’t to say you wouldn’t be able to get into that program. It just means that your GRE score wouldn’t necessarily be in the plus column when they look at your entire application. You’ll of course want to look at any data programs have released to see the average scores of accepted applicants. Read about what makes a good GRE score.

The good news is you can determine your destiny. Ensure you obtain a GRE score that’s higher than the average percentile of accepted applicants for a given program. This might mean drilling down and pushing yourself for longer than you expected. It’ll mean taking more practice tests than you might have a few years back — and meticulously reviewing every mistake you make to ensure you don’t make the same mistakes on test day.

Ultimately, a GRE score percentile is just a number, but how you measure up depends on the strategy, effort, and mindset you bring to your prep.

TTP PRO TIP:

Review the data released by your target programs to see the average scores of accepted applicants.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

What is the 50th percentile for GRE?

ETS does not provide GRE total score percentiles. However, it does provide percentiles for the Verbal and Quant section scores that sum to the total score. The 50th percentile GRE Verbal score is 152, and the 52nd percentile Quant score is 157. So, we can estimate that the 50th percentile GRE score is somewhere around 309.

What is the 80th percentile for the GRE?

ETS does not provide GRE total score percentiles. However, the 81st percentile GRE Verbal score is 159, and the 80th percentile Quant score is 166. So, we can estimate that the 80th percentile GRE score is somewhere around 325.

What is the 99th percentile for the GRE?

ETS does not provide GRE total score percentiles. However, the 99th percentile GRE Verbal score is 170. There is no 99th percentile GRE Quant score; 170 is a 94th percentile Quant score. So, we can reasonably estimate that a perfect 340 GRE score falls within the 99th percentile, even though the Quant score on its own is only in the 91st percentile. Very few test-takers earn a 170 on both sections, which makes a 340 exceptionally rare. After all, it’s likely that only a fraction of those who score 170 on Verbal also score 170 on Quant.

How is the GRE percentile calculated?

GRE percentiles are calculated based on a rolling 3-year cohort. Essentially, they take the percent of students who score below a given score, and that number becomes that score’s percentile. To illustrate, if you were to receive a 170 on Quant in 2025, that would mean you scored better than 92% of students who took the test.

What is a good GRE percentile?

This is a tough question to answer because it depends on a number of variables. First off, which program are you applying to? Are they more quant-leaning or verbal-leaning? How strong is the rest of your application? Finally, and importantly, what are the average scores — and percentiles relating to those scores — of those accepted to a given program? Anything higher than those numbers could usually be described as “good.”

Do GRE percentiles change?

Yes, GRE percentiles change almost every year, sometimes by only 1%, sometimes by much more. It all depends on how students in the last 3 years have been scoring. Given how dynamic this is, we can always expect to see a change in percentiles.

What’s Next?

Need help setting your target GRE score? In this guide, we break down everything you need to know about getting a good GRE score.

Have a specific question about how to study for the GRE? Visit TTP GRE and start a live chat. We’d be happy to assist you!

Want to learn how other students improved their GRE percentiles and scores? Check out our YouTube Playlist on GRE Scores.

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