Your GRE Score
Each of the three sections on the GRE is scored separately. You will receive a "scaled score" within a range of 200-800 for the verbal and quantitative sections. You will receive a score on a scale of 0 to 6 for the writing section.
In addition to scaled scores, you'll receive a percentile rank. This calculation places your performance relative to those of a large sample population of other GRE takers. From the percentile rank, graduate schools are able to determine what your scaled scores are worth.
What's a Good GRE Score?
Some schools, like large state universities, have cut-off scores below which they do not consider applicants. Find out what GRE scores impress your target schools. The score you "need" also depends on the area in which you're hoping to study. For example, a 600 Quantitative score might be fine if you're planning to study history. However, it might not be distinctive if your field is engineering.
Cancelling Your GRE Score
At the end of the exam, you will be asked if you want to see and keep your score or not. If "yes," you are given your score and it is entered into your ETS record. If you answer "no," you are not given your score and no score is entered. Requested score reports are sent to schools within 10-15 days after the exam. All non-cancelled GRE testing administrations will be listed (and usable) in your ETS record for 5 years.
