1. a Quantitative Ability score (on a 200-800 scale)
2. a Verbal Ability score (on a 200-800 scale)
3. an Analytical Writing score (on a 0-6 scale)

Quantitative and Verbal Scores

Your Quantitative and Verbal scores are each based on three factors:

• the number of questions to which you responded correctly
• the difficulty level of the questions to which you responded correctly
• the range of cognitive abilities measured among the questions to which you responded correctly

The computerized testing system employs a complex algorithm to account for each of these three factors. The testing system will tabulate a score regardless of the number of available questions you've answered, except that if you don't respond to at least one question during a section an "NS" (no score) will appear on your score report for that section only.

NOTE: For the paper-based exam, scaled scores are computed based solely on the number of correct responses (no penalty is assessed for incorrect responses).

You'll receive a single Analytical Writing score for both of your GRE essays. Here's how the scoring process works:

1. Each of your essays is graded, on a scale of 0-6, by two human readers.
2. For each essay, if the two grades differ by more than one point, then a third, very experienced reader reads the essay and adjudicates the discrepency.
3. Your final grade for each essay is the average of two grades (or the adjudicated grade).
4. Your final Analytical Writing score is the average of two final grades — one for each of your two essays — rounded up to the nearest half-point.

In evaluating the overall quality of your writing, GRE readers will consider four general areas of ability:

• Content: your ability to present persuasive and relevant ideas and arguments, through the use of sound reasoning and supporting examples
• Organization: your ability to present your ideas in a cohesive and organized manner
• Language: your facility with the English language (diction, word usage, and vocabulary)
• Grammar: your facility with the conventions of Standard Written English, including grammar and syntax (sentence structure)

All GRE readers are college or university faculty members. (Most are either English or Communications professors.) Each of your two GRE essays will be read and evaluated by a different reader. Each reader evaluates your writing independently of the others, and none is informed of the others' grades.

During each of the two essay sections, if you fail to key in (type) at least one character using the CBT word processor, you will automatically receive a score of 0 (on a scale of 0 to 6) for that section; this score will appear on your report.

For each of your three GRE scores, you'll also receive a percentile rank (0-99%). A percentile rank of 60%, for example, indicates that you scored higher than 60% (and lower than 40%) of all other test-takers. Percentile ranks for Quantitative Ability and Verbal Ability reflect your performance relative to the entire GRE test-taking population during the most recent three-year period. Percentile ranks for Analytical Writing compare all test takers, not just those responding to the same particular topics.

Official computer-based GRE scores are mailed 10-15 days after testing. Score reports are "cumulative"; they include scores from all GRE exams you've taken during the last 5 years. Exam absences and cancellations also appear on your official report, but they will not adversely affect your chances of admission.

NOTE: You may choose to send only General Test scores, only Subject Test scores, or all scores. Also, your score report will indicate all your designated recipients. So each school will know to which other schools you've considered applying!

NOTE: Official scores for the paper-based exam are mailed to test-takers and to schools approximately six weeks after testing. (You can obtain them a few weeks earlier by telephone.)

Graduate departments develop and implement their own individual policies for evaluating GRE scores. Also, some programs require GRE Subject Test scores, either instead of or in addition to, GRE General Test scores. Since policies vary widely among schools and programs, you should contact the schools' academic departments directly for specific information.