2016 17 GRE Guide To The Use Of Scores

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Guide to the

Use of Scores

34039

Inside, find all the facts you need about:

• using GRE® scores appropriately

• using percentile ranks

• score interpretation and statistical information, including score data by intended

graduate major field

2 016 –17

www.ets.org/gre/institutions

GRE®

Graduate Record Examinations®

2

CONTENTS

The Graduate Record Examinations® Board and Committees ..................................................... 3

Overview of the GRE® Tests ............................................................................................................ 4

Guidelines for the Use of GRE® Scores .......................................................................................... 9

Reporting and Using GRE® Scores ............................................................................................... 13

Considerations in Score Interpretation ........................................................................................ 15

Score Interpretation and Statistical Information ....................................................................... 17

Statistical Tables ............................................................................................................................ 20

GRE® Analytical Writing Section Score Level Descriptions ...................................................... 35

Communicating with the GRE Program

Inquiries from Educators Inquiries from Test Takers

By Email gretests@ets.org gre-info@ets.org

By Phone 1-609-683-2002 1-609-771-7670

By Mail

GRE Program

Educational Testing Service

PO Box 6000

Princeton, NJ 08541-6000

ETS® Data Manager helps GRE and TOEFL® score users access score reports

easily from their desktop.

The ETS® Data Manager is available through a secure online portal exclusively for

official GRE and TOEFL® score users. Institutions and organizations that have a

GRE or TOEFL score reporting code can use the ETS Data Manager to access score

information, test-taker data and more, free of charge. To learn more and request

access to the ETS Data Manager for your institution, visit www.ets.org/portal.

This publication can be downloaded at www.ets.org/gre/guide.

Copyright © 2016 by Educational Testing Service. All rights reserved. ETS, the ETS logo, GRADUATE RECORD EXAMINATIONS, GRE, POWERPREP,

SCORELINK, SCORESELECT, TOEFL, TOEFL IBT, TWE and ERATER are registered trademarks of Educational Testing Service (ETS) in the United States and

other countries. MEASURING THE POWER OF LEARNING is a trademark of ETS. College Board is a registered trademark of the College Entrance Examination

Board. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.



The Graduate Record Examinations® Board and Committees

The Graduate Record Examinations® (GRE®)

Board was formed in 1966 as an independent

board and is affiliated with the Association of

Graduate Schools (AGS) and the Council of

Graduate Schools (CGS). The Board establishes

all policies for the GRE Program, which is

administered by Educational Testing Service

(ETS®). In addition, ETS provides information,

technical advice and professional counsel to the

Board and develops proposals to achieve the

Board’s program, research and service goals.

GRE Program activities include testing,

research, publishing and advisory services.

These services are designed to assist graduate

schools/departments and business schools in

recruiting, admissions, guidance and placement,

program evaluation, and selection of fellowship

recipients, and to assist students with their

transition to graduate education.

The GRE Board is mindful of the impact of

its testing, information, research and services on

students, institutions and graduate education,

and it recognizes its obligation to ensure that its

policies and activities serve the best interests of

the entire graduate education community. The

GRE Board strives to equalize higher education

opportunities for all students; improve the

practices, procedures and quality of graduate

education; and promote maximum utilization of

human talents and financial resources.

The GRE Board consists of 18 appointed

members: four AGS appointees, four CGS

appointees and 10 at-large appointees of the

Board. In addition, the president of CGS is an

ex-officio member of the Board. There are five

standing committees of the GRE Board: (1) the

Executive Committee, which is empowered to

make interim decisions and set the agenda for

board meetings; (2) the Research Committee,

which establishes long-range planning strategies

related to research, considers proposals for new

research, monitors the progress of all research

projects and allocates designated GRE Board

funds for research projects; (3) the Services

Committee, which monitors all GRE operating

services, maintains a close relationship with

graduate students and faculty, and identifies

long-range planning strategies involving the

development of new services; (4) the Diversity,

Equity, and Inclusion Committee, which

considers research proposals and projects, new

and ongoing services and long-range planning

strategies for students from underrepresented

groups; and (5) the Finance Committee, which

considers and makes recommendations for

action on all GRE budget and finance issues. A

list of GRE Board and Committee members is

available at www.ets.org/gre/greboard.

In addition, the GRE Technical Advisory

Committee reviews and discusses technical and

measurement issues related to the GRE Program,

advises ETS and the GRE Research Committee on

the issues, reviews the technical quality of GRE

research proposals and reports, and reviews the

long-range research plans for the GRE Program.

Advisory Councils

The GRE Program also obtains input from

Advisory Councils that are comprised of senior

university officials and admissions leaders. The

Advisory Councils do not directly oversee any

aspect of the GRE Program, but instead provide

insight, perspective and information related to

the higher education industry in their markets.

TOEFL® Board

In recognition of the fact that a large number of

TOEFL® test takers are potential graduate

students, a cooperative arrangement for the

operation of the program was entered into on

July 1, 1973, by ETS, the College Board and the

GRE Board. Under this arrangement, a board of

16 members from around the world advises ETS

on the policies governing the TOEFL Program.

Both the College Board and the GRE Board

appoint three members to the TOEFL Board to

represent the interests of their respective

constituencies. Other Board members represent

such groups as graduate schools of business,

two-year colleges, English language teachers

and researchers, and international high school

college counselors.

3

4

Overview of the GRE® Tests

GRE® test scores can be used by admissions or

fellowship panels to supplement undergraduate

records and other qualifications for graduate-

level study. The scores provide common

measures for comparing the qualifications of

applicants and aid in the evaluation of grades

and recommendations. GRE score recipients

may not, without the express, prior, written

consent of ETS, use GRE score data for any

other purpose, or copy, release, provide access

to or otherwise disclose GRE score data to

anyone except individuals within their particular

organization having a need to know. ETS

reserves the right to monitor access and use of

the GRE score data by all GRE score recipients.

Institutions of higher education that award

graduate degrees and non-degree-granting

organizations that award graduate fellowships

are eligible for consideration to receive a GRE

score recipient code. Institutions and organ-

izations that do not meet either one of these

requirements are, in general, not eligible to

receive a GRE score recipient code.

ETS reserves the right, at its sole discretion,

to grant or revoke a GRE score recipient code

based on eligibility requirements or for any other

reason, and to make exceptions to its policy,

under special circumstances.

The weight to be given to GRE scores can

generally be established by relating what the

tests measure to the orientation, curriculum, and

aims of a department. Specifically, the content

validity of the tests for a graduate department or

program should be determined by reviewing

each test carefully and then making subjective

decisions as to the weight, if any, the scores on

GRE tests should receive in relation to other

admission factors. Score users should be familiar

with the responsibilities of test users outlined in

Part III of the Standards for Educational and

Psychological Testing (AERA, APA, NCME,

2014).

GRE® General Test

Content

The GRE General Test consists of three measures:

Verbal Reasoning, Quantitative Reasoning, and

Analytical Writing.

The Verbal Reasoning measure assesses the

ability to analyze and draw conclusions from

discourse and reason from incomplete data,

understand multiple levels of meaning, such as

literal, figurative and author’s intent, and

summarize text and distinguish major from minor

points. In each test edition, there is a balance

among the passages across three different subject

matter areas: humanities, social sciences

(including business) and natural sciences. There

is an emphasis on complex reasoning skills.

The Quantitative Reasoning measure assesses

basic mathematical concepts of arithmetic,

algebra, geometry and data analysis. The measure

tests the ability to solve problems using

mathematical models, and to understand, interpret

and analyze quantitative information. There is an

emphasis on quantitative reasoning skills.

The Analytical Writing measure assesses the

ability to articulate and support complex ideas,

support ideas with relevant reasons and examples,

and examine claims and accompanying evidence.

The measure consists of two tasks which relate to

a broad range of subjects ─ from the fine arts and

humanities to the social and physical sciences.

The measure does not assess specific content

knowledge and there is no single best way to

respond.

Individuals who are interested in reviewing

the content of the General Test can download the

POWERPREP® II software free-of-charge at

www.ets.org/gre/tpresources.

Administration

The GRE General Test is administered at more

than 1,000 ETS-authorized test centers in more

than 160 countries. In most regions of the world,

the test is given on computer in a secure testing

environment and is available on a continuous

basis. In Mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan

and Korea, the computer-delivered test is offered

one to three times per month. In areas where

computer-delivered testing is not available,

paper-delivered tests are available up to three

times per year (October 8, 2016, November 5,

2016 and February 4, 2017).

5

Computer Testing

The computer-delivered GRE General Test

contains one Analytical Writing section with

two separately timed tasks, two Verbal

Reasoning sections and two Quantitative

Reasoning sections. In addition, some questions

on the General Test are being pretested for

possible use in the future. These questions are

included in an unidentified unscored section of

the test. In other instances, other questions may

appear in identified research sections. Answers

to pretest and research questions are not used in

the calculation of scores for the test. Total

testing time is approximately 3 hours and 45

minutes.

The Verbal Reasoning and Quantitative

Reasoning measures are adaptive at the section

level. This test design provides a flexible test-

taking experience that allows test takers to move

freely about within any timed section, skipping

questions, changing answers, and using their

own personal test-taking strategies.

The Verbal Reasoning and Quantitative

Reasoning measures each have two operational

sections. Overall, the first operational section is

of average difficulty. The second operational

section of each of the measures is administered

based on a test taker’s overall performance on

the first section of that measure.

An on-screen calculator is provided in the

Quantitative Reasoning measure to reduce the

emphasis on computation.

In the Analytical Writing section an

elementary word processor developed by ETS is

used so that individuals familiar with specific

commercial word-processing software do not

have an advantage or disadvantage. This

software contains the following functionalities:

inserting text, deleting text, cut and paste and

undoing the previous action. Tools such as a

spelling checker and grammar checker are not

available in the ETS software, in large part to

maintain fairness with those test takers who

handwrite their essays during the paper-

delivered General Test.

Paper Testing

The paper-delivered GRE General Test contains

two Analytical Writing sections, two Verbal

Reasoning sections and two Quantitative

Reasoning sections. Total testing time is

approximately 3 hours and 30 minutes. Test

takers enter their answers in test books rather

than on answer sheets. A calculator is provided

at the test center for use on the Quantitative

Reasoning measure.

How the Sections of the GRE General

Test are Scored

Verbal Reasoning and Quantitative Reasoning

Sections

Scores on the Verbal Reasoning and Quantitative

Reasoning measures depend on performance on

the questions given and on the number of

questions answered in the time allotted.

The Verbal Reasoning and Quantitative

Reasoning measures of the computer-delivered

GRE General Test are section-level adaptive.

This means the computer selects the second

section of a measure based on the performance

on the first section. Within each section, all

questions contribute equally to the final score.

For each of the two measures, a raw score is

computed. The raw score is the number of

questions answered correctly.

The raw score is converted to a scaled score

through a process known as equating. The

equating process accounts for minor variations

in difficulty among the different test editions as

well as differences in difficulty among

individuals’ tests introduced by the section-level

adaption. Thus a given scaled score for a

particular measure reflects the same level of

performance regardless of which second section

was selected and when the test was taken.

For the Verbal Reasoning and Quantitative

Reasoning measures of the paper-delivered GRE

General Test, the scoring is a similar process.

First a raw score is computed for each measure.

The raw score for each measure is the number of

questions answered correctly in the two sections

for that measure. Then the raw scores are

converted to scaled scores through a process

known as equating. The equating process

accounts for minor variations in difficulty

among the different test editions, paper-

delivered as well as computer-delivered. Thus, a

given scaled score for a particular measure

reflects the same level of performance regardless

of which edition of the test was taken.

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Verbal Reasoning and Quantitative

Reasoning scores are reported on 130 to 170

score scales, in 1-point increments.

Analytical Writing Section

For the Analytical Writing section, of the

computer-delivered GRE General Test, each

essay receives a score from a trained reader

using a six-point holistic scale. In holistic

scoring, readers are trained to assign scores on

the basis of the overall quality of an essay in

response to the assigned task. The essay is then

scored by the e-rater® scoring engine, a

computerized program developed by ETS that is

capable of identifying essay features related to

writing proficiency. If the human score and the

e-rater score closely agree, the average of the

two scores is used as the final score. If they

disagree, a second human score is obtained and

the final score is the average of the two human

scores. The resulting scores on the two essays

are then averaged and rounded to produce an

Analytical Writing score that is reported on a 0-

6 score scale in half-point increments.

For the Analytical Writing section of the

paper-delivered GRE General Test, each essay

receives a score from two trained readers. If the

two assigned scores differ by more than one point

on the scale, the discrepancy is adjudicated by a

third reader. The resulting scores on the two

essays are then averaged and rounded to produce

an Analytical Writing score that is reported on a

0-6 score scale in half-point increments.

If an essay response is provided for only one of

the two writing tasks, the task for which no essay

response is provided will receive a score of zero.

The primary emphasis in scoring the

Analytical Writing section is on critical thinking

and analytical writing skills rather than on

grammar and mechanics. Scoring guides for

each essay task are available at

www.ets.org/gre/institution/awguides. Score

Level Descriptions that describe, for each score

level, the overall quality of analytical writing

demonstrated across both of the Analytical

Writing tasks are presented on page 35.

Test takers’ essay responses on the

Analytical Writing section are reviewed by ETS

essay-similarity-detection software and by

experienced essay readers during the scoring

process.

GRE® Subject Tests

Content

The Subject Tests are paper-delivered tests in

seven subject areas that are administered at ETS-

authorized test centers worldwide. Subject Tests

measure achievement in specific subject areas

and assume undergraduate majors or extensive

background in those disciplines. Brief

descriptions of the Subject Tests follow.

Individuals who are interested in reviewing

the content of a particular Subject Test can

download a copy of the corresponding Subject

Test practice book free-of-charge at

www.ets.org/gre/subject/prepare.

Biochemistry, Cell and Molecular Biology

The test consists of approximately 170 questions

and is intended for students who are interested in

graduate programs in biochemistry, cell biology

and molecular biology, along with related

programs such as microbiology and genetics.

The questions are distributed among three

subscore areas: Biochemistry (36%), Cell

Biology (28%) and Molecular Biology and

Genetics (36%).

Biology

The test consists of approximately 190 questions

that are distributed among three subscore areas:

Cellular and Molecular Biology (33-34%),

Organismal Biology (33-34%) and Ecology and

Evolution (33-34%).

Chemistry

The test consists of approximately 130 questions

designed to cover much of the content of the

chemistry courses completed by students before

the middle of the senior collegiate year. The

questions are classified approximately as

follows: analytical chemistry (15%), inorganic

chemistry (25%), organic chemistry (30%) and

physical chemistry (30%).

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Literature in English

The test consists of approximately 230 questions

on literature in English from the British Isles, the

United States and other countries. It also

contains a few questions on major works,

including the Bible, in translation. Factual

questions test a student’s knowledge of writers

typically studied in college courses. Interpretive

questions test a student’s ability to read passages

of poetry, drama, fiction and nonfiction prose

perceptively; such questions may address

meaning, use of language, form and structure,

literary techniques and various aspects of style.

The questions are classified as follows: literary

analysis (40–55%), identification (15–20%),

cultural and historical contexts (20–25%),

history and theory of literary criticism (10–

15%). In addition, the literary-historical scope of

the test is as follows: continental, classical and

comparative literature through 1925 (5–10%);

British literature to 1660, including Milton (25–

30%); British literature 1660–1925 (25–35%);

American literature through 1925 (15–25%);

American, British and World literatures after

1925 (20–30%).

Mathematics

The test consists of approximately 66 questions

and is intended to measure both the knowledge

of the content of undergraduate mathematics

courses for mathematics majors and the

mathematical abilities traditionally expected of

those who intend to seek a graduate degree in

mathematics. In addition to the usual sequence

of elementary calculus courses, the test taker

should have had mathematics-major courses in

abstract algebra, linear algebra and real analysis

that require students to demonstrate the ability to

prove theorems and create counterexamples. The

questions are classified approximately as

follows: calculus (50%), algebra (25%) and

other topics (25%). The other topics may

include: discrete mathematics and algorithmic

processes, differential equations, topology and

modern geometry, complex analysis, probability

and statistics, logic and foundations and

numerical analysis.

Physics

The test consists of approximately 100 questions,

most of which relate to the first three years of

undergraduate physics. Topics include classical

mechanics (20%), electromagnetism (18%), atomic

physics (10%), optics and wave phenomena (9%),

quantum mechanics (12%), thermodynamics and

statistical mechanics (10%), special relativity (6%)

and laboratory methods (6%). The remaining 9% of

the test covers advanced topics such as nuclear and

particle physics, condensed matter physics and

astrophysics.

Psychology

The test consists of approximately 205 questions

drawn from courses most commonly offered at

the undergraduate level. Most of the questions

are distributed between two subscore areas:

Experimental Psychology (40%), including

learning, language, memory, thinking, sensation

and perception and physiological/behavioral

neuroscience; and Social Psychology (43%),

including clinical and abnormal, lifespan

development, personality and social. The

remaining 17% of the questions test other topics,

predominately measurement and methodology,

and also history, industrial/organizational and

educational psychology. The test’s total score

includes the questions in all three categories.

Administration

The Subject Tests are offered at paper-delivered

administrations up to three times a year at test

centers throughout the world (September 17, 2016,

October 29, 2016, and April 8, 2017).

How the GRE Subject Tests are Scored

The raw scores for the Subject Tests are “formula”

scores. These scores are equal to the number of

questions answered correctly minus one-fourth the

number of questions answered incorrectly.

Formula scoring is designed to discourage random

guessing.

The formula score is then converted to a

scaled score through a process known as equating.

The equating process accounts for minor

variations in difficulty among the different test

editions.

8

Every Subject Test yields a total score on a

200 to 990 score scale, in 10-point increments.

Note that each of the individual test scales

occupies only a portion of the 200 to 990 score

range.

The Biochemistry, Cell and Molecular

Biology; Biology; and Psychology Tests also

yield subscores on a 20-99 score scale, in one-

point increments, although the range for any

particular Subject Test subscore is usually

smaller. Subscores enable assessment of

strengths and weaknesses and can be used for

guidance and placement purposes.

9

Guidelines for the Use of GRE® Scores

The GRE® Board has adopted a statement regarding fair and appropriate use of GRE scores. This

statement can be found on the GRE® Program website at www.ets.org/gre/guidelines.

Introduction

These guidelines have been adopted by the

GRE® Board to provide information about the

appropriate use of GRE test scores for those who

use the scores in graduate and business school

admissions and fellowship selection processes

and for guidance and counseling for graduate

study. They are also intended to protect

applicants from unfair decisions that may result

from inappropriate uses of scores. Adherence to

the guidelines is important.

The GRE General Test and Subject Tests are

designed to assess academic knowledge and

skills relevant to graduate study. As measures

with known statistical properties and high-

quality technical characteristics, the scores from

these tests, when used properly, can improve

graduate admissions and fellowship selection

processes. The research section of the GRE

website includes research reports that provide

validity evidence for the use of GRE scores in

graduate admissions and fellowship selection

processes. The research reports can be found at

www.ets.org/gre/research.

Any GRE test, however, has two primary

limitations: (1) it does not and cannot measure

all the qualities that are important in predicting

success in graduate or business school study or

in confirming undergraduate achievement and

(2) it is an inexact measure; consequently, the

standard error of measurement of the difference

between test scores can serve as a reliable

indication of real differences in applicants’

academic knowledge and developed abilities.

Although limitations and cautions apply to

all admissions measures, the GRE Board has a

particular obligation to inform users of the

appropriate uses of GRE scores and to identify

and try to rectify instances of misuse. To this

end, the following policies and guidelines are

available to all GRE test takers, institutions, and

organizations that are users of GRE scores.

Policies

In recognition of its obligation to ensure the

appropriate use of GRE scores, the GRE Board

has developed policies designed to make score

reports available only to approved users, to

encourage these score users to become

knowledgeable about the validity of the test

score uses and interpretations, to protect the

confidentiality of test takers’ scores and to

follow up on cases of possible misuse of scores.

The policies are discussed below.

Score users. Undergraduate and graduate

institutions and non-degree-granting organizations

that award graduate fellowships are eligible for

consideration as score users. The GRE Board

retains the right to make exceptions to this policy

in special circumstances.

Validity. The general appropriateness of using

GRE test scores for graduate admissions,

fellowship selection and guidance and counseling

for graduate study has been established by

research studies carried out by ETS and others.

GRE scores may be appropriate for some other

purposes, but it is important for the user to

validate their use for those purposes. To assist

departments and programs in evaluating proposed

uses, these guidelines include information about

appropriate uses and uses without supporting

validity evidence.

Confidentiality. GRE scores, whether those of

an individual or aggregated for an institution, are

confidential and can be released only by

authorization of the individual or institution or

by compulsion of legal process.

Use of reportable scores. For tests taken on or

after July 1, 2016, scores are part of a test

taker’s reportable history for five years after the

test date.

For tests taken prior to July 1, 2016, scores

are part of a test taker’s reportable history for

five years after the testing year in which they

tested (July 1 – June 30). GRE scores earned

10

August 1, 2011, to the present are available in

test takers’ reportable GRE score history.

The five-year policy was developed to

support the validity of GRE test scores. Older

scores may not reflect an applicant’s current

ability in verbal reasoning, quantitative

reasoning, analytical writing, and critical

thinking. Applicant’s experiences over a long

period of time (more than five years) between

testing and applying to a graduate or business

program may impact their ability, and their

scores in these areas may have changed. Only

official reportable scores should be used in the

admissions and fellowship selection processes.

Use of scores in aggregated form. Graduate

departments and programs are urged to report

GRE scores in ranges, such as the highest and

lowest scores of the middle 50 percent of the

admitted applicants and to avoid use of a precise

mean or median. Presenting information by score

ranges emphasizes the diversity of individual

scores for any one graduate department or

program, and also makes clear the overlap of

scores among graduate departments and programs.

Use of GRE scores in aggregated form as a

measure for ranking or rating graduate programs,

institutions, university systems or states is

strongly discouraged except when the scores are

used as one indicator among several appropriate

indicators of educational quality.

Use of concorded scores. Concordance tables

are available at www.ets.org/gre/concordance to

help score users transition from using Verbal

Reasoning and Quantitative Reasoning scores on

the prior 200–800 score scale to using scores on

the current 130–170 score scale, and to facilitate

the comparison of scores of individuals who

took the General Test prior to August 1, 2011

with those who take the current General Test.

The concordance tables show the relationship

between the two score scales.

There are separate tables for the Verbal

Reasoning and Quantitative Reasoning measures.

Each of the tables provides a point estimate of the

corresponding score on the 130-170 scale for

each score on the prior 200-800 scale. Also

included are the most recent percentile ranks

associated with each new scale score.

Encouragement of appropriate use and

investigation of reported misuse. All users of

GRE scores have an obligation to use the scores

in accordance with published GRE Board

policies and guidelines. Departments and

programs have a responsibility to ensure that all

users of GRE scores are aware of the GRE

Board score-use policies and guidelines and to

monitor the use of the scores, correcting

instances of misuse when they are identified.

The GRE Program staff is available to assist

institutions in resolving score-misuse issues.

Guidelines

1. Use Multiple Criteria

Regardless of the decision to be made, multiple

sources of information should be used to ensure

fairness and to balance the limitations of any

single measure of knowledge, skills or abilities.

These sources may include undergraduate

grade point average, letters of recommendation,

personal statement, samples of academic work

and professional experience related to proposed

graduate study. A cut-off score (i.e., a

minimum score) should never be used as the

only criterion for denial of admission or

awarding of a fellowship.

Use of multiple criteria is particularly

important when using GRE scores to assess

the abilities of educationally disadvantaged

applicants, applicants whose primary language

is not English and applicants who are

returning to school after an extended absence.

Score users are urged to become familiar with

factors affecting score interpretation for these

groups as discussed in this publication.

2. Accept Only Official GRE Score Reports

The only official reports of GRE scores are

those issued by ETS and sent directly to

approved institutions and organizations

designated by the test takers and to vendors

the score recipients might designate to process

the scores they receive. Scores obtained from

other sources should not be accepted. If there

is a question about the authenticity of a score

report, the question should be referred to ETS.

ETS will verify whether an official report was

issued and the accuracy of the scores.

11

3. Conduct Validity Studies

Departments and programs using GRE

scores for graduate or business school

admissions, fellowship awards, and

guidance and counseling for graduate study

are encouraged to collect validity

information by conducting their own studies.

The GRE Program staff will provide advice

on the design of appropriate validation

studies without charge.

4. Maintain Confidentiality of GRE Scores

All GRE score users should be aware of the

confidential nature of the scores and agree to

maintain their confidentiality. Institutional

policies should be developed to ensure that

confidentiality is maintained. For example,

GRE scores should not be placed on

documents sent outside the institution.

5. Consider Verbal Reasoning, Quantitative

Reasoning and Analytical Writing Scores

as Three Separate and Independent

Measures

Since the level of skills in verbal reasoning,

quantitative reasoning and analytical writing

abilities required for success in graduate and

business schools varies by field or department,

Verbal Reasoning, Quantitative Reasoning and

Analytical Writing scores should not be

combined into a single score. To understand

factors related to combining scores, view the

GRE DataViews article A Balanced Approach

to GRE Score Use at

www.ets.org/gre/balancedapproach.

6. Conduct Reviews of Subject Test Content

Although each Subject Test is developed and

updated regularly by a committee of examiners

who are actively teaching in the field, the

match between the test and the curriculum in a

given department may not be exact and may

vary over time. Departments are encouraged to

periodically review the test content description

in order to verify the appropriateness of the

content for their programs. The free practice

books can be downloaded at

www.ets.org/gre/subject/prepare.

1The percentile ranks for the General Test and

Subject Tests for the 2016-17 testing year are based

7. Avoid Decisions Based on Small Score

Differences

Small differences in GRE scores (as defined by

the standard error of measurement [SEM] for

score differences) should not be used to make

distinctions among test takers. SEMs vary by

test and are available in this publication.

8. Use the Appropriate Percentile Ranks

when Comparing Candidates

Percentile ranks are provided on score

reports and can be used to compare test

takers’ relative performance among the

measures. Percentile ranks indicate the

percent of test takers in a group who

obtained scores below a specified score. The

percentile ranks are generally based on

previous GRE test takers from a recent

three-year period.1 Percentile ranks should

be compared only if they are based on the

same reference population. Percentile ranks

are updated annually and are available at

www.ets.org/gre/percentile.

9. Do Not Compare Scores from Different

Subject Tests

Subject Test scores should be compared

only with other scores on the same Subject

Tests (for example, a 680 on the Physics

Test is not equivalent to a 680 on the

Chemistry Test). Percentile ranks should be

compared only if they are based on the same

reference population.

10. Transition to the 130-170 Verbal

Reasoning and Quantitative Reasoning

Score Scales

Departments and programs are encouraged,

if they have not already done so, to

transition from using Verbal Reasoning and

Quantitative Reasoning scores on the prior

200–800 score scale to using scores on the

current 130–170 score scale. The estimated

Verbal Reasoning and Quantitative

Reasoning scores based on the concordance,

and the actual scores from test takers who

took the General Test on August 1, 2011 or

later can be used to facilitate the transition

and score interpretation.

on a three-year cohort of examinees who tested

between July 1, 2012, and June 30, 2015.

12

11. Use Concordance Information to

Transition to the Current Verbal

Reasoning and Quantitative Reasoning

Score Scales

The concordance tables may be

appropriately used for translating an

institution’s historical guidelines for GRE

Verbal Reasoning and Quantitative

Reasoning scores on the prior 200–800 scale

to the current 130–170 scale. Using the

tables in this way should result in the

selection of approximately the same

proportion of test takers. Note that the scores

in the concordance tables are

approximations, not equivalences. A test

taker who has a particular score on the prior

GRE scale would not necessarily obtain the

concorded score on the current scale.

Normally Appropriate Uses and

Uses Without Supporting Validity

Evidence

The suitability of a GRE test for a particular use

should be explicitly examined before using test

scores for that purpose. The following lists of

appropriate uses of GRE scores and identified

uses without supporting validity evidence are

based on the policies and guidelines outlined

above. The lists are meant to be illustrative, not

exhaustive, in nature. Uses other than those

listed below should be discussed in advance with

GRE Program staff to determine their

appropriateness.

If a use other than those appropriate uses

listed below is contemplated, it will be important

for the user to validate the use of scores for that

purpose. The GRE Program staff will provide

advice on the design of such validity studies free

of charge.

Subject Test scores may be considered for

the award of undergraduate credit only in the

field of the test and only when a rationale has

been developed that discusses the relationship

between GRE Subject Test scores and the

amount of credit awarded. This rationale must

be made available to users of any transcripts that

contain credit awarded in this manner.

Appropriate Uses

Provided all applicable guidelines are adhered

to, particularly the use of multiple sources of

information in the decision-making process,

General Test and Subject Test scores are suitable

for the following uses:

1. Selection of applicants for admission to

graduate school

2. Selection of graduate fellowship applicants

for awards

3. Guidance and counseling for graduate study

Uses Without Supporting Validity

Evidence

Uses and interpretations of General Test and

Subject Test scores without supporting validity

evidence are inappropriate, including the

following:

1. Requirement of a minimum score on the

General Test for conferral of a degree,

credit-by-examination, advancement to

candidacy or any noneducational purpose

2. Requirement of scores on the General Test

or Subject Tests for employment decisions,

including hiring, salary, promotion, tenure

or retention

3. Use of any measure involving a summation

of Verbal Reasoning, Quantitative

Reasoning and Analytical Writing scores or

any subset of these scores

4. Use of the Verbal Reasoning, Quantitative

Reasoning or Analytical Writing measures

as an outcomes assessment

Comments, complaints, inquiries and suggestions

about the use of GRE test scores are welcome. To

contact the GRE Program office, see the inside

front cover.

13

Reporting and Using GRE® Scores

Score Reporting Policies

With the ScoreSelectSM option, test takers who

retake a GRE test can decide which GRE scores

to send to designated institutions. This option is

available for both the GRE® General Test and

the GRE® Subject Tests and can be used by

anyone with reportable scores from the last five

years. Scores for a test administration must be

reported in their entirety. Institutions receive

score reports that show the scores that test takers

selected to send to them. There are no special

notations to indicate whether or not other GRE

tests have been taken. For more information,

visit www.ets.org/gre/institutions/scoreselect.

GRE score reporting policies have been

adopted by the GRE Board to encourage the

appropriate use of GRE scores and to protect the

right of individuals to control the distribution of

their own score reports. Current GRE Board

policy states that for tests taken on or after July

1, 2016, scores are reportable for five years

following the individual’s test date. For tests

taken prior to July 1, 2016, scores are reportable

for five years following the testing year in which

the individual tested. Departments and programs

should not use scores that are older than five

years due to changes in ability that may occur

over extended periods of time.

Score reports are sent to test takers and to

institutions of higher education granting the

baccalaureate or higher degrees, to approved

graduate fellowship-granting sponsors

designated by the test takers and to vendors the

score recipients might designate to process the

scores they receive. Score reports are also

available to approved GRE score recipients in

the ETS® Data Manager (see page 2).

Score reports for the computer-delivered

GRE General Test are sent to institutions and

available in the ETS Data Manager

approximately 10–15 days after the test date.

Score reports for the paper-delivered GRE

General Test and Subject Tests are sent to

institutions and available in the ETS Data

Manager approximately six weeks after the test

date. Absences are not reported.

Percentile ranks shown on score reports are

based on the performance of the current

reference group for each test regardless of when

the scores were earned. The percentile rank for

any score may vary over the years depending on

the scores of the group with which the score is

compared. Thus, when two or more applicants

are being compared, the comparison should be

made on the basis of their respective scores; if

percentile ranks are considered, they should all

be based on the most recent percentile rank

tables available at www.ets.org/gre/percentile.

Score reports for individuals who tested

prior to August 1, 2011, contain estimated

Verbal Reasoning and Quantitative Reasoning

scores on the current 130–170 score scale in

addition to the Verbal Reasoning and

Quantitative Reasoning scores earned on the

prior 200–800 score scale. This concordance

information, which is also available at

www.ets.org/gre/concordance, allows score

users to compare individuals who took the

current GRE General Test with individuals who

took the GRE General Test prior to August

2011.

Revising Reported Scores

ETS routinely follows extensive review and

quality control procedures to detect and avoid

flawed questions and consequent errors in

scoring. Nonetheless, occasionally an error is

discovered after scores have been reported.

Whenever this happens, the specific

circumstances are reviewed carefully, and a

decision is made about how best to take

corrective action that is fairest to all concerned.

Revised scores reported during the current year

are reported directly to graduate schools,

business schools and graduate fellowship

sponsors as well as to students because such

scores are likely to be part of current

applications for admission. Revisions to scores

reported in the previous five years are sent to the

affected students, who may request that ETS

send the revised scores to any graduate schools

or fellowship sponsors still considering their

applications.

14

Confidentiality and Authenticity of

GRE Scores

GRE scores are confidential and are not to be

released by an institutional recipient without the

explicit permission of the test taker. GRE scores

are not to be included in academic

transcripts. Dissemination of score records

should be kept at a minimum, and all staff who

have access to them should be explicitly advised

of the confidential nature of the scores.

To ensure the authenticity of scores, the

GRE Board urges that institutions accept

only official reports of GRE scores received

directly from ETS.

The GRE Program recognizes the right of

institutions as well as individuals to privacy with

regard to information supplied by and about

them. ETS therefore safeguards from

unauthorized disclosure all information stored in

its data or research files. Information about an

institution (identified by name) will be released

only in a manner consistent with a prior

agreement, or with the consent of the institution.

GRE Scores and Graduate Admissions

Many factors play a role in an applicant’s

admissibility and expectation of success as a

graduate student. GRE scores are only one

element in this total picture and should be

considered along with other data. The GRE

Board believes that GRE scores should never be

the sole basis for an admissions decision and

that it is inadvisable to reject an applicant solely

on the basis of GRE scores. A cutoff score

below which every applicant is categorically

rejected without consideration of any other

information should not be used.

Scores on the GRE General Test permit

comparison of one applicant to a graduate school

or business school with other applicants for the

same program at that institution as well as with

everyone else who took the test. The GRE

Subject Tests provide an additional measure of

applicants’ preparation for graduate school. For

certain Subject Tests, subscores provide further

information for consideration. These subscores,

which reflect a test taker’s general strengths and

weaknesses in the major areas on which the total

score is based, aid in the interpretation of the

total score. Often the subscores can suggest

areas in which the test taker may require extra

work. A low subscore, however, may be the

result of lack of exposure to a particular

subfield. As a result, subscores should always be

reviewed in relation to the applicant’s

undergraduate history.

Protecting the Integrity of GRE Tests

ETS employs a three-pronged approach of

prevention, detection, and communication to

ensure the validity of test scores.

ETS has procedures in place to prevent

testing and scoring fraud. These can be seen

from the test design right through to the score

reporting process, including using the highest

standards to create and deliver test content,

establishing secure test centers, ensuring the

training of test center administrators, instituting

and enforcing test-taker rules and requirements,

and maintaining the quality of scoring and score

reporting through extensive training of GRE

raters, as well as security measures implemented

for the paper score reports.

In addition, ETS is vigilant in identifying

and taking action against fraudulent activity. All

reported incidents of fraud are taken seriously

and investigated thoroughly by the ETS Office

of Testing Integrity. Statistical analysis methods

are also used to help ensure that valid scores are

reported. The ETS Statistical Analysis team

monitors score trends by test center, country and

region and reports any suspicious anomalies to

the Office of Testing Integrity for review. In

terms of communication, ETS will continue to

inform institutions that are designated score

recipients when scores have been cancelled. In

addition, any concerns regarding test results can

be reported to ETS and will be investigated.

Cancellation of Scores at ETS

ETS strives to report scores that accurately

reflect the performance of every test taker.

Accordingly, ETS’s standards and procedures

for administering tests have two primary goals:

giving test takers equivalent opportunities to

demonstrate their abilities and preventing any

15

test takers from gaining an unfair advantage over

others. To promote these objectives, ETS

reserves the right to cancel any test score when,

in ETS’s judgment, a testing irregularity occurs;

there is an apparent discrepancy in a test taker’s

identification; the test taker engages in

misconduct or plagiarism, copying or

communication occurs or the score is invalid for

another reason. In addition, if ETS has

information that ETS considers sufficient to

indicate that a test taker has engaged in any

activity that affects score validity, such as having

someone else take the test for them, obtaining test

questions or answers via the Internet, email,

SMS, text messaging or postings, disclosing any

exam question or answer in chat rooms, message

boards or forums, SMS or text message, it will

result in score cancellation and/or any other

action ETS deems appropriate, including banning

test takers from future tests and prosecution to the

full extent of the law. Test takers must agree to

these terms and conditions when they register for

the test and on test day. When, for any of the

above reasons, ETS cancels a test score that has

already been reported, it notifies score recipients

that the score has been cancelled.

For additional security questions, or concerns,

please call the ETS Office of Testing Integrity at

1-800-750-6991 (United States) or

1-609-406-5430 (all other locations).

Considerations in Score Interpretation

GRE test scores should be used to supplement

the information provided in a person’s

application, such as undergraduate record and

letters of recommendation. Officials responsible

for admissions at each institution must

determine the significance of GRE scores for

each applicant. Particular attention must be paid

to the use of GRE scores for individuals

described below. Experience of departments and

programs should continue to be the best guide to

interpretation of GRE test scores in these

instances. GRE research reports on the topics

listed below can be downloaded at

www.ets.org/gre/research.

Repeat Test Takers

It may be to a test-taker's advantage to take a

GRE test more than once if they do not think

their scores accurately reflect their abilities. An

analysis by ETS in 2014 revealed that when

comparing an individual’s initial score to the

subsequent score, most saw favorable gains.

Improvements were noted on all three measures

of the GRE revised General Test.

There are several ways in which graduate

departments and programs can judge multiple

scores for an individual (e.g., use most recent

score, use highest score). Whatever approach is

adopted, it should be used consistently with all

applicants. In cases where an applicant has

scores from both the prior General Test and the

current General Test, the GRE Program advises

using the scores from the current General Test.

Test Takers from

Underrepresented Groups

GRE scores, like those on similar standardized

tests, cannot completely represent the potential of

any person, nor can they alone reflect an

individual’s chances of long-term success in an

academic environment. It should be remembered

that the GRE tests provide measures of certain

types of developed abilities and achievement,

reflecting educational and cultural experience

over a long period. Special care is required in

interpreting the GRE scores of students who

may have had educational and cultural

experiences somewhat different from those of

the traditional majority.

Research indicates that GRE scores are valid

predictors of success in graduate and business

school for all students. Research reports related to

the predictive validity of GRE test scores can be

found at www.ets.org/gre/research. Available

samples of students from underrepresented groups,

however, have been very small. Performance

information for underrepresented groups can be

found in the publication entitled A Snapshot of the

Individuals Who Took the GRE revised General

Test at www.ets.org/gre/snapshot.

16

Test Takers Who are Nonnative

English Speakers

Various factors complicate the interpretation of

GRE scores for international students. The GRE

tests measure skills important for graduate

education where the language of instruction is

English. Obviously, an understanding of English

is important since lack of fluency in English

may affect test performance.

ETS offers tests developed specifically for

testing the English language proficiency of

nonnative English speakers. The most widely

accepted English language proficiency test is the

Test of English as a Foreign Language,

commonly known as the TOEFL test. The

primary purpose of the TOEFL test is to

measure the English proficiency of people who

are nonnative speakers of English and want to

study at colleges and universities where English

is the language of instruction.

Score users should be aware that the writing

measure on the TOEFL iBT® test and the GRE

Analytical Writing measure are very different.

The TOEFL iBT writing measure is not

designed to measure higher levels of thinking

and analytical writing. Therefore the scores on

the two tests are not comparable. However,

because the TOEFL iBT test emphasizes both

fundamental writing skills as well as the ability

to organize and convey, in writing, information

that has been understood from spoken and

written text, the TOEFL scores can supplement

the GRE Analytical Writing score by helping

faculty determine whether a low score on the

GRE Analytical Writing measure is due to lack

of familiarity with English or lack of ability to

produce and analyze logical arguments.

A score on the TWE® test (Test of Written

English) can supplement a GRE Analytical

Writing score in a similar way. The TWE test is

administered as part of the paper-based TOEFL

test in a small number of areas that cannot

support testing on computer. The TWE

emphasizes fundamental writing skills.

Additional information regarding TOEFL

test scores is available at www.ets.org/toefl.

Test Takers with Disabilities

ETS makes special testing arrangements for

individuals who have currently documented

visual, physical, hearing or learning disabilities

and are unable to take the tests under standard

conditions. The tests are administered in a

nonstandard manner chosen to minimize any

adverse effect of the individual’s disability upon

test performance and to help ensure that, insofar

as possible, the resulting scores represent his or

her educational achievement.

While many test takers with disabilities

successfully take a GRE test with appropriate

accommodations, you may want to consider

waiving the test requirement for some test takers

with disabilities and consider their application

based on other information.

Essay Responses on the Analytical

Writing Section

Criteria for evaluating Analytical Writing essay

responses emphasize critical thinking skills (the

ability to reason, assemble evidence to develop a

position, and communicate complex ideas) more

heavily than the control of the fine points of

grammar or the mechanics of writing (e.g.,

spelling).

An Analytical Writing essay response

should be considered a rough first draft since

test takers do not have sufficient time to revise

their essays during the test. They also do not

have dictionaries or spell-checking or grammar-

checking software available to them.

Essay responses at paper-delivered

administrations are handwritten; essay responses

at computer-delivered administrations are typed.

Typed essays often appear shorter than

handwritten essays; handwritten essays can

appear to be more heavily revised than typed

essays. GRE readers are trained to evaluate the

content of essays and to give the same score to a

handwritten essay as they would to its typed

version.

17

Essay topics are administered under

standardized conditions; essay scores can

provide important information above and

beyond any academic writing samples that may

be required (e.g., papers from a course). Validity

research has shown that the Analytical Writing

score is correlated with academic writing more

highly than is the personal statement.

Test takers whose native language is not

English naturally find the Analytical Writing

section more challenging, on average, than native

speakers of English. Steps have already been taken

to ensure that these performance differences are

not due to differences on the cross-cultural

accessibility of the prompts. Special fairness

reviews occur for all prompts to ensure that the

content and tasks are clear and accessible for all

groups of test takers, including students whose

native language is not English. In addition, scorers

are trained to focus on the analytical logic of the

essays more than on spelling, grammar or syntax.

The mechanics of writing are weighed in their

ratings only to the extent that these impede clarity

of meaning. Since the Analytical Writing measure

is tapping into different skills than the Verbal

Reasoning measure, it may not be surprising that

the strength of performance of individuals whose

native language is not English differs between the

Analytical Writing measure and the Verbal

Reasoning measure. Given that graduate faculty

have indicated that analytical writing is an

important component of work in most graduate

schools, including the Analytical Writing measure

should increase the validity of the General Test.

The ability of students whose native language is

not English to write in English may be affected not

only by their language capability but also by their

prior experience with the kinds of critical writing

tasks in the test. Where educational systems do not

stress these skills, performance may not reflect the

applicant’s ability to learn these skills in a graduate

setting.

Score Interpretation and Statistical Information

Verbal Reasoning and Quantitative

Reasoning Sections of the

GRE General Test

• Verbal Reasoning and Quantitative

Reasoning scores range from 130–170, in

one-point increments. If no answers are

given for a measure, an NS (No Score) is

reported for that measure. Test takers who

received an NS are excluded from the data

reported in the accompanying tables.

• The scales for the General Test Verbal

Reasoning and Quantitative Reasoning

measures were developed based on the

performance of 146,504 individuals who

tested between August 1, 2011, and October

2, 2011. While this group was reasonably

representative of the GRE

population’s demographic characteristics, they

tended to be slightly more able than the

overall population, which is typical with the

launch of a new test. Therefore, when the

scales were set, the scale means were adjusted

so that the full year mean for both measures

would be equal to 150 and the standard

deviation equal to 8.75.

• Scores from the different measures should not

be directly compared because each measure

was scaled separately. Percentile ranks can be

used to compare relative performance among

the measures. For the 2016-17 testing year,

these percentile ranks are based on the scores

of all test takers who tested between July 1,

2012, and June 30, 2015.

• Because the Verbal Reasoning and

Quantitative Reasoning measures are multi-

stage computer-adaptive tests, the reliability

and standard error of measurement are

theoretical estimates based on item response

theory. The final estimates for the reliability

and standard errors of measurement are an

average based on a large number of multi-

stage tests that have been administered (see

Table 5).

• The standard errors of measurement (SEM)

of score differences presented in Table 5

should be taken into account when comparing

test takers’ scores on the same measure.

18

Score recipients should avoid making

decisions based on small score differences.

• The conditional standard errors of

measurement (CSEM) presented in Table

6A reflect the variation in observed scores at

particular points on the score scale. Like the

SEM, they can be used to compute a

confidence band around a test taker’s score.

Such a band would help to determine the

score range in which the test taker’s “true”2

score probably lies. Unlike the SEM, the

CSEM takes the variation in measurement

precision across the score scale into account.

The CSEM of score differences in Table 6B

can be used to evaluate the difference

between the scores from two test takers.

• Because the Verbal Reasoning and

Quantitative Reasoning measures were

rescaled in 2011, a concordance relationship

was estimated between the prior 200–800

score scales and current 130-170 score

scales. Score reports include a concorded

estimate on the current scale for each score

on the prior scale. Since the scale of the

prior GRE General Test has 61 points, and

the scale of the current GRE General Test

has 41 points, in some instances the

concordance tables will have more than one

score on the prior scale concorded to a

single score on the current 130–170 score

scale. In addition, concordance tables for the

Verbal Reasoning and Quantitative

Reasoning measures are provided in this

publication and at

www.ets.org/gre/concordance to enable

users to locate a concorded estimate on the

current scale for each score on the prior

GRE score scale. Bear in mind that

concordance relationships are estimates.

They are useful in a transition period when

score scales have changed to help

institutions make admissions decisions.

• Score users should use special care in

evaluating test takers who received a

Quantitative Reasoning score at the top end

2 A “true” score is a score entirely free from the

errors of measurement. It is defined as the average

of the scores an individual would get over some

of the prior 200–800 score scale. Now, with

the current 130–170 score scale, we can

provide more differentiation for higher

ability test takers. However, test takers who

took the prior test and received an 800 on

the Quantitative Reasoning measure,

received the highest score possible that they

were able to earn on the measure. Therefore,

this information should be considered when

making admissions decisions.

• Score users should remember that there is a

certain amount of error associated with any

estimated relationship between two tests.

The concordance tables can be used by

institutions to transform their historical

guidelines for GRE Verbal Reasoning and

Quantitative Reasoning scores on the prior

200–800 scale to the current 130–170 scale.

Used in this manner, the concordance tables

should help an institution identify a similar

cohort of individuals for consideration for

admission.

• Although each GRE General Test measure

assesses different developed abilities, scores

on the measures are moderately related. The

correlation between Verbal Reasoning and

Quantitative Reasoning scores is 0.33, the

correlation between Verbal Reasoning and

Analytical Writing scores is 0.69, and the

correlation between Quantitative Reasoning

and Analytical Writing scores is 0.15.

Analytical Writing Section of the

GRE General Test

• The Analytical Writing scores range from 0

to 6, in half-point increments. If no essay

response is given for both tasks, an NS (No

Score) is reported. Test takers who received

an NS are excluded from the data reported in

the tables.

• The Analytical Writing section is designed

to measure different skills from those

assessed in the Verbal Reasoning measure.

The Analytical Writing section is

very large set of theoretically possible conditions of

testing.

19

performance based, and candidates must

organize and articulate their own ideas as

they discuss a complex issue and evaluate

the logical soundness of an argument.

• Scoring guides for both writing tasks that

describe the characteristics of a typical essay

at each score level are available at

www.ets.org/gre/institution/awguides.

Score level descriptions appear on page 35

of this Guide.

• The reliability of the Analytical Writing

measure is estimated at 0.84. This is similar

to the reliability for other writing measures

where the reported score is based on a test

taker’s performance on two tasks.

• Reliability is influenced by the consistency

of the ratings assigned to each essay.

Overall, the two ratings used in each essay

score are in agreement about 79 percent of

the time; they differ by one score point

about 19 percent of the time; and they differ

by two or more score points about one

percent of the time.

• The TOEFL® and GRE Analytical Writing

measures are quite different, by design. The

TOEFL test emphasizes rhetorical and

syntactic competence, whereas the GRE

Analytical Writing section emphasizes

critical reasoning and analytical writing

proficiency. The TOEFL iBT® writing

measure is reported as a Section Scaled

Score, rather than a 6-point scale, like the

GRE Analytical Writing measure.

Therefore, the scores on the two tests cannot

be compared. Additional information about

the scoring of the TOEFL iBT writing

measure is available at www.ets.org/toefl.

3 Kuncel, N. R., Hezlett, S. A. and Ones, D. S.

(2001). A comprehensive meta-analysis of the

predictive validity of the Graduate Record

GRE Subject Tests

• The range of scaled scores is from 200 to

990, in 10-point increments, although the

score range for any particular Subject Test is

usually smaller. The range of subscores is

from 20 to 99, in one-point increments,

although the range for any particular Subject

Test subscore is usually smaller.

• Scores from different Subject Tests should

not be directly compared because each

Subject Test was scaled separately.

• The Subject Tests are intended to have

reliabilities of at least .90 for the total test

scores. For each of the Subject Tests, the

reliability coefficient of the total scores is at

least .90, and the reliability coefficient of the

subscores is at least .80 (see Table 5).

• The SEM of score differences should be

taken into account when comparing scores

on the same Subject Test (see Table 5). Fine

distinctions should not be made between two

scores.

• Independent research3 indicates that Subject

Test scores are moderately predictive of

graduate first-year grade point average,

comprehensive exam scores and faculty

ratings. The Subject Tests are better

predictors of success than either the GRE

General Test or undergraduate grade point

average.

Examinations: Implications for graduate student

selection and performance. Psychological Bulletin,

127 (1), 162-181.

20

Statistical Tables

Description of the Tables

Tables 1A, 1B and 1C (General Test

Interpretive Data)

To help interpret scaled scores, the GRE

Program describes scores in terms of their

standing in appropriate reference groups. Tables

1A and 1B provide percentile ranks (i.e., the

percentages of test takers in a group who

obtained scores lower than a specified score) for

the GRE General Test measures. Table 1C

provides summary statistics for this reference

group for each of the three measures: scale score

means, standard deviations, number of test

takers and percent of the group by gender.

Tables 1A, 1B and 1C are based on all

individuals who tested between July 1, 2012,

and June 30, 2015.

Tables 1D and 1E (Concordance Tables for

Verbal Reasoning and Quantitative

Reasoning)

Tables 1D and 1E provide the concordance

relationships between the prior 200–800 score

scale and the current 130–170 score scale for the

Verbal Reasoning and Quantitative Reasoning

measures of the GRE General Test. The tables

provide an estimated score on the 130-170 scale

for each score on the prior scale. Also included

are the most recent percentile ranks associated

with each score on the current scale.

Tables 2 and 3 (Subject Test Interpretative

Data)

Tables 2 and 3 present the percentile ranks for

the Subject Test total scores (Table 2) and

subscores (Table 3). The percentile ranks are

based on the percent of test takers scoring below

a particular scale score. The data are based on all

individuals who tested between July 1, 2012,

and June 30, 2015.

The percentile ranks given in Table 3 for

the Subject Test subscores may be used for

diagnostic interpretation of the total score. For

example, an individual who obtains a score of

650 on the GRE Biology Test is likely to have

subscores of 65, assuming he or she is similarly

able in the content areas measured by each

subscore. For that person, scores much above or

below 65 on a subscore would indicate strength

or weakness in the content area associated with

that subscore. Note that the strength or weakness

could possibly reflect training that was targeted

toward specific content areas.

Table 4 (Interpretive Data by Major Field)

Table 4 presents Verbal Reasoning, Quantitative

Reasoning and Analytical Writing data for

seniors and nonenrolled college graduates (who

reported earning their college degrees up to two

years prior to the test date) who stated that they

intended to do graduate work in one of

approximately 300 major fields. The score data

are summarized by broad graduate major field

categories so that applicants can be compared to

others likely to be most similar to them in

educational goals.

Table 5 (Reliability and Standard Error of

Measurement)

Table 5 provides reliability estimates for GRE

tests. Reliability indicates the degree to which

individual test takers would keep the same

relative standing if the test were administered

more than once to each test taker. The reliability

index ranges from zero to 1.00; a reliability

index of 1.00 indicates that there is no

measurement error in the test and therefore the

test is perfectly reliable.

Table 5 also provides data on the standard

errors of measurement (SEM) and SEM of score

differences. SEM is an index of the variation in

scores to be expected because of errors of

measurement. For a group of test takers, it is an

estimate of the average difference between

observed scores and “true” scores (i.e., what test

takers’ scores on a test would hypothetically be

if there was no measurement error).

Approximately 95 percent of test takers will

have obtained scores that are within a range

extending from two standard errors below to two

standard errors above their true scores.

The SEM of score differences is an index

used to determine whether the difference between

two scores is meaningful. Small differences in

scores may be due to measurement error and not

to real differences in the abilities of the test

takers. This index incorporates the error of

21

measurement in each score being compared. To

use the SEM of score differences, multiply the

value by 1.65. Score differences exceeding this

value are likely to reflect real differences in

ability at a 90 percent confidence level.

Tables 6A and 6B (Conditional Standard

Errors of Measurement)

Tables 6A and 6B contain estimates of the

conditional standard errors of measurement

(CSEM) at selected reported scores for the

Verbal Reasoning and Quantitative Reasoning

measures. While the SEMs presented in Table 5

address the average measurement precision of

the test, the measurement precision actually

varies across the score scale. The CSEM reflects

this variation by indicating the amount of error

in a reported score at a given point on the scale.

The CSEM of score differences incorporates

the measurement error in each score. The CSEM

of score differences should be used when

comparing the scores of two individuals because

small differences in scores may not represent

real differences in the abilities of the two

individuals. To use the CSEM of score

differences, take the larger of the two values and

multiply by 1.65. Score differences exceeding

this value are likely to reflect real differences in

ability at a 90 percent confidence level.

22

Table 1A: Verbal Reasoning and Quantitative Reasoning

Interpretative Data Used on Score Reports

(Based on the performance of all individuals who tested between

July 1, 2012 and June 30, 2015)

Percent of Test Takers Scoring Lower than

Selected Scaled Scores

Scaled

Score

Verbal Reasoning

Quantitative

Reasoning

170 99 97

169 99 97

168

98 95

167 98 93

166

97

91

165 95 89

164 94 87

163

92 85

162 90 82

161

88

79

160 85 76

159 82 73

158

80 70

157 75 67

156

72

63

155 68 59

154 64 55

153

60 51

152 55 47

151

51

43

150 47 39

149 42 35

148

38 31

147 34 27

146

30

24

145 26 20

144 23 17

143

19 14

142 17 12

141

14

10

Table 1B: Analytical Writing Interpretative Data

Used on Score Reports

(Based on the performance of all individuals who tested between

July 1, 2012 and June 30, 2015)

Percent of Test Takers Scoring

Lower than Selected Score

Score

Levels

Analytical Writing

6.0

99

5.5 98

5.0 93

4.5

82

4.0 59

3.5

42

3.0 17

2.5 7

2.0

2

1.5 1

1.0

0.5

0.0

Table 1C: Performance Statistics on the

GRE General Test*

Verbal

Reasoning

Quantitative

Reasoning

Analytical

Writing

Number of

Test Takers

1,694,715 1,697,401 1,689,069

Mean 150.22 152.47 3.50

Standard

Deviation

8.45 8.93 0.87

Percent Women

51

Percent Men

45

*Five percent of test takers did not provide any classification with

regard to gender.

140 11 8

139 9 6

138

7 4

137 6 3

136

4

2

135 3 1

134 2 1

133

1 1

132 1

131

1

130

Table 1D: Verbal Reasoning Concordance Table

Prior Scale Current Scale % Rank*

800 170 99

790 170 99

780 170 99

770 170 99

760

170

99

750 169 99

740 169 99

730

168

98

720 168 98

710 167 98

700 166 97

690 165 95

680

165

95

670 164 94

660 164 94

650 163 92

640 162 90

630 162 90

620 161 88

610 160 85

600 160 85

590 159 82

580 158 80

570 158 80

560 157 75

550 156 72

540 156 72

530 155 68

520

154

64

510 154 64

500 153 60

Verbal Reasoning Concordance Table (continued)

Prior Scale Current Scale % Rank

490 152 55

480 152 55

470

151

51

460 151 51

450 150 47

440 149 42

430 149 42

420

148

38

410 147 34

400 146 30

390

146

30

380 145 26

370 144 23

360 143 19

350 143 19

340 142 17

330 141 14

320 140 11

310 139 9

300 138 7

290 137 6

280 135 3

270 134 2

260

133

1

250 132 1

240 131 1

230 130

220 130

210 130

200 130

*Based on the performance of all individuals who tested between July 1, 2012 and June 30, 2015. Percentile ranks are updated

yearly.

23

Table 1E: Quantitative Reasoning Concordance Table

Quantitative Reasoning Concordance Table (continued)

Prior Scale Current Scale % Rank*

800 166 91

790 164 87

780 163 85

770

161

79

760 160 76

750 159 73

740 158 70

730 157 67

720

156

63

710 155 59

700 155 59

690

154

55

680 153 51

670 152 47

660 152 47

650 151 43

640 151 43

630 150 39

620 149 35

610 149 35

600 148 31

590 148 31

580 147 27

570 147 27

560

146

24

550 146 24

540 145 20

530 145 20

520 144 17

510

144

17

500 144 17

Prior Scale Current Scale % Rank

490 143 14

480 143 14

470 142 12

460 142 12

450 141 10

440 141 10

430 141 10

420 140 8

410 140 8

400 140 8

390 139 6

380 139 6

370 138 4

360 138 4

350 138 4

340 137 3

330 137 3

320

136

2

310 136 2

300 136 2

290 135 1

280 135 1

270

134

1

260 134 1

250 133 1

240

133

1

230 132

220 132

210 131

200 131

Note: Score users should use special care in evaluating test takers who received a Quantitative Reasoning score at the top end of the prior

200-800 score scale. Now, with the current 130-170 score scale, we can provide more differentiation for higher ability test takers.

However, test takers who took the prior test and received an 800 on the Quantitative Reasoning measure, received the highest score

possible that they were able to earn on the measure. Therefore, this information should be considered when making admissions decisions.

*Based on the performance of all individuals who tested between July 1, 2012, and June 30, 2015. Percentile ranks are updated yearly.

24

Scaled

Score Scaled

Score

980 93

980

960 92

960

940 99 90

940

920 99 99 87

920

900 98 97 97 85

900

880 97 95 93 83

880

860 94 92 90 80

860

840 92 88 87 77

840

820 89 83 84 74

820

800 85 79 80 70 99

800

780 81 74 77 67 96

780

760 76 68 99 74 63 93

760

740 99 70 62 98 69 59 88

740

720 99 64 56 96 65 55 83

720

700 97 57 50 94 60 51 76

700

680 95 51 44 90 56 47 69

680

660 92 44 38 86 51 42 61

660

640 88 38 32 80 46 37 54

640

620 84 32 27 74 42 33 47

620

600 78 27 21 68 36 28 40

600

580 70 22 16 61 31 24 33

580

560 64 18 12 53 26 19 28

560

540 55 14 846 21 16 23

540

520 48 11 639 17 11 18

520

500 40 8 3 32 13 814

500

480 32 6 2 25 9 5 11

480

460 24 4 1 20 6 3 8

460

440 18 314 4 2 5

440

420 13 210 2 1 4

420

400 9 1 7 1 3

400

380 5 1 4 2

380

360 3 3 1

360

340 1 2 1

340

320 1 1

320

300 1

300

280

280

260

260

240

240

220

220

200

200

Number of

Test Takers

5,237 3,734 8,985 5,285 14,577 18,202 14,624

Number of

Test Takers

Mean 522 668 694 544 658 705 614

Mean

Standard Deviation 92 119 112 100 136 156 103 Standard Deviation

Percent Women 51 59 38 63 27 20 75

Percent Women

Percent Men 46 37 60 34 70 77 23

Percent Men

25

Mathematics

Physics+

Psychology*

Table 2: Subject Tests Total Score Interpretive Data Used on Score Reports

(Based on the performance of all individuals who tested between July 1, 2012, and June 30, 2015)

* For additional data and interpretive information about subscores for these tests, see Table 3.

+ For the Physics Test, the percent of test takers scoring lower than 990 is 94.

Percent of Test Takers Scoring Lower than Selected Scaled Scores

Biochemistry, Cell

and Molecular

Biology *

Biology*

Chemistry

Literature in

English

Scaled

Score

Biochemistry

Cell Biology

Molecular Biology

and Genetics

Cellular and

Molecular Biology

Organismal Biology

Ecology and

Evolution

Experimental

Psychology

Social Psychology

Scaled

Score

98 98

96 96

94 99 99 94

92 99 99 99 92

90 97 97 99 90

88 96 96 98 88

86 94 94 96 86

84 91 92 93 84

82 88 88 89 99 82

80 85 85 85 98 99 80

78 80 81 81 96 97 78

76 75 76 74 92 94 76

74 99 99 99 69 70 69 88 90 74

72 99 98 99 63 65 62 82 84 72

70 98 97 97 57 58 55 75 77 70

68 96 95 96 51 52 48 69 70 68

66 93 92 94 45 46 42 62 62 66

64 89 88 89 39 40 36 54 54 64

62 83 83 85 33 34 30 48 47 62

60 76 77 80 27 28 26 40 40 60

58 70 70 74 22 22 23 34 33 58

56 62 63 67 17 18 19 28 28 56

54 54 55 58 13 14 16 23 23 54

52 46 47 51 10 10 13 18 17 52

50 38 38 41 7 7 10 13 14 50

48 31 31 33 4 5 8 10 11 48

46 24 24 25 2 3 6 7 8 46

44 18 18 19 1 2 4 5 6 44

42 12 12 13 1 1 3 3 4 42

40 888 1223 40

38 444 112 38

36 2 2 2 1 36

34 1 1 1 1 34

32 132

30 30

28 28

26 26

24 24

22 22

20 20

Number of

Test Takers

Number of

Test Takers

Mean 52 52 52 67 67 67 62 61 Mean

Standard Deviation 9 9 9 12 12 12 10 10 Standard Deviation

Total Score Mean Total Score Mean

Standard Deviation Standard Deviation

26

5,237

3,734

14,624

522

92

668

119

614

103

Percent of Test Takers Scoring Lower than Selected Scaled Scores

Biochemistry, Cell and

Molecular Biology

Biology

Psychology

Table 3: Subject Tests Interpretive Data for Subscores

(Based on the performance of all individuals who tested between July 1, 2012, and June 30, 2015)

27

01738-73899 • GRE Guide to the use of scores • hel neu, new aster, uncp • InD CS2 • Draft01 07/17/08 ljg • edits dr01 072308 ljg • Draft02 8/8/8 cg • Preight 9/19/08 jw • pdf 093008 cj • dr01 7/30/10 mc • pdf

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Pharmacology ...................................... 0216

Physiology ........................................... 0217

Radiobiology ........................................ 0218

Population Biology ............................... 0232

Systematics ......................................... 0233

Toxicology ............................................ 0219

Zoology ................................................ 0220

Biological and Biomedical

Sciences—Other

.............................. 0299

Chemistry

Analytical Chemistry ............................ 0302

Chemical Plastics ................................. 0307

Chemistry, General ............................... 0301

Environmental Chemistry ..................... 0308

Forensic Chemistry .............................. 0309

Inorganic Chemistry............................. 0303

Organic Chemistry ............................... 0304

Medicinal and Pharmaceutical

Chemistry

......................................... 0305

Physical Chemistry .............................. 0306

Polymer Chemistry ............................. 0310

Theoretical Chemistry .......................... 0311

Chemistry—Other ................................ 0399

Computer and Information Sciences

Computer and Information

Sciences, General

............................. 0407

Computer Programming ...................... 0401

Computer Science ............................... 0402

Computer Software and

Media Applications

........................... 0408

Computer Systems Analysis ................ 0409

Computer Systems Networking

and Telecommunications

.................. 0410

Computer/Information

Technology Admin and Mgmt

.......... 0411

Data Processing ................................... 0403

Information Sciences/Studies .............. 0404

Microcomputer Applications ................ 0405

Systems Analysis ................................ 0406

Computer and Information

Sciences—Other

.............................. 0499

Earth, Atmospheric, and Marine Sciences

Aquatic Biology/Limnology .................. 0509

Atmospheric Sciences ......................... 0501

Biological Oceanography ..................... 0510

Environmental Sciences ....................... 0502

Geochemistry ....................................... 0503

Geological Sciences ............................. 0504

Geophysics and Seismology ................ 0505

Geosciences ......................................... 0511

Hydrology ............................................ 0512

Marine Sciences ................................... 0513

Meteorology ......................................... 0507

Oceanography ...................................... 0508

Paleontology ........................................ 0506

Earth, Atmospheric, and

Marine Sciences—Other

.................. 0599

Health and Medical Sciences

Allied Health ......................................... 0601

Alternative and Complementary

Medicine ........................................... 0624

Audiology ............................................. 0602

Bioethics/Medical Ethics ...................... 0625

Chiropractic ......................................... 0603

Clinical/Medical Laboratory

Science/Research

............................. 0626

Communication Disorders

Sciences and Services

...................... 0627

Dentistry and Oral Sciences ................. 0604

Dietetics and Clinical Nutrition Services ..0628

Environmental Health ........................... 0605

Epidemiology ....................................... 0606

Exercise Science .................................. 0629

Health and Medical Administrative

Services

............................................ 0607

Immunology ......................................... 0608

Health Sciences ................................... 0630

Health/Medical Preparatory Programs ... 0631

Kinesiology .......................................... 0623

Medical Sciences ................................. 0609

Medicinal Chemistry ............................ 0621

Mental and Social Health Services ....... 0632

Nursing ................................................ 0610

Occupational Therapy .......................... 0618

Optometry ............................................ 0611

Osteopathic Medicine ........................... 0612

Pharmaceutical Sciences ..................... 0613

Physical Therapy .................................. 0619

Physician Assistant .............................. 0634

Podiatry ............................................... 0614

Pre-Medicine ........................................ 0615

Public Health ........................................ 0616

Rehabilitation and Therapy .................. 0635

Speech-Language Pathology ............... 0620

Veterinary Medicine ............................. 0617

Veterinary Science ............................... 0622

Health and Medical Sciences—Other ... 0699

Mathematical Sciences

Actuarial Science ................................. 0701

Applied Mathematics ........................... 0702

Mathematics ........................................ 0703

Probability ............................................ 0704

Statistics .............................................. 0705

Mathematical Sciences—Other ............ 0799

Physics and Astronomy

Acoustics ............................................. 0809

Astronomy ........................................... 0801

Astrophysics ........................................ 0802

Atomic/Molecular Physics ................... 0803

Condensed Matter and Materials

Physics

............................................. 0810

Elementary Particle Physics ................ 0811

Nuclear Physics ................................... 0804

Optics/Optical Sciences ....................... 0805

Physics ................................................ 0808

Planetary Astronomy and Science ....... 0806

Plasma and High-Temperature Physics 0812

Solid State Physics .............................. 0807

Theoretical and Mathematical Physics 0813

Physics and Astronomy—Other .......... 0899

Natural Sciences—Other

Natural Sciences, General .................... 0901

Physical Sciences, General .................. 0902

Science Technologies ........................... 0903

Natural Sciences—Other ..................... 0999

ENGINEERING

Engineering—Chemical

Chemical and Biomolecular

Engineering

...................................... 1004

Chemical Engineering .......................... 1001

Pulp and Paper Production .................. 1002

Wood Science ...................................... 1003

Chemical Engineering—Other .............. 1099

Engineering—Civil

Architectural Engineering ..................... 1101

Civil Engineering .................................. 1102

Construction Engineering ..................... 1104

Environmental/Environmental

Health Engineering

........................... 1103

Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental

Engineering ...................................... 1105

Structural Engineering ......................... 1106

Surveying Engineering ........................ 1107

Transportation and Highway

Engineering

...................................... 1108

Water Resources Engineering .............. 1109

Civil Engineering—Other ..................... 1199

Engineering—Electrical and Electronics

Communications Engineering .............. 1202

Computer Engineering ......................... 1201

Computer Hardware

Engineering

...................................... 1205

Computer Software

Engineering

...................................... 1206

Electrical Engineering ........................... 1203

Electronics Engineering ....................... 1204

Laser and Optical Engineering ............ 1207

Telecommunications

Engineering

..................................... 1208

Electrical & Electronics

Engineering—Other

.......................... 1299

Engineering—Industrial

Industrial Engineering .......................... 1301

Manufacturing Engineering .................. 1303

Operations Research ............................ 1302

Industrial Engineering—Other ............. 1399

Engineering—Materials

Ceramic Sciences and Engineering ...... 1401

Materials Engineering .......................... 1402

Materials Science ................................. 1403

Metallurgical Engineering ..................... 1404

Polymer/Plastics Engineering .............. 1405

Materials Engineering—Other .............. 1499

Engineering—Mechanical

Engineering Mechanics ........................ 1501

Mechanical Engineering ....................... 1502

Mechanical Engineering—Other .......... 1599

Engineering—Other

Aeronautical Engineering ..................... 1614

Aerospace Engineering ........................ 1601

Agricultural Engineering ....................... 1602

Biochemical Engineering ...................... 1615

Biomedical/Medical Engineering .......... 1603

Electromechanical Engineering ............ 1616

Engineering Chemistry ......................... 1617

Engineering Physics ............................. 1604

Engineering Science ............................. 1605

Agriculture, Natural Resources and

Conservation

Agricultural and Domestic Animal

Services ............................................ 0116

Agricultural and Food Products

Processing ....................................... 0117

Agricultural Business and

Management

..................................... 0118

Agricultural Economics ........................ 0101

Agricultural Mechanization ................... 0119

Agricultural Production ........................ 0102

Agricultural Public Services ................. 0103

Agriculture, General ............................. 0120

Agronomy ............................................ 0104

Animal Sciences ................................... 0105

Applied Horticulture ............................. 0121

Fishing and Fisheries Sciences

and Management

.............................. 0106

Food Science and Technology .............. 0107

Forestry ............................................... 0108

Horticulture Business Services ............ 0109

International Agriculture ...................... 0122

Parks, Recreation, and Leisure

Facilities Mgmt

................................ 0111

Parks, Recreation, and Leisure

Studies

............................................. 0123

Plant Sciences (Except

Agronomy, see 0104)

....................... 0112

Natural Resources and

Conservation

.................................... 0113

Natural Resources Management

and Policy

......................................... 0110

Soil Sciences ....................................... 0114

Wildlife and Wildlands Science

and Management

.............................. 0115

Agriculture, Nat Resources, and

Conservation—Other ........................ 0199

Biological and Biomedical Sciences

Anatomical Sciences ............................ 0201

Animal Biology ..................................... 0223

Bacteriology ......................................... 0221

Biochemistry ........................................ 0202

Bioinformatics ...................................... 0224

Biology, General ................................... 0203

Biomathematics ................................... 0225

Biometry .............................................. 0204

Biophysics ........................................... 0222

Biotechnology ...................................... 0226

Botany/Plant Biology ............................ 0205

Cell/Cellular Biology ............................. 0206

Computational Biology ......................... 0227

Developmental Biology ........................ 0208

Ecology ................................................ 0207

Entomology ......................................... 0209

Evolution .............................................. 0228

Genetics ............................................... 0210

Marine Biology ..................................... 0211

Microbiological Sciences ..................... 0212

Molecular Biology ................................ 0229

Molecular Medicine .............................. 0230

Neurosciences ..................................... 0213

Nutrition ............................................... 0214

Parasitology ........................................ 0231

Pathology ............................................. 0215

Department & Major Field Codes

NATURAL SCIENCES

Department Code List for use with Table 4

The following Department Code List contains the elds of study from which examinees select their intended graduate

major. These elds are grouped into broad graduate major elds under seven branches of learning (Natural Sciences,

Engineering, Social and Behavioral Sciences, Arts and Humanities, Education, Business, and Other Fields).

Table 4 (see pages 29-32) contains score data by intended graduate major eld and broad graduate major eld (e.g.,

aggregation of the elds of study that constitute Agriculture) and also for the following aggregated groups of broad graduate

major elds: Life Sciences, Physical Sciences, Engineering, Social Sciences, Arts and Humanities, Education, Business,

and Other Fields. Score data presented includes number of examinees (N), means, standard deviations (S.D.), and the

percentage of students in each of seven score ranges for verbal and quantitative scaled scores. However, only the number of

examinees is reported for the broad major eld “Other” or the “Other Fields” grouping (e.g., the aggregation of Fire

Protection, Homeland Security, Interdisciplinary Studies, Law, Legal Research and Professional Studies, Military

Technologies, Multidisciplinary Studies).

Note: The Natural Sciences category in the Department Code List is separated in Table 4 into Life Sciences

(Agriculture, Natural Resources and Conservation; Biological and Biomedical Sciences; Health and Medical Sciences) and

Physical Sciences (Chemistry; Computer and Information Sciences; Earth, Atmospheric, and Marine Sciences;

Mathematical Sciences; Physics and Astronomy; and Other).

28

01738-73899 • GRE Guide to the use of scores • hel neu, new aster, uncp • InD CS2 • Draft01 07/17/08 ljg • edits dr01 072308 ljg • Draft02 8/8/8 cg • Preight 9/19/08 jw • pdf 093008 cj • dr01 7/30/10 mc • pdf

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Department & Major Field Codes (continued)

Forest Engineering ............................... 1618

Geological/Geophysical Engineering .... 1606

Mining and Mineral Engineering .......... 1607

Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering ..1608

Nuclear Engineering ............................. 1609

Ocean Engineering ............................... 1610

Paper Science and Engineering............ 1619

Petroleum Engineering ......................... 1611

Systems Engineering ........................... 1612

Textile Sciences and Engineering ......... 1613

Engineering—Other ............................. 1699

SOCIAL AND BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES

Anthropology & Archaeology

Anthropology ....................................... 1701

Archaeology ......................................... 1702

Anthropology and Archaeology, Other ...1799

Economics

Applied Economics .............................. 1803

Econometrics ....................................... 1802

Economics ........................................... 1801

International Economics ...................... 1804

Economics, Other ................................ 1899

Political Science

International Relations ......................... 1901

Political Science and Government........ 1902

Public Policy Analysis .......................... 1903

Political Science—Other ...................... 1999

Psychology

Applied Psychology ............................. 2017

Clinical Psychology .............................. 2001

Cognitive Psychology ........................... 2002

Community Psychology ....................... 2003

Comparative Psychology ..................... 2004

Counseling Psychology ........................ 2005

Developmental and Child Psychology .. 2006

Experimental Psychology ..................... 2007

Forensic Psychology ............................ 2018

Industrial and Organizational

Psychology

....................................... 2008

Personality Psychology ........................ 2009

Physiological Psychology .................... 2010

Psycholinguistics ................................. 2011

Psychology, General ............................ 2016

Psychometrics ..................................... 2012

Psychopharmacology ........................... 2013

Quantitative Psychology ....................... 2014

Research and Experimental

Psychology

....................................... 2019

Social Psychology ................................ 2015

Psychology—Other .............................. 2099

Sociology

Demography ........................................ 2101

Rural Sociology ................................... 2103

Sociology ............................................. 2102

Social and Behavioral Sciences—Other

American Studies ................................. 2206

Adult Development and Aging ............. 2208

Area, Ethnic, Cultural, Gender,

and Group Studies

........................... 2201

Criminal Justice/Criminology ............... 2202

Geography and Cartography ................ 2203

Gerontology ......................................... 2207

Public Affairs ....................................... 2204

Social Sciences, General ...................... 2209

Urban Studies/Affairs ........................... 2205

Social and Behavioral Sciences—

Other ................................................ 2299

ARTS AND HUMANITIES

Arts—History, Theory, and Criticism

Art History, Criticism, and

Conservation

.................................... 2301

Music History, Literature,

and Theory

....................................... 2302

Musicology .......................................... 2303

Theatre Literature, History

and Criticism

.................................... 2304

Arts—History, Theory,

and Criticism—Other

....................... 2399

Arts—Performance and Studio

Arts, Entertainment, and Media

Management..................................... 2401

Crafts/Craft Design ............................... 2408

Dance ................................................... 2402

Design and Applied Arts ...................... 2405

Drama/Theatre Arts .............................. 2403

Film/Video and Photographic Arts ....... 2409

Fine and Studio Arts ............................ 2406

Industrial Design .................................. 2407

Music ................................................... 2404

Arts—Performance and Studio—

Other ................................................ 2499

English Language and Literature

American Literature ............................. 2502

Creative Writing ................................... 2503

English Language and Literature.......... 2501

English Literature ................................. 2504

Rhetoric and Composition/Writing

Studies ............................................ 2505

English Language and

Literatures—Other

........................... 2599

Foreign Languages and Literatures

African Languages and

Literatures

........................................ 2610

American Sign Language ..................... 2611

Asiatic Languages and

Literatures

........................................ 2601

Celtic Languages and

Literatures

........................................ 2612

Classics and Classical Languages

and Literatures

................................. 2609

Foreign Literature ................................. 2602

French .................................................. 2603

Germanic Languages and

Literatures

........................................ 2604

Italian ................................................... 2605

Russian ................................................ 2606

Semitic Languages ............................... 2607

Spanish ................................................ 2608

Iranian/Persian Languages and

Literatures ........................................ 2613

Modern Greek Language and

Literature

.......................................... 2614

Romance Languages and

Literatures

........................................ 2615

Slavic, Baltic, and Albanian

Languages and Lit

............................ 2616

Foreign Languages and

Literatures—Other

........................... 2699

History

American History ................................. 2701

European History ................................. 2702

History and Philosophy of

Science and Technology

................... 2703

History, General ................................... 2704

History—Other .................................... 2799

Philosophy

Ethics ................................................... 2802

Logic .................................................... 2803

Philosophy ........................................... 2804

All Philosophy Fields ............................ 2801

Philosophy—Other .............................. 2899

Arts and Humanities—Other

Classics ................................................ 2901

Linguistic, Comparative and

Related Lang Studies

....................... 2902

Linguistics ........................................... 2903

Religious Studies ................................. 2904

Humanities/Humanistic Studies ........... 2905

Liberal Arts and Sciences/Liberal

Arts

................................................... 2906

Arts and Humanities—Other ................ 2999

EDUCATION

Education—Administration

Educational Administration .................. 3001

Educational Leadership ........................ 3003

Educational Supervision....................... 3002

Education—Curriculum and Instruction

Curriculum and Instruction .................. 3101

Education—Early Childhood

Early Childhood Education and

Teaching

........................................... 3201

Kindergarten/Preschool Education

and Teaching

.................................... 3203

Education—Elementary

Elementary Education and Teaching .... 3301

Elementary Level Teaching Fields ........ 3302

Education—Evaluation and Research

Educational Evaluation and Research .. 3407

Educational Psychology ....................... 3403

Educational Statistics and

Research Methods

............................ 3401

Educational Assessment,

Testing, and Measurement

............... 3402

Elementary and Secondary Research... 3404

Higher Education Research .................. 3405

Learning Sciences ................................ 3408

School Psychology .............................. 3406

Education—Higher

Educational Policy ................................ 3501

Higher Education ................................. 3502

Higher Education

Administration

.................................. 3503

Education—Secondary

Secondary Education and Teaching ..... 3601

Secondary Level Teaching Fields ......... 3602

Education—Special

Education of the Gifted and

Talented

............................................ 3701

Education of Students with

Specific Disabilities

.......................... 3702

Educ of Students with Specific

Learn Disabilities

.............................. 3703

Remedial Education ............................. 3704

Special Education and Teaching ........... 3705

Special Education—Other .................... 3799

Education—Student Counseling and

Personnel Services

College Student Counseling and

Personnel Services ........................... 3801

Counselor Education ............................ 3802

School Counseling and

Guidance Services

............................ 3803

Student Counseling and

Personnel Services—Other

.............. 3899

Education—Other

Adult and Continuing Education ........... 3901

Agricultural Education .......................... 3908

Bilingual, Multilingual,

and Multicultural Educ

..................... 3902

Educational Media ................................ 3903

Education, General ............................... 3911

Junior High/Middle School

Education and Teaching

.................... 3904

Outdoor Education ............................... 3912

Physical Education ............................... 3909

Pre-Elementary Education .................... 3905

Social and Philosophical

Foundations of Education

................. 3906

Teaching English as a Second

or Foreign Language

........................ 3907

Vocational/Technical Education ............ 3910

Education—Other ................................ 3999

BUSINESS

Accounting

Accounting ........................................... 4001

Taxation................................................ 4002

Auditing ............................................... 4003

Banking and Finance

Banking and Financial Support Services ..4101

Credit Management .............................. 4104

Finance ................................................. 4102

Financial Planning and Services........... 4105

International Finance ............................ 4106

Investments and Securities .................. 4103

Business Administration and Management

Business Administration and

Management..................................... 4201

Business Operations ............................ 4214

Construction Management ................... 4215

E-Commerce ........................................ 4209

Entrepreneurship ................................. 4210

Health Care Administration .................. 4211

Hospitality Administration/

Management..................................... 4208

Human Resource Development ............ 4202

Human Resources Management .......... 4203

Labor and Industrial Relations ............. 4204

Logistics and Supply Chain

Management

................................... 4205

Manufacturing and Technology

Management..................................... 4212

Operations Management ...................... 4213

Organizational Leadership .................... 4206

Organizational Management ................. 4207

Project Management ............................ 4216

Small Business Operations .................. 4217

Sport and Fitness

Administration/Management ............ 4218

Telecommunications Management ....... 4219

Business Administration and Management—

Other ................................................ 4299

Business—Other

Actuarial Science—Business ............... 4306

Business/Corporate

Communications

.............................. 4318

Business/Managerial Economics ......... 4301

Business Statistics ............................... 4319

Consulting ............................................ 4307

Insurance ............................................. 4308

International Business ......................... 4302

Leadership ........................................... 4309

Management Information Systems ...... 4303

Management Science ........................... 4320

Marketing ............................................ 4304

Marketing Management and Research ... 4305

Public Policy—Business ...................... 4310

Merchandizing...................................... 4321

Real Estate ........................................... 4311

Risk Management ................................ 4312

Supply Chain Management .................. 4313

Sports Management ............................. 4314

Strategy ............................................... 4315

Statistics and Operational Research .... 4316

Transportation ...................................... 4317

Sales .................................................... 4322

Business—Other .................................. 4399

OTHER FIELDS

Architecture and Environmental Design

Architectural History and Criticism ...... 4407

Architectural Sciences and Technology .. 4408

Architecture.......................................... 4401

City, Urban, Community,

and Regional Planning

..................... 4402

Environmental Design .......................... 4403

Interior Architecture ............................. 4404

Landscape Architecture........................ 4405

Urban Design ....................................... 4406

Real Estate Development ..................... 4409

Architecture and Environmental

Design—Other

................................. 4499

Communications and Journalism

Advertising ........................................... 4501

Communications and Media Studies ... 4507

Communications Technologies ............ 4502

Journalism .......................................... 4503

Mass Communications ........................ 4508

Public Relations ................................... 4504

Publishing ............................................ 4509

Radio, Television, and Digital

Communication ................................ 4505

Speech Communication ....................... 4506

Communications and

Journalism—Other

........................... 4599

Family and Consumer Sciences

Apparel and Textiles ............................. 4604

Family and Consumer Economics ........ 4601

Family and Consumer Sciences ........... 4603

Family Studies ..................................... 4602

Foods, Nutrition, and Wellness Studies ...4605

Housing and Human Environments ..... 4606

Human Development ........................... 4607

Human Sciences .................................. 4608

Work and Family Studies ..................... 4609

Family and Consumer Sciences—

Other ................................................ 4699

Library and Archival Studies

Archives/Archival Administration ......... 4702

Library and Information Science .......... 4701

Library and Archival Studies—

Other ................................................ 4799

Public Administration

Community Organization and

Advocacy .......................................... 4802

Public Administration ........................... 4801

Religion and Theology

Ordained Ministry/Rabbinate ............... 4903

Philosophy and Religious Studies,

General ............................................. 4904

Religion/Religious Studies ................... 4901

Theology and Religious

Vocations

......................................... 4902

Religion and Theology—Other ............. 4999

Social Work

Social Work.......................................... 5001

Youth Services/Administration ............. 5002

Social Work—Other ............................. 5099

Other Fields

Fire Protection ..................................... 5103

Homeland Security ............................... 5104

Interdisciplinary Studies ...................... 5101

Law ...................................................... 5102

Legal Research and

Professional Studies......................... 5105

Military Technologies ........................... 5106

Multidisciplinary Studies ...................... 5107

Any Department Not Listed .................. 5199

Undecided ............................................ 0000

Table 4: General Test Percentage Distribution of Scores Within Intended Broad Graduate Major Field

Based on Seniors and Nonenrolled College Graduates

(Based on the performance of seniors and nonenrolled college graduates* who tested between July 1, 2012, and June 30, 2015)

130-134

135-139

140-144

145-149

150-154

155-159

160-164

165-169

170

N

Mean

S.D.

130-134

135-139

140-144

145-149

150-154

155-159

160-164

165-169

170

N

Mean

S.D.

0

0.5 & 1

1.5 & 2

2.5 & 3

3.5 & 4

4.5 &5

5.5 & 6

N

Mean

S.D.

LIFE SCIENCES 0.7 3.0 12.2 24.7 27.2 20.5 8.7 2.8 0.3 203,426 151 7 0.5 3.7 13.0 24.4 29.4 18.3 7.6 2.5 0.6 203,425 151 7 0.0 0.1 1.6 22.1 54.9 19.9 1.4 203,134 3.8 0.7

Agriculture, Natural Res. &

Conservation 0.7 3.1 12.7 23.7 27.4 21.1 8.8 2.3 0.2 10,354 151 7 0.2 2.4 10.1 21.9 30.7 20.6 9.3 4.0 0.8 10,355 152 7 0.0 0.2 2.6 28.4 50.7 16.9 1.1 10,311 3.6 0.7

Biological & Biomedical

Sciences 0.5 2.2 8.2 18.3 25.5 25.2 13.8 5.3 0.8 67,512 153 7 0.2 1.7 7.0 17.4 28.9 24.8 13.6 5.2 1.3 67,524 154 7 0.0 0.1 1.6 20.8 51.5 23.8 2.2 67,433 3.8 0.7

Health and Medical

Sciences

0.7 3.3 14.2 28.3 28.1 17.8 6.0 1.4 0.1 125,560 150 6 0.7 4.9 16.4 28.4 29.6 14.7 4.2 0.9 0.2 125,546 149 6 0.0 0.1 1.5 22.2 57.1 18.0 1.0 125,390 3.7 0.7

PHYSICAL SCIENCES 3.9 9.2 14.1 16.5 19.2 18.2 12.2 5.7 0.9 97,854 151 9 0.6 2.2 4.2 8.5 15.0 21.4 22.8 17.9 7.5 97,920 158 8 0.0 0.6 8.0 37.2 36.9 15.4 1.9 97,754 3.4 0.9

Chemistry 0.9 3.3 10.0 17.0 23.2 24.2 15.0 5.7 0.7 13,583 153 8 0.1 0.6 2.5 8.3 19.6 27.9 23.1 13.4 4.5 13,587 158 7 0.0 0.1 2.7 27.3 46.0 21.3 2.5 13,566 3.7 0.8

Computer and Information

Sciences

8.0 17.4 21.2 17.3 14.6 10.9 6.8 3.3 0.5 42,244 147 9 1.2 4.5 7.2 11.2 15.0 20.1 20.7 14.6 5.5 42,285 156 9 0.0 1.2 15.3 48.1 26.5 7.9 0.9 42,218 3.1 0.9

Earth, Atmospheric, and

Marine Sciences

0.3 1.6 6.5 16.6 25.7 27.1 15.9 5.6 0.8 11,302 154 7 0.1 1.0 4.8 15.1 29.0 27.0 15.0 6.4 1.7 11,307 155 7 0.0 0.1 1.4 21.7 51.4 23.0 2.4 11,284 3.8 0.7

Mathematical Sciences 1.1 3.9 10.8 17.3 22.5 20.3 14.8 7.8 1.5 18,246 153 8 0.0 0.1 0.6 2.3 6.9 16.6 27.6 30.6 15.3 18,257 163 6 0.0 0.1 2.7 35.9 40.3 18.4 2.6 18,218 3.6 0.8

Physics and Astronomy 0.5 2.2 6.6 11.9 19.8 25.0 21.1 11.0 1.9 12,173 156 8 0.0 0.1 0.5 2.4 8.9 20.5 29.6 26.6 11.4 12,178 162 6 0.0 0.0 2.2 27.0 44.0 23.5 3.3 12,164 3.8 0.8

Natural Sciences ─ Other 2.0 6.2 15.7 22.2 23.2 22.2 5.2 3.3 0.0 306 150 7 0.7 1.6 11.4 19.6 28.8 18.0 12.4 5.2 2.3 306 153 8 0.0 0.3 6.6 30.9 47.4 12.8 2.0 304 3.5 0.8

ENGINEERING 4.1 10.9 17.7 19.2 19.6 16.0 9.1 3.2 0.3 118,268 149 9 0.3 1.5 3.3 6.8 12.8 21.9 27.5 19.6 6.3 118,395 159 8 0.0 0.6 9.3 43.7 33.7 11.5 1.1 118,028 3.3 0.8

Chemical 1.4 5.1 12.5 17.7 21.6 21.4 13.9 5.7 0.7 7,994 152 8 0.0 0.3 1.3 3.0 9.9 21.3 33.1 24.1 7.1 7,998 161 6 0.0 0.2 3.8 34.7 39.8 19.2 2.4 7,978 3.6 0.8

Civil 4.1 10.5 16.7 19.9 21.3 16.8 8.2 2.4 0.2 14,797 149 8 0.4 1.6 3.6 7.4 15.5 25.9 26.9 14.9 3.9 14,818 158 7 0.0 0.7 9.2 40.6 36.3 12.2 1.0 14,757 3.3 0.8

Electrical and Electronics 5.9 14.8 21.8 20.4 18.1 11.2 5.7 1.9 0.2 43,858 147 8 0.4 2.1 4.3 8.1 12.8 19.7 24.6 20.5 7.5 43,893 159 8 0.0 0.9 13.1 52.3 27.0 6.2 0.5 43,791 3.1 0.8

Industrial 2.5 9.4 19.6 22.5 21.7 15.1 7.2 1.8 0.2 4,815 149 8 0.1 0.9 2.6 7.1 13.9 22.0 27.1 19.0 7.2 4,830 159 7 0.0 0.3 5.6 48.8 35.5 8.9 0.9 4,781 3.3 0.7

Materials 1.2 4.3 12.6 18.1 22.2 21.3 13.7 6.0 0.7 3,814 152 8 0.0 0.0 0.8 2.0 6.7 18.1 32.2 30.5 9.6 3,819 162 6 0.0 0.1 3.7 38.7 38.1 17.7 1.7 3,811 3.5 0.8

Mechanical 4.5 11.4 17.6 18.7 19.0 16.2 9.3 3.1 0.2 26,097 149 9 0.3 1.7 3.7 7.3 13.5 22.7 27.6 17.8 5.3 26,123 159 8 0.0 0.6 9.8 42.7 34.5 11.3 1.0 26,054 3.3 0.8

Other 1.7 4.8 10.7 15.9 20.7 24.0 15.7 5.9 0.5 16,893 153 8 0.1 0.5 1.8 4.9 12.0 24.3 31.8 19.5 5.1 16,914 160 7 0.0 0.3 3.9 29.6 43.1 20.7 2.4 16,856 3.7 0.8

Intended

Graduate Major

Verbal Reasoning

Quantitative Reasoning

Analytical Writing

*Limited to those who earned their college degrees up to two years prior to the test date. Note: This table does not include summary information on the approximately 400 test takers whose response to the department code question was invalid (misgrids, blanks, ets.) or the approximately

32,800 test takers whose response was "Undecided".

Table 4: General Test Percentage Distribution of Scores Within Intended Broad Graduate Major Field

Based on Seniors and Nonenrolled College Graduates

(Based on the performance of seniors and nonenrolled college graduates* who tested between July 1, 2012, and June 30, 2015)

130-134

135-139

140-144

145-149

150-154

155-159

160-164

165-169

170

N

Mean

S.D.

130-134

135-139

140-144

145-149

150-154

155-159

160-164

165-169

170

N

Mean

S.D.

0

0.5 & 1

1.5 & 2

2.5 & 3

3.5 & 4

4.5 &5

5.5 & 6

N

Mean

S.D.

SOCIAL SCIENCES 0.7 2.8 9.6 18.9 24.6 23.8 13.5 5.3 0.7 118,144 153 7 1.2 6.5 16.3 23.1 23.5 15.5 8.4 4.2 1.3 118,237 151 8 0.0 0.1 1.5 19.8 49.4 25.7 3.4 117,977 3.9 0.8

Anthropology and

Archaeology 0.1 0.6 3.8 12.6 22.2 30.3 20.9 8.3 1.1 6,531 156 7 0.7 5.7 17.4 27.1 27.1 15.4 5.3 1.1 0.2 6,530 149 7 0.0 0.0 0.6 14.3 50.3 30.8 3.9 6,526 4.0 0.7

Economics 0.9 3.0 8.0 14.7 21.4 24.2 17.4 9.1 1.4 14,351 154 8 0.1 0.5 1.9 5.5 13.5 22.1 26.5 21.8 8.2 14,411 160 7 0.0 0.1 2.0 27.8 42.3 23.6 4.2 14,310 3.8 0.8

Political Science 0.4 1.5 4.7 12.0 20.3 27.2 21.4 10.8 1.7 16,344 156 7 0.9 5.0 12.2 20.4 25.9 20.1 10.9 3.7 0.9 16,381 152 8 0.0 0.0 0.8 13.3 42.9 35.8 7.1 16,329 4.1 0.8

Psychology 0.6 2.9 10.9 21.6 26.8 23.1 10.6 3.1 0.3 67,708 152 7 1.3 7.4 19.4 26.8 25.1 13.7 4.8 1.3 0.2 67,703 149 7 0.0 0.1 1.4 19.2 52.7 24.1 2.5 67,614 3.9 0.7

Sociology 1.0 3.7 11.0 19.0 24.0 22.3 13.1 5.1 0.8 5,712 152 8 1.9 9.9 18.9 24.3 22.7 12.7 6.1 2.8 0.6 5,711 149 8 0.0 0.2 2.2 21.5 47.9 24.7 3.5 5,707 3.8 0.8

Other 1.7 5.8 15.8 23.1 22.5 17.9 9.2 3.4 0.5 7,498 150 8 2.7 11.2 21.8 25.0 20.3 11.2 5.0 2.1 0.7 7,501 148 8 0.0 0.2 3.0 27.9 47.7 19.0 2.3 7,491 3.7 0.8

ARTS AND

HUMANITIES 0.3 1.2 4.4 10.8 20.0 26.9 22.5 11.9 1.9 42,652 157 7 1.3 7.2 17.1 24.4 24.5 15.5 7.2 2.4 0.5 42,610 150 7 0.0 0.1 1.1 13.4 44.6 34.1 6.7 42,609 4.1 0.8

Arts ─ History, Theory, and

Criticism 0.1 1.1 3.5 10.9 22.7 27.6 22.0 10.9 1.2 2,933 156 7 1.3 6.7 16.1 24.8 23.8 16.6 7.8 2.5 0.4 2,935 150 7 0.0 0.0 0.8 13.8 47.0 33.3 5.2 2,932 4.1 0.7

Arts ─ Performance and

Studio 0.7 3.8 9.6 17.8 22.9 23.7 14.8 5.9 0.7 4,420 153 8 1.0 6.6 14.6 23.1 24.0 17.5 8.9 3.7 0.6 4,418 151 8 0.0 0.3 3.7 24.7 46.9 21.8 2.5 4,409 3.7 0.8

English Language and

Literature 0.2 0.8 3.2 9.3 19.8 28.4 24.1 12.4 1.8 15,160 157 7 1.3 8.4 19.4 25.7 24.3 13.7 5.3 1.6 0.3 15,130 149 7 0.0 0.0 0.7 10.9 43.2 37.6 7.6 15,145 4.2 0.8

Foreign Languages and

Literatures 0.6 2.1 6.0 12.3 19.2 25.3 20.7 11.7 2.2 3,349 156 8 1.0 5.7 14.1 22.2 26.7 17.7 9.0 2.9 0.6 3,349 151 7 0.0 0.1 1.3 17.0 44.4 31.7 5.5 3,347 4.0 0.8

History 0.2 0.7 4.2 11.4 21.8 27.7 21.7 10.7 1.5 10,289 156 7 1.7 8.3 20.1 26.4 24.4 12.8 5.0 1.3 0.2 10,277 148 7 0.0 0.0 0.7 12.4 46.4 33.9 6.5 10,282 4.1 0.8

Philosophy 0.1 0.5 1.9 5.7 12.3 24.7 29.0 20.8 5.1 3,245 160 7 0.4 2.8 9.1 18.8 25.1 22.1 14.2 6.0 1.6 3,247 153 7 0.0 0.1 0.6 8.7 37.9 40.3 12.4 3,241 4.3 0.8

Other 0.3 1.5 5.2 10.5 17.4 24.7 23.6 14.2 2.5 3,256 157 8 1.2 4.7 12.1 21.1 24.6 19.5 11.3 4.5 1.0 3,254 152 8 0.0 0.1 0.9 13.9 46.5 33.0 5.6 3,253 4.1 0.8

*Limited to those who earned their college degrees up to two years prior to the test date. Note: This table does not include summary information on the approximately 400 test takers whose response to the department code question was invalid (misgrids, blanks, ets.) or the approximately

32,800 test takers whose response was "Undecided".

Intended

Graduate Major

Verbal Reasoning

Quantitative Reasoning

Analytical Writing

Table 4: General Test Percentage Distribution of Scores Within Intended Broad Graduate Major Field

Based on Seniors and Nonenrolled College Graduates

(Based on the performance of seniors and nonenrolled college graduates* who tested between July 1, 2012, and June 30, 2015)

130-134

135-139

140-144

145-149

150-154

155-159

160-164

165-169

170

N

Mean

S.D.

130-134

135-139

140-144

145-149

150-154

155-159

160-164

165-169

170

N

Mean

S.D.

0

0.5 & 1

1.5 & 2

2.5 & 3

3.5 & 4

4.5 &5

5.5 & 6

N

Mean

S.D.

EDUCATION 1.0 4.2 14.3 25.0 25.1 18.9 8.5 2.7 0.3 26,789 151 7 1.3 8.1 20.7 27.2 23.0 12.1 5.6 1.8 0.4 26,779 149 7 0.0 0.1 2.0 22.7 51.2 21.7 2.2 26,632 3.8 0.7

Administration 1.6 6.5 17.9 27.5 24.0 14.5 6.4 1.6 0.0 865 149 7 2.2 10.6 19.7 28.0 23.5 9.1 5.3 1.6 0.0 865 148 7 0.0 0.1 2.5 28.8 46.6 20.3 1.6 865 3.7 0.8

Curriculum and Instruction 0.3 3.8 12.7 30.3 23.6 18.5 9.6 1.3 0.0 314 151 7 1.3 7.0 20.1 28.3 21.0 15.9 4.5 1.9 0.0 314 149 7 0.0 0.0 1.6 20.1 56.9 19.2 2.2 313 3.8 0.7

Early Childhood 2.1 7.4 20.7 28.5 21.6 14.5 4.1 1.0 0.1 1,122 148 7 1.2 12.0 26.6 29.7 19.5 7.3 2.7 0.9 0.2 1,122 147 6 0.0 0.0 3.2 30.0 50.9 14.8 1.2 1,107 3.6 0.7

Elementary 1.0 4.5 15.8 27.4 26.0 17.0 6.4 1.7 0.1 2,994 150 7 1.0 6.7 22.0 31.6 24.9 10.5 2.8 0.3 0.1 2,993 148 6 0.1 0.1 2.2 22.3 54.0 19.8 1.5 2,905 3.7 0.7

Evaluation and Research 0.6 3.7 13.6 26.2 26.7 19.2 7.7 2.0 0.3 4,780 151 7 1.1 8.2 22.4 28.3 23.1 11.2 4.1 1.3 0.3 4,780 148 7 0.0 0.0 1.5 20.3 54.6 21.9 1.7 4,772 3.8 0.7

Higher 0.8 3.1 12.3 23.9 26.4 22.1 9.0 2.4 0.2 3,719 151 7 1.1 7.0 19.5 27.6 25.5 13.1 4.4 1.2 0.5 3,719 149 7 0.0 0.0 1.1 17.4 51.8 26.9 2.8 3,715 3.9 0.7

Secondary 0.3 1.6 7.2 17.0 24.6 27.2 15.5 5.8 0.8 3,279 154 7 0.5 4.4 13.9 23.1 25.9 18.9 10.1 2.6 0.6 3,277 151 7 0.0 0.0 0.9 14.8 50.4 29.4 4.5 3,272 4.0 0.7

Special 1.4 4.8 18.8 28.6 25.2 14.4 5.1 1.6 0.1 1,868 149 7 1.7 11.1 26.4 29.4 21.2 7.6 2.3 0.3 0.0 1,866 147 6 0.0 0.3 2.0 25.8 52.4 18.6 0.9 1,851 3.7 0.7

Student Counseling and

Personnel Srvcs 1.8 6.3 18.7 29.8 24.3 14.1 4.0 1.1 0.0 3,419 149 7 2.5 14.0 28.0 28.1 18.6 6.6 1.9 0.4 0.0 3,415 146 6 0.0 0.1 3.2 26.8 52.7 16.2 1.1 3,413 3.6 0.7

Other 1.1 4.3 13.7 21.9 23.5 18.8 11.7 4.4 0.5 4,429 152 8 1.0 5.2 14.5 23.4 22.2 15.6 11.7 5.3 1.0 4,428 151 8 0.0 0.2 2.7 28.6 44.8 20.7 3.0 4,419 3.7 0.8

BUSINESS 2.0 6.0 16.5 25.0 24.9 16.8 6.7 2.1 0.2 31,072 150 7 0.8 4.8 12.2 19.7 20.7 15.8 11.8 10.0 4.1 31,185 153 9 0.1 0.3 3.8 35.5 45.0 13.9 1.3 30,871 3.5 0.8

Accounting 2.7 6.4 17.4 26.6 24.6 15.3 5.3 1.5 0.1 1,749 149 7 0.9 3.1 12.3 23.4 27.0 16.0 9.9 5.3 2.1 1,751 152 8 0.1 0.8 4.9 35.9 45.9 11.6 0.7 1,726 3.4 0.8

Banking and Finance 1.7 4.8 12.9 22.3 27.0 20.2 8.4 2.5 0.2 5,019 151 7 0.3 1.4 3.0 6.8 10.9 13.6 20.5 28.1 15.5 5,025 161 8 0.1 0.4 3.5 44.7 40.7 9.8 0.9 4,984 3.4 0.7

Business Admin and

Management

1.9 6.0 16.1 24.7 25.0 16.9 6.9 2.3 0.2 13,472 150 7 1.1 6.1 15.1 23.8 23.9 16.0 8.5 4.6 1.1 13,559 151 8 0.1 0.3 3.8 30.6 47.6 16.1 1.7 13,384 3.6 0.8

Other 2.0 6.4 18.4 26.2 23.8 15.4 5.8 1.8 0.2 10,832 149 7 0.8 5.1 12.9 19.8 20.4 16.5 12.3 9.3 2.9 10,850 153 9 0.1 0.2 3.9 37.4 43.6 13.5 1.2 10,777 3.5 0.8

Intended

Graduate Major

Verbal Reasoning

Quantitative Reasoning

Analytical Writing

*Limited to those who earned their college degrees up to two years prior to the test date. Note: This table does not include summary information on the approximately 400 test takers whose response to the department code question was invalid (misgrids, blanks, ets.) or the approximately

32,800 test takers whose response was "Undecided".

Table 4: General Test Percentage Distribution of Scores Within Intended Broad Graduate Major Field

Based on Seniors and Nonenrolled College Graduates

(Based on the performance of seniors and nonenrolled college graduates* who tested between July 1, 2012, and June 30, 2015)

130-134

135-139

140-144

145-149

150-154

155-159

160-164

165-169

170

N

Mean

S.D.

130-134

135-139

140-144

145-149

150-154

155-159

160-164

165-169

170

N

Mean

S.D.

0

0.5 & 1

1.5 & 2

2.5 & 3

3.5 & 4

4.5 &5

5.5 & 6

N

Mean

S.D.

OTHER FIELDS 140,431 140,477 140,217

Architecture and

Environmental Design 1.6 6.9 17.0 24.0 23.1 17.0 7.5 2.7 0.3 10,938 150 8 0.4 2.4 8.4 17.2 22.5 20.7 16.4 9.6 2.4 10,951 154 8 0.0 0.3 5.7 41.5 39.5 12.2 0.9 10,918 3.4 0.8

Communications and

Journalism 1.6 5.3 14.6 22.9 25.4 19.0 8.7 2.3 0.2 11,178 150 7 2.0 10.2 20.2 23.5 19.3 11.8 8.3 3.9 0.8 11,176 149 8 0.0 0.2 2.8 28.6 45.0 20.9 2.4 11,163 3.7 0.8

Family and Consumer

Sciences 1.0 5.9 16.0 28.6 25.8 16.7 4.7 1.3 0.1 1,266 149 7 2.0 10.7 22.2 27.4 23.9 9.9 3.0 0.8 0.2 1,266 147 7 0.0 0.0 2.3 25.1 51.9 19.5 1.2 1,265 3.7 0.7

Library and Archival

Sciences 0.2 0.8 3.4 11.2 19.6 29.5 23.2 10.7 1.4 1,548 157 7 1.2 7.4 17.1 29.2 25.9 12.8 4.8 1.2 0.3 1,547 149 7 0.0 0.0 1.2 14.5 49.9 31.1 3.2 1,548 4.0 0.7

Public Administration 1.0 4.2 12.3 20.6 24.2 22.8 11.0 3.6 0.4 3,801 152 7 1.8 8.9 20.7 23.3 21.7 11.5 7.2 4.2 0.6 3,801 149 8 0.0 0.2 2.3 25.2 47.7 22.1 2.6 3,793 3.8 0.8

Religion and Theology 0.4 0.4 3.5 9.2 18.9 26.0 25.1 13.9 2.5 1,786 157 7 0.9 5.2 14.1 21.5 27.7 19.5 8.7 2.2 0.2 1,784 151 7 0.0 0.0 0.7 9.8 43.0 38.2 8.3 1,785 4.2 0.8

Social Work

2.5 8.2 18.9 25.4 22.0 15.4 6.0 1.4 0.2 7,880 149 7 5.1 19.0 28.6 24.0 15.0 6.0 1.8 0.4 0.1 7,864 145 7 0.0 0.3 4.3 30.3 48.4 15.3 1.4 7,914 3.6 0.8

Other

102,034 102,088 101,831

*Limited to those who earned their college degrees up to two years prior to the test date. Note: This table does not include summary information on the approximately 400 test takers whose response to the department code question was invalid (misgrids, blanks, ets.) or the approximately

32,800 test takers whose response was "Undecided".

Intended

Graduate Major

Verbal Reasoning

Quantitative Reasoning

Analytical Writing

Table 5: Reliability Estimates and Standard Errors of Measurement

for Individual Scores and Score Differences

Score

Reliability Estimate Standard Errors of Measurement

Sample

Size

Individual Scores Score Differences

Total

Score

Subscore Total

Score

Subscore Total

Score

Subscore

GENERAL TEST1

Verbal Reasoning

0.92

2.4

3.4

Quantitative Reasoning

0.95

2.1

2.9

Analytical Writing

0.84

0.35

0.49

SUBJECT TESTS2

Biochemistry (Total Score)

0.93

20

28

403

Biochemistry

0.86

2.9

4.1

403

Cell Biology

0.82

3.2

4.5

403

Molecular Biology and Genetics

0.87

2.8

3.9

403

Biology (Total Score)

0.95

24

34

544

Cellular and Molecular Biology

0.88

3.6

5.0

544

Organismal Biology

0.86

3.9

5.5

544

Ecology and Evolution

0.91

3.2

4.6

544

Chemistry

0.94

23

33

1071

Literature in English

0.96

19

26

667

Mathematics

0.92

35

50

923

Physics

0.94

35

49

1330

Psychology (Total Score)

0.96

20

29

1832

Experimental Psychology

0.91

2.9

4.1

1832

Social Psychology

0.90

3.1

4.4

1832

1 The reliability and standard errors of measurement estimates for the computer-delivered Verbal Reasoning and Quantitative Reasoning

measures of the General Test are based on item response theory (IRT). The reported values are an average of all the estimates obtained for all

the multi-stage tests delivered between July 1, 2012 and June 30, 2015. The reliability estimates for the paper-delivered version of the measures

are very close to the ones reported for the computer-delivered version. The reliability and standard errors of measurement estimates of the

computer-delivered Analytical Writing measure are computed based on split-half analyses using the performance of all individuals who tested

between July 1, 2012 and June 30, 2015. Again, the reliability estimates for the paper-delivered version are very close.

2 The reliability estimates for the Subject Tests are computed using the Kuder-Richardson formula (20) adapted for use with formula scores. The

reported reliabilities for the total scores are the median of values obtained from the five most recent editions. The reported standard error of

measurement, sample sizes, and subscore reliability values (when applicable) are based on the test edition that provided the median reliability.

33

Table 6A: Conditional Standard Errors of Measurement at Selected Scores

for the GRE® General Test Measures*

Measure 130 135 140 145 150 155 160 165 170

Verbal Reasoning 4.2 3.6 2.9 2.4 2.2 2.1 2.0 2.0 1.4

Quantitative Reasoning 3.5 2.7 2.3 2.1 2.1 2.0 2.0 2.1 1.0

Table 6B: Conditional Standard Errors of Measurement of Score Differences

at Selected Scores for the GRE® General Test Measures*

Measure 130 135 140 145 150 155 160 165 170

Verbal Reasoning 5.9 5.1 4.0 3.4 3.1 3.0 2.9 2.8 2.0

Quantitative Reasoning 5.0 3.9 3.2 3.0 2.9 2.8 2.8 3.0 1.5

*The multi-stage tests used to compute the CSEMs and CSEMs of score differences are the same as those on which

the reliability estimates in Table 5 are based. Conditional standard errors of measurement are not available for the

Analytical Writing measure.

34



GRE® ANALYTICAL WRITING SECTION SCORE LEVEL DESCRIPTIONS

Although the GRE Analytical Writing measure contains two discrete analytical writing tasks, a single combined score is

reported because it is more reliable than is a score for either task alone. The reported score ranges from 0 to 6, in half-

point increments.

The statements below describe, for each score level, the overall quality of analytical writing demonstrated across both

the Issue and Argument tasks. The test assesses "analytical writing," so critical thinking skills (the ability to reason,

assemble evidence to develop a position and communicate complex ideas) are assessed along with the writer's control of

grammar and the mechanics of writing.

Scores 6 and 5.5

Sustains insightful, in-depth analysis of complex ideas; develops and supports main points with logically compelling

reasons and/or highly persuasive examples; is well focused and well organized; skillfully uses sentence variety and

precise vocabulary to convey meaning effectively; demonstrates superior facility with sentence structure and usage, but

may have minor errors that do not interfere with meaning.

Scores 5 and 4.5

Provides generally thoughtful analysis of complex ideas; develops and supports main points with logically sound reasons

and/or well-chosen examples; is generally focused and well organized; uses sentence variety and vocabulary to convey

meaning clearly; demonstrates good control of sentence structure and usage, but may have minor errors that do not

interfere with meaning.

Scores 4 and 3.5

Provides competent analysis of ideas in addressing specific task directions; develops and supports main points with

relevant reasons and/or examples; is adequately organized; conveys meaning with acceptable clarity; demonstrates

satisfactory control of sentence structure and usage, but may have some errors that affect clarity.

Scores 3 and 2.5

Displays some competence in analytical writing and addressing specific task directions, although the writing is flawed in

at least one of the following ways: limited analysis or development; weak organization; weak control of sentence

structure or usage, with errors that often result in vagueness or a lack of clarity.

Scores 2 and 1.5

Displays serious weaknesses in analytical writing. The writing is seriously flawed in at least one of the following ways:

serious lack of analysis or development; unclear in addressing specific task directions; lack of organization; frequent

problems in sentence structure or usage, with errors that obscure meaning.

Scores 1 and 0.5

Displays fundamental deficiencies in analytical writing. The writing is fundamentally flawed in at least one of the

following ways: content that is extremely confusing or mostly irrelevant to the assigned tasks; little or no development;

severe and pervasive errors that result in incoherence.

Score Level 0

The examinee's analytical writing skills cannot be evaluated because the responses do not address any part of the

assigned tasks, are merely attempts to copy the assignments, are in a foreign language or display only indecipherable

text.

Score NS

The examinee produced no text whatsoever.

35

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