How is the GRE exam scored?

For the majority of grad school applicants in the U.S., computer-based scoring will be responsible for calculating your final score on the GRE. Wondering how each section will be scored? Let’s find out:

• Scoring on the verbal and quantitative reasoning sections are “section level adaptive.” As a result, the computer adapts the questions you are asked based on your performance from prior sections. Overall, each question contributes equally to your final score. Finally, this “raw score” is converted into a “scaled score” that accounts for slight variations within the exam.
• The analytical writing section is evaluated by at least one reader and scored on a “six-point holistic scale.” In a computer-based system, the essay is then evaluated by “e-rater” – a program that can identify features of your essay that equate to a high-level of writing acumen. If the scores received from the human reader and “e-rater” closely align, the two scores are averaged to produce your final score (1-6). If there is any significant variation between scores, a second human reader will be called in. Your final score will then be the average between reader one and reader two.