What is GRE Score Validity: Know GRE Exam Types & Scoring System

Rai graduated with flying colors in her honors and decided to pursue further studies abroad. She took the Graduate Record Examinations or the GRE® entrance exam as it is an important prerequisite for many foreign courses, and scored well in it. But she decided to take a few years to prepare herself financially and professionally instead of seeking immediate admission. She knew that GRE scores have a few year's window during which they can be used to seek admission. But when the time finally came, she could not secure the seat! Do you know why? It was because she forgot to stick to the GRE validity period for admission. Yes, the GRE scores do have a validity period beyond which they cannot be used for admission purposes.

Keep reading to learn about GRE validity and take advantage of this window to study at your dream university as per your preferred time. 

Understanding Importance of GRE for Graduate School Admission 

Let us take a look at why taking the GRE holds strong importance for graduate school admissions:

1. Boosts your application

If your personal statement, resume, academic transcripts, and letters of recommendation are not as strong as you'd wish, a GRE score is the perfect way to make up for areas you lack. It further shows the admission committee that you have additional skills to bring to the table. 

2.    Checks your preparation for graduate school 

To be honest, graduate schools are tough. However, by taking the GRE and scoring good marks, you show the admission committee that you have what it takes to thrive in the rigorous coursework. 

3.    Necessary for admission to graduate school 

The most important reason is that you cannot secure admission to competitive graduate universities without a GRE score. Therefore, it is essential to your application, especially when applying to business or law programs. 

Types of GRE Exams: GRE Subject Test & GRE General Test 

Before we move on to the GRE score validity, let us briefly glance at the GRE fundamentals. You have the GRE General Test and GRE Subject Test, administered by the Educational Testing Service (ETS). Some grad schools require the students to take not only the general test but also a GRE Subject Test that assesses their knowledge in specific disciplines. 

GRE Subject Test

GRE Subject Tests are content-based examinations that evaluate your expertise in a particular field of study, such as mathematics or physics. Each subject test is designed for students who have extensively studied or majored in a particular subject. 

Subject test is offered mainly in Mathematics, Physics, and Psychology. ETS further provides free online practice books for each.

GRE Subject Test Scoring System

All GRE Subject Tests have scores between 200 to 990 in ten-point increments. You earn a point for every correct answer and lose half a point for a wrong. This raw score is then converted to a scaled number between 800 and 990. Below are the acceptable GRE Subject Test scores:

GRE General Test 

The GRE General Test assesses your overall academic readiness for graduate school. It is a significant part of your application, measuring your quantitative reasoning, verbal reasoning, analytical writing, and critical thinking ability.

Here is a brief overview of what is on each GRE General Test:

GRE General Test Scoring System

Here is a look at the GRE scoring range and average acceptable GRE General Test scores:

Taking a Closer Look at GRE Validity 

GRE validity points to the period until which the GRE scores can be submitted to graduate schools. The GRE score validity is for five years, meaning if you took the test on August 1, 2023, you can use these marks until July 31, 2028, to secure admission to your desired graduate school. 

Though ETS considers that GRE score validity is five years, not all universities agree with this period. Some of the graduate schools accept recent scores of the GRE within a time frame of two to three years. On that note, we advise you to visit the university's official website to which you are applying to know the accepted validity period of the GRE scores.

GRE Score Validity: Why Does It Expire? 

You might wonder why the GRE score is valid for five years and why it ceases to matter beyond that. Well, there are two major reasons for GRE validity score expiration:

• ETS believes that students' competency level changes over time. So, they can upskill themselves over the duration of five years and can achieve better scores if they give the test again after a gap. 
• Secondly, ETS revises the GRE test from time to time. So, restricting the GRE exam validity to five years makes it simple for students to adapt to new examination formats, re-appear for the test, and achieve results that will help them represent their recent aptitude. 

Conclusion

Summing up, GRE validity is for five years from the date of the test, as stated by ETS. However, some universities might prefer recent GRE scores for your admission. As such, you must check out the program’s admission requirements before taking the exam. Nonetheless, GRE is an essential part of graduate school admissions; hence, you must put your best foot forward to secure a good score.