How long does it take to get GRE scores? When you take any standardized test, you’re probably stressed about how well you performed. It’s no different for the Graduate Record Examination (GRE).
The time between taking the test and getting your results can feel interminable, and you might find yourself checking your email multiple times a day until you get your GRE test score.
If you’re taking the GRE, you’ll be eager to get your results and use them to apply to graduate schools. The good news is that you won’t have to wait long at all to get at least some of your scores.
We’ll walk you through how long does it take to get GRE scores, plus show you how to view your scores and answer some other GRE-related questions you might have.
How Long Does It Take To Get GRE Scores?
Your GRE results will be sent to your nominated institutions between 10-15 days after you take the test. Within the same timeframe, you’ll be able to see your GRE test results in your ETS account.
When you take an exam as important as the GRE, it’s understandable to be nervous about your results. The good news is that you will see most of your score as soon as you finish taking the GRE.
Immediately after you take the GRE, you’ll have the option to cancel your scores or view them.
If you feel that you did poorly, you can cancel the scores and start preparing to take the test again. If you view your scores, you’ll get to see your preliminary results for the Quantitative Reasoning and Verbal Reasoning sections immediately.
The Analytical Writing section of the exam is graded partially by a human, so you won’t be able to view your score for that section until later.
You’ll receive scores on a scale from 130 to 170 in one-point increments in the Quantitative Reasoning and Verbal Reasoning sections. You’ll receive a score from 0 to 6 in half-point increments in the Analytical Writing section.
You’ll get your official scores for all three sections of the GRE 10 to 15 days after you take it.
How Long Does It Take To Get GRE Scores from a GRE Subject Test?
GRE subject tests give you the opportunity to show your knowledge in a specific area of study, like Biology or Psychology. You’ll receive your official scores from GRE subject tests approximately five weeks after taking the exam.
If you need additional copies of your score reports, you can request them from ETS, the company behind the GRE.
You can request your scores at any time for up to five years after you take the exam. It can take up to five business days for ETS to send out scores after receiving a request.
How To Get GRE Scores from 10 Years Ago
GRE scores are valid and reportable for up to five years. This GRE results time frame means that if you took the test more than five years ago, schools will no longer accept the results, and you’ll need to take the GRE again.
However, if you took the test less than five years ago, you can use these results to apply to grad school. You can look up your GRE score via the ETS website. You’ll just need the confirmation number, as well as the month and year when you took the GRE test.
How Can You View Your GRE Scores?
When you finish taking the GRE, you’ll be able to view your unofficial scores for the Quantitative Reasoning and Verbal Reasoning sections immediately at the test center.
When your official GRE score is ready, 10-15 days after your testing date, you’ll receive an email from ETS informing you that the scores are ready and available for viewing.
When you sign in to your ETS account and check your GRE score, you’ll be able to view your most recent GRE score report, which will contain your official scores for all three sections. It also includes information about any schools that have received a copy of your scores.
This report is for your own records and is only viewable by you. It is not sent to the schools or other institutions where you send your test results: they only receive the scores that you choose to send them.
What Does a GRE Score Report Look Like?
Your GRE score report contains a few pieces of information. The first thing you’ll see are your scores for each of the GRE exam sections. You’ll also get to see the percentile you fall into.
More than 400,000 students take the exam each year, so this gives you an idea of how you stack up compared to other test-takers.
After your most recent scores, your score report will contain the history of each GRE general test and subject test you’ve taken, along with the scores you received on each test.
Finally, the score report will list the schools that you’ve sent scores to. This list shows which scores you sent and the dates you sent them.
The information you’ll find on your Official Score report includes:
- The test date
- Your contact information, such as your name, phone number, and email
- Your date of birth
- Your gender
- The graduate major you want to study
- Your GRE test results
- Your percentile rank based on your scores
- The institutions or fellowship sponsors your scores have been sent to, and what scores have been reported to them
- All of the scores reported in the last five years
When Will Schools Receive Your GRE Score?
When you take the GRE, your test fee includes four free score reports that you can send to the schools of your choice.
When you finish taking the GRE and choose to view your unofficial scores, you can designate the schools that you want to send a copy to. If you decide that you want to send an additional score report after your test day, you’ll have to pay a $31 fee per recipient.
If you choose recipients for your GRE scores on test day, they will receive your score report in approximately 10 to 15 days.
If you choose to send additional score reports after you receive your official score, it takes roughly five days for ETS to process the request and send it to your selected graduate programs.
Now you know how long it takes to grade the GRE, but you may be wondering what information exactly is sent to your nominated institutions. You choose which test results get sent to the schools, so you can opt to only send your best scores.
When you take the test, you can select one of two options:
- All: This will send your most recent scores, as well as all results from tests you’ve taken over the last five years
- Most recent: This will only send your test scores from that day
Therefore, you can use this option to send the strongest results to the institutions. If you want to send one, but not all, of your previous GRE test scores, you can do this at a later date after taking the test, though you’ll need to pay a fee for each additional school you send results to.
The institutions you designate will receive an official Institution Score Report, which shows:
- Your contact information, including your name, address, phone number, and email
- Your intended graduate major
- The GRE test scores you selected and their associated percentile ranks
It costs $205 to take the GRE test, and this includes sending your GRE results to up to four institutions. You’ll then need to pay a fee of $27 for each additional institution you send your score report to, whether on test day or later. When you order additional reports, they will be sent electronically within five days or after 10 days if you ask for them to be sent via post or fax.
Do you have to report your GRE scores?
When you’re taking a high-stakes test like the GRE, it’s normal to feel stressed and worry about what will happen if you do poorly on the exam.
If you’re worried about sending a poor score to a graduate school, you can take advantage of ETS’ ScoreSelect program.
When you finish taking the GRE, you have the option to view your scores or cancel them. If you’re certain that you didn’t get a good GRE score, you can cancel your test immediately and start preparing to try again on another date.
Even if you choose to view your GRE results, you are never obligated to send a score report to a school.
If you take the GRE multiple times, ETS gives you the option to pick and choose which scores you send to a graduate program.
On test day, you can choose to send all of your GRE scores or only your most recent. Once you’ve received your official test scores, you can opt to send all your scores, your most recent ones, or you can pick only the best results and send those instead.
While ETS gives you the freedom to send only the scores you choose, keep in mind that some programs will require that you send all of your GRE scores. Check the application requirements for each grad program that you’re considering.
Conclusion
Taking the GRE can be stressful but exciting. It’s one of the first steps on the path toward graduate school. While you can get your preliminary results very quickly, you’ll have to wait a few weeks for your official scores, which you can use to apply to graduate programs.
Still have questions about taking the GRE? Join our forum to learn from other future and current grad students.
To get the strongest possible GRE test results, it could be a good idea to take a GRE prep course, like Udemy’s Premium GRE Prep Course.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do You Get Your GRE Scores Immediately?
In terms of how long does it take to get GRE scores, it varies depending on the section. You’ll be able to see Verbal Reasoning and Quantitative Reasoning results at the test center as soon as you take the test. Because the Analytical Writing section is partially graded by people, you’ll have to wait for these results.
Your complete GRE results will be available in the ETS system 10-15 days after you take the test. You’ll receive an email to tell you that the results are ready to be viewed, and they’ll also be sent to the institutions you designated when you took the test.
How Long Does It Take To Get GRE Scores at Home?
The quickest way to get your GRE scores is by accessing them through the online ETS system. You’ll receive an email notification 10-15 days after test day and will then be able to view all your GRE scores online.
You can also nominate to have your scores sent to you by mail or fax, but this takes longer: they’re sent 10 days after the results are available. Depending on where you live, they may take a few extra days to arrive.
Lisa is a full-time writer specializing in career advice, further education, and personal development. She works from all over the world, and when not writing you'll find her hiking, practicing yoga, or enjoying a glass of Malbec.
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