How well a test-taker does on the first scored section slots them into either the upper, middle, or lower-third percentile of test-takers. Their performance on the second section further specifies their percentile, and thus, their scaled score.

Use of GRE Section-level Adaptation in Scaled Scoring

The first scored verbal reasoning or quantitative reasoning section a test-taker completes is of average difficulty based on previous years' results. However, the difficulty of the second scored section is dependent on how the test-taker did on the first. For example, if a test-taker gets the majority of the questions correct on the first section, the second section will be more difficult. 

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Both the verbal reasoning and quantitative reasoning sections are scored out of 170 points in one-point increments. Test-takers will receive both a raw score, which is their average score between either the two verbal reasoning or two quantitative reasoning sections, and a scaled score that takes into the account the difficulty of each section. The lower score possible on either section is 130 points.

GRE Verbal and Quantitative Reasoning Scoring

ETS (n.d.). How the Test Is Scored. https://www.ets.org/gre/revised_general/scores/how/

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