Is 330 a good GRE score? The short answer: it is an excellent score — a balanced 165 Verbal / 165 Quant split sits at the 95th percentile in Verbal and the 67th in Quant (ETS publishes percentiles only by section, as no official composite percentile exists). But whether it is good enough for your specific program depends on your Verbal-Quantitative split, your target schools, and your field of study. Here is exactly what a 330 means for your applications.
The GRE General Test scores each of its two main sections — Verbal Reasoning and Quantitative Reasoning — on a scale of 130 to 170, in one-point increments. Your total GRE score is the sum of both sections, ranging from 260 at the lowest to 340 at the highest. The Analytical Writing Assessment (AWA) is scored separately on a 0 to 6 scale and does not factor into the combined total. See how a 330 compares with every other total in our GRE score guide.
The average GRE scores sit at approximately 151 for Verbal Reasoning and 158 for Quantitative Reasoning, putting the mean combined score around 309. A 330 total is roughly 21 points above that average — a gap that reflects consistently strong performance across both sections.
ETS does not publish a percentile for combined totals, so a 330 is best read through its section scores: a balanced 165/165 split is the 95th percentile in Verbal and the 67th in Quant. For context, the 75th percentile is 158 in Verbal and 167 in Quant, and the 90th percentile is 163 in Verbal, while even a perfect 170 in Quant is the 89th percentile. At 330, you are well into elite territory.
Here is something most 330 scorers do not realize: ETS does not publish an official composite percentile. Admissions committees evaluate your Verbal and Quantitative scores separately, which means two students with the same 330 total can have very different competitiveness.
There are multiple Verbal-Quantitative combinations that produce a 330 total, and each split carries different percentile implications. A 170 Verbal score corresponds to the 99th percentile, while a 170 Quantitative score corresponds to the 89th percentile — the difference reflecting that more test takers score highly on Quant.
| Verbal | Quantitative | Total | Verbal Percentile | Quant Percentile | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 170 | 160 | 330 | 99th | 50th | Humanities, Law, Social Sciences |
| 168 | 162 | 330 | 98th | 57th | Business, Psychology |
| 165 | 165 | 330 | 95th | 67th | MBA, Interdisciplinary |
| 162 | 168 | 330 | 88th | 80th | Engineering, Sciences |
| 160 | 170 | 330 | 82nd | 89th | STEM, Computer Science, Math |
STEM and engineering programs weight the Quantitative score much more heavily. If you are applying to a computer science or physics program, a 160 Verbal / 170 Quantitative split (89th percentile in Quant) is far more valuable than the reverse. Conversely, humanities and social science programs — including law-related fields and comparative literature — prioritize Verbal performance. A 170 Verbal / 160 Quantitative split shines here.
Business schools and MBA programs tend to look for balance. A 165/165 split demonstrates strong reasoning ability across both domains, which aligns well with the analytical and communication demands of MBA coursework.
Worked Example
Two students both score 330 on the GRE but with very different section breakdowns. Student A scores Verbal 170 and Quantitative 160. Student B scores Verbal 160 and Quantitative 170.
Enter your Verbal and Quantitative scores to see if they add up to 330 and which program types best match your split.
The practical value of any GRE score comes down to how it compares against the averages at your target schools. With a 330, you are competitive at the vast majority of top graduate programs in the United States. Below is how a 330 stacks up across specific schools and program types.
Programs where the average admitted GRE score falls around 328-330 are your target range. At these schools, your 330 puts you at or slightly above the typical admitted student. This includes programs like MIT Aeronautics and Astronautics, Harvard Chemistry, Carnegie Mellon Public Policy, and Yale School of Management's MBA program.
A handful of highly selective programs report average GRE scores above 330. Stanford Statistics (approximately 336), Harvard Economics (approximately 334), and UT Austin Finance (approximately 331) are examples where a 330 falls below the average. You are still in the conversation at these programs — a strong application can compensate — but your GRE alone will not give you an edge.
| School / Program | Type | Avg. GRE | 330 Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stanford Statistics | PhD | ~336 | Reach |
| Harvard Economics | PhD | ~334 | Reach |
| UT Austin Finance | PhD | ~331 | Reach |
| MIT Aeronautics & Astronautics | MS/PhD | ~330 | Target |
| Harvard Chemistry | PhD | ~329 | Target |
| Yale SOM | MBA | ~330 | Target |
| Stanford GSB | MBA | ~328 | Target |
| Carnegie Mellon Public Policy | MS | ~329 | Target |
| UCLA Anderson | MBA | ~326 | Safety |
| Duke Graduate School | Various | ~324 | Safety |
| NYU Physics | PhD | ~322 | Safety |
| University of Michigan | Various | ~320 | Safety |
Top MBA programs report average GRE scores ranging from 318 to 330. Yale School of Management consistently reports one of the highest averages at approximately 330, while Stanford GSB sits around 328. Programs like Wharton, Harvard Business School, and Kellogg typically fall in the 322-328 range. A 330 places you at or above the average for virtually every top-50 MBA program.
Select a program type to see how competitive a 330 GRE score is for that field.
Ivy League schools do not have a single GRE cutoff — expectations vary significantly by department. Average GRE scores for admitted students at Ivy League programs typically range from 329 to 336, depending on the field. A 330 puts you right in the competitive zone for most departments, though the most quantitatively demanding programs (like economics and statistics) may expect higher totals with particularly strong Quant scores.
For Harvard, average admitted scores range from approximately 329 (Chemistry) to 334 (Economics). At Columbia, Princeton, and Yale, similar patterns hold: humanities departments are generally accessible at 330, while quantitative departments may average a few points higher.
Elite programs evaluate applications holistically. Your GRE score is one factor among several, and a 330 — while strong — does not guarantee admission on its own. Admissions committees also weigh:
Achieving a 330 GRE score typically requires at least 100 hours of dedicated study and practice for an average student, spread over one to three months. The exact investment depends on where you are starting. If your diagnostic score is already in the low 320s, you may need only 40 to 80 focused hours. Starting from 300 means a more significant commitment.
| Improvement Needed | Estimated Hours | Typical Timeline |
|---|---|---|
| 5 points | ~40 hours | 2-3 weeks |
| 10 points | ~80 hours | 4-6 weeks |
| 20 points | ~160 hours | 2-3 months |
| 30 points | ~240 hours | 3-4 months |
Students who reach 330 consistently follow a few core principles. First, they master content before doing practice questions — understanding the underlying concepts thoroughly before testing themselves. Second, they study topically, focusing on one Quant or Verbal topic at a time until they achieve mastery rather than jumping between subjects.
Third, and perhaps most critically, they eliminate careless mistakes. At the 330 level, you can afford very few missed questions. Careless errors from rushing or miscalculating are often the difference between 325 and 330. Slowing down on problems you know how to solve — and saving strategic guesses for genuinely difficult questions — is essential.
Finally, top scorers plan to take the GRE more than once. Familiarity with the test format and timing reduces anxiety and often yields a higher score on the second attempt.