GRE to IQ at a glance

A GRE total of 320 (Verbal plus Quant) points to an IQ of about 119, with a likely range of 107–130. A 330 points to about 123, and a 300 to about 108.

No study has published a correlation between the GRE and an IQ test, so the link used here is an assumption, and this is the least certain conversion of the tests on this site. The ranges are wide for that reason. Use the result for a rough sense of scale, not as a measurement.

Notable GRE scores and the IQ they point to
GRE score	Percentile among test-takers	Estimated IQ	Likely range
290	11th	104	92 to 115
300	28th	108	97 to 120
305	40th	111	99 to 123
310	53th	114	102 to 125
315	65th	116	104 to 128
320	76th	119	107 to 130
325	85th	121	109 to 133
330	91th	123	112 to 135
335	95th	126	114 to 138
340	98th	129	117 to 140

GRE to IQ conversion chart

Every row below comes from the same model as the calculator. The likely range covers about four in five people at that score. The last column shows what the IQ would be if the GRE were a perfect measure of IQ, which is the number many other converters publish.

GRE to IQ chart (Verbal and Quant 130 to 170 each; Analytical Writing 0 to 6. The 260 to 340 total is a convention, not an official score)
GRE score	Test-taker percentile	Estimated IQ	Likely range	If a perfect measure
280	3.2	98	87 to 110	91
285	6.2	101	89 to 113	95
290	11.2	104	92 to 115	98
295	18.5	106	94 to 118	102
300	28.2	108	97 to 120	106
305	39.9	111	99 to 123	110
310	52.6	114	102 to 125	114
315	65	116	104 to 128	118
320	76	119	107 to 130	121
325	84.7	121	109 to 133	125
330	91.1	123	112 to 135	129
335	95.2	126	114 to 138	133
340	97.7	129	117 to 140	137

IQ to GRE: what score to expect

Going the other way, this table shows the GRE score people at each IQ typically get. Scores at the same IQ vary widely, so the range matters more than the middle figure.

Typical GRE score by IQ
IQ	Typical GRE score	Likely range	How rare is this IQ
90	290	274 to 305	1 in 4 at or below
100	298	283 to 313	1 in 2 at or above
110	306	291 to 322	1 in 4 at or above
115	311	295 to 326	1 in 6 at or above
120	315	300 to 330	1 in 11 at or above
125	319	304 to 334	1 in 21 at or above
130	323	308 to 339	1 in 44 at or above
135	328	312 to 340	1 in 102 at or above
140	332	317 to 340	1 in 261 at or above
145	336	321 to 340	1 in 741 at or above

One IQ, several tests: GRE next to other scores

The same IQ shows up as very different numbers on different tests. This table shows the typical score at each IQ on GRE and on the tests closest to it. Read across a row to compare, for example, what an SAT and an ACT would each be for the same person.

Typical score by IQ across GRE, GMAT, LSAT, MCAT, SAT
IQ	GRE	GMAT	LSAT	MCAT	SAT
100	298	525	148	492	990
110	306	565	153	498	1140
120	315	605	159	504	1280
130	323	645	164	510	1410
140	332	675	169	515	1530

These are typical scores, not guarantees. Every test has its own likely range, shown on its page.

What the evidence does and does not show

The GRE has been studied heavily, but almost entirely as a predictor of graduate-school performance, not as a measure of IQ. The large meta-analyses by Kuncel, Hezlett and Ones (2001) show that GRE scores predict graduate grades and faculty ratings with corrected correlations around .3 to .4 for grades. That is a different question.

We found no peer-reviewed study that correlates GRE scores with a full IQ battery or a validated general-ability factor. Claims online that the GRE correlates .7 or .8 with IQ trace back to unsourced blog posts. The model here therefore assumes a correlation of about .6 for Verbal, .55 for Quant and .65 for the total, informed by how similar reasoning-and-knowledge tests behave. That is a judgement, and it is labelled as one.

Why Quant needs its own table

The GRE Quant distribution is heavily bunched at the top. In ETS's 2022 to 2025 data a perfect 170 on Quant beats only about 89% of test-takers, because so many strong (often international) test-takers reach the ceiling. On Verbal a 170 beats about 99%.

That is why a single "GRE to IQ" table misleads. Two people with 168 Quant and 168 Verbal are not equally rare. This converter uses ETS's own percentile tables for each section and only falls back to a statistical approximation for the combined 260 to 340 total, which ETS does not publish percentiles for.

The gap also means a Quant score alone understates a strong candidate, and the estimate for a 170 Quant is lower than for a 170 Verbal. Neither is a claim that verbal reasoning is harder or that verbal people are smarter. It is a comment on how the score distribution looks.

Who takes the GRE, and why that matters

GRE test-takers are college graduates who intend to apply to graduate school. About 263,000 people take it in a typical year, and a large share are international applicants, many of them writing in a second language. That group is above average in ability on average, which is why the model assumes a mean IQ of 112 or 113 for test-takers, not 100.

That assumption pushes every estimate up by roughly ten points compared with a naive conversion from the general population. It is the biggest single assumption in this page, and it is ours, not ETS's.

Mensa once accepted the GRE: 1250 on the old three-part scale before May 1994 and 1875 from May 1994 to September 2001. It accepts no GRE score from the current 130 to 170 scale.

What your GRE total means

Totals are the sum of Verbal and Quant. The percentile compares you with 2022 to 2025 test-takers, approximated because ETS does not publish percentiles for the total.

What GRE score bands mean
Score	Estimated IQ	What it means
260 to 295	89 to 106	Below the middle of test-takers. The estimated IQ is around or slightly above 100 because test-takers are already a selected group.
296 to 309	106 to 113	Close to the median of test-takers (a total near 309). The estimated IQ is in the low-to-mid 110s.
310 to 319	114 to 118	Above the median. Typical for many master's programmes.
320 to 329	119 to 123	Strong. The upper end of the range many competitive programmes look at.
330 to 340	123 to 129	Very strong, and the level where a heavily compressed Quant score matters. Small differences here mean little.

Why a GRE score is not an IQ

There is no published IQ correlationEvery GRE to IQ conversion, including this one, rests on assumptions, not on a published comparison. The wide ranges are the honest way to show that.
Verbal is knowledge-heavyVerbal reasoning leans on vocabulary and reading experience. Second-language speakers and people who read little are penalised regardless of reasoning ability.
Quant is a ceiling testBecause so many strong applicants reach the top, Quant separates people well in the middle and poorly at the top. A 170 Quant is not the same kind of "top" as a 170 Verbal.
The test-taker pool shiftsTest-optional admissions and the shorter 2023 exam have changed who takes the GRE. Earlier percentile tables, including the ones in older guides, describe a different pool.

The evidence behind these numbers

Evidence grade: Weak

The percentile tables are official and current. The link between GRE scores and IQ is an assumption, because none has been published. Treat every figure as a rough guide.

Published facts we used

Verbal: N = 788,021, mean 151.39, SD 8.43. Quant: N = 790,864, mean 157.62, SD 9.90 (ETS, July 2022 to June 2025).
Verbal and Quant correlate .44 among test-takers (ETS).
Percentile tables for each section (ETS Table 1B).
GRE predicts graduate grades at corrected r about .3 to .4 (Kuncel, Hezlett and Ones, 2001). This is not an IQ correlation.

Assumptions we made

Mean IQ of GRE test-takers: 112 (Verbal), 113 (Quant and total). College graduates who plan graduate study.
IQ spread among test-takers: SD 12.
Correlation with IQ among test-takers: .60 (Verbal), .55 (Quant), .65 (total). No published value exists.
The total (260 to 340) is modelled with a normal curve, mean 309 and SD 15.6 from the section statistics.

Assumed test-taker IQ: mean 113, SD 12
Assumed correlation (r): 0.65
Likely range: The score at which about 80% of people with that estimate fall, from the residual spread after regression
Norms: ETS GRE score data, all test-takers, July 2022 to June 2025.

GRE to IQ: frequently asked questions

What GRE score equals an IQ of 130?+

People with an IQ of 130 typically total around 323 on the GRE (both sections combined), with a likely range of 308–339. There is no published correlation, so this is an estimate.

Is a 320 GRE a high IQ?+

A 320 total is above the median of test-takers. It points to an IQ of about 119, most likely within 107–130. Since test-takers are already a selected group, that is a good rather than an exceptional result.

Is the GRE an IQ test?+

No. ETS designs it to predict graduate-school performance, and it measures verbal reasoning, quantitative reasoning and writing. It relates to IQ but no study has published how closely.

Why is the GRE Quant percentile so low for a 170?+

Many strong test-takers reach the maximum, so a 170 Quant beats only about 89% of test-takers. It is a ceiling effect, not a sign that the test is easy or that a 170 is unimpressive.

Does Mensa accept the GRE?+

Only old versions. American Mensa accepts 1250 on the pre-1994 scale and 1875 from May 1994 to September 2001. It does not accept the current 130 to 170 scale.

Can I convert a GRE score to a Wechsler IQ exactly?+

No. A Wechsler IQ is measured in a supervised, individually administered assessment. The most any conversion can give is an estimate with a wide range.

References & Sources

ETS (2025). GRE guide to the use of scores, Table 1A: scaled score means and standard deviations. Educational Testing Service. https://www.ets.org/pdfs/gre/gre-guide-table-1a.pdf
ETS (2025). Interpreting your GRE scores. Educational Testing Service. https://www.ets.org/pdfs/gre/interpreting-gre-scores.pdf
Kuncel, N. R., Hezlett, S. A., & Ones, D. S. (2001). A comprehensive meta-analysis of the predictive validity of the Graduate Record Examinations. Psychological Bulletin, 127(1), 162-181. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11271753/
American Mensa (2026). Qualifying test scores. us.mensa.org. https://www.us.mensa.org/join/testscores/qualifying-test-scores/