The Condition of Education 1995 / Indicator 21: Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores

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The Condition of Education 1995 / Indicator 21

Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores

The Graduate Record Examination (GRE), which is taken by less than one-third of college graduates, is a measure of the general learned abilities of prospective graduate students. Because there currently is no method to assess learning at the college level, the GRE, by default, is the best measure of general learned abilities of college graduates. However, the reader should be aware of the limitations of average GRE scores, including (1) the proportion of college graduates taking the exam changes over time; (2) an increasing proportion of foreign students are taking the exam; and (3) the average scores include some students who take the exam more than once.

	The average total score on the GRE fell 70 points between 1965 and 1979, then increased 55 points between 1979 and 1990. Between 1990 and 1993, the scores decreased 10 points, reaching the lowest level since 1987.
	The average GRE verbal score has not yet recovered from the decline experienced throughout the 1960s, 70s, and early 80s; in 1993, it was 49 points below the average score in 1965. However, the quantitative score rose 45 points between 1973 and 1993 and was 24 points higher in 1993 than in 1965.
	The percentage of test-takers who are not U.S. citizens increased between 1979 and 1988. Non-U.S. citizens performed better on the quantitative component but worse on the verbal component than U.S. citizens (see supplemental table 21-3).

Indicator 21, Chart 1

Indicator 21, Chart 2

Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores and the number of test-takers, by percentage of bachelor's degrees awarded and citizenship: Selected academic years ending 1965-93


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                                      GRE test-takers

Academic                            As percent of  percent who are               GRE scores

year ending       Number         bachelor degrees1    U.S. citizens       Total2  Verbal Quantitative

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1965              93,792                      18.7                -        1,063     530          533

1967             151,134                      27.0                -        1,047     519          528

1969             206,113                      28.3                -        1,039     515          524

1971             293,600                      35.0                -        1,009     497          512

1973             290,104                      31.5                -        1,009     497          512

1975             298,335                      32.3                -        1,001     493          508

1976             299,292                      32.3             92.5        1,002     492          510

1977             287,715                      31.3             91.3        1,004     490          514

1978             286,383                      31.1             89.1        1,002     484          518

1979             282,482                      30.7             90.0          993     476          517

1980             272,281                      29.3             89.3          996     474          522

1981             262,855                      28.1             86.8          996     473          523

1982             256,381                      26.9             86.7        1,002     469          533

1983             263,674                      27.2             86.1        1,014     473          541

1984             265,221                      27.2             85.9        1,016     475          541

1985             271,972                      27.8             84.9        1,019     474          545

1986             279,428                      28.3             84.5        1,027     475          552

1987             293,560                      29.6             84.2        1,027     477          550

1988             303,703                      30.5             79.5        1,040     483          557

1989             326,096                      32.0                -        1,044     484          560

1990             344,572                     332.8                -        1,048     486          562

1991             379,882                     334.7                -        1,047     485          562

1992             411,528                     336.2                -        1,044     483          561

1993             400,246                     435.0                -        1,038     481          557

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- Not available.

/1 Ratio of the number of GRE test-takers in a year to the number of bachelor's degrees awarded in that year expressed as a percentage.

/2 Scores for the analytical section of the GRE are not included.

/3 Revised from previously published data.

/4 Estimated.

SOURCE: Educational Testing Service and U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, IPEDS/HEGIS surveys of degrees conferred, various years.

Supplemental Table 21 - 1: Scores on the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) and the nmber of GRE test-takers: School years ending 1965 - 93

Supplemental Table 21- 2: Characteristics of Graduate Record Examination (GRE) test-takers: school years ending 1976 - 88

Supplemental Table 21 - 3: Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores for U.S. citizens only: school years ending 1973 - 88

Supplemental Table 21 - 4: Number of students taking the GRE subject tests as a percentage of college graduates, and their means and standard deviations, by subject: Selected school years ending 1983, 1988, and 1993