The GRE is taken by applicants across every graduate field. A computer science PhD applicant and a social work master's applicant are taking the same test, but what counts as a competitive score is entirely different for each of them.
Understanding how scores break down by field is the first step toward knowing what you're actually shooting for.
Average GRE Scores by Field
ETS publishes score data for test takers who report their intended graduate field. These averages reflect recent test-taker populations:
| Field | Verbal | Quant | |---|---|---| | Business | 153 | 159 | | Engineering | 151 | 161 | | Physical Sciences | 153 | 161 | | Life Sciences | 150 | 150 | | Social Sciences | 154 | 153 | | Arts & Humanities | 156 | 152 | | Education | 151 | 148 |
The pattern is immediate and predictable. Fields with quantitative training in the curriculum produce higher average Quant scores. Fields where written analysis and critical reading are central produce higher average Verbal scores. Engineering and Physical Sciences average 161 on Quant. Arts and Humanities average 156 on Verbal.
What These Numbers Mean
A few things these averages do not tell you: they describe test takers who reported an intended field, not admitted students at competitive programs. The actual admitted students at top programs in each field typically score higher than the all-applicant average.
For example, business applicants in aggregate average 153 Verbal and 159 Quant. But admitted students at top-10 MBA programs average 162-164 Verbal and 162-165 Quant. Those are very different populations. The aggregate average includes everyone who applies to any business program, including programs with minimal selectivity.
What the field averages do tell you is where the competitive floor sits relative to your peer applicant pool. If you're applying to an engineering program and the field average for Quant is 161, a 155 Quant score is genuinely below average for your applicant pool. That's useful to know.
Quant-Heavy Fields: Engineering, Physical Sciences, Computer Science
If you're applying to engineering, STEM, or quantitatively oriented graduate programs, Quant is the primary signal.
Average Quant for engineering applicants is 161. Top programs in electrical engineering, computer science, and mechanical engineering see applicants who average higher. An applicant to an MIT or Stanford CS program who scores 155 on Quant is well below the typical profile, regardless of Verbal performance.
In these fields, Verbal is secondary but not irrelevant. A 148 Verbal doesn't help a strong engineering application, but a 158 Verbal doesn't add much either if Quant is competitive. Your prep time allocation should reflect the field's priorities: Quant first, Verbal to a defensible level, not the reverse.
Analytical Writing matters in STEM applications less than it does in humanities fields, but a very low AWA score (below 4.0) can raise questions about whether you'll succeed in the written components of a PhD program, including qualifying exams, grant proposals, and papers.
Verbal-Heavy Fields: Humanities, Social Sciences, Law
Arts, humanities, and social sciences applicants average 156 on Verbal. Programs in English literature, philosophy, sociology, history, and anthropology expect strong Verbal performance. The Quant floor is lower because the coursework demands are lower.
What "lower Quant floor" means in practice: a 148 Quant score is not automatically disqualifying for a humanities PhD application, where a 148 Quant would raise serious concerns for an engineering application. But program-specific expectations still vary. Some social science programs, particularly in economics-adjacent fields like political science quantitative methods or sociology with statistical modeling, expect stronger Quant performance than the field average suggests.
For these fields, AWA scores carry more weight. A 5.0 or 5.5 on the Analytical Writing section is meaningful evidence for a program that will ask you to write extensively. Admissions committees for humanities programs read differently than those in technical fields. The writing sample matters more, but the GRE's writing score is one additional signal.
Business Programs: Balanced, With High Quant Expectations at Top Schools
The business field average of 153 Verbal and 159 Quant describes a broad range of programs. The reality at competitive MBA programs is significantly higher.
At top MBA programs, expect admitted classes to average around 162-164 on both sections. The admissions process is holistic, but the test score benchmarks are high across the board. Both sections matter because MBA programs cover quantitative topics (finance, statistics, operations) alongside qualitative ones (strategy, organizational behavior, leadership).
The Quant-Verbal balance at top business schools is closer to 50-50 than in most other fields. Neither section is optional. An applicant with a 168 Quant and 148 Verbal would raise concerns about Verbal capacity. The reverse would raise concerns about Quant capacity.
Why Percentiles Matter More Than Raw Scores For Your Field
A 160 Quant score is at the 50th percentile overall, meaning it is the median for all test takers. But in a pool of education applicants where the average is 148, a 160 puts you well above the field average. In a pool of engineering applicants where the average is 161, a 160 is just below the middle of your applicant pool.
The same raw score has completely different meaning depending on what pool you're being compared to.
This is why you cannot assess your score competitiveness without knowing your field and the specific programs you're targeting. "Is 160 a good Quant score?" has no field-independent answer.
Practically: look up the average scores published by each program you're applying to. If a program doesn't publish GRE averages, ask the admissions office or check recent admitted student profiles on forums. Then compare your score to those published averages, not to GRE population percentiles.
Using the Field Average to Set Your Target
The field average is a useful starting benchmark before you have program-specific data.
If your field is engineering and the average is 161 Quant, set your initial target at 162+ on Quant and 153+ on Verbal for a broadly competitive profile. Then adjust upward based on your specific programs.
If your field is social sciences and the average is 156 Verbal, set your initial target at 157+ on Verbal. Then check your specific programs.
The diagnostic is how you find your starting point. Once you know where you are, the gap between your baseline and your target determines how much prep time you need.
Take the diagnostic here to get your baseline Verbal and Quant scores before setting a study plan.
The diagnostic takes about two hours and gives you a realistic picture of your starting performance. A student who scores 154 Quant on their diagnostic and needs to reach 162 for their field has a specific, plannable gap. A student who already scores 162 on their diagnostic can allocate their prep time to Verbal or AWA instead.
The AWA: Consistently Underestimated
The Analytical Writing section is the most commonly neglected part of GRE prep. The average AWA score for most fields is between 3.5 and 4.5.
In fields where writing matters, a 3.5 AWA is genuinely below average for your applicant pool. In fields where it matters less, a 4.0 is likely fine. But the AWA is uniquely improvable because it tests a specific skill set with clear scoring criteria. Understanding how the rubric works and practicing the specific task types can move your score in a matter of weeks.
Don't skip AWA prep because it feels softer or less urgent than Quant. At minimum, understand what a 4.5 essay looks like and make sure you can produce one.