What are the highest and lowest possible composite scores on the GRE?
The GRE composite score, which adds your Verbal and Quantitative Reasoning scores together, ranges from a minimum of 260 to a perfect maximum of 340. Since each section runs from 130 to 170, a 340 means top marks on both, while 260 reflects the lowest scaled score on each section.
Your total GRE composite score is simply your Verbal Reasoning and Quantitative Reasoning scores added together, and it can land anywhere between two fixed limits. Knowing both ends of that range helps you understand exactly where your own result sits.
GRE Composite Score Limits
| Composite Score Type | Value |
|---|---|
| Maximum possible composite | 340 (a perfect score) |
| Minimum possible composite | 260 |
| Individual section range | 130 to 170 each for Verbal and Quant |
Putting Your Score in Context
Because each section is scored from 130 to 170, the composite range of 260 to 340 is simply that scale doubled. Most top graduate programs are less concerned with your total composite and more focused on whether you cross 160 in the specific section most relevant to your field of study.
My Advice
Do not fixate only on the 340 ceiling; instead, benchmark your preparation against the 160-plus target in your priority section, since that section-specific number often matters more to admissions committees than your overall composite.
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