gre score reporting

10 commonly asked questions about score reporting for GRE, IELTS & TOEFL

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Score Reporting for GRE, IELTS & TOEFL

The application season for Fall 2022 is at its peak, and we know that many students have doubts about sending free and additional scores to the universities. Here’s what our experts at the Academy have to say about the most common questions on score reporting for the GRE/IELTS/TOEFL tests.  

1. What is free score reporting? 

At the time of the GRE and TOEFL tests, you can mention the names of four universities and its departments for sending scores as a part of your test fee without any additional charges. It is called free score reporting. Likewise, at the time of the IELTS test, you can mention the names of five universities for free score reporting. 

2. How much will it cost to apply to universities other than the four mentioned for free score reporting? 

If you apply to universities other than these four, you will have to request additional score reports by paying charges to ETS, Princeton. The additional score report for GRE will cost $27, and for the TOEFL, it will cost you $20 per university. 

3. What is the additional score reporting fee for the IELTS? 

The additional score report for IELTS will cost you Rs 250 (for online) and Rs 1500 (by courier through IDP website)

4. When should I send my test scores to the universities? 

Once you have finalized the universities, send your score reports. They take around 7 to 15 days to reach the universities so you need to send them well before the deadlines.

5. Do I need to send my scores to universities offering GRE waivers? 

No, you need not send your scores officially but you can upload the score card with the online applications.

6. Should I send the GRE score report directly to the university or through the ETS? 

Some universities ask you to upload a scorecard at the time of the application and once you receive the admits, they ask you to submit the scores through the official ETS website.  

7. How to send the score reports of the TOEFL? 

For the TOEFL, the majority of the universities require you to submit the scores only through the official ETS website. 

8. How long are my GRE scores reportable? 

The GRE scores are reportable for five years following the test date. 9.

9. How can I order additional score reports? 

Additional score reports can be ordered either online, through your official ETS account, by mail, or by fax. 

10. Can I pay for these score reports through a debit card or online transfer?

Yes, you can pay through Credit Card, Debit Card, and PayPal. But we recommend you to pay through Credit Card.  

For any additional questions or guidance related to sending your scores, filling out the applications, and financial documentation, you can seek help from our experts by enrolling for our admission counselling services today! You can also drop us an email at support@dilipoakacademy.com and we will get back to you! 

As India’s leading Study Abroad Consultant, Dilip Oak’s Academy offers a comprehensive suite of admission counseling services that can guide you through the entire process from Shortlisting Universities to Visa Counseling. With our expertise, we have successfully sent 32,000 students to various prestigious American universities like MIT, Stanford, Cornell, and Carnegie Mellon. We also offer classroom and online coaching for GRE, TOEFL, and IELTS, as well as GRE Self Prep. To explore our services, book a free consultation or call us at 91-20-67444222. 

GRE Score Reports: Things You Should Know

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Score Card

The first thing you should know: take your GRE about 1 ½ to 2 months before your earliest important deadline. It is going to take approximately that much time for your score reports to reach the universities you have chosen as score recipients (i.e. the universities you chose to send your score reports to). Here’s what the ETS says:

Getting Your GRE ScoresAbout 15 days to a month after your test, you will be able to view online and print out, for your own records, your score report in the PDF format shown below:

Examinee GRE Score Report Image

Having seen the format, you probably have some questions: for example, why are the scores for the Verbal and Sections given under two different headings: prior format and current format? And what is the estimated current score under prior format for?

Well, before August 2011, the GRE used to score the Verbal and Quantitative sections on a scale of 200-800 instead of between 130-170 as they now do. According to the ETS, GRE scores are valid for 5 years. This means that GRE scores taken in September 2011 will continue to be valid according to the ETS till September 2016. Until then the ETS has to provide a way of comparing the old and new scores. They do this by providing:

  • an old score equivalent for tests taken under the Revised General GRE format (taken on or after 01 August 2011)
  • a new score equivalent for tests taken under the earlier GRE format (i.e. before 01 August 2011)

This is why the scores for the Verbal and Quantitative sections in the PDF shown above are given in two columns: ‘Prior Format’ and ‘Current Format’. This allows universities to easily compare the scores of students who have taken the older versions of test and those who have taken the newer one without too much difficulty. The ‘Estimated Current Score’ column (under ‘prior format’) was specially meant for candidates who had taken the old format of the test and for whom American universities needed an estimated equivalent score in the new format.

Somewhat pointlessly, the ‘estimated current score’ is also given for students who have taken the new version of the test (the Revised General GRE as it is called) – this is pointless since they already have an actual score in the new column. But we guess, since the ETS had the columns, they had to fill them up! Perhaps, reports after August 2016 will be simpler. Practically, however, this comparative data will not make much of a difference to you since most universities do not accept GRE scores that are older than 3 years. So, American universities probably stopped accepting September 2011 reports in September 2014.

Here are some other important links to check out:

Can I ask the ETS to show universities only the scores I want them to see?

Free GRE score reports

Ordering additional GRE score reports

And just in case, you are interested here’s the PDF format the score report that the universities you are applying will see if you have asked the ETS to send them a score:

Graduate Institution GRE Score Report Image

ETS ScoreSelect for the GRE: a Boon …More or Less!

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For students who have given the GRE more than once, the worry has always been that the universities will see their low scores along with their high ones. To deal with this problem the ETS launched the ScoreSelectTM feature some years ago. ScoreSelect allows you to decide which GRE scores will go to universities and colleges which means that you can omit poor scores from your graduate school applications. If you are retaking the GRE therefore, or have GRE scores that you are not keen to show the universities, it seems that ScoreSelect will allow you to breathe a little more easily. But you should be aware that this apparent boon does have its limitations.

Firstly, you won’t be able to mix and match your best maths and verbal performances from separate tests to create a super report. ScoreSelect only allows you to send score reports as a whole. Secondly, if you want the full flexibility that ScoreSelect offers then, it comes at a price.

As the ETS explains, after test day, you can send Additional Score Reports and select the ScoreSelect.

  • Most Recent option — using which, you can send your GRE scores from your most recent test
  • All option — using which, you can send your GRE scores from all tests in the last 5 years.
  • Any option — using which, you can send your GRE scores from one OR many tests in the last 5 years.

As you can see, it is the third option that gives you full scope to exclude the ‘bad’ scores you don’t want the universities to get. But, at this point, i.e. after test day, you will have to shell out $27/- per report. On test day, on the other hand, when you can choose 4 universities to send your score report to AT NO ADDITIONAL COST, this magical option is not available. All you have is the ScoreSelect Most Recent and All options. In short, if you want to get the full benefit of the ETS’s ScoreSelect option, you will have to pay for it at the rate of $27 per score report. As someone once said, there’s no such thing as a free lunch!

The third problem is that universities are all aware that you may be making use of this facility – and so, some may ask you to send score reports of all the GRE tests you have taken in the last 5 years anyway! If that’s the case with a university that you have selected, then you are stuck, and ScoreSelect is not going to help you.

So, the option exists. But it’s expensive, and it may not always be possible to use it. But, if the university you are applying to is willing to let you show them just the best side of yourself then, if you need it ScoreSelect is always there. Proceed thoughtfully!

When You Should Do Your GRE/GMAT/TOEFL

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Students planning to take admission in an American university must have their GRE/GMAT/TOEFL scores in hand at least 9 months in advance. This means that:

  • if you are applying for the fall semester, which starts in September, your score must be ready in January of that same year at the latest.
  • If you are applying for the spring semester, which starts in January, you should have your score in hand by March or April of the previous year.

Ideally, however, you should take your GRE/GMAT tests 1½-2 years before hand. That is,

  • engineering, pharmacy and medical students should take the GRE when they are in their third year
  • students pursuing an MA or MSc should take the GRE while they are doing Part 1 of their course.

This is possible since GRE scores are valid for 5 years. Keep in mind, however, that the TOEFL score is valid only for 2 years and therefore should be given only 9 months in advance as stated above.

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Free GRE Score Reports

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On the day of the test, after you have completed the test and have viewed your unofficial Verbal Reasoning and Quantitative Reasoning scores, you will be asked to specify the names of 4 universities or colleges to which ETS will send your GRE General Test scores free of charge. This will be at the test center itself.

If the institution that you want to send your free GRE score to is not listed, you can ask the test center administrator for a form in which you can specify unlisted institutions. If you want the score to be sent to those institutions free, you will have to fill and hand in the form before you leave the test center. It will not be accepted after you leave the test center.

Note that even with free score reports, if you have given the test previously, you will have the option of choosing the ‘ScoreSelect Most Recent‘ option or the ‘ScoreSelect All‘ option for all four institutions.

Remember that if you choose not to send any scores at that time (i.e. the day of the test), you will have to order Additional Score Reports for a fee of US$25 per recipient. Again, if you have given the GRE test previously, you can make use of ETS’s score select feature to send scores from your Most Recent, All or Any test.

ETS’s ScoreSelect Option: Now You Can Decide Which GRE Scores You Want Universities to See

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Select GRE Test ScoresFor students who have given the GRE several times, the worry has always been that the universities they are sending the scores to will see their bad scores along with their good ones. Now, however that is going to change.

The ETS has introduced a feature which it calls the ScoreSelectSM Option which allows you to select which GRE scores you want to send to the universities and colleges you are applying to. Here are the details according to ETS :

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Why 6 and 8 are Important Numbers for the New GRE Analytical Writing Section

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Analytical Writing in the Revised GRE testThose numbers are important because they are part of the changes that make Analytical Writing (earlier called the Analytical Writing Measure) trickier and more demanding on the Revised General GRE,which was released in August last year.

So, what are the changes? Firstly as noted above, the essay section is now called just Analytical Writing (or AW for short). The ETS has been making changes in various aspects of the GRE test to make it more like the GMAT. This is one of them. The second is that the Issue Essay is now just for 30 minutes rather than 45 as earlier. This again, makes the GRE more like the GMAT.

But the ‘6’ and ‘8’ are part of a feature that is entirely unique to the Analytical Writing section of the Revised General GRE test. The numbers come in because now instead of one question type for the Issue Essay, you now have 6, and instead of one question type for the Argument Essay you now have 8. Each of the question types directs the test-taker to do or comment on something very specific relating to the given topic – and in their introductory material the ETS repeatedly states that test-takers should follow the specific directions given for the topic, so obviously it is important that you better know exactly what each question type demands and also how to meet the specific requirements.

To find out more official information about this from the ETS visit the following link:

http://www.ets.org/gre/revised_general/about/content/analytical_writing

For our perspective, wait for our upcoming blogs on the Issue and Argument Tasks. Till then, happy hunting as you check out the ETS’s requirements for the tweaked and tricky AW section!

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TOEFL/IELTS

The Revised GRE Test

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Online Revised GRE Test Screenshot
Revised Online GRE Test (Screenshot of Dilip Oak’s Academy Online Test)

The GRE test, conducted by ETS, is one of the world’s most widely used tests for admission to universities both in America and worldwide. On 1 August 2011, the ETS introduced the Revised GRE test. This exam lasts for about 4 hours and consists of 3 major of section types:

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