If you have been studying for your GRE, you must know how vital practice tests are for achieving a high score. Like any other standardized test, you need to familiarize yourself with all the different question types. The only way to do this is to spend considerable time on mock tests.

Moreover, practice tests also help you tackle your nerves for the big day. You need to feel confident on the test day and thwart off any anxiety.

However, there are some essential things that you need to avoid to get the most out of your practice sessions. Below you will find 17 common mistakes that students make while practising for GRE.

1. Not timing yourself or giving exact time for each section

One of the major mistakes I see students make is not timing themselves when solving mock tests. You have, on average, less than 2 minutes to read through a question and then work out the answer. Therefore, you need to train yourself to answer correctly in the little time that you have.

If you don’t abide by the same time restrictions on the actual exam, you will be caught off guard by how quickly the time passes, especially when you get stuck on a question.

Most online practice tests already have a time counter, so it shouldn’t be a problem. However, many students choose to disable the timer or to solve practice tests in paper form. Since paper mocks don’t work the same way an online interface does, it is easy to overlook the time factor when practising.

Hence, always use the timer and pay attention to the time it takes you to go through a section. If you see that you are taking longer than the allotted time, you need to work on your pace or skip the question and return to it later.

2. Using a physical calculator or your phone calculator

As I said initially, familiarity with the test and the tools is a critical component of scoring well. You may already know that GRE doesn’t allow any outside calculators and only provides an on-screen calculator already embedded in the GRE user interface.

If you practice the quant questions using a different calculator, you will not get used to the actual GRE calculator, which has a set number of functions. Unlike a typical calculator, the GRE calculator only has the following functions:

• Addition
• Subtraction
• Multiplication and division
• and square root

Don’t rely on exponent functions or any of the other functions that aren’t present on GRE. Online courses with a well-thought-out practice component typically have the same calculator like the one on GRE.

Also, never use a physical calculator while practising because physical calculators are much more convenient and efficient to use. In contrast, on-screen calculators are cumbersome to use, especially when you are using your mouse to enter data on the on-screen calculator. A good thing about the GRE on-screen calculator is that you can also use the Numpad on the keyboard to enter data, which is somewhat more efficient than using the mouse.

If you are solving paper-based mock tests, then you can download a free GRE calculator for your desktop from here. Have this running on your laptop or PC when you solve quant questions and use it to work out the problems.

3. Pausing during the exam

Again, don’t lose sight of the allotted time when solving practice tests. Practice tests are necessary because they train you for the pressure cooker timed environment you will experience on test day. Therefore, you cannot afford to pause for any number of seconds due to the time constraint.

Many times I have seen students perform to near perfection on the GRE without a timer. But as soon as the clock starts ticking, students’ accuracy drops dramatically.

Therefore, when solving practise tests, make sure that you do not pause in between your questions. Otherwise, you risk getting overwhelmed by test day stress and anxiety, which is a big part of doing well on the GRE.

4. Taking unofficial or extra breaks

Same as the last mistake, this too can cost you points. Remember that GRE only allows a single 10-minute break during the entire test. The only other breaks you get are a minute long, and they occur between sections.

It would be best if you conditioned yourself by observing the same rules as the actual test. Don’t just lean back in your chair when you feel like it or get up during practice tests to relax or go elsewhere. Treat the practice tests like the real exam to get the most out of your practice sessions.

I have run into many students who have told me that they treated their practice sessions casually and ended up doing poorly on the actual test.

5. Skipping the essay portion

So you are sitting down about to start your practice test and skip the very first 1-hour long section because why waste time on it, right?

Wrong!

This is one of the most common mistakes students make during their practice. They assume that since no one is there to grade their essay, what good would it do to spend time on it. But, in reality, what ends up happening is that they miss out on developing the mental and physical stamina required to ace the actual test.

Without the essay portion, the GRE is just 3 hours long. With the essay section, it is 4 hours long. And you would be surprised what an additional hour at the beginning of the exam could do with your stamina and focus.

You see, the very FIRST section on GRE is the essay section, and it is an hour-long. Imagine you solve 10’s of practice tests during your prep and skip the essay section every time. Wouldn’t this then affect your performance on the actual test? Of course, it will.

Hence, it would be best to always do the essay portion at the start of the practice test. Not only would this condition you for the actual test, but you will also build up your essay writing skills.

6. Eating or drinking during the test

As you may already know, you are not allowed to eat or drink anything during the GRE except during the 10-minute break that you get after almost 2 hours of the start of the test.

If you constantly eat or drink at other times, you will inadvertently keep energizing yourself, which may help you concentrate better during the exam. For example, imagine having a cup of coffee or an energy drink or an energy bar by your side at all times during the test. This would inflate your score by a few points as you will be able to focus better.

Or it could also harm your performance. Eating or drinking during the exam can also be distracting and time-wasting. As a result, you may need to take unscheduled bathroom breaks.

Hence, I would advise that you have a fulfilling meal an hour or two before your practice test. It would help if you didn’t overeat either, lest you feel sick later. A nutritious meal, including fruits and cereal, should be good enough.

7. Using external help such as cheat sheets, formulas, google help

Does GRE provide a formula sheet? No.

Does it allow cheat sheets or any other form of help like grammar or spell check? No.

Then why should you use them when taking mock tests. Again, the idea is to familiarize yourself with the conditions you will encounter on test day.

Please don’t take any help from outside resources, or else it will become a habit. Instead, you should only seek help when done with the test and reviewing the incorrect answers.

Moreover, by the time you are done with your prep, you should know all the math formulas by heart. Here is a list of all the math formulas that may be required for the test.

8. Speaking out loud to yourself while reading or organizing your thoughts

I get it. Some of us can’t help but read out loud to ourselves when going through a question. You may even do so when thinking about an answer choice or working out the logic behind an answer. However, the problem is that while this may come naturally to you, the test administrators won’t allow it.

You see, you won’t be the only one present at the test centre during the test. There will be multiple other people who are often seated close to you. Therefore, speaking out loud may cause a distraction for the other students present, or it might even help them out with an answer, both of which are a no-go for the administrators.

Even if you are taking the GRE at home, you won’t be allowed by the online proctor to speak loud during the exam. The online proctor will warn you once and then cancel your exam if you repeat it. This is because the proctor might think you are communicating the exam information to someone else, which amounts to cheating.

Hence, it would be best if you tried to keep this in mind when solving practice tests. It will help you avoid scrutiny and interruptions by the testing team.

9. Sitting or lying on bed or sofa

It is not a good idea to do your practice tests while seated on a sofa or, worse yet, lying on the bed. Not only is it bad for medical reasons as it messes up your posture, but it also makes it seem as if it’s something you are doing casually.

Instead, sit upright on a chair with a table to support your arms and hands. The actual GRE is administered in the same fashion. You will have your monitor, keyboard and mouse on a desk with a chair to sit on. Moreover, you may also find it easier to focus when you are sitting upright.

Laying down in bed is a good recipe for inviting sleep, which you do not want during a test. Hence, a chair and a table should be the way to go.

10. Taking more than one exam per day

While practising is an essential aspect of doing well on the test, overdoing it may prove to be counterproductive. You only have so much energy throughout the day. Solving multiple practice tests on the same day will affect how you perform on the later tests.

Ideally, it would help if you spaced out your practice tests. Taking one exam in a single sitting and then take a gap of 2-3 days before the next practice test. Only if you are short on time, you do them on consecutive days.

You might have noticed that doing mock tests back to back taxes your cognitive abilities quite a bit. If you keep doing this, your practice won’t indicate your actual abilities because your performance will deteriorate on every consecutive test.

Hence, keep the practice tests to one a day and don’t overdo it.

11. Not taking the exam in one sitting or over a few days

Contrary to the previous mistake, it would be best not to drag on a practice test on multiple days either. A practice test is supposed to be taken in a single sitting.

Only sit down to solve a practice test when you know you have the time to see it to the end. Please don’t treat it lightly and don’t solve a section here and a section there. This will not allow you to build your mental stamina, which you need direly for the actual test.

12. Using a pen

When taking the GRE, you are given a couple of pencils and some scratch paper to work out calculations or organize your thoughts. However, since the actual test at the test centre doesn’t allow outside stationary and only provides a pencil (paper, eraser, and sharpener), using a pen that you like during your practice sessions may put you at odds on test day.

Moreover, note that the home-based test doesn’t allow for anything other than an erasable marker on either a whiteboard or a transparent protective cover. Using anything else during mock tests will present a problem on test day.

So if you are planning to take the GRE at home, then use an erasable marker on a whiteboard or on a transparent sheet to mimic the actual exam. Do not use paper, pen/pencil while practising if you will take the GRE at home.

13. Taking an exam without the GRE experimental section

Remember that GRE always includes an unmarked experimental section which can either be verbal or quant. So you will never know which section is the experimental one, and you wouldn’t be able to skip it either.

GRE does this to test out new questions for upcoming exams and see each question’s difficulty level. For example, how much time it takes students to solve a question and how many get it right indicates how tough it is.

But since it doesn’t carry any marks, it is alright to skip it during the practice test, right? Nope, wrong!

Here is why.

Same as skipping the essay section, skipping the experimental section can also prove detrimental. You see, the experimental section is the same length as any other verbal or quant section, i.e. 30 or 35 minutes respectively.

If you don’t do the experimental section during your practice sessions, you miss out on mentally and physically conditioning yourself and building stamina for the actual test. Moreover, it also helps your overall prep because you get to solve more questions.

14. Taking the exam in a distracting environment

Make sure you have a room to yourself when taking practice tests. The last thing you need is people speaking loudly or watching the TV as it may put you off your game. The idea is that you need to be at your best when solving practice tests to gauge your preparedness accurately.

This is something that won’t be possible if you have distractions around you. Moreover, I get it that not everyone has the luxury to study in their rooms. If you use the library or some other public place to prepare for the test, you can use ear tips to block out the noise. Noise-cancelling earphones also work if you have them.

15. Taking the exam on a phone or tablet

The actual GRE is only administered through a windows desktop computer. You may be tempted to take your practice tests on a tablet or smartphone, but this is no good because you need to familiarize yourself with the actual test.

Moreover, due to the limited screen real-estate on a tablet or smartphone, you may not get the same experience as you would on a desktop or even laptop. The GRE interface that ETS uses is explicitly designed for desktop computers. Your online course may allow you to take the mock tests on a smaller device, but it isn’t ideal.

Hence, to get the most out of your mock tests, always take them on a laptop or desktop.

16. Taking practice tests late in the evening or the night

It is a commonly known fact that human beings function at their best during the daytime. However, as the day goes on, our bodies deplete energy, preparing us for bedtime. This is true not only for our physical state but also mental.

Also, the GRE can only be taken either in the morning (usually 9 am to 1 pm) or in the afternoon (usually 1 pm to 5 pm). So stick to either one of these two schedules while doing practice tests.

Ideally, it would help if you took the practise tests at the same time slot as you will be taking your actual exam.

Now, if you were to take your practice tests in the evening or late at night, you wouldn’t be using your max potential. But, again, one of the reasons we take practice tests is to gauge our preparation. If you are exhausted later in the day and attempt strenuous questions, you will end up making mistakes that you may not have otherwise.

I would advise that if you can help it, always take your practice tests early in the day. However, please don’t take them when you are sleepy or in need of rest.

17. Not taking it online

I know that prep books have always been the norm for preparing for standardized tests. I also know that most people solve whatever practice tests come with their prep books. However, thanks to the internet, this doesn’t have to be the case any longer.

I cannot begin to describe how vastly superior online practice tests are. Since the actual GRE is a computer-delivered test, it only makes sense to practice for it online.

Online tests are superior to paper-ones because you get to experience the interface and use the different tools and navigations buttons well ahead of the real exam. Moreover, you also get to use the on-screen GRE calculator and become familiar with it, which comes in handy later.

However, most notably, online tests are strcutured the same way as the actual GRE. This takes out the guesswork or the use of an external clock as the time counter will be right in front of you.

Sure, I understand that online courses can be expensive, and not everyone can afford them. However, there are plenty of free resources out there, too, that you can use. Also, note that you don’t have to buy an online course to use practice tests. Instead, you can buy them separately for much cheaper from many companies like Kaplan and Manhattan.