The GRE test is a measure of your ability to think critically and reason logically. The skills tested on the exam are not something that you can learn from scratch in a few weeks by employing some prep book. Instead, the test is based on the amalgamation of skills and knowledge you have gathered over schooling years.

Students may wonder then, why is preparing for the GRE such a big deal? Why is so much thought put by so many test prep companies when the GRE only tests you on skills you have picked up over the years? Does preparing for GRE for months on end help? or does all that effort and hard work go to waste?

Does studying for GRE help?

Yes, 100%. Sure, you have likely studied all the GRE topics in your high school years, but unless you have a photographic memory, the chances are that you have forgotten most of it, if not all. I would be shocked to learn of someone who didn’t prepare for the GRE one bit and achieved a decent score right off the gate. That is close to impossible given the minimum four-year gap between your high school and college graduation. Add to that the fact that not all students study STEM subjects in college, and hence brushing up on those math topics becomes even more critical.

Moreover, a crucial aspect of scoring high on the GRE is practice. You can learn math formulas and memorize words all day long, but you will likely not do that well on your test if you don’t test yourself regularly. This is the reason why so much emphasis is placed on high-quality practice questions and practice tests.

This is not to say that shady business practices don’t take place inside the world of test prep. Like any other business, most test prep companies are looking to sell you their product and make a profit. This is why I advise students not to fall for too-good-to-be-true claims and instead read up on independent reviews before purchasing a prep book or online course.

That being said, the emphasis on preparation and practice is not unwarranted. Granted that you make the right choices when purchasing prep material, the time you put into studying for the test will undoubtedly bear fruit.

What are some tips that can help me with GRE?

Below are some tips that I wish I knew when I first started preparing for the GRE.

Understand the format

It helps tremendously when you know the format of the test you are preparing for. You can find out all about the structure and design of the GRE from the ETS website. Go through all the different sections of the test and familiarize yourself with the different question types, each section’s time duration, and the scoring system.

Take a full-length practice test before you begin preparing

Most students start their GRE preparation without determining what their baseline score is. A baseline score is your “starting-out” score without any prep. The best way to do this is by downloading a free full-length practice test available on ETS’s website and solving it by closely replicating the actual GRE environment.

The score you achieve at the end of this practice test is your baseline score. Baseline scores are incredibly helpful in gauging your progress once you are done with your GRE preparation. You will get an accurate idea of your skill level when you test yourself at the end of your preparation. You will be able to compare both the scores and assess if you need more prep or not.

Set a goal score

A baseline score alone is not sufficient if you want to gauge your performance accurately. I would advise that you start your GRE prep with a specific goal in mind. This goal can be the score you need to get into the university or program of your dreams. Do some research and determine the average GRE scores of applicants who have applied to the same school/program you are interested in. Add 3-5 points to this score, and that should be your goal. When you take a full-length practice test at the end of your prep, compare the score you achieve with your goal and see if it needs any improvement.

Study plan is important 

As with many things in life, discipline and routine go a long way. If you are serious about graduate school, then sporadic and casual study won’t cut it. It would help if you had a proper routine.

First, figure out how many hours you would need to study to achieve your goal. Following is the standard convention used to calculate point increase per set amount of hours.

• 5-point increase = 40 hours
• 10-point increase = 75 hours
• 20-point increase = 120 hours
• 30-point increase = 150 hours

For example, let’s say that the school you are applying to has a verbal average of 155 and a quant average of 165, add 3 points to the total, which should be your goal, i.e., 155+165+3=323. However, your baseline score is 150 on the verbal and 160 on the quant, which comes down to a total of 310.

This means you need a score improvement of 13 points, which requires a little over 75 hours of studying.

Now it is up to you how you utilize those 75 hours. You can begin by figuring out how many hours you can study each day of the week. Let’s say you can study for 10 hours each week. 75/10 = 7.5. So you would need to study for 8 weeks before you are ready for your GRE test.

Hence, your study plan will revolve around 8 weeks. It is up to you how many of those 10 hours you spend every day of the week studying.

Only use high-quality study material 

I cannot stress this enough. Check out reviews and only settle for high-quality books or courses. You need prep material that has clear and convincing lessons and, most of all, high-quality practice questions that resemble the real GRE.

My go-to recommendation for the most authentic practice questions is always ETS official material. Since ETS is the maker of the actual GRE test, you get access to official practice test questions that are identical in format to what you will encounter on test day. Practice from good sources is key to scoring high.