Q&A: How To Study For The GRE

Hi Sharon,

Quick question about the GREs – how did you study for them and how long did you study for?  Its been awhile since I studied for them and I’m having the hardest time but its only been a week of studying. I bought Barron’s New GRE and verbal workbook, thinking about getting the Princeton Review one. My plan is to do 1 hour of verbal, 1 hour math and read an editorial from the NY Times every day and write once a week.  I’m planning to take it in Dec.

Thanks,

CP

Date: 8/24/11

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Hi CP —

Thanks for writing! To be honest, I took the GREs many years ago when I was applying to graduate school in psychology, and my approach was much more lackadaisical than yours!

I bought a few GRE prep books — ones that got good reviews and seemed to have a good track record at the time — and I spent blocks of 3-6 hours per day on the weekend. I was preparing for the GRE while working full time (more than 40 hrs/week + commute) so I didn’t have much time during the day to study. In hindsight, I wish I had your plan and diligence!

Other things I can recommend depending upon your needs — getting a tutor or taking a prep course. They can make a difference, but oftentimes people are constrained by either their budget or time (or both!) so those are not for everyone. If you can stick to your routine, track your progress, and most importantly learn to take the test, you should do well! That being said, standardized testing was never a strength of mine, so if you’re like me, aim for “average” and hopefully your grades and other attributes will be so great that admissions committees won’t even hesitate to let you in (or at least give you an interview!).

Good luck!

~Sharon
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