Taking the GRE may seem like an incredibly daunting task (especially if you’re not the greatest at taking standardized exams like I am), so here are three tips I would give myself if I had to retake it.
Three key things that I found useful in preparing for the GRE were:
1. Setting a realistic date for when you would be taking the exam. I remember at first wanting to schedule the test only a month away, thinking that I should take it sooner so that I would have sufficient time to reschedule and retake the exam if necessary. That mindset was wrong since it allowed me to go in with less determination thinking I could retake the exam if my scores weren’t high enough and to spend less time studying seriously the first time around. For me, a month to study in the midst of undergraduate studies and finals wasn’t a realistic timeline.
2. Scheduling consistent and realistic study times. If you’re taking the GRE while you’re still taking undergraduate classes like many others, it can be easy to push off studying for the GRE and prioritize more immediate deadlines (e.g. undergrad finals, quizzes, assignments, projects, etc) instead. What helped me make sure I was on track with studying was to dedicate scheduled times for GRE preparation. And it was imperative that I was realistic when planning out my schedule. As someone who is highly distracted, blocking out an entire Saturday from 10 am to 6 pm wasn’t reasonable, so I would set aside 2-hour chunks during the weekdays and then 4-hour chunks during the weekends (I used the weekends to do entire practice exams). This schedule worked for me, but if you’re someone who can sit down for hours and crank out an entire exam, plan for that!
3. Taking entire practice exams from start to finish, and time yourself as you would during a live GRE. I spent a lot of time reading how each section was structured and also completed a lot of individual practice sections. Instead, more time should have been spent on completing an entire 4-hour examination in order to practice endurance. When I went to take the real exam in January, I ended up being worn out only halfway through the test.
To all those preparing for the GRE: Good luck! You’ll do great!