How many GRE words should I learn?

[ToomuchLes]

Hey all!

So.. I've been studying GRE words for nearly 2 months now, and as of right now, I've memorized Kaplan GRE Vocab Flashcards (500), Manhattan Prep GRE 500 Essential Words, and Barrows 2nd Edition GRE Words (500). In total, with synonyms and additional words on the comment section, I probably memorized more than 2,500 GRE Words (minimum), and when I mean 'memorized' I mean I can recite definition, synonyms and everything without a pause. As you can see, Im very proud of such an achievement lol. 

 

Now then.. 

I shall be taking my test Oct. 18th, which allows me to continue studying additional words; however Im not sure when it will be enough. Ive also purchased the Manhattan PREP GRE 500 Advanced (different set), and another set of Barron's GRE Flashcards (an older set), which I will begin studying Sept 1 (I follow a very specific study schedule). So the question arises, *points to the title* "how many GRE words should I learn?"

 

[ToomuchLes]

Also, I'd like to add that I have NOT taken any recent practice tests, so I dont know if all that studying has paid off yet =X I'll probably start taking 2-3 practice tests per week in Sept (again, I have a schedule). 

[exploregre]

The answer of your question is pretty easy: it depends!!! 

 

It varies to person to person. There is no specific limit for gre words to be learned. But you have both manhattan essential and advanced words, so that is almost 1000 words. And you have Barrons too. So you have already covered many words. Next, take a test, and check how it is working.

 

Besides learning words, you should also emphasize the context of the words. You should learn how these words are used, and also emphasize the words with secondary meaning( for example, row is a word which generally means horizontal line; another meaning is disagreement/quarrel . Always revise the words you learnt!

[wandajune]

It depends on how broad of a vocabulary you have to start with. I memorized Kaplan's 500 words, and got a 169 verbal score... it probably would have been a waste of time to have learned more in my case. My advice is take a practice test before committing to memorizing a ton more words, see how well you do on the verbal, and go from there.

 

Additionally, as exploregre said, context is important. Make sure you can use the word in a sentence, not just regurgitate definitions. It's probably a good idea to pick up some advanced reading material--I've heard people recommend reading the New York Times or The Wallstreet Journal on a regular basis.

[Lingchick]

Do you have any advice on how you memorized those 2500 words? When I practice 50 at a time, I have to go over them again and again to get them to stick. I've heard word groups help but all the words seem to blend together after awhile.

[obviousbicycle]

Do you have any advice on how you memorized those 2500 words? When I practice 50 at a time, I have to go over them again and again to get them to stick. I've heard word groups help but all the words seem to blend together after awhile.

 

Same here. I memorized ~500 words before took a few days off from studying, and when I got back to it I found out that I have forgotten at least 100 of them

[ToomuchLes]

Heres what I do when I study my 50 a day GRE words (although now I decreased to 30 cause I have Summer Session 2 finals). I pull out fifty cards, and lay them into 5 separate pieces, so I study 10 flashcards at a time. I read the first 10 aloud three times, then I test myself. The ones I know, I table and read aloud 3 times the ones I dont know. Afterward, I test myself again, and if I memorized the ones I didnt from my previous test, I include them in the original ten. Then I quiz myself again. If I forget more than 3, I repeat the procedure; however if I missed one or two, I include them in the new set of 10. Once I complete my second set of ten, I mix them into my first set and quiz myself. Again, if I miss 3 or more, I study those words. If I only miss one or two, I move on to the next set. Once I hit 50, I review them all at once. If I remembered them all, I take a hour+ break, and when I mean break, I mean no GRE studying. Then I review the 50 once more. 

 

The next day, before I work on my new set, I test myself on the 50 from the previous day. The ones I dont remember, I include in the new set, and I divide them evening into 5 or 6 sets. Then I repeat the whole thing over. 

 

It sounds like a lot of work, and time consuming; however if you think about it, reading aloud 10 flashcards can take less than 2 minutes. Therefore completing, or better yet, memorizing a set of 10 should only take 15minutes. Then as you move on the next set, memorize that, you'll review your previous set. The only issue with this is, once you reach 200s+ and you can spend 45 minutes+ merely reviewing previous sets of 50. 

 

Ive been doing this for a few months now, so I can easily memorize 50 words in an hour. Plus I have a schedule, in which I study in the morning before class, come home during lunch and study a little bit. Then in the evening, 30minutes before bed, I study again. Honestly, after two weeks youll start noticing SIGNIFICANT improvement. Trust me! All you have to do is obsess over your dream grad school, and that amount of motivation will be more than enough =)

 

EDIT:
I would also like to add two more points. First and most importantly (I think), you dont need to remember the definition verbatim!! If you say the definition in your OWN words, (and you get it rights without lying to yourself that youre "close enough") thats better than memorizing the definition word for word. Also at the end of the week, or whenever you have 2hrs+, you should rehearse the entire set that you learn so far. Personally, on Sundays, first thing in the morning, I review some 1000 words. When my brain gets all foggy, I take a shower, eat breakfast, jog, whatever... an hr later, I come back and review the rest.

 

If you do this everyday, youll learn GRE words very quickly as time goes on.

 

I would also like to recommend reading the New Yorker, and the Economist. I always go to class 10-15minutes early, and on my ipad I just read an article. If I find a GRE word that I learn, I stop say the definition (in my head cause there are people around) and if I dont know it, I write it down and study it. Sometimes you can memorize a word when you see a familiar flashcard, but you forget its definition in an article. Its odd (or maybe thats just me). 

Edited September 4, 2013 by LeventeL

[Lingchick]

Heres what I do when I study my 50 a day GRE words (although now I decreased to 30 cause I have Summer Session 2 finals). I pull out fifty cards, and lay them into 5 separate pieces, so I study 10 flashcards at a time. I read the first 10 aloud three times, then I test myself. The ones I know, I table and read aloud 3 times the ones I dont know. Afterward, I test myself again, and if I memorized the ones I didnt from my previous test, I include them in the original ten. Then I quiz myself again. If I forget more than 3, I repeat the procedure; however if I missed one or two, I include them in the new set of 10. Once I complete my second set of ten, I mix them into my first set and quiz myself. Again, if I miss 3 or more, I study those words. If I only miss one or two, I move on to the next set. Once I hit 50, I review them all at once. If I remembered them all, I take a hour+ break, and when I mean break, I mean no GRE studying. Then I review the 50 once more. 

 

The next day, before I work on my new set, I test myself on the 50 from the previous day. The ones I dont remember, I include in the new set, and I divide them evening into 5 or 6 sets. Then I repeat the whole thing over. 

 

It sounds like a lot of work, and time consuming; however if you think about it, reading aloud 10 flashcards can take less than 2 minutes. Therefore completing, or better yet, memorizing a set of 10 should only take 15minutes. Then as you move on the next set, memorize that, you'll review your previous set. The only issue with this is, once you reach 200s+ and you can spend 45 minutes+ merely reviewing previous sets of 50. 

 

Ive been doing this for a few months now, so I can easily memorize 50 words in an hour. Plus I have a schedule, in which I study in the morning before class, come home during lunch and study a little bit. Then in the evening, 30minutes before bed, I study again. Honestly, after two weeks youll start noticing SIGNIFICANT improvement. Trust me! All you have to do is obsess over your dream grad school, and that amount of motivation will be more than enough =)

 

EDIT:

I would also like to add two more points. First and most importantly (I think), you dont need to remember the definition verbatim!! If you say the definition in your OWN words, (and you get it rights without lying to yourself that youre "close enough") thats better than memorizing the definition word for word. Also at the end of the week, or whenever you have 2hrs+, you should rehearse the entire set that you learn so far. Personally, on Sundays, first thing in the morning, I review some 1000 words. When my brain gets all foggy, I take a shower, eat breakfast, jog, whatever... an hr later, I come back and review the rest.

 

If you do this everyday, youll learn GRE words very quickly as time goes on.

 

I would also like to recommend reading the New Yorker, and the Economist. I always go to class 10-15minutes early, and on my ipad I just read an article. If I find a GRE word that I learn, I stop say the definition (in my head cause there are people around) and if I dont know it, I write it down and study it. Sometimes you can memorize a word when you see a familiar flashcard, but you forget its definition in an article. Its odd (or maybe thats just me). 

 

Awesome advice, thanks so much

[adilujani]

It depends on how broad of a vocabulary you have to start with. I memorized Kaplan's 500 words, and got a 169 verbal score... it probably would have been a waste of time to have learned more in my case. My advice is take a practice test before committing to memorizing a ton more words, see how well you do on the verbal, and go from there.

Additionally, as exploregre said, context is important. Make sure you can use the word in a sentence, not just regurgitate definitions. It's probably a good idea to pick up some advanced reading material--I've heard people recommend reading the New York Times or The Wallstreet Journal on a regular basis.

Can you tell me where can I find Kaplan's 500 words?

[ToomuchLes]

Kaplan 500 words on amazon : http://www.amazon.com/Kaplan-New-GRE-Vocabulary-Flashcards/dp/1607148536/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1379559563&sr=8-1&keywords=gre+flashcards

 

Although I recommend the Manhattan flashcards. Personally I found them to be more challenging. 

Manhattan Essential : http://www.amazon.com/500-Essential-Words-Vocabulary-Flash/dp/1935707892/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1379559563&sr=8-2&keywords=gre+flashcards

Manhattan Advanced : http://www.amazon.com/500-Advanced-Words-Vocabulary-Flash/dp/1935707884/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1379559563&sr=8-3&keywords=gre+flashcards

[Arezoo]

Can you tell me where can I find Kaplan's 500 words?

In addition, all the word lists you need to know is available via QUIZLET for free. Good Luck!

Edited September 19, 2013 by Arezoo

[adilujani]

Thank you for your replies. I have one more doubt. Is it really necessary to remember all the synonyms?

Can't I just remember the meaning of each word?

[ToomuchLes]

Synonyms are tricky, I'll agree there. Nevertheless, if there are 500 cards in a set, and hypothetically each card has one synonym then you learn 1,000 words and get more bang for your buck (its important to note some cards have 0, while others have 5). I've also noticed while taking practice tests, on some tests youll see those exact synonyms from the cards. Honestly I dont remember the exact definition for each synonym, but I recall which word theyre linked to.

 

One tactic to learning words quickly that I just developed is, highlighting or underlining the definition and synonyms. That way when youre studying and youre flipping cards over quickly, you can easily find what youre looking for, without having to scavenge. Also try to make the definition as short as possible. You can either underline the important part of the definition, or write your own on top. I would definitely recommend you read the entire card when you first pick it up. Sometimes the cards put synonyms and antonyms next to each other .. which can be troublesome -.-