study schedule, what is yours?

[ajgolemb28]

I am having such a hard time making a study schedule for the GRE. I've been studying on and off since March and I feel like I have only made a little headway. I just get so frustrated because it is so much to remember. What are your studying schedules look like? I would love some tips on how not to get to burned out on studying for the GRE.

[EmperorRyker]

Which GRE? If the general one, you don't really need to study for it, unless you're not a native speaker. I wasn't, so I spent a week doing those word and context exercises a couple of hours each day, and ran through the instruction sheet for the quantitative part, so that I know what definitions they're using.

[PhDerp]

Unrelated:

Boy oh boy, have you upped the magikarp game in this place

[victorydance]

Which GRE? If the general one, you don't really need to study for it, unless you're not a native speaker. 

 

Uh, if you want to improve your score you do.

 

------

 

http://magoosh.com/gre/2012/6-month-gre-study-plan-for-math-beginners/

 

That is the plan I have been using. I am a little over half way through it.

[ajgolemb28]

Unrelated:

Boy oh boy, have you upped the magikarp game in this place

bahahah. love you icon!!!

[ajgolemb28]

Uh, if you want to improve your score you do.

 

------

 

http://magoosh.com/gre/2012/6-month-gre-study-plan-for-math-beginners/

 

That is the plan I have been using. I am a little over half way through it.

. Thanks!

[victorydance]

^ They have other ones as well (3 month ones). I like these ones because it's straightforward and it's way easier to follow a set out schedule than doing it yourself.

[wopr6753]

I would first take a practice test of some sort. ETS offers two (or 3, I'm not sure) practice tests on their website using similar software to what the GRE uses. Start there, see where your score is relative to where you want it to be and figure out how much you really need to study. After that, I would strongly recommend practice sets of whatever you're struggling with. If it's verbal vocabulary, I would recommend doing flashcards. You can either make your own or use one of the many flashcard apps out there. If you're trying to get an excellent verbal score (say >162/3), then you should know that and start going through flashcards now.

When is your test scheduled for?

[rose711]

You should organize your studying by type.  You should do blind review of the questions that you get wrong,  Try to figure out why they are wrong before you check the answers.  

 

I am still organizing my study schedule but I have the manhattan review books which are divided by topic area.  I also got the 5 pound book of GRE study problems which I can read on my phone or laptop.

Edited July 10, 2014 by rose711

[oceanlover]

I spent last summer studying for the GREs, and after wasting a couple weeks being unproductive my words of advice is to definitely start off with a practice test.  This way you know where exactly to focus your efforts.  My biggest weakness was vocab and I was okay with math, so after getting all my practice materials my daily schedule was to aim for 30-50 new words of vocab a day (on top of reviewing previous words) and getting through a chapter of math review every 3-4 days.  It also depends on how much time you have; I had a full-time internship last summer so had to manage with an hour or two of GRE stuff a day, and dedicated most of my weekends.  As I got closer, it definitely became more real and the pressure was on, motivating me to do more work.  I know how easy it is to burn out, but try to remind yourself about why your doing it in the first place, and how badly you want to get into grad school! One last word of advice: make sure to practice the essays! I read all the tips and tricks and waited until about a week and a half before my GRE then tried to do a timed, practice essay a day.  It proved to be very very helpful; it's easy to look at examples and be like oh yeah I could do this but it's completely different to try and brainstorm ideas on your own in a timed setting.  I got a really good writing score, and its completely due to the fact that I practiced beforehand and knew what the graders wanted.  Good luck!

[hnotis]

I think it's best to take regular practice tests- one when you first start out, another a couple weeks in, etc.  Then you know if you're improving and you become familiar with the kinds of questions and their formats.  When you don't have time to do practice tests, do practice questions and make sure you understand how you got it right or wrong.  And also, review the vocab words whenever you have down time.  Writing them down helps me, moreso than just looking at them and trying to remember.  As long as you're actively engaging in the material once a day, I think your brain will appreciate it.

 

Hope that helps!