“How long should you study for the GRE?” is a standard question most people ask themself when they begin to prepare for the day of the GRE test.
Most people are waiting with excitement hoping to hear an answer such as “an hour more or less and you should be fine”.
Unfortunately, it’s not that simple. So, if you are ready to find out how long you should study for your GRE tests, keep reading below.
Making A Plan For Studying For The GRE
We understand the origins of this concern and it appears completely logical to ask how much time the GRE will require.
There is, nevertheless, no single preparation strategy that works for everybody.
When you take into account the several parameters you will have to evaluate to improve your Test Day results, the question no longer makes sense.
Will 4 months suffice? Not if you are studying daily for your GRE but for only 20 minutes a day and then dedicate your entire day to Keeping Up With The Kardashians.
On the contrary, when you dedicate 5 or 6 hours daily, you could end up needing no more than a month.
Everyone’s Prep Requirements Vary
The issue stems from the implicit assumption that GRE groundwork can be estimated in days in total. It can’t because time is estimated in hours.
The realistic answer to this prevalent topic is that smashing your set goal will take anything from 50 to 200 hours, and that would depend on the efficiency of your GRE preparatory work and the number of points you have to get in your Quant and Verbal scores.
A Drama major who is unconcerned about the Quant segment but only wants about six more points on the Verbal segment won’t need as much time as another person who’s got 130 points from both parts of a practice test and wants a 160.
Irrespective of the number of hours it will take you to achieve your objectives you have the option of spreading some of these hours across a number of months.
Even though you need to be practical when it comes to planning time for studying for the GRE, getting the highest score you can on an exam that might define your years ahead involves putting in as much preparation as possible.
The more hours you devote to preparation and the more you incorporate it into your daily schedule, the simpler it will be to go to the testing center with confidence.
Useful Tips For More Constructive GRE Study Time
Play Some Ambient Music In The Background
Do it as if you are in a movie and this is your soundtrack or like when you are playing on your PlayStation and the games have their own music in the background.
Music is great for setting the tone but does not detract from your mission, which is to study for the GRE.
That is the reason why instead of putting on your favorite beats, you should stick to some ambient or lo-fi music, perfect for study time.
Our favorite tunes can be great for the gym, but they will release dopamine at the wrong time and that can drive our attention away from studying.
Take Some Breaks
There are two types of breaks; the small and frequent ones and the intermittent long ones. When you are studying for the GRE, you should take them both.
Studying all day long non-stop will do you no good and will probably make it harder for you to study the next day.
Breaks are important for our minds and soul, and you should definitely add them to your study schedule.
Try small breaks of 5 to 10 minutes every hour and then go on longer breaks every couple of hours.
Use the small breaks to snack on something, go to the toilet, or simply take some fresh air. For your longer breaks, call a friend, eat your lunch or dinner, go on a walk, or listen to some music.
You can even watch something relaxing or a YouTube video but try not to load your brain with more information.
No matter what you do, do your best to prevent exhaustion, despair, and the terrible realization that you have gone through the very same sentence seven times and don’t remember anything.
Trust In Power Naps
It is completely accurate, and this GRE trick is based on actual science. Allowing your nervous system to rest can improve memory retention and productive output.
Take it easy, breathe in deeply and take a power nap. Then it’s time to go back to the grind.
Be Aware Of Your Productive Output Gaps And How You Can Stay Away From Them
Do you have the best of motives but can’t seem to be able to get off Instagram?
When you are experiencing difficulties with remaining focused, there are many applications and web extensions that can help you block access to specific internet sites or the entirety of them.
Turn off your device’s real-time notifications or put it in flight mode.
Relate The GRE Study Content To Things That Interest You
Practicing probabilities while playing poker, for example, or having to learn GRE vocabulary from Sherlock Holmes or Downton Abbey.
When you’re able to relate such principles to your own interests in life, you will find it much easier to study and comprehend the things you need to learn for your GRE.
How Do I Begin Studying For The GRE?
Another typical question many people ask when preparing to take the GRE is, “How should I begin studying?”
There is a large amount of information to memorize and test cases to know, so having a style of play, to begin with, can be extremely beneficial. Check the following four steps to start your GRE preparation:
Estimate The GRE Scores You Will Need To Gather
Conduct some basic research to determine the admissions requirements for the programs that appeal to you.
Every program has an ‘admissions’ section, where they typically state a pass mark for approval. If they don’t have one, you should search the numbers from the latest admitted class to find out the average GRE score.
You’ll get details that will assist you in setting a feasible, accurate target and eventually take you closer to acceptance into a program you’re keen on joining by figuring out exactly the score number you have to get.
Sign Up For The GRE
Selecting a test date and signing up for the GRE are two of the first things on your list when starting your GRE preparation.
If you leave this for another day, you’ll find yourself stalling till you run out of time to study for and take the GRE before your grad school applications reach their deadline date.
However, when you register for a test and schedule a date for you immediately, you will then be able to select the day you will take the test and plan your studying schedule accordingly.
Plan Your Study Schedule For The GRE
After you have decided on when you will take the GRE, you should think about your studying schedule, timetable, and duration.
How many hours are you going to study every day? Which hours of the day are you going to dedicate to studying? How many months will you be studying for the GRE?
If your test day is months from now but you have a hectic working period starting up, you may want to begin studying for your GRE a couple of months before your test day.
Alternatively, you could begin studying earlier by signing up for the GRE well ahead of time and spending a couple of hours every day over the coming months.
Once you’ve established your timeframe, consider how you intend to study: do you prefer studying alone at home? Would you rather be in a class with other people? Is online better for you? Do you require one-on-one assistance?
There are resources accessible to everyone regardless of the preferred learning style.
Try Taking A GRE Mock Test
Trying to take a mock GRE test and simulating the real test environment and conditions you will have on the test day is a great way to assess your progress.
You can see your strengths and weaknesses and use your score details to see where you need to focus more and become better.
Keep in mind that your target for that very first mock test shouldn’t be the perfect score; this test is mostly used as a guide for the rest of your preparation work toward your actual test day.
So, avoid being too hard on yourself in case your mock test results aren’t as great as you’d expect; there is still time and room for improvement and you will do just fine.
The Bottom Line
Studying for your GRE test can be a very enjoyable experience if you follow our tips and develop a productive study plan. So, keep your head up, focus on your goals and smash it!
