Building Your Perfect GRE Prep Schedule: A Study Schedule You Can Use to Excel

How long does it take to prepare for the GRE? The answer to this question depends on the person taking the test. A student who is just finishing undergraduate school may need just a few weeks to prepare. Alternatively, someone who has been out of college for several years may need to study for three or four months. Regardless of how long you need to study, a GRE prep schedule can make study time all the more effective.

Let’s look at some tips that can help you create a study schedule that paves the way to success on the GRE:

Before Making a GRE Preparation Schedule

Before jumping in and making a study schedule for GRE success, it’s a good idea to take a practice test. Taking a practice GRE gives you the chance to become familiar with the format of the test. You’ll also get to experience the types of questions they will encounter on all three sections.

Most importantly, you can refer to the results of their practice test as you set up your GRE preparation schedule. One student may see that they need to improve their performance on the Analytical Writing Section of the test – perhaps they need to work on including more specific evidence in their essays. Another student may discover that they need to focus on learning more vocabulary words for sentence equivalence questions in the Verbal Reasoning Section. You can use your practice test results to prioritize what you need to study in order to perform your best on the GRE.

Making a Study Plan That Works

There is not a one-size-fits-all study schedule for GRE students. One person’s full-time work schedule may not allow them to study until six o’clock in the evening. Another person may have to study early in the morning due to a full schedule of undergraduate courses. In short, each person has to craft a study schedule that fits with their daily commitments.

Sample GRE Study Schedules

One student may decide to study for three hours per day, five days a week. If they want to focus on verbal reasoning skills, they could dedicate the first hour on Monday to practicing reading comprehension skills, such as summarizing written passages and drawing conclusions. They could use the second hour to memorize new vocabulary words using flash cards. The third hour could be spent practicing sentence equivalence questions. This student could plan to spend three days a week studying for the Verbal Reasoning Section and two days preparing for the Quantitative Section of the test.

Another student might create a GRE prep schedule that involves two hours of study time per day, six days a week. This student wants to concentrate on sharpening their quantitative reasoning skills, so they spend three days a week studying algebra, geometry, and data analysis problems. They might dedicate two days to verbal reasoning study and one day to analytical writing practice.

It’s a wise idea for you to write each day’s study activities on a calendar so you know exactly what you are doing every time you sit down to prepare for the GRE. At Varsity Tutors, no matter what your schedule looks like or what topics you need to focus on, we provide GRE tutoring designed to meet the specific needs of each student. We help students learn how to study in the most efficient way possible. In addition, we hire professional instructors who excelled on the GRE. We want our students to benefit from the knowledge and experience of their instructors!

Checking Progress Along the Way

It’s important to review your progress as you continue to move through your GRE preparation schedule. After two or three weeks of study, you should take another practice GRE to see if your skills have improved. In many cases, you will find that you have mastered a particular skill. This means you can adjust your study schedule to dedicate more time to skills that still need work.

Our online tutors at Varsity Tutors are experts at providing instruction, guidance, and encouragement to students who are preparing for the GRE. We can advise students on their study schedules and offer tips that can make them more efficient. Contact Varsity Tutors today and let us help you study for the GRE!

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