It’s definitely not the SAT. As the portal for entry into most graduate programs, the Graduate Record Exam (GRE) is another academic animal altogether—and something you’d better be sure you’ve prepared for before you pull up that first question. As Neil Seltzer, the national GRE content director for the Princeton Review, said, “To walk into this test unprepared, to sit down [and take it] having never done it before is suicide.” That is, if you want to get into grad school—since a good score here could make the difference between “rejected” or “accepted” on that letter you’ll be waiting for. There are many things you can do to improve your chances, and following these five tips will help you along the way.
1. Seek assistance. You might feel like you’re alone, but you’re not. There are many GRE resource guides available to prospective test takers, such as the plethora of courses, books and articles that can be found online. Fees range from free to hefty, so know what the benefits of each are before you commit. Make sure you’re also using resources geared for the most recent version of the GRE—which was updated in 2011. A great place to start is with the Educational Testing Service (ETS), which offers a variety of free and low-cost tools to help with preparation.
2. Determine strengths. Know thyself—and know the exam. It’s a good mantra when it comes to GRE prep, since determining your strengths and weaknesses will guide your preparation and help you make the most of your study time. A great way to do this is to take GRE practice tests to determine your relative strengths between the three sections of the exam: verbal, quantitative and analytical writing skills. Since the GRE is a computer-adaptive test—meaning that the difficulty of your next question will depend on your last answer—many find that adjusting to this dynamic in a practice setting can be very helpful.
3. Create a plan of action and strategy. No battle is won without a plan—and you’ll have difficulty achieving your desired score without one. Most experts recommend starting GRE prep 4 to 12 weeks prior to the exam. It’s important to take practice exams in an environment similar to the one for the test, and use your results to focus your study efforts. All of this will help you have a strategy on the big day, and heighten your sense of control.
4. Be resourceful. It serves you well in many ways, and here it’s especially true. If you understand how the GRE is constructed, you’ll be more agile when it comes to specifics—like knowing exam basics and focusing on your foundation. This includes ramping up your vocabulary and analytical writing skills, and gearing up for the quantitative challenge by polishing your basic math skills and your understanding of charts and graphs. Another important factor is learning to balance your practice test time, which will help you pace yourself and zero in on what matters most.
5. Keep calm. The better prepared you are, the calmer you will be—especially if you remember tips like these to decrease stress and mistakes. Get plenty of sleep, eat with an eye on health, and exercise in the weeks leading up to the exam. Since studies show that cardiovascular workouts boost brain power, and adequate sleep improves memory, you’ll want to seriously consider avoiding sedentary study habits and counter-productive all-nighters.
You’ve worked hard to get to this point, and you should be proud of your efforts. With a little focus, a lot of preparation, and the use of these tips, you’ll soon be submitting GRE scores to be proud of—and looking forward to the grad school adventure ahead.
