Investing your time in a proven GRE study plan is the best way to achieve that ‘good’ GRE score you’re after. These plans have been designed by people in the know, and they provide you with the structure and GRE study schedule you need to stop procrastinating and start studying.
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How to Prepare Your GRE Study Plan
1. Take a GRE practice test
Before anything else, you need to take a full-length and realistic GRE practice test. This will give you a clear indication of where your GRE score is currently at, as well as a crucial understanding of where your strengths and weaknesses are.
To get the most accurate score, be sure to take the GRE practice test under test conditions that mirror those you’ll experience on the test day. It’s also important to invest some time in the reviewing stage to ensure you get the most out of your results.
There are plenty of free GRE practice tests out there, but we recommend choosing a diagnostic test as this will provide you with a complete test analysis, giving you a good idea of where you need to focus your study energy. Once you have this information, you can find a GRE study plan that will get you to your target GRE score by outlining how to study for the GRE in the most effective way. Get started with these free GRE practice questions.
2. Assess how much time you have to study each week/month
Once you’ve taken your GRE practice test and you know how much study you need to do, you can figure out how you’re going to schedule it before the big test day. Procrastination is a dangerous game, and you don’t want the test day to sneak up on you before you’re ready.
First, note how long you have left until the test, then assess how much time you have each week or month to dedicate to GRE study. How long you have will make a big difference to your GRE study plan. If you only have a month or two, and plenty of studying to do, you will likely need to study most days of the week.
3. Choose a Study Plan that fits your needs
Once you know how much time you have and where to focus your energy, your next job is to figure out how you’re going to study for the GRE – and that’s where GRE study plans come in. There are many options out there, ranging from 1-month GRE study plans to 6-month study plans, and others that focus on different aspects of the GRE test.
It’s essential to choose the best GRE study plan that meets your time scale and your study needs. To help you choose the right one, we’ve broken down several proven GRE study plans that are available:
1-Month GRE Study Plan
Magoosh 1-Month GRE Study Plan
One month isn’t a huge amount of time to prepare for the GRE but the guys at Magoosh have you covered. Their detailed study plan breaks down exactly what you need to be doing EVERY SINGLE DAY to be most effective with your time, as well as giving you some helpful bonus preparation tips. It prepares you for both the Quantitative and Verbal sections, and encourages you to do weekend essay writing practice and mock GRE practice tests.
Who This GRE Study Plan Is For:
Those of you who only have a month to improve your score and require a structured GRE study plan to keep you focused and motivated.
Sample GRE Study Schedule
You’ll be studying 6 days a week for 4 weeks with the Magoosh GRE study plan for 1-month. Each day is broken down into a mix of videos to watch, followed by practice questions. There is bonus work to do each day as well. You’re looking at between 2 to 4 hours of studying a day, depending on whether you complete the bonus sections.
While this study plan is pretty hardcore and requires dedication, if you stick it out, it may be the winning formula to get you that good ‘GRE’ score in the short time you have!
Below is a sample daily schedule from the Magoosh GRE study plan for 1 month:
>Click Here to Get Prepping with this 1-Month Plan!
2-3 Month GRE Study Plan
Option 1: Magoosh 2-3 Month GRE Study Plan
This plan is spread out over a couple of months and requires between 2 to 3 hours of studying a day. It works by giving you general weekly goals, rather than spoon feeding you to step-by-step instructions. You can choose either a GRE study plan for 2 months or a GRE study plan for 3 months, depending on your schedule and available hours, and you can work at your own pace.
Who This GRE Study Plan Is For:
Those who are self-motivated and looking for a more flexible study plan which gives you the choice to condense studying into two months, or the extra wriggle room of up to 3 months.
Sample Schedule
> Click Here to Get Prepping with this 2-3 Month Plan!
Option 2: Magoosh 90-Day Math Focused GRE Study Plan
If you have a natural aptitude for the verbal reasoning side of the GRE test and you want to focus more on the math section, this is the perfect GRE study plan for you. It’s a 90-day plan designed to review maths questions in detail, while still covering some of the verbal stuff. Broken down into daily instructions over 12 weeks, it’s a fairly intensive schedule designed to help you improve as much as possible in 3 months. You’ll be studying for 2 – 3 hours each day during the week, and have one 4 – 5 hour stint at the weekend.
Who This GRE Study Plan is For:
Those of you after a more specific study plan, with daily instructions.
Sample Schedule
Below is a sample daily schedule for the Magoosh 90-day math-focused GRE study plan, which should take you around 2 – 3 hours to complete:
>Click Here to Get Studying with this 90-Day Plan
Related: 37 FREE GRE Resources
6-Month GRE Study Plan
Option 1: Magoosh 6-Month GRE Study Plan
This plan is designed for those seeking a long-term plan to increase your GRE score – perhaps you have been out of school for a while, or you aren’t a native English speaker, or you’re just trying to improve your score. Offering an overview of what you can do month by month, the tasks are more general than specific, leaving room for you to adjust it to fit around your specific GRE study needs.
Who This GRE Study Plan is For:
Those of you who have 6 months to spare and want a more general study plan that you can adapt to suit your individual GRE test needs.
>Click Here to Get Studying with this 6-Month Plan
Option 2: Magoosh 6-Month GRE Study Plan for Advanced Math
Focused on the math section, this advanced math GRE study plan is designed for individuals who find math comes very naturally to them. It works on the basis that you know quite a lot of math already, so rather than watching numerous math lessons, the plan is more focused on math practice. Set out over 6 months, the plan is broken down into 25 weekly overviews, with the expectation of 1 – 2 hours of studying on each of the weekdays, and a 4 – 5 hour stint at the weekend.
Who This GRE Study Plan is For:
Those who are after a more detailed schedule with week-by-week instructions.
Sample Schedule
The more general 6 month GRE study plan doesn’t stipulate how many hours must be done every day; instead, it states what you should achieve in a month. The advanced math plan offers a more specific schedule, breaking your study down into weekly goals.
Below is a typical weekly schedule from the Magoosh 6-month GRE study plan for advanced math:
>Click Here to Get Studying with this 6-Month Advanced Math plan
GRE Study Tips
You’ve committed to the best GRE study plan for you, now you need to make sure you know how to study for the GRE in an optimal fashion. Here are some GRE study tips to help you be the best you can be:
- Use a calendar to schedule your study time and make sure to keep these appointments. Creating a routine early on will help you see your plan to the end.
- Be slightly flexible within your study plan, even if you choose one which is rigid and structured. If you know you’re consistently doing well on certain sections of the test, focus your effort on sections that aren’t as strong. You know your weaknesses the best.
- Block out time to keep doing full-length GRE practice tests through-out your studying. This is a great way of seeing your improvement and keeping you motivated, as well as making you more familiar with the GRE test format and conditions.
- Towards the end of your study plan, try to focus on answering questions quicker by timing yourself. And challenge yourself with tougher questions!
Final Words
So, you know what GRE score you need to get, you now have to put in the work to get there. These GRE study plans have all been designed to prepare you as much as they can for the big day, but it is your
