9 best ways to study for the GRE

Congratulations, as you’ve just dodged a bullet; how? Well, by finding this page, as you now have a chance to know all the things you must know and didn’t know regarding the GRE.

We understand that the whole GRE scenario can seem a bit confusing; don’t worry, as we will try to explain everything, including the best way to study for the GRE, in the most simple and easy manner.

So, without any more chit-chat, let’s hop on for a quick ride to the GRE world.

What is GRE?

The full form of the GRE is Graduate Record Examinations. It is a computer-based or paper-based standardised test that a wide range of graduate schools accept as their admission requirements. It is about 2 hours long. The GRE is fully owned by the Educational Testing Service (ETS).

There are 2 types of GRE tests. These are:

1. GRE General Test: The GRE general test will open the door to admission to thousands of business and law schools worldwide.
2. GRE Subject Test: The GRE subject test measures your knowledge and skills in a specific field of study, such as chemistry, mathematics, physics, or psychology.

Best way to study for the GRE

The most effective way to learn anything in the world is to be consistent about it. No one will tell you this, but if you’re not determined to see the end of it, you won’t be going anywhere.

Suppose you’re playing GTA (Grand Theft Auto), and there’s this one mission that is too hard to pass. What do you do then? Do you simply quit or don’t leave the chair until it’s done? You pass the mission with respect, right?

Given below are the 9 best ways to study for the GRE:

1. Read a lot of books
2. Build an ocean of vocabulary
3. Time management
4. Take practice tests
5. Make a study plan
6. Understand the GRE
7. Get the right study tools
8. Know your weakness
9. Trust your instinct

1. Read a lot of books

Do you know who often aces the verbal section of the GRE? It’s the philosophy and liberal arts major students. Wanna know why? It’s because they read a lot of books, especially analytical non-fiction books.

Try to read these books in your spare time. We understand that you might not feel interested in these types of books, and they can be unrelated to your main study areas, but the efforts will definitely pay off.

2. Build an ocean of vocabulary

You must delve into an ocean of vocabulary, as it’s a key part of the verbal reasoning section. It will enhance your reading skills.

Suppose you are reading a sentence, and one of the words is unfamiliar to you. What do you do? You look it up in the dictionary, but if you had known every word of that sentence, you would understand that sentence in a jiff and thus would be able to solve it right away!

If you know every word of your GRE question, you can solve them right away! Aim for the high-priority words; even an amount of 1,000 high-priority words will be of great help in your GRE test.

3. Time management

Time is of great value, so you have to spend it wisely. Create a study schedule depending on your weaknesses and strengths. Spend less time on your easy areas and more time on your challenging areas.

Make your schedule a lifestyle of yours for several months.

4. Take practice tests

Taking practice tests for the GRE before the actual test will be of great help. If you’re sitting for the exam for the first time, you’re most likely to get nervous; it will not help you in your exam. The less stressed you are, the better your exam will be.

Take as many practice tests as possible. It will help you boost your confidence in the actual exam because you’ll feel like this has all happened before. It will also help you to identify your weaknesses.

5. Make a study plan

Planning is the first key to success. Make a plan for 3 months, and if you have enough time, make it 5. Plan in such a way that after 3 to 5 months, you will be confident enough to ace the test.

6. Understand the GRE

This isn’t just any Math or English test. It’s the GRE. You have to dig down every question type and make sure that you have a clear picture of the whole scenario. Figure out everything about the GRE in your own way.

7. Get the right study tools

Don’t just read everything related to the GRE. Read those that will be of most value for the test. You’ll find tonnes of resources regarding the GRE. Pick those that really matter!

To win a war, it doesn’t matter how many tools you've got; what matters is if you’ve got the right ones.

8. Know your weakness

A wise man isn’t wise if he doesn’t know about his weaknesses. The areas that you find hard on the GRE are most likely the ones that you dislike the most. The sad truth is you have to study them more. Know your weaknesses and turn them into your strengths.

9. Trust your instinct

Suppose, in a multiple-choice question, you feel that two of the four options could be the right ones. Then, simply follow your gut instinct or intuition and aim for one. Don’t overthink. Simply just pick one.

GRE exam structure

The GRE exam takes exactly 1 hour and 58 minutes to complete. There are five sections.

1. Analytical writing: This is the very first part of the GRE test, where you’ll have to write an essay to a specific prompt. The prompt will be based on government, education, the arts, technology, etc.

You have to write in a persuasive manner, and you’ll be graded on how compelling your argument is, how well you support that matter, and the standard of your English writing.

2. Verbal reasoning: You’ll see multiple-choice questions that will be based on verbal or math.

3. Quantitative reasoning: This is the math section of the GRE test, where you’ll be seeing questions from arithmetic, algebra, geometry, and data analysis.

Most of the questions will be multiple-choice questions, but in one or two sections, you might find questions where you'll actually have to type in the exact answer into a box.

What to study for the GRE?

You’ll find tonnes of resources for the GRE, but don’t read everything related to the GRE. If you do, you’ll be wasting your time. For you, we have listed down the best GRE study materials.

1. Official GRE book by ETS (The most valuable resource)
2. Free PowerPrep software by ETS
3. GRE Math Knight App
4. GRE Vocab Cartoons App
5. Magoosh GRE Prep
6. Magoosh Free GRE vocabulary flashcards
7. Kaplan Free GRE Practice
8. Kaplan Free GRE Practice Questions
9. Manhattan Prep Free GRE Practice Test
10. Manhattan Prep Free GRE Practice Resources
11. The Princeton Review’s Cracking the GRE (Book)
12. Barron’s GRE (Book)

How long do you need to study for the GRE?

How long do you need to be great at driving? No one can say this, right? Some might be experts in a month, and for some, it might take years.

In my opinion, studying for 3 months for the GRE is standard, but if you have time, then study for 5 months. The more you know, the better.

What is a good GRE score?

A good GRE score would be 150 for verbal, 155 for quantitative (math), and 4.0 for essay writing. Forget about the good score or the best score; as long as you’re meeting the requirements of your graduate school, you’re good to go.

The total GRE score range is 260 - 340.

What is the GRE exam cost/fee?

The GRE exam fees for 2025 in several countries are mentioned below:

5 things to know about the GRE

There are several things that you must know before even beginning to enter the world of the GRE.

1. If you’re not interested in the official GRE book by ETS, then don’t even bother to take the GRE test.
2. Put maximum effort into the essay, as it requires a specific type of writing. Don’t be overconfident in this section, as it’ll be graded by one computer reader and one human reader, so be careful!
3. If your budget is tight, then repeat this. ETS book, ETS book, and ETS book. You’ll thank us later.
4. Brands (Kaplan, Magoosh, Manhattan, and The Princeton Review) are great, and they can be of immense help, but there are many students who aced the test just by studying the books of ETS. You know what I’m saying, right?
5. Don’t copy everything that your friend did. You and him/her are not the same. Know your strengths and the ways in which you can get the most out of them. Just because he aced the test by studying that book doesn't mean it will be the same for you.

Farewell note

Oh boy! That was quite something, now wasn’t it?

We’re sure that by now, you can advise others about the best ways to study for the GRE. At this point, many people will say many things to you. Just do 2 things for yourself. The first thing is to figure out the best for you by yourself, and the second thing is to be consistent. That’ll simply do the trick. Well, that’s about it then.

Wait, almost forgot!

Best of luck with your GRE test, and we hope that you ace it. Adiós!

FAQs

What is the best way to study for the GRE for beginners?

Here are some tips for studying for the GRE for beginners:

1. Official GRE book by ETS
2. Read a lot of books
3. Take a practice test
4. Make a study plan

How can you get GRE preparation online for free?

Some free tools will help you with your GRE preparation. These are:

1. Free PowerPrep software by ETS
2. Magoosh Free GRE vocabulary flashcards
3. Kaplan Free GRE Practice
4. Kaplan Free GRE Practice Questions
5. Manhattan Prep Free GRE Practice Test
6. Manhattan Prep Free GRE Practice Resources

What is the best way to study for the GRE online?

There are some online courses for the GRE. The best of them are:

1. Magoosh
2. Kaplan
3. Manhattan Prep

How long should you take to study for the GRE?

Studying for 3 months for the GRE is standard, but if you have enough time, then aim for 5 months. The more you know, the better.

What is the best way to prepare for the GRE?

The best way to prepare for the GRE is to take as many practice tests as possible and scan every little word of the official GRE book by ETS.

Can I study for the GRE on my own?

Of course, you can ace the GRE on your own. You’ll find many students who have gotten a great score using a variety of resources. Some of the best free GRE resources are mentioned below:

1. Free PowerPrep software by ETS
2. Magoosh Free GRE vocabulary flashcards
3. Kaplan Free GRE Practice
4. Kaplan Free GRE Practice Questions
5. Manhattan Prep Free GRE Practice Test
6. Manhattan Prep Free GRE Practice Resources