8 Strategies for Studying for the GRE With A Full-Time Job

If you plan to apply to graduate school in the coming admissions cycle, chances are you’re in an exceptionally busy stage of life. Whether you’re wrapping up your undergraduate degree or out of college and working full time, adding GRE preparation to the mix may sound impossibly difficult. But taking the GRE is a crucial part of the application process for many graduate programs. You might not have the time you think you need to study, and might not even know how to begin making a study plan. In what follows, we offer some proven strategies for effectively studying for the GRE with a full-time job.

What is the GRE?

When we speak of the GRE (Graduate Record Examination), we refer to the GRE General Test. While there are four specialized GRE Subject Tests, the General Test is the most commonly administered form of the exam. Developed and administered by the Educational Testing Service, the GRE is a standardized test used to measure verbal and quantitative skills of those seeking admissions to graduate and professional schools. The test involves three parts: Analytical Writing, Verbal Reasoning, and Quantitative Reasoning. For most programs, the Verbal and Quantitative Reasoning sections are weighted much more heavily than the Analytical Writing section, but you should be familiar with the expectations of individual programs before setting your goals for each section.

1. Use Your Time Wisely & Start Early

Graduate school application deadlines vary depending on the program and university to which you are applying. However, most graduate and professional programs have application deadlines in the fall or winter, typically between December and February, for programs that begin the following fall. Some schools have rolling admissions, which means that they review applications as they are received and may accept students until the program is filled. Others have specific deadlines for each application cycle. In order to give yourself enough time to retake the GRE if needed, you should plan on taking the exam at least 12 weeks before your scores are due. For most programs, then, this means planning to test in September or October.

Remember that the sooner you begin preparing for the GRE, the more effectively you can spread out your studying. So, begin as early as possible. Make an assessment of how much time you can devote to GRE preparation each week, and then make a plan. Remember that a full-time job takes up most of your waking hours, and you may be tired afterwards. So keep this in mind as you make your study plan. We recommend setting aside specific times each week for GRE prep to ensure that you get in your hours even when you don’t feel like it. If your work leaves you mentally exhausted in the evenings, then aim to carve out time earlier in the day and on weekends to ensure that you’re approaching your GRE preparation with optimal focus and energy. That said, consistency is crucial, so don’t skip your regularly scheduled study blocks just because you don’t feel like doing them. 

2. Utilize Smart Studying Techniques

In addition to starting early, successful GRE preparation involves using smart studying techniques. The goal is not simply to read through all of your GRE material or even to complete every practice problem. Rather, your aim should be to use this material to help you identify concepts and skills you need to learn, and then to master those concepts and skills through practice. To improve your retention of the material, we recommend trying techniques such as productive failures, repetition with variation, and interleaving. 

3. Use Quality Materials

In addition to a study plan, you’ll need quality materials to prepare with. While you may encounter an overwhelming glut of GRE materials from third-party companies, not even the best of these is a suitable replacement for actual GRE questions. We heartily recommend the following resources:

• ETS Official GRE Super Power Pack. While other companies offer practice questions, none of them develops questions that approximate the complexity and difficulty of official material. 

• ETS Powerprep GRE Tests. These five, digitally-delivered practice tests are the best way to practice for the full-length exam, since the format is identical to what you’ll encounter on test day. If you primarily practice using paper-delivered tests, you may find yourself surprised on test day by the difference a computer-delivered test makes. Don’t be caught off guard.

• ETS Big Book (out of print, but available online). Containing 27 retired tests from the pre-digital GRE, this material isn’t ideal for taking full-length practice tests, but it offers real questions to practice.

• Dry erase board and marker set. If you take the GRE at home, you won’t be allowed to use paper and pen for taking notes. Instead, you’ll need a dry erase board (no larger than 11” x 14”) with fine-tipped markers.

• An ETS calculator emulator. The best way to become comfortable with the on-screen calculator and its features, which aren’t immediately intuitive, is to use it regularly as you practice GRE Quant problems. We recommend this app, available on your laptop, tablet, or phone.

• Manhattan 5-lb Book of GRE Practice Problems. While these aren’t official problems, they do have a utility for some students. In particular, the math chapters devoted to specific topics provide useful drills and challenges. Focus on the concepts you struggle with, and you’ll be well positioned for real GRE problems.

• A GRE error log. A key aspect of effective GRE prep is knowing what topics you’ve struggled with and targeting your review efforts accordingly. Your error log should include the question, when and where you encountered it, an analysis of the mistakes you made, and a plan for avoiding similar mistakes in the future. 

4. Take Practice Exams and Review Your Scores 

Now that you’re ready to begin the real work, your first step should be to take a full-length practice test. Keep an eye on your time along the way, but take as much time as you need to finish all the sections. Doing so will give you a clear glimpse of your current strengths and weaknesses so you can structure your preparation accordingly.

As you continue your study program, make sure you work through some sections and questions untimed to gain deeper familiarity with various aspects of the test, and also take timed sections and full-length tests to develop an effective pace and build stamina.

Over half of the time you spend preparing for the GRE should involve reviewing questions you’ve already answered. Commit to the crucial practice of critically reviewing every question you struggle with, even those you end up answering correctly. For each question, pay attention not only to whether you answered it correctly, but also to how much time you spent on it.

While practicing discrete questions and sections is important, critical analysis of your performance is the key to learning from your mistakes so you don’t repeat them in the future. In addition, pay attention to patterns in the questions you miss and prioritize them in your study. In addition, consider doing blind review of full-length sections. This means not grading a practice section after you’ve completed it, but instead retaking the same section a few days later, then grading both results to compare your performance and to note interesting patterns in questions that may have stumped you once or even twice.

5. Expand Your Vocabulary Knowledge

Vocabulary questions make up a significant portion of the GRE verbal section, so having a strong vocabulary can help you to answer more questions correctly and improve your overall verbal score. While this is especially true of the sentence completion and sentence equivalence questions, vocabulary is also a key component of successful performance in reading comprehension. The ability to recognize and understand complex vocabulary words in context is crucial to navigating the often challenging passages you’ll encounter in the Verbal Reasoning section. 

6. Know Your Strengths and Weaknesses

After taking your initial practice exam, but also throughout your study program, learn your strengths and weaknesses. Is vocabulary your weak point? Then prioritize active vocabulary building. Are you bombing sentence completion questions with more than two blanks? Do you tend to struggle with geometry or probability problems? Are there certain kinds of reading passages you struggle with? Whatever you find, target these issues intentionally in your preparation. Likewise, when taking a timed test, be ready to make a guess and move on when you encounter questions you know you struggle with.

7. Utilize “Dead Time”

Waiting for friends? Sitting in the doctor’s office waiting? Traveling in a car? Even if it isn’t formally scheduled on your calendar, these little intervals might be the ideal time to squeeze in extra study time. Make sure you always have enough GRE preparation materials with you (or on your phone). Create flashcards that you can easily bring with you, so you can drill yourself on vocabulary terms or math concepts whenever you have unexpected downtime. 

8. Avoid Studying Burnout

Despite your best intentions, study fatigue is real. And if you don’t plan for it early on, you risk burnout, which will have detrimental effects on your long-term study program, and thus for your overall performance on the official test. So, remain organized and intentional about how and when you study. Take breaks. Spend time with friends. Don’t sacrifice sleep, exercise, or a healthy lifestyle, since these are the foundations of effective mental performance.

North Avenue Education Can Help You With GRE Prep Today!

As you dive into your own journey towards graduate school applications, consider working with a tutor, who will not only provide you with accountability in your study plan, but also offer expert and individualized support in your efforts to improve, help you identify patterns in your performance, and share practical strategies that are rooted in years of experience with the exam.

If you need help in designing your own plan for successfully preparing for the GRE, don’t hesitate to reach out to our expert tutors, who can help as you navigate the daunting terrain of graduate school admissions tests. Get in touch to discuss our sophisticated approach to GRE prep and make a plan for success in your graduate school applications.