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There is no shortcut to success, especially when you are preparing for a highly competitive exam like the GRE. Achieving a high GRE score requires a lot of hard work and preparation. While the time for preparation varies from person to person, it is always good to start your preparation at least six months prior to the actual exam date. However, if you don’t have much time left, we recommend you to follow our 3-month study plan for GRE.
How to Come Up With a 3 Month GRE Study Schedule?
The Graduate Records Examination(GRE) is a standardized, global level entrance test required for admissions to masters and doctoral programs abroad and in India. There is no such thing as the best GRE preparation plan. However, you need to dedicate ample time to learn and practice all the concepts asked in the exam. The study plan you create will be unique to you, as the learning time differs from person to person. Having said that, there are some common points that you need to keep in mind before creating your 3 month GRE study schedule.
- Understand the pattern – GRE test consists of three sections — Analytical Writing, Quantitative Reasoning and Verbal Reasoning. Getting acquainted with the GRE exam pattern is extremely essential to create a study plan. You can draft a plan and divide the topics and practice tests for each week, only if you know the syllabus thoroughly. Hence, before creating a study plan, make sure you go through the topics asked in each section and prioritize them accordingly.
- Outline the schedule – Once you are familiar with the pattern, divide the topics and write down your study tasks — Learning concepts, practice tests, etc. Moreover, calculate the time you can spend for studies in a week and split up these tasks in a way that is manageable for you. Make sure you maintain a balance between your daily chores and studies, and don’t cram too many topics for a day.
- Set a target score – A target score acts as a goal and motivates your preparation. Hence, before creating a study plan, set a score that you want to achieve by comparing the average cut-offs of the universities you want to apply to. This helps you track your progress during the preparation and determine how far you are from the perfect score to make it into your dream school.
- Gather the resources – A multitude of resources are available for GRE preparation. However, only reliable resources can yield you good results. Hence, find out the resources that work best for you even before starting the preparation. If possible, use more than one resource to make your preparations more effective.
Now that you know the things to keep in mind when creating your study plan, we have created a 3-month GRE Study Plan to help you get started. This is just a sample we have created. You can modify the weekly or daily hours and subjects based on your learning speed and available time.
| Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 | |
| Month1 | Understand the GRE exam — the pattern, various sections, scoring, question solving techniques etc. (5 hours) Learn Quant concepts — Numbers, Arithmetic , Algebra, Geometry and Mensuration. (8 hours) | Learn Verbal RC Concepts and Practice Questions — Rules, question types etc.(12 hours) | Verbal RC: Official guide solutions (5 hours) Quant Concepts and Practice questions — Coordinate geometry, Permutations and Combinations, Probability (9 hours) | Official Guide Questions: Sets 1 to 4, Question bank: Section tests 1 to 5, Verbal RC: Question bank, RC section tests. (13 hours) |
| Month2 | Verbal: RC: Question bank – RC section tests (3 hours) Verbal: Text Completion — Concepts and practice questions, Official guide tests. (11 hours) | Quant: Question Bank – Section tests. (5 hours) Verbal — Sentence Equivalence concepts and practice tests, Official guide question bank and solutions. (8 hours) | Verbal RC: High level questions 10 passages at least. (12 hours) | Verbal SE: High level questions, Text Completion: High level questions. (5 hours) AWA (both tasks) (6 hours) |
| Month3 | Revision of Quant and Verbal Formulae (5 hours) Quant: Concepts and Practice questions — Statistics, Advanced Quant, Data interpretation (8 hours) | Verbal: Text completion: Question bank (4 hours) Quant high level questions, Official guide revision set. (8 hours) | AWA: Practice, 3 sets of mock GRE tests. (13 hours) | Revision of Verbal and Quant Concepts (Based on analysis of mock test performance) Mock GRE tests. (12 hours) |
We hope now you know how to create a 3 month GRE study plan. A well organized study plan keeps you on track and helps you divide your time more efficiently to ensure success in the GRE exam. Hence, consider the above information, refer to the sample table, and alter it accordingly.
Good luck!
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