Mike MᶜGarry

Adapting the GRE Study Schedules to Your Needs

Planner painting

Magoosh has GRE study schedules tailored to different time lengths because prospective graduate students have diverse needs. Our schedules cover 1-month, 3-month, and 6-months of study. The three-month plan is usually popular for GRE preparation, and as such, we have developed four distinct variants that cater to a variety of different needs for students. We understand, though, that you don’t always have that much time, and so the 1-month plan offered a very structured, more rigorous pace for the GRE.

We understand the challenges and stress of preppiong for a standardized test, and so our schedules have options–any student will find something useful here that works. Still, although our standard schedule accommodate the vast majority of needs, some students might find themselves dealing with highly unique timelines or requirements. While it’s challenging to predict the right solutions for every unique situation, this post offers insights on modifying our study schedules for an even better fit to your individual needs.

Adapting 30-day Schedule to 6-8 weeks

When it comes to customizing a study schedule, adding to a shorter plan is generally more straightforward than condensing a longer one. If you need more than one month but less than three, consider expanding upon our 30 day schedule before trying to truncate the three-month schedule.

Improve your GRE score with Magoosh.

The one-month schedule is rigorous, and designed with an accelerated pace in mind. Doubling the time allocated for each day in the plan effectively transforms it into a comprehensive two-month schedule: the same curriculum but with half the workload. Use that reduced workload as an additional opportunity to recharge, or use it to supplement the study schedule with extra practice sessions during the weekend with the official PowerPrep tests. This halving approach can work for either the daily or weekly version of the 30 schedule.

If you don’t quite have two months, a six-weeks schedule is a little more complex, so we need some nuance in our approaches. The first approach, for the 30 day daily study schedule, would be to allocate three days to every two days of the existing daily study schedule. This slightly reduces the workload while simultaneously filling the six-week period. Alternatively, if using the weekly schedule, you can begin with the first two weeks of that schedule, then inject two weeks of practice with additional resources before resuming the weekly schedule. During that two weeks of additional practice you would engage with the resources of your choice. We, of course, recommend our own free resources such as the GRE eBook, but have also hand picked the very best free resources for you from others committed to your success on the GRE.

If you do adapt either 30 day schedule to six weeks , we recommend you use a calendar to set a roadmap for your new schedule. This calendar will help you maintain focus and track your progress. It’s also helpful if you want to put your own spin on these adaptation strategies, and intersperse your additional practice sessions among the given topics and resources of the schedule. Magoosh builds in adaptability because it not only enriches your study sessions and enhances your readiness for the test.

Adapting 90 Day Schedule to 4 months

A four-month window until your test date means you have lots of options. Even assuming you don’t want to reschedule to three months away and follow a three-month schedule, there are many alternatives available.

We’ve developed four distinct 90 day schedules to fit your general needs. You’ll need to determine which is best for you because that will determine how to best supplement the additional month of focused study, which may be accomplished either directly or indirectly. While we have already mentioned our own resources, you can find additional resources mentioned in each schedule and on the ETS website, any of which we would stand behind to enrich your study plan. When planning, you should consider what difficulties may have surfaced during your study sessions–perhaps your studies would benefit from an added month revisiting videos you’ve already viewed, or exploring Khan Academy’s refresher in Quantitative reasoning on the ETS website, or deepening your reading practice on a site like Arts & Letters Daily.

The most important step to take in adapting to additional month of prep time is determining your biggest opportunity for progress. For this reason, a straightforward strategy is to adapt your 90-day schedule by completing the weekdays “Day 1-5” portion consecutively for the three weekss month, skipping the Day 6 material. Swapping the “Day 6” material from week one into week four, and so on. Once you are done with the material in days one through five, you’ll still have three additional weeks of weekend material. At that point, you’d dedicate the remaining month to lesson review during the week, by focusing on the questions you answered incorrectly, and you’ll complete the final powerprep test in the or so preceding your actual GRE date.

Once again, its possible to put your own spin on this adaptation, and opt for a more intricate approach that intermingles days or weeks of study from optional resources with the schedule from the core Magoosh plan. If you opt for such a customized plan, laying it out on a calendar—digital or physical—is going to be a big help in tracking your progress. Remember, you want to maintain a dynamic and flexible study routine tha prepares you to perform well on the test.

Adaptating for Goals and Learning Style

It’s important to note that we understand the stress associated with preparing for a high-stakes examination. So maybe your need isnt a unique time constraint, but fitting our schedules to your study goals or learning style. If so, there are still some easy adaptation strategies available.

For instance, you may feel your quantitative skills are strong, but struggle with verbal areas (or vice versa). You can confirm your math proficiency by focusing on the quizzes at the end of each quantitative module. Scoring well on these quizzes will not only give you evidence to support your confidence, but also signal your robust math skills to the Magoosh platform. At the same time, you would view each verbal lesson at least twice, and complete all verbal questions with particular focus on the hard questions. (Do the opposite if the reverse situation applies.)

Maybe, however, you need to combine math and verbal exercises daily or alternate among different subjects and formats on different days. If so, then the recommendations around using a calendar definitely apply so that you can ensure that you’re covering all recommended information. By diligently adhering even to a specialized approach, you will remain eligible for Magoosh’s score guarantee, even though you’re not following the prescribed plan in the usual manner.

Summary

Preparing for the GRE doesn’t need to be filled with anxiety and pressure. We at Magoosh want you to make our schedules work for you in the way you need them. Ultimately, your goal is to comfortably face the varied challenges of the test. A balanced approach helps to better prepare you for the comprehensive nature of the GRE, ensuring that you are well-equipped for the challenges of the test day.

Authors

  • Mike MᶜGarry

    Mike served as a GMAT Expert at Magoosh, helping create hundreds of lesson videos and practice questions to help guide GMAT students to success. He was also featured as “member of the month” for over two years at GMAT Club. Mike holds an A.B. in Physics (graduating magna cum laude) and an M.T.S. in Religions of the World, both from Harvard. Beyond standardized testing, Mike has over 20 years of both private and public high school teaching experience specializing in math and physics. In his free time, Mike likes smashing foosballs into orbit, and despite having no obvious cranial deficiency, he insists on rooting for the NY Mets. Learn more about the GMAT through Mike’s Youtube video explanations and resources like What is a Good GMAT Score? and the GMAT Diagnostic Test.

  • Magoosh Expert

More from Magoosh