Whether you’re studying for 1 week or 6 months, it definitely helps to add some structure to your study plan to keep you accountable and motivated. Below is a list of our study guides that include recommended materials and checklists for each stage of your prep:
1 Month Study Schedules:
2-3 Month (90 Day) Study Schedules:
6 Month Study Schedules
Please give me some effective tactics for quantitative section. I took the GRE before, but the score is simply embarrassing to enunciate. I really want to join Magoosh but the feeling to fail again in quant is haunting me. I did join some online coaching program but they were useless, only interested in extracting money without paying any considerations to my weakest areas. I am desperate to score in upper 700+, but it seems next to impossible (also because am a arts graduate)
Well Vaisnavi,
I can positively say that no user of Magoosh has ever claimed that we “extract money.” Quite the contrary, we have such satisfied users that they are usually shocked we didn’t try to “extract” more money.
As for your specific case, I’m not sure exactly why you are not doing well on quant, but I’m guessing your math skills have gotten rusty because of your arts background. Magoosh Quant will really help you out. Our lessons will help you brush up on all the fundamentals while helping you gain a better sense of the traps that the test-writers lay for the unsuspecting. Typically, “math tactics” are just a small part of the overall picture; the key is learning the concepts behind the math. And no one – in my not totally unbiased opinion – does a better job than Magoosh.
Are there full length tests offered by magoosh? Could you please send me the link?
Thanks
Hi, Nick
Yes, Magoosh GRE Prep has a way to set up mock tests, which you can read about here: http://magoosh.com/gre/2011/mock-tests-for-the-new-gre/
Best,
Margarette
I’m really interested to join the Magoosh as one of my many study prep tools. Can you please recommend your best GRE Math study tool for the new revised GRE exam?
Hi Shay,
Our math study tool is our entire product – you get access to math video lessons that break down all the fundamentals you will need to do well on the test. On top of that we offer hundreds of math problems, each with a video explanation. We have a sale until the end of the month!
Let me know if I can answer any other questions about the product.
-Chris
Hi,
I’m curious about that if I just only follow the 30 days GRE guide, will it be enough for me to take the exam? I am really nervous about taking this exam, and I want to get good score. By the way, I just registered the prep today when I found here.
Hi Jean,
The answer really depends on your current score and the score you hope to attain. Following the 30-day GRE guide will definitely help, but unless I know your goals I do not know if it will be enough.
It’s Jean again.
This is my first time to take the GRE exam and I want to get the score as high as possible.
I went to cram school few years ago but I didn’t take the exam.
So I’d like to know if I follow the 30-day GRE guide, will I get good grades?
It’s like start from the beginning for me to take the exam, I’m kind of nervous…
I really need help..haha
Hi Jean,
There is no magic formula – but if you follow the 30-day study guide, it is one of the most effective ways for anyone to prep. So even if a person is starting at a 135Math and ends up with a 150M after following the study guide, this is an amazing score improvement. 150M, however, is not a top score.
So really it depends where you are starting from. Download the Powerprep test. It is free on the GRE site. Take the test and see what your score is. Then follow the study guide, focusing on your weak areas.
Hope that helped!
hi chris …. well i took the new GRE in the month of OCT ….. well regarding my prep. i really tried my best and was pretty sure about my scores …. i was even doing well on the mock tests which comes with the ETS official guide …. even apart from that i did almost every book which was available in the market i started off with
in the sequence
1: nova’s
2: barron’s
3: Princeton review
and finally the ETS official guide to the new GRE
and apart from all of that i mugged almost each and every word on the word list
i wrote all those words on a note book ” tried to make them look easier
i have been following your video’s on the youtube from the month of sep 2011
well they helped me in some way …
but it was pretty late for me to change my strategy towards the vocabulary part
and finally … the night before my test i couldnt sleep even for a second due to some trivial reasons …. n may be because of that i scored 154/170 i quant and 143/170 i the vocab section
tho i have applied for few colleges but i am not happy about it ……
want to take the test again this April …..
Please help
regards
Vedant ( huge fan )
Vedant,
My sincere apologies – for some reason your comment never made it to me. This is strange, as your response was vey thoughtful and longer than most. But let me at least try to make up for the delayed response by doing my best to help you out.
Reading your write-up, I can come up with a few scenarios for your lower score. I can also recommend ways for you to improve so that you are ready for your April test.
1. Number of Questions do not equal Quality,
Sometimes, by doing hundreds upon hundreds of practice questions you are not improving your skills, but are enforcing bad habits. For instance, if your approach to reading comp. is not ideal, doing as many questions as possible will only hurt you.
My question: how do you approach the verbal section in general? How do you approach Text Completions, RC passages, etc.
2. Know why wrong answers are wrong
This may seem superflous but remember – understanding why you answer a question incorrectly will ideally help you avoid doing the same in the future. It will also help you to see how the test writers think, an invaluable insight that should help you break into the 150s.
3. Learning vocabulary in context
I know you weren’t able to apply my methods last month, but I’m curious if in-context learning has helped you since. Regardless, let me know how you are learning words now, and I will help you refine your strategy.
4. Practice under timed conditions
The GRE format of sitting at a computer as a clock relentlessly ticks downwards is unnerving, especially if you have not practiced under similar conditions. I would recommend trying out Magoosh. Our entire product – every question and lesson video – is computer-based. Every time you approach a question, there will be a clock.
So get back to me on the first few points, but I definitely think with the right technique you will be able to break 150, if not 155, on the GRE verbal. (Magoosh offers a full-refund if a person re-taking the GRE doesn’t increase 5 total points).
Hope that helped, and sorry again about the delayed reply
Hiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii! Chris …
well I was so looking forward to a reply from you .
well let’s just get straight to the point … i have a habit of giving too many details, ” my bad ” :p
1. Talking about the verbal part, my approach was very dull; I just used to learn all the words from the note book that i used to prepare for the GRE. my focus was on Maths . For Reading comprehension I practiced a lot but I could never really improve my score as i thought more and more practice might help me but it never did ….. you are right about that .
2. For my second attempt on the Test, I think i should follow your strategy of learning words with their applications by reading New york Times and the wall street journal (saw your video)
But I still have no idea how I can improve my Reading, as I think that the reading comprehensions that now appear on the new GRE are more for the students who use to get books on there birthdays rather than GI Joes ( as kids ) ….
3. I always use to practice math questions under timed conditions .
Chris i have already applied to a few colleges got accepted at one and got rejected by many haha ….. well that was expected which is not a good feeling, so I am determined to take the test again .
I am planning to take my test after a couple of months. How much time should I give my self to prepare? With a lot of time on my hands, i tend to over do stuff .
eagerly waiting for your reply .
warm regards and respect
Vedant Tiwari .
Hi Vedant,
So it sounds like the area you struggle in is reading comp. But do not despair
. You can – and will – improve by following some tips:
http://magoosh.com/gre/gre-reading-comprehension/
Afterwards go through the study guides above incorporating RC techniques in the resources you encounter there.
Hi Chris
I want to Excel myself in Verbal Section, and the NEW Gre Pattren in worrying me alot. Can you please help me out in this concern. mainly those Sentence Completions….
–Thanks
Nani
Hi Nani,
An excellent guide for the Sentence Equivalence and Text Completion questions is this very blog. If you look at the top bar and click on ‘Verbal’ you will be brought to dozens of posts to help you prepare for and conquer Text Completions. Have at them, and let me know if you have any questions along the way
.
Hi, Chris i did my GRE last week i had 134 v and 145 quan. i am planning to redo it again in june. i have weakness in both math and verbal but especially verbal. English is my second language. what can i do to improve. i already bought the premium with practise questions. Which study plan will help me improve. I found out about magoosh a few days to the last gre and there was nothing i could do. Please help
Hi Naomi,
Sorry to hear that the GRE didn’t go as well as you’d hoped. The best plan of action is to follow one of the Magoosh study plans. In the plans we have provided resources that will help you regardless of your English level. Which plan is best for you depends on when you plan to retake the test.
http://magoosh.com/gre/gre-study-guides-and-plans/
Good luck, and please continue ask me questions as you use one of the Study Guides. I want to make sure that you are able to hit your target (and beyond!) when you retake the test.
Hey chris, thanks so much for your help. I am planning to retake it in June. Do you recommend any kind of book I can buy for verbal especially vocabulary or the lessons that you provide is ok. I hope to hear back again from you. My target is above 155 in both verbal and quantitative. I will do whatever it takes.
Hi Naomi,
With a lot of hard work, you can definitely achieve those scores. For vocabulary prep, Barron’s 1100 Word You Need to Know is a great self-study book. Make sure of course to bolster your vocab by reading, reading, and reading, making sure you look up words you don’t know and write these words down on flashcards.
Best of luck, and don’t hesitate to ask any other questions
.
Thanks. Is the manhattan gre 500 essential words flash card the best resource to use for vocabulary also or I should just stick with barrons. Am confused please help. And how many number of words u think I should learn per day.
Hi Naomi,
There is no perfect word list. You could only study Barron’s and see 20 Barron’s words test day, or you could study the MGRE list and only see 5 words test day. Or those numbers could be reversed and you could see 20 MGRE words. There is no magic list.
The best list is the one that has strong sentence examples and good memory tips. In this case, MGRE beats out Barron’s. Though if you memorize all MGRE then you should move on to Barron’s. There is significant overlap so you wouldn’t have to memorize the whole list.
Hope that helps!
Hi Chris,
I love the fact that for every mistake I make, there is a video explanation for it and even for the right ones, sometimes I do find an easier way of approaching the question. My question is, if I am to just focus on Magoosh instead of using the other sources, what will be my chances of getting a good score, saying 160M and 155V giving that I have 3 weeks to prepare for it? I am not working by the way so I have the whole day to study if I have to.
Hi Mish,
Using Magoosh you should definitely be able to hit those score targets. Of course there are a few factors:
1. Point-wise, where did you start from?
2. How many Magoosh questions have you gone through?
If you started out far below your target scores, then you are doing very well, and should likely continue to improve. Which brings me to the second question: if you’ve exhausted most of the Magoosh questions that will help you target your weak spots, then you may need to use other material.
If you have only gone up by a little, then we would need to focus on how you approach questions. Is there something you are not doing optimally, etc. In that case, I would recommend you watch the lesson videos. Doing more and more questions – whether from Magoosh or from another publisher – will not necessarily help.
Hope that makes sense
.
Hi Chris,
To begin with, I want to say thanks a lot for attending to my question in such a short notice. To answer your question, I used to use Kaplan until recently after I read the review on it. I discovered Magoosh about two months ago and normally use it purposely for practise test questions either for the verbal or quantitative part.
I agree with what you said at the end, I go through a lot of practise problems but don’t progress well probably due to the way I am approaching the problem. I focus more on my timing that I rush through the problems and end up making some simple mistakes or not even understanding the question as I would had I read it slowly.
Also what I noticed from the verbal section is that most of the time, i don’t guess the answer before going through the given options to chose the answer from. I am hoping you understand what I am talking about so you can suggest to me a better way out.
Hi Mish
I know exactly what you are talking about: trying to guess the answer beforehand will help you think about the question more analytically and make you less likely to fall for traps. Working on this skill – vs. just doing oodles of questions – will help you improve.
Likewise, finding other areas in which you can improve on approach-wise, and then working on those areas, will be far more fruitful than simply going through questions.
Hope that helps!
Thanks Chris for the advise. I will definitely try that approach.
Mish.
You’re welcome
.