The bad news? The costs of studying for the GRE exam and applying to graduate school can add up. The good news? There are tons of free GRE study materials you can use to complete your GRE prep online free! How do you tell where to find the best online coaching materials? We’ve done the legwork for you! Here are the top free GRE resources to get your score where you want it to be.
How do I study for the GRE for free in 2024?
It is possible to study for the GRE for free—and to boost your score significantly in the process. To get the best GRE prep online free that actually works for you, you’ll need to access the following:
- Lessons: these could be videos (like Magoosh offers), prep books, or online materials.
- Practice questions: you’ll need a lot of practice problems! Make sure that they’re test-like by choosing expert-written items.
- Full-length practice tests: these are vital for both determining where you’re starting with a diagnostic exam, and for determining how well your prep is working to get you to your goals as you continue. To get started, check out our free GRE practice test!
- A solid, personalized GRE study schedule: this will keep you on-track and ensure that you cover all material you need to see and practice before the day of the official exam.
You’ll find examples of these in the free GRE study materials described below!
1. ETS Powerprep Tests
ETS Powerprep Tests are online practice tests from the test-makers themselves. Need I say more? Use these to get a feel for not only the content of the GRE, but also the basics of the exam- how the GRE calculator works, how to flag and return to questions, etc.
2. Magoosh GRE Full Length Practice Test and Vocabulary Flashcards
Magoosh has a free, full length practice exam that will give you a detailed score analysis and recommended areas of improvement. You can choose to take just the Math section, the Verbal section, or both.
A lot of students struggle with the vocabulary on the Verbal section of the exam. Magoosh’s GRE Vocabulary Flashcards cover more than 1000 of the most important GRE vocab words. You can either download the app or use the desktop version.
3. Manhattan GRE Practice Test
Manhattan GRE Practice Test gives you a chance to take a full-length practice test, written by experts, at no cost. Manhattan is a reputable source of GRE information, so this practice test is of a very high standard. Complete with explanations!
4. Khan Academy
Khan Academy is a great place to learn about…pretty much anything. While there isn’t a section specifically dedicated to GRE Prep, you’ll still find plenty of material that is really helpful for your studies, in particular math.
To tailor Khan Academy GRE to the study materials you need, make sure you have an understanding of the subjects the GRE tests. To find the most helpful modules for math topics, hop over to the ETS page, where the test-maker has linked out to relevant sections on the Khan Academy website.
For the Verbal Reasoning section, you can start with Khan’s SAT Reading material videos to learn about methods that work well on both tests (really!). Of course, GRE Verbal is far more complex than the SAT but the methods will work just as well. The two tests also cover the same topic areas, including science, literature, history, and social sciences. Be sure to supplement this learning with GRE practice problems and practice tests!, rather than SAT materials though!
Note: The SAT now combines its reading and writing content, so if you are going to use Kahn’s material, be sure to limit your practice to reading versus grammar topics. Although, if you are an English language learner, you might also find the SAT grammar content useful, just not for your GRE preparation.
5. ETS Issue Essay Topic Pools
The ETS Issue Essay Topic Pool provides the entire pool of tasks from which your essay prompt will be selected. That’s right–the ENTIRE pool, meaning you will see one of these topics on your actual exam. Practice writing essays with these prompts.
More Free GRE Resources and Materials
Of course, these aren’t the only materials you can use to do your GRE prep online free! Here are a handful of other high-quality resources you can use to prep on your own at no cost.
Magoosh GRE Prep App – A free GRE study app that gives you access to blog posts, study guides, practice questions and video lessons all from your phone.
Magoosh’s GRE eBook – Our eBook is a great crash course in all things GRE. This eBook contains an overview of each of the sections, study tips, practice questions, and more.
GRE word lists – GRE vocab is complex, even for the most avid readers! Use one of the “best” lists from this post to brush up on your vocabulary.
How to Make the Most of GRE Resources
You probably fall into one of the following categories:
- Beginner: You’re just beginning your GRE prep and need solid diagnostic resources to assess your current level and develop the best plan of attack from there.
- Intermediate: You’ve already started prep and need to move beyond the basics and monitor your progress. At this point, you may feel like you’ve run out of quality resources and low hanging improvements in your score. The most effective use of your time now would be to cherry pick and drill yourself the topics or question types that you know you specifically want to improve on.
- Advanced: You know a lot about the GRE (maybe you’re studying for a retake) and need advanced practice. Now is a good time to use the resources in this post to take yourself across the finish line of your prep journey – do timed tests in a realistic environment, brush up on any repeat mistakes, and review the basics you might not have seen since the beginning of your prep.
Not sure whether you’re a beginner, intermediate, or advanced GRE student? Don’t worry—labeling levels of understanding is not a straightforward process. Just ask Magoosh student @AvolynFisher:
Regardless of where you’re starting, Magoosh GRE prep can help you reach your goals. Choose between our affordable 6 month or 1 month self study plans, or test out the material with a free 1 week trial. Happy studying!
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