This Magoosh One Month GRE Study Schedule is designed for those of you who are wondering how to study for the GRE in a short period of time on your own. The key to studying for the GRE in a month is to commit yourself to an established plan.
We’ve eliminated the guesswork by detailing below exactly what you should do every single day to get your highest GRE score in the one month you have before your GRE exam date, along with some bonus GRE preparation tips. (If you think you need more or less time to study, Magoosh has lots of GRE study options for you!)
We’re not going to beat around the bush: one month is not a lot of time to prepare for the GRE, but it is doable if you follow this plan! Here’s how to prepare for the GRE in one month.
GRE Study Plan: 1 Month Table of Contents
How to Study for the GRE in One Month
1. Take a practice test.
Find out where you are compared to where you need to be. Taking a practice GRE exam early on can also help you diagnose problem areas, figure out score goals, and set priorities.
2. Get your foundations in place.
Familiarize yourself with the test, its format, its question types, and its scoring.
Click here for the GRE test format and scoring
| Section | Time per section | Score range |
|---|---|---|
| Verbal Reasoning (Verbal) | Two sections, each 30 minutes long, with 20 questions per section | 130–170 |
| Quantitative Reasoning (Quant) | Two sections, each 35 minutes long, with 20 questions per section | 130–170 |
| Analytical Writing Assessment (AWA) | One hour, split into two 30-minute tasks | 0–6, in half-point increments |
3. Set up your schedule.
With only a short amount of time to study for the GRE, planning is crucial! While we have everything you need to prep for the GRE in one month, you’re the one who needs to decide when and how this fits in with your other priorities.
4. Practice daily.
This includes work on both the GRE Quantitative section and the GRE Verbal section, GRE vocabulary study, and lessons on GRE-specific strategies.
5. Test yourself.
Complete daily practice questions on the concepts and strategies you’ve just learned.
6. Prepare for the full exam.
This includes the AWA (writing section)! How to do it? Weekend essay writing practice and mock GRE practice tests, simulating real test conditions.
7. Mentally and physically prepare.
Get enough sleep, perform confidence-boosting exercises, and model healthy eating the days before your official test day!
The following outline will guide you to GRE mastery over the next month. It’s a simple formula with proven success!
Before you get started, Magoosh’s GRE expert Chris has some tips for how to use this schedule.
One Month GRE Test Prep: Materials
Click here for the 1-Month GRE Study Plan Essential Materials!
- Magoosh GRE Prep, including Magoosh GRE lessons and Magoosh GRE practice.
- ETS’s Official Guide to the GRE book
If you already own a 2nd edition of the Official Guide, don’t feel you have to buy the 3rd edition.
- ETS’s Free PowerPrep Tests: When you’re done, we offer video explanations here. I highly recommend using PowerPrep Online if you can, since taking the test on a computer is a good simulation of exam day conditions.
- A journal or notebook (yes, a physical hard copy item)
- Magoosh’s online GRE Flashcards. They’re free and you can use them on the web, on your iPhone/iPad or Android.
- Notecards (or Quizlet.com)
- Magoosh’s GRE Complete Guide
This comprehensive, web-based guide to the GRE gives you the quick but very helpful overview you need to understand this test. You’ll see how the GRE is designed and scored, what skills it tests, how to find and use the best GRE prep, and how to prepare for the GRE’s different sections.
- A Guide to GRE Practice Test Resources
This page includes instructions on where to find good full-length GRE practice exams, and how to take practice tests and incorporate them into your studies. This page also has links to Magoosh’s free GRE diagnostic quizzes.
Click here for the 1-Month GRE Study Plan Supplemental Materials!
A note about additional materials:
Magoosh contains all the information test takers need for wild success on the exam so they can get the school admission letters they want. Many students have achieved spectacular results using nothing but Magoosh—no GRE tutors, no extra books required. Nevertheless, we are recommending that you obtain additional materials and use them, in addition to the Magoosh materials. Here’s why: These plans were structured with far-reaching pedagogical principles in mind, and a deep consideration for how the human brain learns. Most people cannot hear or read something just once and, from that single hearing, remember it completely and understand it fully.
At Magoosh, we are very ambitious for our students; we want them to learn as thoroughly and as masterfully as possible. We recommend using these additional resources to provide additional practice, alternative explanations, and extra review. Not every student will need or want additional materials, but for those who do, the books we recommend are the best for the overall goal of doing very well on the exam and getting your target scores.
- PowerPrep PLUS. At $39.99 each, these two tests are pricey; make use of the free PowerPrep tests before you invest in these!
- The books of official questions: The Official GRE Quantitative Reasoning Practice Questions and The Official GRE Verbal Reasoning Practice Questions. If you are need more high quality practice question, these are excellent sources!
- Easy magazines: Time, Newsweek, Scientific American (start low…but not too low; these magazines are still filled with decent content)
- Difficult magazines: The Atlantic, The New Yorker, The Economist
- Vocabulary.com: provides conversational example sentences and a flood of example sentences
- Dictionary.com: gives you little quizzes & games to add some variety to vocab learning
- Magoosh GRE Prep App on iPhone or Android, for mobile practice
- One volume of the Manhattan GRE series: if you know one area or question type is particular difficult for you, and you can fit some outside reading into this already intense schedule, then it might be worthwhile to buy one volume of the this 8-volume set. Any one volume would also give you access to their online resources, including one free practice test.
GRE Study Plan: 1 Month
This study plan is scheduled to expose you to all topics on the GRE from the start. Days 1-5 every week, you’ll do a combination of video lessons and practice problems in both areas. Day 6s vary, and include everything from more lessons to practice AWA sections (essays) to full-length practice tests!
Ready? Here’s the plan!
Sample Study Schedule
So what does this schedule look like on a day-to-day basis? Here’s a sample from week 1 of the one-month GRE study plan!
| Sun | Mon | Tues | Wed | Thurs | Fri |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WEEK 1 | GATHER MATERIALS AND DIVE IN | ||||
| Read official GRE material on ETS's website, complete 18 lesson videos on the Magoosh site (specified in PDF) | Watch 11 lesson videos and complete 6 practice sets on Magoosh's site (specified in PDF) | Watch 15 lesson videos and complete 5 practice sets on Magoosh's site (specified in PDF) | Watch 14 lesson videos, complete 6 practice sets on Magoosh's site, and take 2 quizzes (specified in PDF) | Watch 14 lesson videos, complete 5 practice sets on Magoosh's site, and take 1 quiz (specified in PDF) | Watch 15 lesson videos on Magoosh's site, then complete two AWA essays (specified in PDF) |
Last but not least, if you want to sign up for Magoosh today, use this coupon code at checkout for 20% off!
Need more help?
Improve your GRE scores with Magoosh GRE, you can choose between a live cohorted class with an instructor (which includes all our lessons and practice questions) or access to the self-study option by itself.
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