So, here you are, wondering what to do with the two weeks before your GRE exam. You are not alone! That’s a common thing for test-takers to ponder as test day draws ever closer. Of course, we have some advice for you, but first determine whether you a marathoner or a sprinter?
Marathoner or Sprinter?
You most likely fall into one of two camps. You’ve been meticulously following your GRE study schedule for months, and with about two weeks to go until test day, you are getting very nervous wondering what to do in the remaining time. I will call you the marathoners.
OR!! You just started prepping and think it pretty crazy that others have spent months doing so. In the short time you’ve been studying, you’ve improved steadily but hope there’s a way to accelerate the process in the remaining two weeks. If this is you, then you belong in the group that I call the sprinters.
The Marathoners
Though you may be tempted to start sprinting in the last two weeks, feverishly pulling all-nighters, resist that temptation. You want to continue at about the same pace. Indeed you may even want to taper off those last few days before the exam—more on that in just a moment.
Marathoner! Here’s your plan of action
Review
Review questions you’ve missed in the past. Take the time to understand why you missed those questions. Try them again to see if you continue to get them wrong. If not, that is great. Identify how your thinking/approach changed. If you continue to miss certain question types, do your best to determine why.
This reconnaissance should shape your prep, to an extent. For instance, if you missed a question because you did not know vocabulary, trying to memorize 1,000 words in the last two weeks is not a good idea. On the other hand, if you mixed up one of these pesky ‘p’ words, say ‘portentous’ with ‘pretentious’, you may want to review them. Better yet, you may want to revisit those words that you tend to often confuse.
In math, the example could be applying the wrong formula. Or perhaps you need practice with negative exponents. Whatever the case may be, your review should be specific and thus manageable.
Routine
Stick to your study routine. If this means taking a test every week, then do so (you may even want to throw in an extra test, though, remember, no all-nighters!).
Another important routine should be a consistent time falling asleep and waking up each night. Establish this routine no less than a few nights before the exam. You want to make sure you are rested and in your natural flow for the day of the exam.
Rest
Rest is summed up nicely above in routine. But there is more to add. In general, you should not be studying three to fours hours a day leading up to the exam. Taper back a little. One to two hours should be fine. The key is you don’t want to be overtaxed, but be ready to perform your best test day.
The Sprinters
Alright, you’ve been at this for a pretty short time, but you’ve made headway and you’re looking to level-up your skills even more during this final two-week push. Let’s go!
Sprinter! Here’s Your Plan of Action
Continue to Learn
If you’re sprinting through, then there is likely still a lot to learn, in terms of straight content and applicable strategies and techniques. Keep plugging away at those. But wait! There’s more: A crucial part of the learning journey is how you perform once you’re tackling questions under a time crunch. Thus, it is very important, if you haven’t already, to take a full-length practice test. To get you started, try out a free practice test from Magoosh that includes a detailed score report with a topic-by-topic breakdown of your performance.
Routine and Rest
Okay, sprinters. You are on a different track. You do not have the luxury of tapering off much before the end like your buddies on the marathoner side of the aisle. After all, you are not just reviewing, but actively learning new information. Still, you do not want to be hurtling pell-mell towards your test date, eyes glazed and hair a flutter. Give yourself at least a little bit of a buffer. One way to do so is to condense the rest and routine bit from the marathoners down into a 48-hour time frame. For example, If your test is on Thur. at 8:00 A.M., get to bed at a reasonable hour on Tuesday night. Doing so will make it much easier for you to get to sleep at a reasonable hour Wednesday night.Conclusion
Whether you are a marathoner of a sprinter, keep up the good work. A whole lot can happen in two weeks and know that we here at Magoosh are rooting for you!
Best of luck as you head toward the finish line!!!
