I’m a full-time employee preparing for the GRE, and I’ve been studying for quite some time now. My prep has taken longer than I initially expected (I had planned for about 2 months), so I wanted to check if I’m following the right approach or if I should make some adjustments.
Here’s a quick summary of what I’ve done so far:
Verbal (TC & SE):
I’ve been following the 2-month plan and completed up to week 4.
I’ve also memorized up to group 32 of Vocab Mountain.
Quant:
I’m following the “I’m Overwhelmed” plan and have completed everything up to Geometry (inclusive).
Upcoming:
Planning to start PrepSwift videos for AWA (essay) and continue with the 2-month plan for RC.
My Current Approach (for TC & SE)
I open the 2-month plan, watch Greg’s lecture, and spend 5–10 minutes per question, deliberately trying to identify which strategy I could use.
I try applying the method for about 5 minutes. If I get an answer, I compare it with Greg’s approach.
This usually takes me ~2 hours for a 1-hour video, but I feel it’s okay since I’m actively thinking through each step.
I’m not sure if this pacing is fine or if I’m overdoing it?
So far, I have used old Gre walkthrough videos ( homework section of 2 month plan ) for Big Book questions, attempting them myself before checking Greg’s solutions.
Where I’m Stuck / Need Advice
Big Book: I recently got the Big Book materials, but I’m not sure how to incorporate them effectively into my routine.
Quant: Unsure how to move forward from Geometry — should I keep following the same plan or adjust it?
Revision: How should I revise TC & SE questions? Just rewatch lectures or reattempt questions?
Additional Context
I followed Greg’s advice for Vocab Mountain (which worked really well!) and also received the Vocab & Quant Mountain progression timelines — Foundation → Strategy Mastery → Untimed Practice → Timed Practice.
However, I’m struggling with keeping my prep from dragging longer than necessary and would really appreciate advice on:
How to avoid unnecessary delays
Whether my current approach is on the right track
Any recommended changes to improve efficiency
@gregmat
Thanks in advance for your help and time!
Rather than think about the future (at least not yet), you should assess how well you’re learning what you’ve already studied. Have you taken a vocabulary quiz that covers groups 1 through 32 and quant foundation quizzes that cover through geometry?
No,I have not of taken the quiz for vocab but have done quizzes of prep swift (The ones after a lecture is completed and have scored 27-30). So do you suggest I take the vocab quiz? And do I continue with Rc 2 month plan or switch it to one month plan?
Hi Gerg,
I thought what these test would do, but since I tried preparing my way(didn’t work as planned as I completely gave-up preping for a lot of time seeing no improvement) I thought of why not give these a shot as well. I gave these test yesterday(without revising) and the marks I received were
my concern in verbal is mastery of strategy and I have completed watching and practicing Homework questions from Gre Big Book (not yet touched ets material or given an pps) of the 2 month plan for Verbal (TcSe and Rc) and prepswift videos and homework questions (the ones after lecture).
I want to master strategy for verbal any guidance sir like how should I go ahead. more info I dont have the ets material yet and have done only the big book 13 section question you gave for homework for verbal.
Foundation looks pretty strong, but there are still some gaps in arithmetic and geometry, and we’re not sure about data analysis yet. If you’re serious about quant strategy, I recommend following this series and doing all the homework in there and NOT rushing into untimed or timed practice prematurely.
For verbal, I recommend doing a hard reset on the One-Month Plan. Just going through all of the verbal stuff in the One-Month Plan again, this time really making sure you prioritize vocabulary memorization and getting good at the strategies.
