GRE blog
Study advice from the EMPOWER Test Prep team: how to plan your prep, what to expect on Test Day, and how to choose a course.
GRE® Test Preparation Made Easier
Studying for a major exam like the GRE feels daunting to say the least, especially when you’re just starting out. It seems as though there are endless study…
What Do I Need to Know for the GRE® Test?
If you hope to attend graduate school in the United States, it is more than likely that the schools you are eyeing will require you to take the GRE® test.…
What Are the Best GRE® Test Prep Methods?
Every year, hundreds of thousands of graduate school hopefuls take the GRE® test. in order to make sure that they are prepared for graduate school. The test…
How to Study for the GRE® Test
Studying for the GRE® test seems like a monumental task. Take comfort in knowing that many grad school hopefuls have slain this dragon before you! There is a…
Rest Days Are PART of the Training
It's Christmas. Close the GRE book with zero guilt. Here's why a real rest day sharpens you, and the exact session to run tomorrow.
Numeric Entry: No Answer Choices, No Excuses
No answer choices means no safety net. Here's how good notes and one 10 second check stop you from typing the wrong number on GRE Numeric Entry.
The Mark Button Is Your TRIAGE Tool
One nasty GRE question can quietly steal the time you needed for three easy ones. Here's how to use the Mark button to triage and keep your points.
Taking the GRE for Business School? Train Like It Matters.
Picked the GRE because it's the 'easy' way into business school? Your score lands in the same pile as everyone else's. Here's how to train for it.
A Stack of Books Is Not a Study Plan
Five GRE books on your desk feel like progress. They aren't. Here's how to pick the two that actually train you, and what to do with the rest.
'Stuck' at the Same Score? Look at HOW You're Studying.
Same GRE score, test after test? The wall isn't your brain. It's your study method, and doing more of it buys you more of the same score.
Estimate FIRST, Calculate Second (If At All)
GRE Quant answer choices are often miles apart. Learn to estimate first, dodge the calculator typo trap, and bank time for the questions that need it.
Select ALL That Apply Means Check EVERY Choice
One right box on a GRE select-all question earns you zero. Here's why stopping early burns points, and a fast way to judge every single choice.
Number Properties: The Topic That Hides EVERYWHERE
That GRE question about shopping, algebra or a rectangle might really be about odds, evens and factors. Spot the rule and skip minutes of work.
Why Your Practice Scores Bounce Around (And Why That's OKAY)
Your GRE practice score dropped 2 points and you're panicking? You probably didn't get worse. Here's why scores bounce, and what to track instead.
You're Not Scared. You're EXCITED.
Your racing heart on GRE Test Day isn't fear. It's fuel. Here's how to call it what it is and build the routine that makes it true.
Your First Section Sets Up Your Second. Act Like It.
Your first GRE Verbal and Quant sections decide how hard your second ones get. Coast early and you cap your own score. Here's how to stop doing that.
Train for the FULL 3 Hours and 45 Minutes
Your GRE quiz scores look great. The real test runs about 3 hours and 45 minutes. Here's why that gap costs points and how to train for all of it.
A Full Time Job Is NOT an Excuse. It's a Schedule.
Waiting for free time means you never start GRE prep. Here is how to build short, protected study sessions around a full time job, starting today.
TEST VALUES: Turn Ugly Algebra Into Simple Arithmetic
Variables freezing you on GRE Quant? Swap in easy numbers, turn the algebra into arithmetic, and dodge the traps careful math students fall into.
Do the SAME Question Twice. Then Do It Again.
Doing 400 GRE questions once won't move your score. Redoing 100 until your method is clean and fast will, and here is how to tell when a question is done.
Stop Memorizing GIANT Word Lists
That 3,000 word GRE flashcard deck feels like progress. It isn't. Here's where your vocab should come from, plus a question you can solve without knowing every word.
Hard Questions Are NOT Costing You Points. Easy Ones Are.
You're not losing GRE points to the brutal questions. You're losing them to the easy ones you already knew how to do. Here's a 20 minute way to check.
The 10 Minute Break: Plan It or Waste It
Most GRE test takers waste their 10 minute break, then pay for it in the sections after. Here is a minute by minute plan and how to rehearse it.
The Issue Essay Rewards a CLEAR Opinion, Not a Clever One
Fence-sitting kills GRE Issue essays. Learn to pick a side in two minutes, back it with real examples and build a simple outline that holds up.
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