The Graduate Record Examinations can be hard to navigate for anyone but can be a critical component of the graduate school/PT school application process. In this post, we’ll discuss the top 4 ways to crush the GRE General Test.

Something to keep in mind, some programs are moving away from requiring the GRE, but a lot are still requiring it as of 2023. Make sure you know if the programs you are applying to require it or not. To make sure you aren’t missing any important information about your programs, check out my post, Top 10 Things Pre-Physical Therapy Students Should Know About Their Schools Of Interest.

1. Know how the GRE is structured and scored

One of the top 4 ways to crush the GRE is… you need to know how the test is structured and scored. The GRE is a little more complicated than some other standardized tests so I’ll break it down.

Now, the order of the sections will either be:

• Issue Essay, Argument Essay, Quantitative, Verbal, Quantitative, Verbal, Quantitative OR
• Issue Essay, Argument Essay, Verbal, Quantitative, Verbal, Quantitative, Verbal.

Issue Essay (30mins)

An essay that requires you to evaluate an issue for which you will need to provide an opinion, as well as evidence and clear reasoning for your answer.

Argument Essay (30mins)

An essay that requires you to evaluate a poorly made argument for which you will need to analyze and describe why it is a poor argument.

Verbal (30 or 35mins)

This section is made up of 20 questions and 3 different question types.

Sentence Completion

Reading

Sentence Equivalence

Quantitative (30 or 35mins)

This section is just a fancy way to say math. There are 20 questions in this section with 4 different question types.

Algebra

• Solve for a missing variable

Geometry

• Shapes

Arithmetic

• Numbers, prime numbers, percent, factors

Data

• Probability, counting, charts, standard deviation

Scoring

The Verbal and Quantitative sections are the only sections that contribute to the main score. Only some schools require the essay score.

Verbal: 130 (lowest score) to 170 (perfect score)

Quantitative: 130 (lowest score) to 170 (perfect score)

Total Score: V + Q = 260 to 340

Essay: 0 to 6

*Fun fact about the GRE, your score is released as soon as the exam is over (except for the essay)!*

2. Understand how the test really works

So now that we know how the GRE is structured and scored, let’s move on to number two of the top 4 ways to crush the GRE…how does the test really work. While I was studying for the GRE and then after I had taken my first practice exam, I realized there was a method to the GRE’s madness.

Overall:

• The GRE is a test of mental stamina. The test is around 3-4.5 hours including breaks and most of it though is spent wading through mildly difficult questions that are complicated enough to take a while. They aren’t hard, especially if you study, but they can easily take 2-3 minutes. With 30-35 minutes and 20 questions per section, you don’t have time to take 2 minutes per question.
• If you are someone who struggles with maintaining stamina during tests, I would highly recommend trying to work on that while practicing. It can be quite mentally taxing. In fact, at the end of the test, I needed a 4-hour nap and a break from my computer screen for the next 4-5 business days.

Quantitative:

• At a certain point, you just have to study. Math typically follows the same patterns, so studying is the key to success with this section.
• Stamina also comes into play when tackling this section. I would say the ratio of easy:medium:hard questions is about 30:50:20. The problem lies when you are hit with questions like: x = 2¹⁴³. The question could be solved by hand…if you had an infinite amount of time. Or you could use the calculator, but the calculator provided (you can’t use your own) doesn’t perform calculations above a certain amount. So to solve this tedious, yet relatively easy question, you need to learn shortcuts. This is where tailoring your studying directly to the GRE comes in handy.

Verbal:

• Studying for this section is essential (in theory you should be studying everything). The vocabulary is hard. Studying as many GRE vocabulary words as possible saved me. I learned how many words I really thought I knew, but didn’t at all. There are plenty of resources available and I’ll mention those in number 3.

Essays:

• The issue essay felt like any persuasive essay I’ve ever written. Pick a side, find your evidence, defend it, and concede to the opposite side.
• The argument essay was not one I’d personally written before. I assumed it was similar to the issue essay but it is not. For this essay, I had to look at examples to see what was typically done and how I should plan for it. I would suggest studying how to write this essay.

3. Know how to study for the GRE

Now that we know about the structure, how it is scored, and let’s talk about how to study for it. Going in, I had no prior knowledge about the GRE and had to do quite a bit of research. Here are the resources I used:

Essays:

• GregMAT Youtube

• GregMAT Website

Verbal Section:

• GregMAT Website
• GregMAT Youtube

Quantitative Section:

Khan Academy

GregMAT Website

Just a word of advice…

ETS (the company that distributes the GRE) allows you to take 2 free practice tests. I suggest you utilize both. One, for the beginning of your studying to see what more you need to learn. The second, for when you have done the bulk of your studying and need to begin focusing on specific topics.

I would also recommend making a plan to study for at least a month and at the most, 3 months. The exam is too expensive to try and study the night before (but if you can pull it off, more kudos to you).

4. Know where to take it and how much it costs to take

Finally, arguably the most important things to know. How can you access the test and how much does it cost to take?

• ETS distributes the GRE and this is where you’ll need to register and pay for it. The GRE is currently $220 for each time you take it (in the US).

• You also still have the option to take the GRE at home (which I did) or find a testing location near you. Just make sure that the programs you are applying to accept the at-home GRE.

Those are my Top 4 ways to Crush the GRE! I hope some of these brought you some insight and clarity about taking the GRE. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to comment below, I would love to hear your thoughts! For those applying to PT school with questions about PTCAS, check out my PTCAS series!

Best of luck to everyone testing and applying!