It’s imperative that you be alert and focused when attempting to solve a GRE problem. Two types of behavior can retard student accuracy.

The first is distraction. Sometimes, a student’s mind is clearly someplace other than on her GRE practice. Perhaps she had a bad day at work, or a big presentation is on the horizon. It’s easy to lose focus, but real learning requires developing the skill of compartmentalizing. To compartmentalize is simply to stop yourself from thinking about anything before, or worrying about anything to come after, the present moment. Compartmentalization allows your full devotion to the task at hand. When you allow full immersion in whatever you are doing that moment, your accuracy will increase.

Second is a lack of focus. Some students are focused intently on their GRE practice. However, their pens are not in sync with their brains. A student, for example, may be writing a given line of a solution to a problem, while his mind is already visualizing the next step in the problem. It would be great to always be three steps ahead, while simultaneously completing the step you’re on successfully, but that’s just not practical for most students. It’s difficult to be accurate, if the pen and brain are out of sync.

The way to fix this problem is to focus intensely only on your current step. In fact, watch carefully as you write. Focus on each letter, number, and variable. Extreme focus as you write gives your brain the opportunity to catch simple, yet score-eroding, errors. If you’re thinking one or two steps ahead, you’re bound to make mistakes while completing the task at hand. Keep your pen, eyes, and brain in sync at all times.

Warmest regards,

Scott Woodbury-Stewart
Founder & CEO, Target Test Prep