How many times have you looked at your weekly calendar to see the time of an upcoming meeting, and then forgotten the meeting time as soon as you closed your calendar and went on to the next task? The meeting time seemed easy enough to remember, but you did nothing but look at it to remember it.

Instead of just passively looking at the meeting time, you could read it, and then ask yourself what time the meeting is as you close your calendar. If you can recall that the meeting is at 4 p.m., then you can conclude that you processed what you read and will remember it later on. To be even more certain, 30 seconds after you close your calendar, you could ask yourself again, “What time is the meeting?” By again recalling, “The meeting is at 4 p.m.,” you maximize the chances that you’ll remember the meeting time later.

You can apply this technique to your GRE prep. When you read something, don’t simply let the information wash over you. Instead, regularly check in with yourself to ensure that you’re understanding and retaining what you read. Imagine that you have just read the definition of a vocabulary word you’ve never seen before.

Before you move on to the next word, pause and recite the definition from memory. After a little time has passed, recite the definition from memory again. By holding yourself accountable with this strategy, you can have greater confidence that you’re actually learning and not just seeing information.

Remember, you must be an active participant in your learning. If you hope to retain a large amount of GRE-related knowledge, you cannot take a passive approach.

Warmest regards,

Scott Woodbury-Stewart
Founder & CEO, Target Test Prep