Maintaining an error log is one of the most effective ways to identify and address your weaknesses as you prepare for the GRE. While it may seem like a small thing, consistently tracking your mistakes can play a major role in helping you reach your target score.

At its core, an error log is a record of the questions you answered incorrectly during your practice and the reasons behind each mistake. The purpose is not just to review what went wrong, but to reflect on why it went wrong — so you can avoid making the same mistake again.

For example, when analyzing a GRE Quant question that you got wrong, ask yourself:

• Did I misunderstand what the question was asking?
  
• Did I forget a key formula or concept?
  
• Did I make a calculation or careless mistake?
  
• Was there a specific math skill I didn’t apply correctly?
  
• Did I get stuck or waste time and then rush?
  
• Did I fall for a trap answer that looked right at first glance?

Each time you answer one of these questions, you take a step toward diagnosing the root cause of the error. And once you know the cause, you can work on strengthening that area through review and targeted practice. The more weaknesses you uncover and address, the more consistently you’ll improve.

This process applies to Verbal as well. Did you misinterpret a sentence in a Text Completion? Did you misread the tone or main idea in a Reading Comprehension passage? Were you unsure about vocabulary or eliminated the correct answer because you didn’t fully understand the difference between two similar choices? Your error log should include these kinds of insights.

If you haven’t already started keeping an error log, it’s not too late. You can use a spreadsheet, a physical notebook, or a digital document — whatever works best for you. Just make sure you record each missed question, your reasoning for the answer you chose, what the correct answer is, and what you learned in the process of reviewing it.

Also, don’t just keep an error log — use it. Revisit it regularly to spot patterns. If you see the same issue popping up over and over again (say, misinterpreting rate problems or struggling with inference questions), that’s a signal that more focused study is needed in that area.

Review Your Full-Length Practice Tests Thoroughly

When you take full-length GRE practice tests, reviewing them carefully is as important as taking them in the first place. Each test only includes a limited number of questions across the Quant and Verbal sections, so every missed question matters. If you gloss over your review, you miss out on valuable insights.

Be honest with yourself in your review. If you got a question right because of a lucky guess or elimination strategy, don’t assume you’ve mastered that topic. Go back and study the underlying concept until you’re confident you can solve similar questions on your own.

You may find that thoroughly reviewing a single full-length test takes multiple days — and that’s okay. The goal is not to race through your review but to learn from it. Take the time to fill in your knowledge gaps, reinforce key strategies, and get a better sense of your progress.

Ultimately, the work you do in identifying and fixing your errors is what will move your score forward. Your score won’t improve just because you’ve taken another practice test. It will improve because you’ve used your mistakes as a roadmap to get better.

Reach out to me with any questions about your GRE prep. Happy studying!

Warmest regards,

Scott Woodbury-Stewart
Founder & CEO, Target Test Prep