A common mistake I see among GRE students is placing too much emphasis on difficult Quant topics—such as advanced probability, combinatorics, and number properties—while giving little attention to the fundamentals. This approach is not an effective way to prepare. Success on the GRE is built on a clear, structured progression of skills. If you bypass the basics and jump ahead to the hardest material, you weaken your foundation and make it far more difficult to master higher-level concepts.

The reality is that GRE Quant is not about memorizing a collection of tricky problems. It is about developing the ability to apply core principles consistently and accurately. For example, if you struggle with fractions, exponents, or ratios, then solving complex problems that rely on those concepts will be inefficient at best and nearly impossible at worst. A probability question, for instance, may look advanced on the surface, but if you cannot perform the fraction operations quickly and accurately, you will waste valuable time or arrive at the wrong answer.

Another key point is how the GRE scoring algorithm works. The first Quant section includes a mix of easy, medium, and difficult questions. Getting nearly all of the easy and medium ones correct is the fastest way to push your score upward. Performing well in the first section positions you to see harder questions in the second section, which gives you an opportunity to raise your score even further. On the other hand, if you miss too many easy or medium questions early on, your score will be pulled down and you will be routed to a second section with fewer challenging problems. At that point, even if you have strong skills in advanced areas, you will not be able to demonstrate them in a way that significantly improves your score.

What this means is that knowledge of the basics can determine the trajectory of your entire test. Concepts such as fractions, ratios, and decimals may seem simple, but that does not guarantee fluency under test conditions. Many test-takers neglect to practice these “easy” areas, and as a result, they often spend unnecessary time on them during the exam or make mistakes that cost them valuable points. To improve your GRE Quant performance, focus first on becoming highly efficient and accurate with these foundational skills. Once you have established that base, you can then build upward into more advanced topics with confidence.

Strong performance on the GRE Quant is not about chasing the hardest problems. It is about systematically mastering the full range of material, beginning with the fundamentals and moving forward step by step. The basics are not optional. They are the core on which everything else rests.

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

Warmest regards,

Scott Woodbury-Stewart
Founder & CEO, Target Test Prep