We all have a way of learning that works best for us. Most of us are able to learn by reading, writing, listening, speaking, and doing: the world pretty much requires that we do all five of these. But, just the same, most of us are better learners in some ways than in others.

Fortunately, when it comes to studying for the GRE, you can do a lot to design your own way of studying to take advantage of your strengths. There is no hard and fast rules and strategies to excel in GRE and it also goes for most of the standardized exams.First, you have to know what your strengths are. You may already know. If you don’t, think back to your time in high school or college. Which ways of studying were effective for you? Did you find homework to be pointless, but learn a lot in class? You might learn best by listening. On the other hand, if you found it very helpful to take notes while studying, you might learn best by writing. If you aren’t sure, you can take an online quiz such as this one to give yourself some guidance in the right direction.

I suggest that you try to combine more than one learning style in your studying – research has shown that this improves learning. I also suggest that you make sure to incorporate the learning style that works best for you.

So what are some ways to study in each learning style?

Learn by reading

1) Obviously, the first piece here is to read the assigned reading in your homework.
2) You might find that reading explanations of problem solutions really helps to cement things for you.
3) Reading online forums can help you link concepts together.
4) Doing a Google search for vocab words and reading them in context can help those who learn by reading to form strong connections for the words.
5) Reading different solutions to a tough problem might bring you lots of insight.

Learn by writing

1) If you learn best by writing, you should take notes in class and while reading your homework.
2) You will probably benefit from reviewing and re-writing your notes in a way that groups related concepts together.
3) Making up and writing sentences that use vocabulary words is a great tool for those who learn by writing.
4) Consider writing your own math problems; doing so will give you a chance to practice concepts by writing something that tests those concepts.
5) Writing out mathematical rules and concepts from memory (instead of copying them down from the text) is a great way to move those rules and concepts into your long-term memory or to link them to one another.

Learn by listening

1) Of course, going to class is a very important piece of studying for those who learn by listening.
2) Take advantage of the wealth of videos available online and consider watching them as a way to hear problems and concepts reviewed out-loud.
3) Find a study partner; hearing his or her explanations and answers to your questions can help you work through comprehension problems.
4) Do a YouTube search for vocabulary words to hear them in songs, movie clips, or other videos. Listening to such clips a few times can make the words stick in your head.
5) You may find particular benefit in working with a tutor who can explain those concepts with which you are struggling the most.

Learn by speaking

1) Speak up in class! While you don’t want to monopolize the class discussion, you should make sure you are an active participant if you are someone who learns by speaking.
2) Find a study partner or someone to chat about concepts with; even chatting during a short break about a problem you found especially tough can make a big difference.
3) Ask a friend to let you explain tricky concepts to him or her, which will help you sort them out and find where you’re struggling.
4) Study out loud by explaining things aloud to yourself and making up vocabulary sentences out loud. You might find it’s helpful to use sentences that have rhyming or rhythm, and to repeat them a few times.
5) When reading for class, stop every paragraph or page and summarize the reading to yourself out loud.

Learn by doing

1) This is an important step for every GRE studier, as the ultimate score comes from what you actually do on the test that day.
2) Make sure every study session involves some doing: even just one practice problem can add another learning style to a study session and make it all the more effective.
3) Make doing a part of your reviewing; when you get a problem wrong, try working through it again on your own before you read the answer.
4) Try taking on a math problem (or a few) before you completely understand the material. Those of us who learn by doing may find that we learn more from fighting our way through the material than by reading the explanation first.


If you can find a way to incorporate at least two learning styles into every study session, I think you’ll find that your results will improve!