There is no doubt about it: It’s going to take a concerted effort to maintain your focus for the entire GRE. So how can you accomplish this?

There are two answers to this question.


The best way to maintain your focus on the GRE is to have already built up your ability to do so. The good news is that if you’ve been studying properly, you’ve already built your stamina over time.

For example, when you first began your GRE preparation, perhaps you could study for only 30 minutes before you began to lose focus. As time went on, you probably increased your focused studying to 45 minutes or an hour. Near the end of your prep, you may have been able to maintain your concentration for most of the day on a Saturday.

Similarly, perhaps when you first started, you did problem sets of 5 questions. But by the end of your training, you were doing sets of 40 questions or more.

You also build stamina by taking official GRE practice tests. When you took practice test 1, you may have lost your focus at some point during the exam. However, you were probably a little bit stronger on test 2. By the time you reached the last practice test, you probably noticed that you were able to sit through the entire test without losing your concentration.

So, you can be confident that you’ve already prepared yourself well to focus for almost four hours on test day.


Let’s discuss some things you can do to have some control over your test-day experience, and thus better maintain your focus.


The first thing under your control is what time of day you take your GRE. Your most strategic move is to schedule the test for a time of day when you are most alert and most energized.

For example, if you’re a morning person, it would be best to schedule your GRE in the morning. In fact, if you’re a morning person, I would go as far as saying that you should not schedule your GRE for the afternoon or evening. Doing so would seem to be putting yourself at a focus disadvantage before you even sit for the test.

Similarly, if you tend to focus best and have the most energy in the afternoon or the evening, be sure that you schedule your GRE for the afternoon or the evening. Don’t schedule it in the morning. Hacking your own biorhythms is one of the best ways to help ensure that you have sufficient stamina on test day.


It’s all too important to think about what times of day you fuel your body. If you’re used to eating a large lunch at 2 p.m., it would probably be a mistake to schedule your GRE for that time because you would miss that lunch. As a result, you’d probably be hungry, and being hungry can be very distracting, especially if your blood sugar begins to drop.

In general, you don’t want to take your GRE when your body is going to be waiting for something else.


Make sure that you get into the habit of going to bed early and getting sufficient sleep in the weeks or months leading up to the test. Getting a good night’s sleep will be imperative the night before your GRE. A good night’s rest will make all the difference in the world in your ability to focus the next day.


The morning of the GRE, be sure to eat a healthy and high-energy breakfast. Avoid anything that would lead to an energy spike followed by a crash. For example, avoid sugary cereals or sugary protein drinks. Don’t eat junk food. Stick to the things that work well with your body. For example, if a big hot bowl of oatmeal helps you to focus, that is what you should have. Don’t all of a sudden start eating avocados because you read that they are good for your brain.

Make sure to bring some healthy snacks, such as a protein bar, water, a banana, or trail mix, to the testing center. Again, these snacks should be personalized to your tastes. Don’t bring an energy drink that you’ve never consumed before to your GRE. You don’t want to be a guinea pig on the day of the exam.

Happy Studying!

Warmest regards,
Scott