While some separation of quant and verbal study is a good idea in GRE prep, I don’t recommend studying GRE quant and verbal at entirely different times during the preparation process. For example, I would not advise studying just GRE quant for the first two months of prep, and then studying just GRE verbal for the next two months. Having such large gaps in time will make retaining what you’ve learned more difficult. Think about how much quant knowledge you would lose by month four after taking two months off of quant prep!

While we don’t want to lose what we’ve learned, it is important to give our brains a little “breather” when we’re dealing with a large number of concepts in a single topic. For example, consider what it would be like to take only math classes for an entire semester. Pretty exhausting, right? Even if you enjoy math, spending hours every day studying only math would likely lead to boredom, restlessness, and a lack of enthusiasm. Furthermore, the influx of data may cause your brain to get overloaded.

As a result, it’s a good idea to alternate quant and verbal topics within your study plan. For example, let’s say a student using the TTP course worked through our quant chapter on Linear and Quadratic equations for 12 days, covering all of the lessons and chapter tests. The study plan would next present the verbal chapter on Sentence Equivalence questions. After completing that verbal chapter, a return to quant — perhaps Roots and Exponents — would be next, and so on.

Learning in this way provides students the necessary time and space between topics to comprehend what they’ve learned and keep their preparation on track. They’re also more likely to stay engaged and interested in what they’re learning. This prevents the study process from becoming monotonous. After all, when a task becomes repetitive, we tend to zone out and lose our focus and drive to study.