In an ideal GRE preparation scenario, you’d maximize your rate of learning and minimize your rate of information loss. So, let's go over some simple yet effective GRE study tips that will help you learn faster, learn more, and forget less of what you learn while preparing for the GRE.


Some methods of studying, if not paired with other strategies, are quite passive. Passive study methods include reading, watching videos, and reviewing PowerPoint slides. Think about it: How many times have you read a chapter only to realize that you can’t remember 80% of what you just read? How many GRE videos have you dutifully watched on YouTube only to discover the next day that you have little to no memory of the content they covered?

Reading and watching videos, without engaging in other, concurrent forms of study, are weak learning tactics for the overwhelming majority of people. The reason that these are weak learning tactics is that they are passive forms of study. In other words, your brain doesn’t have to work very hard to do them. When the brain doesn’t have to work hard while learning, relatively little knowledge is gained, and even less knowledge is retained. So, when we stop at reading or watching a video, thinking we’ve done enough, we actually learn far less than we have the potential to learn, and we’ll probably remember only a fraction of what we’ve read or watched.

Unfortunately, passive forms of study can provide you with a false sense of confidence in the effectiveness of your approach. Because your brain does not feel overly taxed during this type of study, you may feel that you are mastering the material, whether you actually are or not. Consequently, you may default to reading and watching videos as your primary (or sole) forms of learning. So, does this mean that reading and watching videos have no place in your GRE prep? I certainly wouldn’t go that far. In fact, reading a chapter on a GRE topic and watching videos that relate to that material can be potent mechanisms for learning — if you are an active participant in your learning instead of a passive bystander letting the information wash over you. The fact is, the more active you make your learning, the faster you’ll learn, the more you’ll learn, and the less you’ll forget. When preparing for the GRE, active learning is your goal.


I mentioned that reading and watching videos are, on their own, passive forms of learning. One simple way to transform them into active forms of learning is to take notes on key information as you read or watch videos.

Taking notes makes you a more active participant in your learning because the action of writing down a concept or principle requires that you state that concept or principle in your own words. Stating something in your own words makes you think more about its meaning. The more you have to think about what you’re learning, the more effective your learning will be. Note-taking makes you a more active learner, allowing you to capture key points and examples and customize your learning, thereby making the material easier to retain over a longer period of time.

You’ll learn more in the moment and have something to review at a later date, creating the opportunity for repetition of learning, another important strategy that I’ll discuss later on. So, remember, if you only read, or only watch a video or presentation, you probably won’t retain much information. To retain a larger amount of material, you need to create memories that stick. Taking notes is one easy way to make memories stick.


As you’re learning new material, try to create images in your brain of key bits of information. For example, if you just learned that rate = distance / time, instead of merely reading that formula, try to create a photograph of it in your brain. Maybe you’ve written certain GRE vocabulary word into your notes, but you’re having trouble remembering the definition. Snap a photo with your mind of the word alongside its definition. Taking a mental snapshot will engage more of your brain, helping you better retain what you learn. So, compile a mental photo album of GRE content as you study. You may be surprised by how well you recall that information later.


The strategic use of flash cards can make a huge difference in the amount of information you learn and the speed with which you learn it. Flash cards are an especially useful tool for learning GRE vocabulary — a time-consuming and, for many students, frustrating task. After you’ve taken notes, use your notes to create a set of flash cards. If you’re making flash cards for vocab words, you can include not only the definition of the word but also an original sentence that you’ve come up with to help you remember how the word is used.

Creating flash cards provides you with yet another opportunity to think about the material you’ve learned and put that information into your own words, reinforcing what you’ve learned. Moreover, flash cards allow you to quickly and consistently review a word or concept, anytime, anywhere.
Do you have 5 minutes on the supermarket checkout line? Run through some flash cards. Fifteen minutes on the subway while commuting to work? Break out the flash cards and quiz yourself. Flash cards are a great way to get in short bursts of highly effective study time.


How many times have you looked at your weekly calendar to see the time of an upcoming meeting, and then forgotten the meeting time as soon as you closed your calendar and went on to the next task? The meeting time seemed easy enough to remember, but you did nothing but look at it to remember it.

Instead of just passively looking at the meeting time, you could read it, and then ask yourself what time the meeting is as you close your calendar. If you can recall that the meeting is at 4 p.m., then you can conclude that you processed what you read and will remember it later on. To be even more certain, 30 seconds after you close your calendar, you could ask yourself again, “What time is the meeting?” By again recalling, “The meeting is at 4 p.m.,” you maximize the chances that you’ll remember the meeting time later.

You can apply this technique to your GRE prep. When you read something, don’t simply let the information wash over you. Instead, regularly check in with yourself to ensure that you’re understanding and retaining what you read. Imagine that you have just read the definition of a vocabulary word you’ve never seen before. Before you move on to the next word, pause and recite the definition from memory. After a little time has passed, recite the definition from memory again. By holding yourself accountable with this strategy, you can have greater confidence that you’re actually learning and not just seeing information. Remember, you must be an active participant in your learning. If you hope to retain a large amount of GRE-related knowledge, you cannot take a passive approach.


The fact is, humans learn through exposure and repetition, and the GRE is no exception. The more time you spend with a GRE topic and the more often you study it, the better versed in it you’ll become and the better you’ll remember it. So, as you prepare, it’s essential that you consistently re-expose yourself to the GRE content you’ve previously learned.

Say you learn about the addition rule of probabilities on day 1 of your GRE prep. It would not be wise to wait until day 60 to review this rule again. Instead, spend some time reviewing the addition rule of probabilities on day 3, day 8, and so on.

When you expose yourself to a topic over and over, you reactivate neural pathways to the part of your brain where that information is stored (and weaken competing pathways), making the information more easily accessible. That neural reactivation is crucial for keeping previously learned material fresh in your mind.

In short, repetition tells your brain, “Hey, this stuff is important!” Your brain is not designed to remember everything — or even most things. Can you imagine how overwhelming and energy-sapping it would be to remember every single sight, sound, taste, smell, and feeling you experienced each day? By design, your brain remembers only the most important stuff. So, you have to teach it what is important. Studying a topic multiple times, over multiple sittings, does just that.

Good luck studying, and reach out to me if you have any questions or need any more specific advice.

Warmest regards,
Scott