When in the thick of studying, you are likely to lose a sense of how much you are—or are not—improving. Stepping back to monitor your progress is a key part of staying both motivated and focused.

In step 6 above, we mentioned periodically taking a practice test and carefully reviewing your mistakes. Doing so allows you to see how you are progressing. Often, knowing you improved markedly can give you that much-needed boost. Again, when you’re in the thick of studying, you often might not sense you are improving. The hard data of test scores can quickly disabuse you of this notion.

Monitoring your progress isn’t only about test scores. You’ll need to micro-focus on the exact mistakes you are making to avoid making them again (learn what kind of mistakes are typical on the GRE). The best way to do so is by creating a GRE error log, which allows you to develop a better awareness of why you are making certain kinds of mistakes in the first place.

What exactly is an error log? It is a specific way of tracking the questions that you missed. Think of yourself as a detective working backwards from the scene of a crime—the crime, in this case, being your wrong answer. Over time, you’ll notice certain patterns emerge in your mistakes—and the assumptions that led you to those mistakes.

Warmest regards,

Scott Woodbury-Stewart
Founder & CEO, Target Test Prep