Picture spending three hours a day, every day, for several months studying only math. Or imagine devoting that same time exclusively to Reading Comprehension and vocabulary memorization.

Focusing on just Quant or just Verbal for months at a time would be exhausting and, more importantly, ineffective. If you tackled Quant first and delayed Verbal until later, much of the math you learned early on would likely fade by test day. The reverse is just as true. If you focused on Verbal first, many of the vocabulary words you worked so hard to memorize could be difficult to recall when it matters most.

After all, most GRE concepts are not things you regularly use in everyday life. Without consistent reinforcement, even well-learned material can slip away.

So if weeks or months pass between reviewing a concept like the difference of squares or recalling the meaning of words such as “ubiquitous” or “rancor,” it becomes far less likely that you will retrieve them quickly under test-day pressure.

For this reason, we strongly recommend alternating between GRE Quant and Verbal throughout your prep. For example, you might spend one week working through ratios in Quant and the following week practicing argument-based questions in Verbal. This balanced approach keeps both skill sets sharp and leads to more reliable performance on test day.

Warmest regards,

Scott Woodbury-Stewart
Founder & CEO, Target Test Prep