One comment I hear quite often is, “I do not have time for this,” or “I do not have time for that.” These phrases are familiar, but they rarely reflect the full truth. The reality is that we make time for what we decide matters. When your days are filled with work, family obligations, and other responsibilities, it becomes easy to push personal development to the margins. If you do this long enough, you may eventually feel stuck. Growth slows, opportunities pass by, and the sense of forward movement fades. You should not allow that to happen, especially when your long-term goals depend on the choices you make now.

Preparing for the GRE is not just about earning a test score. It is about investing in your future and setting yourself up for new academic and professional possibilities. That kind of progress requires time and deliberate effort, and that means carving out a place in your schedule where studying is a priority, not an afterthought.

Many busy GRE test-takers who ultimately earn strong scores do this by making small but consistent adjustments to their routines. Some wake up an hour earlier to study in the quiet of the morning. Others use lunch breaks for vocabulary review or work through a few quant problems while commuting. Some incorporate studying into daily habits by reviewing flashcards while walking on the treadmill or dedicating focused blocks of time on weekends. These students do not wait for free time to appear. They create it with intention.

If you take the same approach, you will find that your schedule contains more flexibility than you might assume. With a bit of planning and the willingness to prioritize your goals, you can accumulate meaningful study hours over the course of each week. Those hours will add up, and over time, they can make the difference between an average score and a truly competitive one.

The key is simple. Make space for the GRE now so you can open doors later.

Reach out to me with any questions about your GRE prep. Happy studying!

Warmest regards,

Scott Woodbury-Stewart
Founder & CEO, Target Test Prep