There are two major phases of GRE preparation. The first is the learning phase, when you work systematically to build your understanding of the core GRE topics, develop essential test-taking skills, and internalize the right strategies. This phase should account for the majority of your prep time. The second is the practice-test phase, when you begin sitting for full-length, official GRE practice exams in the final weeks before test day.

Both of these phases are critical, but it’s very common for students to move into the practice-test phase too soon. Often, this happens because they’ve set an ambitious or unrealistic test date and feel pressure to “start practicing under test conditions” before they’ve built the foundation to succeed. In other cases, students might be working without a structured plan and simply don’t realize they haven’t yet mastered enough content to get meaningful feedback from a full-length test.

The problem with making this transition too early is that practice tests aren’t learning tools — they’re diagnostic tools. Their purpose is to help you assess how effectively you can apply what you’ve already learned. So, if you start taking practice tests before you’ve built fluency with the content, you’re likely to feel discouraged by your results. Worse, you might misinterpret those results as a ceiling on your potential, when in reality, you just need more time in the learning phase.

A good way to know whether you're ready to move into the practice-test phase — especially for GRE Verbal — is to look at your performance on recent practice sets. Are you consistently accurate on mixed-topic, timed sets? Are you able to work through Verbal problems at a pace that feels realistic for test day? If the answer to these questions is no, that’s a strong signal that more time in the learning phase will serve you better than jumping into full-length tests.

Remember, building GRE readiness is a step-by-step process. Take your time, follow a structured path, and don’t rush into practice tests before you’re ready. You’ll get better results and build more confidence by mastering the basics first.

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

Warmest regards,

Scott Woodbury-Stewart
Founder & CEO, Target Test Prep