Introduction to the GRE
If you're new to the GRE, please watch the following video which explains what the exam tests, how to study for it, the question types and tips and tricks!
Introduction to the GRE - Exam Walkthrough + Tips and Tricks
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Where are the official (and unofficial) GRE materials, questions, and tests?
We've been at this prep thing for quite a bit now. The biggest mistake we see (and see quite often) is people dive too quickly into the GRE practice problems and mock tests, under the mistaken belief that if they simply do something "enough" times, mastery will result. This doesn't work for golf, it doesn't work for cooking, and it doesn't work for (insert your own example here). At some point, to truly be an expert at something, one needs training, guidance, and deliberate scaffolding that moves one from one stage to the other.
If we insist on solving a bunch of GRE problems and taking a bunch of mock tests too early, we might improve a little bit, maybe even a moderate amount. But, at some point, we're going to hit a ceiling beyond which we cannot pass. Don't worry -- if you follow this plan diligently, you will be presented with GRE problems and mock tests when the time is right. At that point, your foundation and strategies will be so developed that you'll knock those things out of the park.
2. What's the I'm Overwhelmed Plan all about?
The I'm Overwhelmed Plan was primarily created to boost test takers' foundation. Well, what exactly do we mean by "foundation"?
Quant Foundation
The quant foundation consists of all the concepts you have to learn and memorize spread across five major categories:
- Arithmetic
- Algebra
- Coordinate Geometry
- Geometry
- Data Analysis
Verbal Foundation
The verbal foundation consists of the 1,000 or so GRE vocabulary words we have to memorize. This plan will be using the Greg Mat Vocab List and the Vocab Mountain.
3. What foundation does this plan cover?
It covers ALL of the quant foundation concepts across the five major categories (see above) and about 22 Groups of of the GregMat Vocabulary List. It now also includes verbal strategy videos!
4. Where are the quant strategy videos?
After you learn your quant concepts and can PROVE that you're good at them (see this blog post for more information), we then encourage students to enter the "strategy" phase of their quant preparation. To get a sense of how to approach that, you can watch the video I Can Prove My Quant Foundation is Good...Now What?
If you're looking for more concrete advice, you can follow the quant strategy portions of either the 1-month Study Plan (beginning week 3) or the 2-month Study Plan (beginning in week 5).
5. Should I use the I'm Overwhelmed Plan for Verbal?
That depends. The One-Month and Two-Month plans are more comprehensive when it comes to verbal. That doesn't mean this plan is bad for verbal necessarily (and it's being improved as we speak). The I'm Overwhelmed Plan will give you a good vocabulary foundation through group 22 of the GregMat Vocab List. It will also introduce you to important Verbal strategies for Text Completion, Sentence Equivalence, and Reading questions. What it lacks right now is practice for the strategies and feedback about how you're developing said strategies. There is tons of feedback on your vocab progress though. Don't worry about that.
6. If the One-Month or Two-Month Plans are better for Verbal, why use the I'm Overwhelmed Plan?
I imagine that people who are already strong at verbal (as indicated by a diagnostic or real GRE score) will appreciate the faster nature of this plan. Also, some people might be pressed for time and not have time to go through all of the verbal material in the more robust plans.
7. Should I use the I'm Overwhelmed Plan for Writing?
Definitely! The writing videos in this plan kick ass. This plan does a better job of developing your GRE Issue Essay skills than either the One-Month or Two-Month plans. The two latter plans cover writing in a cursory manner.
Part 1
What to Watch
As a reminder, you need the PrepSwift add-on for this study plan; otherwise, you are likely to get a generic message saying that you aren't subscribed.
- QUANT
- VERBAL
- Vocab Group 1a (10 words)
- Short audio clip to reinforce definitions
- You can find these flash cards in the GregMat app
- The Pairing Strategy
- The first fundamental verbal strategy.
- Pairing: Easy, Medium, Hard
- Vocab Group 1a (10 words)
- WRITING
- Nothing. Take it easy and chill.
Test What You Learned
QUANT
- Arithmetic Progress Quiz #1
- Before taking the quiz, go through Arithmetic 1 of the Quant Mountain.
- Solutions
- VERBAL
- Vocab Progress Quiz #1
- Before taking the Quiz, go through words 1-10 of Group 1 in the Vocab Mountain
- Vocab Progress Quiz #1
Part 2
What to Watch
- QUANT
- VERBAL
- Vocab Group 1b (10 words)
- Short audio clip to reinforce definitions
- You can find these flash cards in the GregMat app
- What if I Can't Pair?
- Vocab Group 1b (10 words)
- WRITING
Test What You Learned
- QUANT
- Arithmetic Progress Quiz #2
- Before taking the quiz, go through Arithmetic 1 and 2 of the Quant Mountain.
- The reason we ask you to study previously learned concepts is so you don't forget them. Remember that concepts disappear from our brains VERY fast.
- Solutions
- Arithmetic Progress Quiz #2
- VERBAL
- Vocab Progress Quiz #1b
- Before taking the Quiz, go through words 1-20 of Group 1 in the Vocab Mountain.
- The reason we ask you to study previously learned words is so you don't forget them. Remember that words disappear from our brains VERY fast.
- Vocab Progress Quiz #1b
Part 3
What to Watch
- QUANT
- VERBAL
- Vocab Group 1c (10 words)
- Short audio clip to reinforce definitions
- You can find these flash cards in the GregMat app
- Pairing Strategy Trickiness
- Vocab Group 1c (10 words)
- WRITING
Test What You Learned
- QUANT
- Arithmetic Progress Quiz #3
- Before taking the quiz, go through Arithmetic 1 through 3 of the Quant Mountain.
- The reason we ask you to study previously learned concepts is so you don't forget them. Remember that concepts disappear from our brains VERY fast.
- Solutions
- Arithmetic Progress Quiz #3
- VERBAL
- Vocab Progress Quiz #1c
- Before taking the Quiz, go through all words of Group 1 in the Vocab Mountain.
- The reason we ask you to study previously learned words is so you don't forget them. Remember that words disappear from our brains VERY fast.
- Vocab Progress Quiz #1c
Part 4
What to Watch
- QUANT
- VERBAL
- Vocab Group 2a (10 words)
- Short audio clip to reinforce definitions
- You can find these flash cards in the GregMat app
- Idea Chunks
- Vocab Group 2a (10 words)
- WRITING
Test What You Learned
- QUANT
- Arithmetic Progress Quiz #4
- Before taking the quiz, go through Arithmetic 1 through 4 of the Quant Mountain.
- The reason we ask you to study previously learned concepts is so you don't forget them. Remember that concepts disappear from our brains VERY fast.
- Solutions
- Arithmetic Progress Quiz #4
- VERBAL
- Vocab Progress Quiz #2a
- Before taking the Quiz, go through all words of Group 1 and words 1-10 of Group 2 in the Vocab Mountain.
- The reason we ask you to study previously learned words is so you don't forget them. Remember that words disappear from our brains VERY fast.
- Vocab Progress Quiz #2a
End of Module - Test What You Learned
Holy bananas! You just completed your first module. Hopefully, you're a little less overwhelmed than you were before. Before we move on to module 2, let's take the following quizzes to make sure the information you have learned has stuck. If the information we learn leaves our brain just one week later, well...that's not good. The whole point is to memorize this material so that we can kick major ass on test day.
Test What You've Learned Quizzes
- Tickbox Quiz #1
- This is a quiz from PrepSwift that covers all of the concepts we studied in parts 1-4 of Module 1.
- Solutions
- Module Vocab Quiz #1
- This is a quiz that covers the 40 GRE vocabulary words we studied in parts 1-4 of Module 1.
- Random Vocab Check
- Test your knowledge of 15 random words from Group 1.