Everything you need to know about the GRE

The GRE, Graduate Record Exam, is necessary for most graduate programs in psychology. This is the link for the ETS website: http://www.ets.org/gre. This is the official GRE website. USE IT. 

What is the GRE? What score do you need for graduate school in psychology?

  • Learn some basics about what the GRE is here. 
  • Start looking early what score you will need for the schools you are applying to. Programs post the statistics of the recently admitted students on their websites, this includes GPAs, GRE (+ Psychology GRE) scores. In order to be considered a competitive applicant, your GRE scores should be comparable to the mean GRE scores of recent admits. 

​General Tips:

  • Start studying for the GRE early! Earlier is always better! I would say no later than 1 year before you apply. Procrastinating on this can really hurt your application. 
  • Start by getting to know the format and structure of the test. Familiarize yourself with various sections and what types of questions they contain. The "Ultimate GRE Guide" by Magoosh has everything you would need to know about the GRE. 
  • Take an example of the official GRE by downloading the PowerPrep II software from the ETS website. There are 2 free sample GREs that simulate what the real GRE is like. Set aside a few hours on a weekend and act like it's the real test. This will give you an accurate idea of what the GRE is like and how much time you need to spend studying to get your desired score. 
  • Focus on your weaknesses! Figure out what types of questions and what sections you struggle with and then devote the most study time towards improving in those areas. 
  • Once you figure out how much you need to improve your score by, design a study plan and set aside time to study everyday! Remember this is not a test you can cram for! Also don't be cheap when it comes to buying study materials- Instead buy quality study materials and make it your goal to only take the official test once if you want to save money. Buying crappy materials is a waste of money and will more likely than not lead you to have to re-take the official test and that costs money ($205)! 
  • Sign up for Magoosh!!! The money is worth it! If you aren't sure, there is a 7-day 100% free trial to test it out. Magoosh is a great resource of practice questions and video tutorials that are very similar to the types of questions you will see on the GRE. 
  • Buy a book of practice questions. There is a ton of options, but they are not all equal in quality. Some books contain questions that are nothing like those which are on the actual GRE, so are a waste of money. I would recommend buying the official ETS practice books, esp. if you are just struggling in section because you can buy a whole book of just math practice questions or verbal practice questions. Magoosh gives a great overview of the GRE test prep books here. That link also has a great like to the Magoosh FREE ebooks. These are great guides and everyone should download them!
  • The GRE is NOT the SAT/ ACT!! Do NOT assume that just because you did well on the SAT/ACT does NOT mean you will do well on the GRE! 
  • PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE! Take practice tests! And time yourself! Simply working through problems is not enough. When you are doing practice tests, pretend like it's the real thing! This means timing yourself, only take scheduled breaks, no leaving the room except on breaks, no cell phone, no snacks/ water except for your 10 min. break, using scratch paper, etc. The GRE is a long, grueling test (4 hours), so the more you practice the easier it will be on the real test day! 
  • On test day, chill! Don't try to cram the day of! Instead, eat a good breakfast, get a good night's sleep and try to relax! Also, bring some snacks & water to keep in your bag so that you can re-fuel during the 10 minute break.

How to Study for the GRE: ​MATH 


  • ETS provides a general guide to the quantitative reasoning section of the GRE here. 
  • Download Magoosh flashcards. It's FREE. Online versions of the flashcard apps are here.
  • Click here for Magoosh's general overview of the math GRE. Here are Magoosh's tips on how to study for the math GRE. And click here if you think you are "terrible at math." 
  • Here is a list of Khan Academy free video tutorials that ETS recommends watching. 
  • Magoosh also provides excellent video tutorials on the math section. Some are free but to gain access to all videos it will cost you (but it's worth it!) 

​How to Study for the GRE: Analytical WRITING

ETS posts all the writing prompts! The actual prompts that you will see on the GRE are all posted.... 
  • Issue Topic Pool click here
  • Argument Topic Pool click here
Here is a guide of the AWA by Magoosh.
​Also keep in mind that for psychology programs, the AWA section matters the least! They will use your personal statement to gauge your writing ability. 

How to Study for the GRE: VOCABULARY 

  • ETS provides a general guide to the verbal reasoning section of the GRE here. 
  • Download Magoosh flashcards. Its FREE. Online versions of the flashcard apps are here. 
  • Try to memorize new words everyday! 
  • Here is a link to flashcards for 500 common vocabulary words you can buy off amazon. 
  • Here are Magoosh's tips on how to study for the verbal GRE. Also here is the Magoosh's general guide to studying for the verbal GRE. Also, click here if you think you struggle with the verbal section. 
  • Magoosh also provides excellent video tutorials on the verbal section. Some are free but to gain access to all videos it will cost you (but it's worth it!) 

How to Study for the PSYCHOLOGY GRE

  • Click here to learn more information about the psychology GRE from the ETS website. 
  • Also keep in mind that usually the PSYC GRE is not required for psychology majors. The PSYC GRE won't help your application or hurt your application too much either way. 
  • Download flashcards apps. Its FREE. 
  • Here is a link to the psychology GRE study book by ETS. Click here for the ETS's fact sheet on the psychology GRE. 

Other Tips & Techniques:

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  • RELAX! If you stress too much, you’re only going to make things worse for yourself. Try to just relax. Schedule the test long before your application deadlines so you have time to take it again if necessary.
  • The Pomodoro method: (Time management technique for studying.) Set the Pomodoro (timer) to 25 min. Study until the time is up then take a 5 min. break. Every 4 Pomodoros take a longer break. For more info on the Pomodoro technique click here. 
  • POE (process of elimination)
  • Plugging in 
  • Skip the difficult/ time consuming questions & come back to them later. Answer all the easy ones first since all questions are worth the same value and order doesn't matter! 
  • Approximation/ estimation 
  • Learn common traps/ distractors that ETS likes to use to trick you!