Taking the GRE can be very stressful. Unlike school exams, the GRE costs money to take and money to prepare for and as an undergraduate student, you probably don’t have a lot of money to keep retaking the test. I’ve researched the best ways to ace the GRE, but unfortunately, you still have to study.

1.) Understand the test

• Analytical Writing – tests your ability to create and sustain a discussion where you’ll use examples and other evidence to support your ideas. When you’re in the test, map out your plan and make sure you cover your bases.
• Verbal Reasoning – tests your ability to analyze and draw conclusions, select important points, understand sentence structure and context.
• Quantitative Reasoning – tests your ability to interpret and analyze quantitative information using arithmetic, algebra, geometry, statistics, and probability.

2.) Know the format

• The test is 3 hours and 45 minutes long.
• It includes 6 sections. The first section is always Analytical Writing followed by any combination of the other two.
• You can skip, edit, change, and return to any question within a section. If you don’t know an answer, skip it and go back to it.

3.) Strategize

• Answer every question. You don’t lose points for getting an answer wrong. Even if you don’t know an answer guess – it can’t hurt.
• Since you can return to questions, quickly go through the section at the beginning and answer the easy questions that you’re sure of. Then return to the more difficult questions. It’s easier to gauge how much time you have left when you know the level of difficulty of the questions ahead of you.

4.) Plan ahead

• Know what you need and gather it in one place ahead of time to avoid further stress on the day of the exam.
• Photo ID
• Time of the exam
• Know where you’re going – Visit the place in advance if you’re unsure of the location and to make sure you aren’t late.
• If you know you’ll need water, make sure you have it.

5.) Get a support group

• Studying is always easier when you can bounce ideas off someone else. Other people can offer fresh insight in a stressful time, plus, you will have someone to celebrate with when it’s over!