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Study strategies, section breakdowns, and score-improvement tips for the GRE, written by people who actually beat the exam.

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Test Basics

Is the GRE Hard? An Honest Look by Section

The GRE is challenging but learnable. Verbal is hard because of vocabulary in context; Quant is hard because of time pressure, not advanced math. Here is an honest, section-by-section breakdown.

Peter Takacs
Study Strategy

How Long to Study for the GRE

Most people need about 8 to 15 hours a week for 2 to 3 months, roughly 80 to 150 hours total. Here is a table of study time by starting point and target, plus 4, 8, and 12-week tracks.

Peter Takacs
Scores

What Is a Good GRE Score? Percentiles, Averages, and Targets

A good GRE score is one that clears your target programs. Here are the current ETS percentile tables for Verbal and Quant, the average GRE score by field, the AWA scale, and how to set a target.

Peter Takacs
Study Strategy

How to Study for the GRE

A phase-by-phase GRE study plan that moves from content foundations to timed PowerPrep practice, plus the review loop that turns practice into points.

Peter Takacs
Test Basics

What's on the GRE? The Current Format Explained

The GRE is now a shorter test of about two hours, with one writing task, two Verbal sections, and two Quant sections. Here is the current format, how section-level adaptivity works, and what changed in 2023.

Peter Takacs
Comparisons

GRE vs GMAT: Which Test Should You Take?

Most MBA programs now accept both the GRE and the GMAT, so the choice comes down to program acceptance, your strengths, and cost. Here is how the two tests differ and how to decide.

Peter Takacs
Section Strategy

How to Improve Your GRE Quant Score

A GRE Quant improvement framework built around the four content areas, the question formats, and the strategies that save time: estimating, plugging in, and using the calculator wisely.

Peter Takacs