GRE General Test

• Sentence logic, clues and signal words

  ≈ 4%1 h

  The engine of every Text Completion and Sentence Equivalence item: find the clue, read the structural signals, and predict the blank before looking at the choices.

  • Locate the clue words or phrases in the sentence that define what the blank must mean
  • Use contrast signals (although, yet, despite, belie, rather than), continuation signals (moreover, indeed, colons and semicolons) and cause-effect signals (because, thus, hence) to set the direction of the blank
  • Pre-phrase the missing meaning in your own words before reading the answer choices
  • Untangle double negatives, negated contrasts, irony and concessions in long academic sentences

• Text Completion: one blank

  ≈ 5%1 h 10 min

  One-blank Text Completions (five choices), including passages of several sentences where the decisive clue sits away from the blank.

  • Solve one-blank items by predicting from context and then matching the prediction to one of five choices
  • Eliminate choices that fit the grammar but not the logic, match the topic but carry the wrong charge (positive or negative), or have the wrong intensity
  • Handle secondary meanings of familiar words (qualify, check, sanction, temper, arresting, discrete versus discreet)
  • Work 2–5 sentence passages where the clue is in a different sentence from the blank

• Text Completion: two and three blanks

  ≈ 6%1 h 20 min

  The hardest vocabulary items: multi-blank passages with three choices per blank and no partial credit.

  • Start with the blank that has the strongest clue (not necessarily the first) and fill the others from the relationships it creates
  • Use the logical link between blanks (same direction, opposite direction, cause and effect) to test combinations quickly
  • Reread the whole passage with all choices inserted to confirm it is coherent before moving on
  • Pace long three-blank passages at about 1.5–2 minutes and know when to mark and return

• Sentence Equivalence

  ≈ 5%1 h 10 min

  Pick-two items: select the two of six words that each complete the sentence logically and give sentences alike in meaning.

  • Select exactly two of six choices that each complete the sentence logically and give sentences alike in meaning
  • Predict the blank first, then find the two choices that match the prediction rather than any synonym pair
  • Reject synonym pairs that do not fit the sentence and single words that fit but have no partner with the same meaning
  • Recognise that the two correct words need not be exact synonyms as long as both sentences mean the same thing

• High-yield GRE vocabulary

  ≈ 3%1 h 30 min

  The vocabulary the verbal items assume: high-frequency GRE words, secondary meanings, connotation and intensity, learned in context and in meaning groups.

  • Know the high-frequency GRE words, especially those describing attitude, argument, degree, change and character
  • Use roots, prefixes and suffixes to estimate unfamiliar words, and recognise when that method misleads
  • Distinguish connotation (positive, negative, neutral) and intensity among near-synonyms
  • Learn words in meaning groups (praise, criticism, stubbornness, excess, secrecy, candour) for fast matching in Sentence Equivalence and Text Completion

About 6 h 10 min of study, lessons and core practice

• Active reading and passage mapping

  ≈ 3%1 h

  How to read dense GRE passages once, efficiently and accurately: purpose, main point, paragraph roles, viewpoints and pivots.

  • Read for the author’s purpose, main point and the role of each paragraph, noting pivots (however, yet), emphasis and examples
  • Distinguish the author’s own view from the views the author reports, summarises or rejects
  • Handle dense science, social-science and humanities passages without relying on outside knowledge
  • Pace one-paragraph passages at about 1 minute of reading and multi-paragraph passages at about 2–3 minutes

• Main idea, structure, purpose and tone

  ≈ 5%1 h 10 min

  Global and function questions: primary purpose, main idea, organisation, the role of a sentence or phrase, the author’s attitude, and the meaning of a word in context.

  • Identify the primary purpose and main idea, rejecting choices that are too broad, too narrow or distorted
  • Determine the function of a sentence, phrase, example or paragraph (“serves to”, “in order to”)
  • Describe how a passage is organised (claim then evidence, problem then solution, old view then new view)
  • Identify the author’s tone and attitude, including qualified and mixed attitudes
  • Determine the meaning of a word or phrase as it is used in the passage

• Detail, inference and application

  ≈ 6%1 h 20 min

  Specific-information and inference questions: what the passage states, what must follow from it, and how its reasoning applies to new cases.

  • Locate explicitly stated information and recognise it when it is paraphrased
  • Draw inferences that must be true from the passage, rejecting choices that are merely plausible or go beyond the text
  • Apply the passage’s reasoning or principle to a new situation or analogous case
  • Handle EXCEPT/NOT/LEAST questions and extreme-language traps (always, never, entirely)

• Select-one-or-more and select-in-passage questions

  ≈ 3%1 h

  The two computer-only RC formats: three-choice “select all that apply” questions with no partial credit, and clicking the sentence that meets a description.

  • Evaluate each of three choices independently, knowing that one, two or all three may be correct and that credit needs exactly the correct set
  • In select-in-passage questions, find the single sentence whose function or content matches the description
  • Justify every selected answer with a specific line in the passage before confirming

• Argument paragraphs: strengthen, weaken, assume, explain

  ≈ 4%1 h 20 min

  Short argument passages followed by one critical-reasoning question: evaluate the logic, not just the content.

  • Identify the conclusion, the premises and the unstated assumption of a short argument
  • Choose the answer that most strengthens or weakens the argument, or that best explains an apparent discrepancy
  • Describe the roles played by two highlighted (boldface) portions of an argument
  • Recognise common flaws: causal leaps, unrepresentative samples, false analogies, and percentages confused with numbers

About 5 h 50 min of study, lessons and core practice

• Integers, divisibility, primes and remainders

  ≈ 3%1 h 10 min

  Properties of integers: factors, multiples, primes, prime factorisation, divisibility, remainders, odd/even and consecutive integers.

  • Apply divisibility rules, factors, multiples, GCD and LCM, and prime factorisation
  • Solve remainder problems and use cyclic patterns (units digits of powers, repeating remainders)
  • Use properties of odd and even, positive and negative, and consecutive integers to decide relationships without computing
  • Count the factors of a number and test divisibility statements from its prime factorisation

• Fractions, decimals, absolute value and the number line

  ≈ 2%50 min

  Operations with rational numbers, comparing and ordering, place value, estimation, absolute value, and how numbers between -1 and 1 behave.

  • Add, subtract, multiply, divide and compare fractions and decimals; convert between forms
  • Place and order numbers on the number line; interpret absolute value as distance
  • Use place value, rounding and estimation to compare quantities quickly
  • Predict how squaring, taking roots, reciprocals and negation change numbers between -1 and 1 and negative numbers

• Exponents and roots

  ≈ 2%1 h

  Laws of exponents (including negative and fractional exponents), simplifying and comparing roots, and large-power reasoning.

  • Apply the laws of exponents, including zero, negative and fractional exponents
  • Simplify and combine square roots and other roots; rationalise simple denominators
  • Compare exponential expressions by rewriting them with a common base or exponent
  • Factor out common powers in sums and differences, such as 2^10 + 2^11

• Percents and percent change

  ≈ 2%50 min

  Percent of a quantity, percent increase and decrease, successive changes, reverse percentages, and simple and compound interest.

  • Compute percent of, percent change and percentage points, and tell them apart
  • Chain successive percent changes with multipliers (for example 1.2 × 0.8 = 0.96)
  • Find an original value from a changed value (reverse percentage)
  • Solve simple and compound interest problems

• Ratios, rates and proportions

  ≈ 2%1 h

  Part-to-part and part-to-whole ratios, combining ratios, rates and unit conversion, direct and inverse proportion, and mixtures.

  • Set up and scale part-to-part and part-to-whole ratios, and combine two ratios through a shared term
  • Work with rates, unit rates and unit conversions
  • Recognise direct and inverse proportion and solve proportion problems
  • Solve mixture and weighted-combination problems with ratios

• Sequences and patterns

  ≈ 1%40 min

  Arithmetic and geometric sequences, recursively defined sequences, repeating patterns, and sums of consecutive terms.

  • Find the nth term and sums of arithmetic sequences, including sums of consecutive integers
  • Find terms of geometric sequences and recognise growth by a constant factor
  • Evaluate recursively defined sequences and find repeating cycles to locate distant terms

About 5 h 30 min of study, lessons and core practice

• Algebraic expressions and factoring

  ≈ 2%1 h

  Simplifying, expanding and factoring expressions, the special products, and rational expressions.

  • Simplify, expand and factor polynomial expressions
  • Use the special products (difference of squares, perfect squares) to evaluate or compare expressions without solving
  • Simplify rational expressions, noting values that make them undefined
  • Evaluate expressions such as x^2 + y^2 from given sums and products

• Linear equations, systems and inequalities

  ≈ 2.5%1 h

  Solving linear equations and systems, special cases with no or infinitely many solutions, linear and absolute-value inequalities.

  • Solve linear equations in one variable and systems of two linear equations by substitution or elimination
  • Recognise systems with no solution or infinitely many solutions
  • Solve linear and compound inequalities, reversing the sign when multiplying or dividing by a negative
  • Solve equations and inequalities involving absolute value

• Quadratics, functions and defined operations

  ≈ 2.5%1 h 10 min

  Quadratic equations, function notation, domain and range, composition, graphs of functions, exponential growth and symbol-defined operations.

  • Solve quadratic equations by factoring, the quadratic formula or completing the square, and use the discriminant
  • Use function notation, find domain and range, and compose functions
  • Interpret graphs of functions and the effect of shifts and reflections
  • Evaluate symbol-defined operations and custom functions (for example a ⊕ b = ab + a)
  • Model exponential growth and decay

• Algebraic word problems

  ≈ 2%1 h 10 min

  Translating words into equations: work, distance-rate-time, mixture, age, cost and profit, and interest problems.

  • Translate verbal statements into equations and inequalities accurately
  • Solve work problems with combined rates and distance-rate-time problems, including average speed
  • Solve age, cost, revenue and profit problems
  • Check that answers make sense in context and match the units asked for

• Coordinate geometry

  ≈ 2%1 h

  Lines, slopes and intercepts, distance and midpoint, parallel and perpendicular lines, graphs of parabolas and circles, and regions defined by inequalities.

  • Find slopes, intercepts and equations of lines, including parallel and perpendicular lines
  • Use the distance and midpoint formulas
  • Interpret graphs of parabolas and circles and find intersection points
  • Describe regions of the xy-plane defined by linear inequalities

About 5 h 20 min of study, lessons and core practice

• Lines, angles, quadrilaterals and polygons

  ≈ 1.5%45 min

  Parallel and perpendicular lines, angle relationships, interior angles of polygons, quadrilaterals, and congruent and similar figures.

  • Apply angle relationships with parallel lines and transversals, vertical angles and straight lines
  • Use the interior angle sum (n - 2) × 180° and properties of regular polygons
  • Find the area and perimeter of parallelograms, rectangles, squares and trapezoids
  • Use congruence and similarity of figures

• Triangles

  ≈ 2.5%1 h 10 min

  Angle sums, isosceles and equilateral triangles, the triangle inequality, the Pythagorean theorem, special right triangles, area and similarity.

  • Use the angle sum, isosceles and equilateral properties, and the side-angle relationship
  • Apply the triangle inequality to find possible third-side lengths
  • Apply the Pythagorean theorem, common triples and the 30-60-90 and 45-45-90 ratios
  • Find areas using any base-height pair, and use similar-triangle ratios for lengths and areas

• Circles

  ≈ 1.5%50 min

  Circumference, area, arcs and sectors, central and inscribed angles, tangents, inscribed and circumscribed figures, and shaded-region problems.

  • Compute circumference, area, arc length and sector area from central angles
  • Use central and inscribed angle relationships and the tangent-radius right angle
  • Solve problems with polygons inscribed in or circumscribed about circles
  • Find areas of composite and shaded regions

• Three-dimensional figures

  ≈ 1.5%45 min

  Volume and surface area of rectangular solids, cubes and cylinders, space diagonals, and how area and volume scale.

  • Compute volume and surface area of rectangular solids, cubes and right circular cylinders
  • Find the space diagonal of a rectangular box
  • Predict how area and volume change when dimensions are scaled

About 3 h 30 min of study, lessons and core practice

• Descriptive statistics

  ≈ 2.5%1 h 10 min

  Mean, median, mode, range, weighted average, standard deviation, quartiles, interquartile range, percentiles and boxplots.

  • Compute and compare the mean, median, mode and range, including weighted averages
  • Interpret standard deviation, estimate or compare it without full calculation, and predict the effect of adding a constant or scaling
  • Find quartiles, the interquartile range and percentiles, and read boxplots
  • Decide how adding or removing values changes each measure

• Data interpretation: tables and graphs

  ≈ 3%1 h 10 min

  Reading and calculating from tables, bar, line and circle graphs, scatterplots, histograms and frequency distributions, as in Data Interpretation sets.

  • Read values from tables, bar, stacked-bar, line and circle graphs, scatterplots and histograms, noting scales and units
  • Compute percent changes, ratios and differences from displayed data
  • Estimate instead of calculating exactly when the answer choices are far apart
  • Work through a 2–3 question Data Interpretation set efficiently, identifying which display answers each question

• Counting methods and sets

  ≈ 1.5%1 h

  The multiplication principle, permutations, combinations, arrangements with restrictions, and overlapping sets.

  • Apply the multiplication principle and count arrangements with and without restrictions
  • Distinguish permutations from combinations and compute each
  • Solve overlapping-set problems with Venn diagrams and the inclusion-exclusion formula

• Probability

  ≈ 2%1 h 10 min

  Probability of single and compound events, complements, independent and mutually exclusive events, and conditional probability.

  • Compute probabilities of events and their complements
  • Apply the addition and multiplication rules for mutually exclusive and independent events
  • Compute conditional probabilities from descriptions and two-way tables
  • Use counting methods to find probabilities of compound events

• Distributions, random variables and the normal curve

  ≈ 2%1 h

  Frequency and probability distributions, discrete random variables and expected value, and the normal distribution.

  • Interpret relative frequency and probability distributions and histograms
  • Find the expected value of a discrete random variable
  • Use the normal distribution, measuring distance from the mean in standard deviations, with the approximately 68-95-99.7 percent areas
  • Estimate proportions and percentiles in normally distributed data

About 5 h 30 min of study, lessons and core practice

• Quantitative Comparison technique

  ≈ 2%1 h 10 min

  Using the four fixed answer choices strategically: simplify, pick numbers, estimate and spot “cannot be determined” traps.

  • Interpret the four fixed choices and know that (D) is correct whenever the relationship can change
  • Simplify both quantities with the same legal operations, never multiplying or dividing by a quantity whose sign is unknown
  • Test cases systematically (zero, one, negatives, fractions, large numbers) to prove or rule out (D)
  • Estimate and compare structure instead of calculating exact values
  • Remember that a QC answer can never be (D) when both quantities are fixed numbers

• Multiple-answer, Numeric Entry and the on-screen calculator

  ≈ 1%45 min

  Getting full credit on select-one-or-more and Numeric Entry questions, and using the basic calculator only where it saves time.

  • In select-one-or-more questions, find the full range or condition that defines the correct choices, then test the boundary choices
  • Enter Numeric Entry answers correctly: follow rounding instructions, use two boxes for fractions (equivalent fractions need not be reduced), include negative signs and do not type units
  • Use the on-screen calculator efficiently (Transfer Display, memory, parentheses, order of operations) and estimate first to catch keying errors
  • Recognise when mental math or estimation is faster than the calculator

About 1 h 55 min of study, lessons and core practice

• Pacing, review and the section-adaptive design

  ≈ 1%40 min

  A timing and review plan for each Verbal and Quant section that protects first-section accuracy and uses every second of the second section.

  • Pace Verbal at about 1.5 minutes per question and Quant at about 1.75 minutes per question, with checkpoints at the midpoint of each section
  • Use Mark and Review to skip time sinks, then return to them; answer every question because there is no penalty for wrong answers
  • Protect accuracy in the first section of each measure, since it routes you to the harder second section needed for top scores
  • Manage focus through a 1 h 58 min test with no scheduled break, and follow the at-home rules (whiteboard or sheet protector, no leaving the camera view)

About 40 min of study, lessons and core practice