Preparation Phase
Phase 1: Key Goal – Memorize vocabulary; Duration: One month
Phase 2: Key Goal – Extensive practice questions + review + developing test intuition; Duration: Two months
Phase 3: Key Goal – Improving answering speed + mock exams; Duration: One and a half months
Recommended Books
Vocabulary
Master GRE Vocabulary in 17 Days
Barron's Word List
The "Red Book" (Hong Bao Shu)
3000 Essential Words for the New GRE (Zai Yao Ni Ming San Qian)
Text Completion & Sentence Equivalence
Official Guide (OG) & 150 Real Practice Questions
Princeton Review: Cracking the New GRE
New Oriental Red/Green Series
Reading Comprehension
Official Guide (OG) & 150 Real Practice Questions
Yang Peng's Long and Difficult Sentences
Chen Huping's 36 Sets & Detailed Explanations
100 Logical Reasoning Questions
Writing
Official Sample Essays
Official Topic Pool
New GRE Writing 5.5
Mathematics
Official Guide (OG)
Various Math Question Banks
Core Mindset
The difficulty of the GRE is lower than you might imagine.
This doesn't mean the GRE is easy. Rather, it means you should build confidence during your preparation. During this period, issues such as forgetting what you read, struggling with long and complex sentences, feeling like your vocabulary has been drained, being overly sensitive, or lacking patience are challenges that countless test-takers have faced before you.
The importance of vocabulary cannot be overstated.
As stated in "3000 Essential Words": "Reviewing less than five times is essentially taking the test naked; reviewing fifty times is like having the teacher whisper the answers in your ear." You will find that many qualitative leaps in your preparation are closely tied to improvements in your vocabulary size.
Do not blindly copy others' experiences.
This isn't to say those experiences are useless; you can refer to them initially for reference. However, reading too much can lead to confusion. More importantly, you need to think critically and find your own path to solutions. Discover methods that suit you during the learning process.
Preparation Strategy
English (Vocabulary):
Do not become overly obsessed with memorizing every single word. This can create psychological barriers for perfectionist students, such as "I won't start practicing questions until I've mastered all the words," which wastes valuable time.
For vocabulary, it is recommended to skim through the list quickly once or twice within a week to get a general impression in your mind. After that, you can start practicing questions. After completing around a hundred questions, you will naturally remember the words without needing to rote memorize them.
For multiple-choice and fill-in-the-blank questions, try to use real past exam questions as much as possible. They not only help you better understand ETS's question-setting intentions but also increase the likelihood of encountering similar or identical questions in the actual exam.
Verbal Reasoning:
Preparing for the GRE starts with memorizing the "3000 Essential Words." After reviewing them once or twice, you can begin working on the 24 Sets and reading comprehension passages. Once you finish the 24 Sets, you can move on to GRE-level practice materials, including Prep4GRE, Magoosh, the Official Guide (OG), and the New Oriental Red Series mentioned earlier. It is also essential to follow up with summaries while practicing, such as compiling unfamiliar keywords and clarifying the logical reasoning behind incorrect answers.
Quality over quantity in practice. "Quality" means: 1. Focus on key resources; prioritize the Official Guide (OG) over materials like Magoosh; 2. Maximize the value of each question. For example, reorganizing and reviewing the 24 Sets may be more valuable than blindly completing an equivalent number of questions from the Red Series.
Quantitative Reasoning:
The main materials are the Mathematics section of the Official Guide (OG), the Math section of PowerPrep II (PP2), and familiarizing yourself with English mathematical terminology.
The content tested in GRE Math is quite limited, covering only a few specific areas. Students with weaker math foundations can search online forums for compiled lists of key testing points and then reinforce their basics based on these topics. When encountering the most difficult questions, it is best to understand why you couldn't solve them and check if your approach was incorrect.
Mock Exams
PowerPrep II (PPII): Save this for when you are fully prepared, using it only one week before the actual exam. Otherwise, you will waste these valuable questions. The scores from the first mock exam are highly accurate.
Kaplan: Average quality, standard question difficulty. There are nine sets in total, which can be used to track changes in your proficiency level, but they offer little to no guidance for the actual exam.
Princeton Review: The Verbal section is mediocre, while the rest is acceptable.
Magoosh: Close to ETS's thinking style, but the Verbal section is significantly harder than ETS's, which can damage confidence. The questions come from the Magoosh question bank; if you have already practiced extensively from this bank, it will affect the reference value of your scores.
