GRE Preparation in 7 Days: Last-Minute Tips & Study Plan

Just 7 days left for your GRE exam? It’s time not to learn anything new from scratch, but revise what you have already learned. This final week is only meant for smart GRE preparation planning, targeted practice, solving as many mock tests and sample tests as possible and getting yourself prepared mentally for the upcoming GRE test. I hope you have completed most of your preparation by this time. In this article we will guide you through the last minute tips and study strategy. 

Here are some practical GRE last-minute preparation tips to help you make the most of your final week. 

What Exactly You Should Focus in your GRE Preparation

In these remaining 7 days, as mentioned above you should not focus on learning anything new, but focus on only revising what you have learned till now. Here is the table below to help you with a strategic plan:

If you have ample time then here is a complete GRE test structure guide to sections, timing and adaptive format. 

Revise What You Have Already Learned

Revision is sometimes the most underrated thing. You might think what’s new in revision as the questions are already attempted and discussed. But trust me, revision makes all the difference. The same questions that you’ve practiced in the class might not repeat; but say a particular use of a certain keyword, several nuances or the tone of the sentences and how the keyword or the tone help you to decode the sentence in a GRE Text Completion and Sentence Equivalence question – these insights always come in handy when you try to crack a new question in your exam. So keep revising the class notes and check the class recordings or class videos on your portal. Revise the list of keywords (contrast, similarity, cause/effect etc). 

Here is your revision checklist:

• Review your class notes.

• Revisit difficult questions you have already solved.

• Review the approaches taught during GRE preparation.

• Revisit common Verbal keywords and sentence relationships.

• Review Quantitative formulas and concepts you frequently forget.

• Go through previous mistakes.

• Revisit your Reading Comprehension approach.

• Avoid spending excessive time on concepts you already know well.

Practice Official GRE Questions

Working through every possible GRE preparation resource is just not possible in the remaining 7 days. The final week is to practice official GRE questions as much as possible. 

• Review what you have done previously and analyze each and every question well.

• Practicing from an official is necessary as the official guide is ETS mandated primary guidebook for your GRE prep.  

• Pay special attention to the Hard section questions.

• Revise the words you learned till now

• Not only increase the number of practice questions, but improve the quality of your decision making.

• Revise AWA Section

• AWA is a very important part of your GRE test, thus should be prepared well. 

• Go through all the AWA tips and approaches you’ve learned

• Check the templates if any 

• Carefully analyze the feedbacks given to you while you were doing AWA samples

• Review essay structure and introduce your position

• Organize paragraphs and try to use examples

• Analyse feedbacks you received on previous essays

GRE Vocabulary

This again plays an important role in your GRE preparation. The final seven days should be primarily about vocabulary revision. 

• Revise two vocab lists everyday. 

• Keep surfing through all the lists at least twice a day. 

• Pick, learn and revise any new words you come across while practicing and revising this week 

• Group related words together 

• Review unfamiliar words you encountered during recent practice 

GRE Practice

Take up some new GRE practice questions. Try and attempt a GRE sample test to know the actual format of the GRE questions. Rather than solving questions randomly, use your previous performance to identify areas that need attention. 

Reading Comprehension Practice

You’ve approximately less than two minutes for each question on GRE. So if we think there are three questions from a particular Reading Comprehension passage, then you’ve less than six minutes – let’s say five minutes – to do the three questions.  

• Do timed practice in the last week particularly

• One way to do this timed practice is sit for one and a half hour of practice 

• In the first half hour attempt three RC passages 

• In the second half hour attempt four RC passages 

• Third half hour attempt five RC passages 

Final week RC practice must look like this:

No New Concepts

One of the biggest mistakes you can make in the final week is trying to rebuild your entire GRE preparation strategy. Instead stick to what you have learned and practiced till now. Enhance your practice and try to improve your GRE score, rather than reinventing something new. 

Analyse Your Performance

• Treat your practice drills and tests not just not only to check your performance, but learn from it

• Learn from your mistakes 

• If some words seem unfamiliar, then learn those

• Go through detailed analysis of each question

Attempt Full Length GRE Mock Tests

Full-length mocks are particularly valuable during the final week. Rather than taking a mock test every day, aim to take two well-spaced full-length tests during the final week if your preparation level allows it.

The current GRE takes approximately 1 hour and 58 minutes and includes five sections, so your practice should replicate the actual testing experience as closely as possible. Steps to take mock tests:

• Take it at approximately the same time as your scheduled GRE 

• Use the same computer setup you normally practise with 

• Follow actual section timings

• Avoid distractions

• Don’t pause unnecessarily 

• Use the same calculator rules and testing tools available during the actual test 

• Treat the test as a genuine exam rather than casual practice 

• Don’t judge yourself after your mock test performance

• Don’t feel demotivated or disappointed 

• Staying positive can really impact your GRE preparation 

Take Advice From Your Mentor

Working with a GRE expert or GRE faculty can actually help you with your GRE prep. You must use their knowledge and expertise in the final leg of your GRE preparation. You must share your:

• Mock-test scores.

• Error analysis.

• Section-wise performance.

• Time-management concerns.

• Areas where you feel uncertain.

A Day Before GRE Exam

There are a few do’s and don'ts just one day before the GRE exam. These are mentioned below:

The Do’s

• Review key notes briefly.

• Revise selected vocabulary.

• Review important Quant formulas or concepts.

• Look over your test-taking strategy.

• Check your test appointment and logistics.

• Confirm the identification and other items required by the current ETS rules.

• Plan your route if you are taking the test at a centre.

• Stay calm and trust your preparation

The Don’ts

• Taking a full-length mock test.

• Learning large amounts of new material.

• Staying awake late to study.

• Comparing your preparation with someone else's.

• Constantly checking your expected score.

• Making major changes to your test-taking strategy.