Here’s How to Study with the Manhattan Prep—GRE® App
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The Manhattan Prep—GRE® app isn’t just for vocabulary — although it can certainly help you with that! Think of the app as a way to turn down time into study time. When you have time for a longer study session, use the Manhattan Prep Strategy Guides and the 5lb. Book of GRE Practice Problems. But, when you only have a few minutes, use the app to target a particular GRE® skill quickly.
Practice your Quant strategy.
The toughest part of a GRE® Quant problem isn’t doing the arithmetic: you have scratch paper and a calculator for that. What’s harder is reading the problem correctly, deciding on a smart approach, and then solving efficiently without falling for any traps. You might not be able to practice your arithmetic while you’re waiting in line at the grocery store, but with the app, you can practice those other, much more critical skills. Try opening a set of Quant questions and just thinking through how you’d solve each question. Don’t actually do the math in your head, and don’t worry about getting the right answer! Simply decide on a strategy, and think through the steps you’d need to take and what you’d have to look out for.
You can also try categorizing questions in different ways. If you flip through a set of Quant questions from the app, how many rates & work questions can you identify? How about number properties questions? Inequalities? Identifying the question type correctly is the first step to picking the right strategy. Try sorting questions by which strategy you’d use: how many questions can you find where you should test cases? How about questions where you should start by plugging in the answer choices, or by drawing a chart? You don’t have to actually do the math on paper to get benefit from trying a problem. In fact, doing the math is the least exciting part of a GRE® Quant problem.
iOS – All Quantitative Reasoning Categories Screen
Android – All Quantitative Reasoning Categories Screen
Mix it up.
Frequently varying what, where, and how you study will improve your memory. If you’re studying Number Properties, take a break by using the app to solve a few random Percents problems. If you’ve been doing Quant all day, try a 10-minute Verbal session. Use the app to quickly revisit areas you haven’t studied for a while, as a break from learning brand new material. Or, go one step further and do completely random sets of problems from the app, and improve your content-recognition skills.
iOS – Questions Categories Screen
Android – Questions Categories Screen
The app is built to help you retain information.
Spaced Repetition is a practice that helps you form longer-lasting memories in less overall study time. We’ve already written about Spaced Repetition on this blog — learn more about it here and here. With the GRE® app, you have access to an easy, natural way to use this technique.
As you do a question set for the first time, mark each question as ‘know’, ‘somewhat know’, or ‘don’t know’. Every other day or so, review your ‘don’t know’ questions. Once you remember the information, upgrade that question to ‘somewhat know’. Review your ‘somewhat know’ questions about once a week, and if you still understand the question after a week, upgrade it to ‘know’ and study it once a month or so. Mark these sessions on your calendar ahead of time so you won’t forget to revisit old questions! As you wait longer and longer before revisiting a topic or a question, you’re challenging yourself to recall it more effectively, and improving your chances of recalling it on test day.
This method can also help you retain vocabulary, and the app includes a list of 500 essential GRE® words to help you get started.
iOS – Questions Labeling Screen
Android – Questions Labeling Screen
It’s not all about Quant.
The GRE® App is a great excuse to spend a little time on Verbal every day, and I don’t just mean vocabulary. Challenge yourself to solve a few Text Completion or Sentence Equivalence problems while you’re waiting in line at the grocery store, or read a quick Reading Comprehension passage while you’re on the bus. (Combine the app with our Nine Ways to Study for the GRE® on the Bus for some more ideas!) Many of my GRE® students have trouble working Verbal practice into their routines, especially if they’re starting with a much lower Quant score. But Verbal is just as important as Quant, and doing a few problems a day with the GRE app will keep you sharp and in test-day shape without taking a lot of time.
iOS – Verbal Reasoning Questions Screen
Android – Verbal Reasoning Questions Screen
In short, the GRE® app is a fantastic resource for maximizing your study efficiency.
If you’re creative and thoughtful about how you use it, it’s even better than a good set of flashcards. Try out these recommendations, and if you have ideas of your own, share them in the comments! 📝
- Use the app for short, frequent, varied study sessions. Use other resources for longer sessions.
- Use the app to quickly revisit areas you haven’t studied for a while, or to give yourself a short break from working on a particular topic. This has been shown to improve retention.
- Target specific Quant skills by doing problems without any scratch work, identifying problem types and strategies, or walking through the logic of solving a problem.
- Take advantage of the built-in categorization features to practice Spaced Repetition.
- Do a few Verbal problems every day, even if you already have a great Verbal score.
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Chelsey Cooley is a Manhattan Prep instructor based in Seattle, Washington. Chelsey always followed her heart when it came to her education. Luckily, her heart led her straight to the perfect background for GMAT and GRE® teaching: she has undergraduate degrees in mathematics and history, a master’s degree in linguistics, a 790 on the GMAT, and a perfect 170/170 on the GRE®. Check out Chelsey’s upcoming GRE® prep offerings here.
