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Before you decide when you should take the GRE, you have some homework to do. Look up the application deadlines for every school you\u2019re applying to. Jot down the earliest deadline: that\u2019s your GRE finish line!<\/span><\/p>\n However, you shouldn\u2019t take the GRE on the last possible day. At minimum, give yourself three or four days prior to your earliest deadline, so you don\u2019t need to rush. Practically speaking, that\u2019s the latest you should be taking the GRE.<\/span><\/p>\n The <\/span>earliest <\/span><\/i>you should take the test is five years before your applications. <\/span>That\u2019s how long your official GRE score stays valid<\/span><\/a>. If you took the GRE before July 1, 2016, your score is actually valid until the July following the five-year mark. For instance, if you took it in December 2014, your score would be valid until July 2020. If you took the test after July 1, 2016\u2014or if you\u2019re planning to take it in the future\u2014your scores are valid for exactly five years, to the day. <\/span><\/p>\n If you\u2019re coming up to the five-year mark, remember that it takes a week or two for your official scores to be sent to schools! If your official GRE score is about to expire, apply ahead of the expiration date. <\/span><\/p>\n As long as you\u2019re within that time frame, you can technically take the test whenever you want. In most places (including the entirety of the United States), you can take it on any day of the week, year round. In a few areas, the GRE is still administered as a paper test\u2014in those places, there may be as few as one or two testing dates per year. <\/span>Check the dates for the pencil-and-paper GRE here<\/span><\/a>. <\/span><\/p>\n When you decide when to take the GRE, leave time for two test dates. Things don\u2019t always go according to plan on test day; if you need to retake, you\u2019ll be glad you have enough time for a second chance. <\/span><\/p>\n In fact, retaking is usually the right choice! You can choose exactly which scores your schools will see. If you don\u2019t send a certain score, schools will never even know that you took the test on that day. So there\u2019s no risk involved in taking the test twice, and there may be a significant advantage. <\/span>According to the ETS, 59% of people score higher on GRE Verbal the second time, and 62% score higher on GRE Quant<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n You have to wait at least 21 days after your GRE to take it a second time. Leave yourself some extra wiggle room in case of scheduling issues, too. Take the GRE for the first time <\/span>at least 30 days before your earliest deadline<\/b>.<\/span><\/p>\n Here are a few things that might change your testing schedule. First, official testing centers have a limited number of seats. Depending on your schedule and where you live, you may need to register for the GRE well in advance. <\/span>Check out your testing center\u2019s availability right now<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n Second, consider your own schedule. You should take the GRE when you\u2019re able to devote significant time to studying, and when you won\u2019t have a lot of outside stress. If you have a major work deadline coming up, if you\u2019re planning a wedding, or if you\u2019re about to travel off-grid for three weeks, it\u2019s not the right time to take the test. Studying can take up to twenty hours a week\u2014as much as a part-time job. <\/span><\/p>\n This may mean that you should take the test earlier, rather than later. Try to choose your first test date so that you\u2019ll be able to study consistently for two months beforehand. Also, don\u2019t choose a test date right after a trip or a big deadline\u2014it\u2019s critical to take a few days to rest and review right before you take the test. If there\u2019s a time when you know you\u2019ll be able to take a few days off of work, that might be the right time to take the GRE.<\/span><\/p>\n You might be wondering when you should study, as well as when you should take the GRE. Here\u2019s how to build a study timeline around your test plans.<\/span><\/p>\n Whether you\u2019re taking a <\/span>GRE course<\/span><\/a> or doing a self-study program like <\/span>GRE Interact<\/span><\/a>, you shouldn\u2019t take the test right after finishing. You\u2019ll get a better score if you take time to relax, reflect, and review before taking the test. <\/span><\/p>\n Schedule your first official GRE for two or three weeks after your course or study program ends. Use the last three days before your GRE as light review and rest time. The rest of the extra time is for reviewing what you\u2019ve learned already and finishing up homework. <\/span><\/p>\n Also, give yourself at least a week between your last practice GRE and your official test. If you take a practice test right before your test date, you probably won\u2019t learn much from it, and you\u2019ll go into the official test worn out.<\/span><\/p>\n If you\u2019re taking a different approach to the test, like tutoring or studying on your own, the basic outline should still look the same. (<\/span>Here\u2019s how to plan your GRE studies on your own!<\/span><\/a>) Your studying should end with a period of review and warming up for the test. Don\u2019t plan to learn anything brand new during the last two weeks before your test, and don\u2019t do anything too intense during the last three days prior. This might mean you need to start studying earlier than you thought. <\/span><\/p>\n Let\u2019s put it all together with an example timeline. <\/span><\/p>\n Joaquim<\/b> is taking the GRE in order to apply to MBA programs starting the following year. His earliest deadline is for early action at Duke, on September 12. He\u2019ll also be traveling for work from August 12 to 22.<\/span><\/p>\n When should Joaquim take the GRE? <\/span><\/p>\n He should probably take it for the last time around August 11. That will keep him from feeling pressured to study during his trip. To plan his first test date, he counts backwards by 25 days. He\u2019ll take the test for the first time on July 17.<\/span><\/p>\n If Joaquim wants to take a course, he should find one that starts around ten or eleven weeks before his first attempt at the GRE. In his case, a course starting in April or May would be perfect.<\/span><\/p>\n There isn\u2019t a perfect time to take the GRE, but there\u2019s an optimal time for <\/span>you<\/span><\/i> to take the GRE. Starting as early as possible, take a realistic look at your schedule and plan out a study calendar. Try to find a time where you\u2019ll be able to study thoroughly, and where you\u2019ll be relaxed and confident going into the test. Plan to take the test twice, and remember that you\u2019ll need at least 21 days between attempts! You might not need the second test date, but it\u2019s always better to have more time than you need. ?<\/span><\/p>\n See that \u201cSUBSCRIBE\u201d button in the top right corner? Click on it to receive all our GRE blog updates straight to your inbox!<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n Chelsey Cooley<\/a> Before you decide when you should take the GRE, you have some homework to do. Look up the application deadlines for every school you\u2019re applying to. Jot down the earliest deadline: that\u2019s your GRE finish line!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":127,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[474284,793261,921840,7,793267,154333],"tags":[1363220,1363221],"yst_prominent_words":[1363205,1363217,1363207,1362627,1363043,1363206,1363204,1363200,1363212,1363215,1363209,1363077,1363203,1363210,1362670,1363219,1362628,1363202,1363218,1363199],"class_list":["post-12328","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-current-studiers","category-gre-logistics","category-gre-prep-2","category-how-to-study","category-scheduling","category-taking-the-gre-2","tag-gre-timeline","tag-when-to-take-the-gre"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.manhattanprep.com\/gre\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12328","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.manhattanprep.com\/gre\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.manhattanprep.com\/gre\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.manhattanprep.com\/gre\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/127"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.manhattanprep.com\/gre\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12328"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.manhattanprep.com\/gre\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12328\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12338,"href":"https:\/\/www.manhattanprep.com\/gre\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12328\/revisions\/12338"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.manhattanprep.com\/gre\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12328"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.manhattanprep.com\/gre\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12328"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.manhattanprep.com\/gre\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12328"},{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.manhattanprep.com\/gre\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=12328"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Should I Take the GRE Twice? <\/b><\/h4>\n
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<\/p>\nCustomizing Your GRE Schedule<\/b><\/h4>\n
Creating a GRE Study Timeline<\/b><\/h4>\n
Example GRE Timeline<\/b><\/h4>\n
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\n![\"Chelsey](\"https:\/\/cdn2.manhattanprep.com\/gre\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2015\/11\/chelsey-cooley-150x150.jpg\" "\\"Chelsey")
<\/a>\u00a0is a Manhattan Prep instructor based in Seattle, Washington.<\/strong>\u00a0<\/em><\/i><\/b>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\u2019s degree in linguistics, a 790 on the GMAT, and a perfect 170Q\/170V on the GRE.\u00a0<\/em><\/i>Check out Chelsey\u2019s upcoming GRE prep offerings here<\/a>.<\/em><\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"