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People preparing for the GRE to apply to graduate schools often wonder, “Why is the GRE so hard?” That question tends to come up after people have spent time preparing without achieving their GRE score goals, been surprised by the difficulty of a GRE practice test, or found the GRE challenging in some other way.
So, why is the GRE so hard? In this article, I’m going to explore the answer to that question. Interestingly, in identifying what causes GRE difficulty, we’ll also get insights into how best to master the GRE. So, let’s see what makes the GRE hard and how to make it as easy as possible.
Here are the topics we’ll cover:
- Factor 1: The GRE Tests Skill in Reasoning
- Factor 2: The GRE Involves Time Pressure
- Factor 3: The GRE Is Adaptive
- Factor 4: The Need to Know Many Vocabulary Words
- Factor 5: Length of Time Since You’ve Studied
- Factor 6: The Need to Fit Study Into a Busy Schedule
- Factor 7: Test-Related Anxiety
- What Are the Specific Areas of the GRE That Are Considered the Most Difficult?
- What Are Some of the Reasons Why the GRE Is Considered So Difficult?
- What’s Next?
Let’s begin by discussing one of the main factors that causes the GRE to be hard: the GRE tests skill in reasoning.
Factor 1: The GRE Tests Skill in Reasoning
Often, people with fairly strong verbal or math skills are surprised by the difficulty of GRE questions. So, what’s going on?
What’s going on is that the GRE doesn’t test language proficiency or mathematical skills using straightforward questions. Rather, GRE questions are challenging because they also test reasoning skill.
For instance, in GRE Verbal, Reading Comprehension isn’t a simple matter of seeing what a passage says and finding answers that match. Rather, Reading Comprehension questions require test-takers to draw inferences from what passages say to identify correct answers while avoiding trap choices that play on cognitive biases.
Even Text Completion and Sentence Equivalence, which seem to involve basic, fill-in-the-blank vocabulary questions, can be unexpectedly challenging. Once again, rather than work in straightforward ways, these questions can have logical complexity that forces test-takers to use critical thinking to arrive at correct answers.
And Verbal questions aren’t the only tricky ones. GRE Quant questions test reasoning as well. For instance, Quantitative Comparison questions require test-takers to go beyond using math skills to determining whether information is sufficient for answering a question. Also, many GRE Problem Solving questions require test-takers to come up with novel strategies for solving them.
Meanwhile, a key reason why this testing of reasoning skill makes the GRE hard is that people often aren’t aware of the extent to which the GRE tests reasoning. Consequently, people often don’t consider the reasoning aspect of the GRE when preparing, and therefore they have difficulty mastering the test.
KEY FACT:
The GRE can be challenging because it uses tricky questions to test reasoning skill, and people often don’t address the reasoning aspect of the GRE when preparing.
So, given this information, how can we make the GRE as easy as possible?
Making Use of Awareness That the GRE Tests Reasoning Skill
We can benefit from being aware that the GRE tests reasoning skill by preparing with this fact in mind, thus making our preparation as effective as possible.
For instance, when preparing for GRE Verbal, we can go beyond learning vocabulary and strategies to learning to analyze passages and questions to see the logic of what is going on in them. We’ll get much better results that way.
When preparing for Quant, we can utilize awareness that the GRE tests reasoning skill by seeing the questions as puzzles. That way, we’ll approach them in ways that are effective given what they test. For instance, we’ll look for shortcuts and train not to be fooled by trap choices.
In general, by keeping in mind that the GRE tests reasoning, we’ll prepare in ways that will result in our developing the reasoning skills we need for the GRE and to achieve our score goals.
TTP PRO TIP:
By keeping in mind that the GRE tests reasoning skill, we can prepare accordingly and make the GRE as easy as possible.
Let’s discuss another factor that causes the GRE to be difficult.
Factor 2: The GRE Involves Time Pressure
We’ve seen that GRE questions are challenging because they test reasoning skill. What makes the GRE even harder is an additional challenge: time pressure.
Let’s see how much time we have to answer questions in each of the three sections of the GRE.
| GRE Section | Question Types | Time Per Question |
|---|---|---|
| Analytical Writing | Essay | 30 minutes per essay |
| Verbal Reasoning | Multiple-Choice | 1.5 minutes |
| Quantitative Reasoning | Multiple-Choice, Numeric Entry | 1.75 minutes |
We see that the GRE requires us to write an essay in 30 minutes and to answer each Verbal or Quant question in 1.5 or 1.75 minutes, respectively. None of those amounts of time are much for answering each type of question.
For instance, answering a Data Interpretation Quant question may involve the following: reading the question, finding information in a graph, using that information to find values, and interpreting those values. That’s a fair amount of work to do in under two minutes.
It’s true that some questions are less involved and take less time to answer. So, we’ll have more time for the more complex questions. All the same, the time restrictions add another layer of difficulty to every GRE question. On top of having to come up with a way to find the answer, you have to come up with it fast.
Moreover, you have to pay attention to how much time you’re taking to answer questions while still focusing on your work.
KEY FACT:
The GRE adds an additional layer of difficulty by limiting the time available for answering questions.
So, given that the GRE is timed, what can we do to make it as easy as possible?
Ways to Handle the Time Aspect of the GRE
The most effective way to handle the time aspect of the GRE is to learn concepts and strategies and develop skills that enable us to answer GRE questions quickly. After all, if we’re knowledgeable and skilled enough to answer the questions quickly, then the time constraints won’t be problematic.
Ironically, the best way to develop the skills we need to answer GRE questions quickly is to practice UNTIMED. By practicing untimed, we give ourselves time to learn. So, we learn to see what is going on in GRE questions and come up with efficient ways of answering them.
Once we have developed strong skills and are getting GRE questions correct consistently, we can work on answering questions faster. Then, finally, we can answer practice questions with a timer going.
In addition, to be ready for the GRE, we need to develop sound time-management strategies for the test. For instance, we have to learn to determine how much time to invest in a question and when to guess and move on when an answer isn’t coming.
For more on handling the time aspect of the GRE, check out our articles on how to increase your speed in GRE Verbal, how to get faster at GRE math, and GRE Quant timing strategies.
TTP PRO TIP:
The most effective way to handle the time aspect of the GRE is to develop skills that enable you to answer GRE questions quickly.
Let’s now see how the fact that the GRE is computer-adaptive makes the GRE hard for test-takers.
Factor 3: The GRE Is Adaptive
Another reason the GRE is difficult is that it’s adaptive. Adaptive testing is a type of computer-based testing in which the test adjusts in accordance with the test-taker’s performance. The more questions the test-taker gets correct, the harder the test becomes.
The GRE is section-adaptive. So, the Verbal and Quantitative Reasoning sections of the GRE are each broken into two subsections. Depending on how many questions a test-taker gets correct in the first Verbal or Quant subsection, the test presents an easy, medium, or hard second subsection. (Note that there is no crossover between Quant and Verbal.)
Of course, because the GRE adapts, even a skilled test-taker may find the GRE difficult. After all, the GRE becomes more difficult to match the test-taker’s skill level.
Meanwhile, whether a GRE test-taker gets an easy, medium, hard second section affects the test-taker’s score. Getting a medium or hard second section can mean that the test-taker gets additional points. Getting an easy second section results in a score reduction of up to 4 points.
How to Handle the Adaptiveness of the GRE
There are two key aspects of handling the fact that the GRE is adaptive.
One is doing your best to make sure that you don’t get an easy second section, and thus a point deduction. The key to avoiding getting an easy second section is to be well enough prepared for the GRE and sufficiently careful to get enough questions correct in the first section to get a medium or hard second section.
The second aspect of handling the GRE’s test adaptivity is being mentally prepared for a harder second section. If your GRE math or verbal skills are strong, your performance on the first Quant or Verbal section will earn you a second section with harder questions and the additional timing and endurance challenges that come with them. So, when you take the test, you have to expect and be ready to handle the step up in challenges.
TTP PRO TIP:
Avoiding getting an easy second section may be key to achieving your GRE score goal.
Factor 4: The Need to Know Many Vocabulary Words
Using fairly advanced vocabulary is a key aspect of mastering the GRE Verbal Reasoning section. Of course, vocabulary is front and center in answering Text Completion and Sentence Equivalence questions. That said, vocabulary can be important for Reading Comprehension as well, since the passages sometimes use advanced vocabulary.
So, another reason why the GRE is hard is that you need to know GRE vocabulary words — and there are many of them! A good GRE vocabulary list will include over 1,000 of words to study, and some GRE students learn over 3,000 words. In fact, even people who start off with fairly strong vocabularies generally need to study at least a few hundred words that they aren’t familiar with or aren’t sure about. So, the fact that you need to know so many words presents a challenge.
Additionally, handling the vocabulary aspect of the GRE is challenging because learning the words involves memorization. Memorizing words is different from other GRE study tasks because it doesn’t involve the engagement involved in learning GRE concepts, strategies, and question types. It’s basically a matter of packing information into our memories. Furthermore, there is only so much we can memorize at a time.
So, how do we best handle this aspect of the GRE?
How to Handle the Vocabulary Aspect of the GRE
One key move you can make to handle the vocabulary aspect of the GRE is to plan on studying some vocabulary every day. By studying vocabulary a little every day, you break the big task into manageable chunks.
Also, it helps to use proven study techniques for learning vocabulary. One of them is to use flashcards. You could make your own flashcards, but you don’t need to because there are premade sets of GRE flashcards. For instance, the Target Test Prep GRE course has a set of flashcards with around 1,200 of the most common GRE vocabulary words, including synonyms and example sentences. Also, a good flashcard application will allow you to make your own flashcards, so that you can add words you want to study.
Another technique is to write your own sentences using GRE words. In writing sentences, you engage with the words, and therefore remember them better.
Finally, it helps to do GRE practice questions after learning the words. By doing practice questions that involve the words, you both engage with and review the words.
For more GRE vocabulary study tips, see our article on how to remember vocabulary for GRE Verbal.
TTP PRO TIP:
For best results from your GRE vocabulary study, use flashcards with features such as synonyms and example sentences.
Factor 5: Length of Time Since You’ve Studied
Much of what appears on the GRE involves concepts normally studied in high school and possibly college. So, if you’ve been out of school for a while, an additional challenge of the GRE can be that your skills in GRE topics are rusty. For instance, it may have been years since you thought about absolute value or the function of a semicolon. Even your study skills may not be what they once were.
So, if it has been several years since you’ve studied or used the math or verbal knowledge involved in the GRE, it makes sense to take that fact into consideration when planning your preparation. But don’t forget: many other people have been in similar situations and achieved their GRE score goals with effective preparation. So, you can do so as well.
TTP PRO TIP:
Even if you’ve been out of school for several years, be confident that with effective preparation, you can develop the skills you need for achieving your target GRE score.
Factor 6: The Need to Fit Study Into a Busy Schedule
Most GRE test-takers need to spend a significant amount of time preparing in order to achieve their GRE target scores. At the same time, many people preparing for the GRE are already busy with other things, such as work, family, or school. So, another challenging aspect of the GRE can be the need to find time to prepare for it when you have a busy schedule.
Fitting GRE Prep Into a Busy Schedule
The first step in finding time to prepare for the GRE if you have a busy schedule is to be realistic about how much time you need to prepare. You can get a sense of how much time you need by familiarizing yourself with the GRE, and then taking one of the free official practice tests available on the ETS website. Your score on that test will pretty accurately indicate your current GRE score level.
If you’re already close to your target score, you may need about 50 to 100 hours of preparation time. If you’re relatively far from your target score, you may need to prepare for 200 hours or more. (Check out this guide for help figuring out how much time you may need for your GRE prep.)
Once you have a sense of how much time you’ll need, you can go about fitting that time into your schedule. Some ways to do so are:
- making time in the morning each weekday before work
- studying right after work
- studying during lunch or while commuting
- using a flashcard app while doing any kind of waiting
- cutting out unnecessary activities
- taking some vacation time to study
- studying during slow work periods
For more tips on fitting GRE preparation into your schedule, see this post on preparing for the GRE while working.
TTP PRO TIP:
You may be surprised by how much time you find in your schedule to study once you start looking.
Factor 7: Test-Related Anxiety
The GRE is considered a “high stakes test” because GRE scores have weight in graduate school admissions. Also, as we’ve seen, the GRE is challenging in multiple ways. So, not surprisingly, test-takers tend to experience some anxiety when preparing for or taking the GRE. Test-related anxiety is another factor that can cause the GRE to be difficult.
Seeking to completely eliminate test anxiety isn’t practical, and it’s not necessary to be completely anxiety free to do well on the exam. However, anxiety that exceeds a manageable level of nervous energy can impede a GRE test-taker’s preparation and test performance.
How to Reduce GRE Test-Related Anxiety
One key move we can make to reduce GRE test-related anxiety is to have a growth mindset. With a growth mindset, you believe that you can develop yourself and improve your basic abilities. Cultivating such a mindset can result in a reduction in test anxiety because, when you have a growth mindset, you are confident that you can succeed. So, you are more confident and motivated in preparing for the test.
Then, the best way to reduce anxiety associated with actually taking the test is to be so well-prepared that you naturally feel confident on test day.
For some additional ways to handle GRE test anxiety, see our guide to combating test anxiety.
TTP PRO TIP:
To reduce test anxiety, cultivate a growth mindset and prepare thoroughly.
Having seen what makes the GRE hard, you may also be wondering, what is the hardest part of the GRE? Let’s discuss.
What Are the Specific Areas of the GRE That Are Considered the Most Difficult?
What area of the GRE is hardest varies from person to person.
For some test-takers, Quantitative Comparison questions, which require seeing implications of mathematical information and avoiding tricky traps, are the hardest part of the GRE. Other test-takers find coming up with ways to arrive at the answers to Problem Solving Quant questions the hardest.
For others, the Verbal section is the most difficult area of the GRE. Then, within the Verbal section, Critical Reasoning is considered the most difficult by many GRE test-takers.
Whichever part of the GRE is hardest for you, it’s key to realize that hard parts of the GRE can become much easier with effective preparation. In fact, if you prepare well for the GRE, by the time test day comes, the GRE may not seem particularly hard. Taking the test may even be enjoyable in a way. Having developed yourself, you will finally get to apply what you have learned.
Hard parts of the GRE can become much easier with effective preparation.
Let’s wrap up by summarizing what we’ve discussed.
What Are Some of the Reasons Why the GRE Is Considered So Difficult?
We’ve seen that the GRE can be hard for the following reasons:
- The GRE uses tricky questions to test skill in reasoning.
- Time pressure makes answering GRE questions more challenging and taking the test more complicated.
- The GRE adapts to become challenging even for highly skilled test-takers.
- To master the GRE, you need to know many vocabulary words.
- It may have been a while since you studied what appears on the GRE or studied at all.
- GRE students often have to negotiate busy schedules to find time for preparing for the GRE.
- Psychological factors such as test-anxiety can make performing at your best challenging.
What’s Next?
Now that you better understand what makes the GRE hard, you can make it easier with these GRE Quant strategies and these tips on how to ace GRE Verbal.
