The Top 7 Mistakes Students Make When Prepping for the GRE—and How to Avoid Them

Many smart students underperform on the GRE for one major reason: they prepare for it like it’s a college test. It’s not. The goal on a college exam is to answer questions correctly, whereas on the GRE, it’s to answer questions correctly, quickly, and easily—those are very, very different things. The factor of time is not just so the proctor can go home at the end of the day; the entire test revolves around time. In this article, we share The Top 7 Mistakes Students Make When Prepping for the GRE—and How to Avoid Them, so you don’t fall into the same predictable traps.

Mistake 1: Skipping the Diagnostic

Taking a diagnostic test is the starting point of any effective preparation. Too many students open a prep book, skim a chapter, and hope they’re being productive. Without a diagnostic, there are no data on baseline aptitudes and no direction.

Most people are shocked at the wealth and depth of information about one’s test-taking that a diagnostic test can reveal, particularly when the results are analyzed by a professional. Prep that doesn’t begin this way is guesswork.

Mistake 2: Focusing on Only Material, Not Method

The GRE tests not only whether you know algebra, but also whether you can use algebra efficiently to solve problems under pressure. That’s very different.

Some students think, “If I learn the math and memorize the vocab, I’ll be fine.” They won’t. Material mastery is necessary, but by itself, insufficient—without sharp test-taking mechanics, your knowledge won’t fully be converted to points on the GRE.

Material mastery + razor-sharp test-taking mechanics = high score. It’s that simple. 

Mistake 3: Not Practicing Enough

You can’t cram for the GRE. You can’t skim your way to fluency. Most of the students who score in the top few percentiles are the ones who’ve practiced until the test became a transparent joke, like a video game they’ve already beaten a thousand times.

Like any standardized test, the GRE is an intellectual sports competition, so the more you practice, the higher your score will be. Fuethermore, the exam rarely changes, so you should know exactly what to expect on Test Day. 

Familiarity is your best friend on the test. It lowers stress, improves speed, and sharpens execution.

Mistake 4: Practicing Speed

There’s no such thing as speed training for the GRE. That’s called “rushing,” and it leads to skipped steps, which in turn cause errors.

Speed is a natural byproduct of proficiency that occurs when you’ve practiced the right mechanics enough times. Professional test-takers aren’t fast because they’re trying to be—they’re fast because they’re fluent.

Mistake 5: Using the Wrong Resources

Not all prep materials are created equal. Unfortunately, some students waste vast amounts of time using third-party materials and end up confused. Many test prep books are full of inaccurate formats and/or content that doesn’t match the real GRE.

If your resources don’t accurately replicate the test experience, you’re dancing in the dark. 

You need:

• Test-authentic practice questions
• Materials that reflect real GRE scope, structure and difficulty
• Official Practice Tests 

Mistake 6: Not Analyzing Errors

Every error you make has a cause. If you’ve mastered the content, there’s no such thing as a random “careless” mistake—some error in mechanics allowed it to happen. 

Amateurs brush off wrong answers and say, “I knew that, it was just a careless error.” Professionals identify exactly what happened and sharpen mechanics to prevent it from happening again.

Mistake 7: Waiting Too Long for Help

This unfortunately is a very common and damaging mistake. Students wait until the deadline is near, the pressure is on, and the stress is unbearable. Then they ask for help.

At that point, your prep is panicked, not strategic. You’re reviewing under duress, hoping for a miracle. Professional preparation works best when it’s proactive, not reactive.

If you’re even thinking about needing help or wanting guidance, that’s your signal to start. Not later. Now.

Avoiding These Mistakes = Professional Preparation

At first, the GRE might seem unfamiliar, but once you understand how it operates, it becomes very predictable—and very beatable.

Every mistake listed above is avoidable. Professional test prep isn’t about learning more. It’s about learning the correct way.

Call (844) 672-PREP to get started.
We make you into a professional test-taker.