GRE Vocabulary in 30 Minutes

Wednesday, January 18, 2006

Learning GRE vocabulary words can be scary, especially if you've never seen the words before (or English is your second language). Sure, there's lots of words, but that doesn't mean it has to be hard.

Paced GRE Vocabulary Preparation

Think of a long distance runner. If he starts a race in a sprint, he'll quickly run out of energy, and either he will take a long time to get to the finish line or not reach the end at all. Similarly, you shouldn't start out trying to memorize hundreds of words and definitions a day. You'll burn out quickly. Pace yourself. Set aside a bit of time every day to study some words.

Try studying about 30 words for 30 minutes per day on the weekdays. On Saturday, review all of the words that you have gone over thus far. Take a break on Sunday (or review some more if you're feeling ambitious). Start the cycle again on Monday. Review is extremely important in studying vocabulary, so make sure you do it. At this pace, you'll be learning 150 words per week, 600 words per month. Not bad, right? That's for studying the length of just one sitcom a day!

Try Studying More Vocabulary Words per Day

The beginning is the hardest part, but rest assured, it'll get easier and easier to memorize words. When you're not feeling challenged by the 30 words in 30 minutes, try 40 words in 30 minutes or 60 words in 45 minutes. Try to stay within your boundries though. If you try to study too many words in too little time either (a) your brain will get tired or (b) you won't retain what you've studied. You know your limits, so I'll let you decide.

Keep Vocabulary Prep Interesting

Studying a list of words day after day will get boring quickly, so try to mix it up throughout the week. Learn words with vocabulary quizzes one day, flashcards another, and from a vocabulary list the remaining. Learning words in context is also recommended as it'll help you retain meaning better. You can find more vocabulary learning techniques in the StudyBeans GRE study guide .

The key thing to remember is that vocabulary learning is a long race, so pace yourself, and you'll be done before you know it. Good luck!

Until next time, let the StudyBeans grow...