Prospective GRE test takers often don’t know where to begin when it comes to studying vocabulary for the test. What words should you study? How many words are reasonable to try to learn? What are the most effective ways to go about studying? We’ll answer the above questions and more in this article.
One quick note before we begin. Much of what follows was covered in a podcast that I was featured on, so if you prefer to listen to this information rather than read it, please feel free to do so. However, there are some things explained here that are not mentioned in the podcast, so even if you did catch the podcast, feel free to read on!
Why Study Vocabulary in the First Place?
Let’s start with a caveat: studying vocabulary is probably not the most effective way to increase your GRE Verbal score. The GRE is a reasoning test, so learning how to approach Verbal questions effectively is the most important thing, and it is there that you should focus your attention in the beginning of your prep.
That said, the extent of one’s vocabulary knowledge definitely does weigh in to the Verbal score. Vocabulary is important on Text Completion questions, but on Sentence Equivalence questions it is virtually the only factor (that’s a bit of an exaggeration, but it really is the most important factor on those questions). Here at Reason Test Prep we see people all the time who clearly get a boost in their Verbal score from vocabulary study, usually on the order of a few Verbal points.
There’s one other consideration that deserves mention. Studying vocabulary is something that’s easy to do on one’s own. You don’t need a tutor to help you, and that is not true of other aspects of the test. Many of the people we tutor need a lot of help on how to approach questions effectively, how to read passages critically, etc., and it is hard for them to connect those dots without our guidance. But improving your vocabulary is something you can do on your own, so it’s a relatively easy win.
How to Study GRE Vocabulary?
At Reason Test Prep, we actually have a variety of methods of vocab study that we recommend to students. Why? Well, because everyone is different and we have learned over the years that, when it comes to vocabulary study, what works for one person is NOT necessarily what works for another. So we’ll introduce, in a very general way, the main methods that we recommend to students and then get into the details of each one after.
The 3 options that we suggest are to:
- Leverage an app (on your phone or computer)
- Make your own flashcards
- Buy a set of premade flashcards
We’ll say much more about exactly how to employ these methods effectively. As you read below, think about which one fits your learning style best. And if you’re not sure, it’s ok to try one and then pivot to another if the first one is not working for you. We often have students who try using an app, only to realize later that that learning style is not optimal for them. It’s even ok to try 2 methods simultaneously to help you understand which is a better fit for you! Again, different strokes for different folks!
Method 1: Using an App
One method that we recommend and one that works for many of our students is to leverage a GRE vocab app. There are a handful out there, but the one that we have found works the best for students is the Magoosh app. There is a desktop version and a mobile version, and your progress can be synced across both devices.
Let’s discuss the benefits to using an app to study vocab…
One is that it allows you to leverage technology! The Magoosh app uses a basic spaced-repetition system (SRS) algorithm, serving up words at optimal intervals to maximize retention. It’s difficult to replicate such a system manually (though you can try…more on that below), so leveraging an algorithm to do this work automatically can help make your vocab study more effective.
Another benefit is ease of use! Having the app on your phone means that you can study vocab whenever you have a free moment. Any time you find yourself waiting for a friend, waiting for an order, or basically any time that you would normally find yourself doomscrolling on social media, you can do some reps on the app instead. You can also play with friction: make it very easy to access this app and make it harder for you to access other distraction apps (Instagram, TikTok, etc). An easy way to do this is by placing the app on the first page of your home screen, while moving your usual distraction apps to a different page, a folder, or even hiding them. Or, another option is to try installing the app right next to your distraction app of choice. This way it’s staring you in the face when you search for that less productive app, and you’ll be reminded of (or guilted into) doing some vocab study!
One additional suggestion! As you do GRE practice questions and come across words that you don’t know, it’s a good idea to create flashcards. In the beginning, you may accidentally create some “duplicate” cards for words that appear in the Magoosh decks, but the act of creating physical flashcards will help you learn those words anyway. More on that below!
Method 2: Creating Your Own Flashcards
Although many people find using an app to study vocabulary both easy and effective, others find it less so. Part of the problem is that using an app can feel kind of passive, and some people zone out while scrolling through words on their phone. Many students prefer to have physical flashcards. Something about the physical, tangible nature of the cards helps them. If that is your preference, you have two choices: create your own flashcards or buy a set of premade flashcards. Here we’ll discuss the former of those 2 options and in the next section we’ll discuss the latter.
The obvious downside to creating your own flashcards is that it is a time-consuming endeavor, but there are some advantages to the process. First and foremost, many people find that the act of creating the cards helps them learn the words! Again, there is something kind of passive and monotonous about studying words that have been served to you, and this is especially true of scrolling through words on an app, so creating flashcards allows you to take a more active role in the process, which aids in learning and retention. Secondly, you have the flexibility to add new words as you go. Yes, you could create flashcards even if you’re using an app or a set of premade vocab cards, (and you should add your own cards as you go if you do employ these other methods), but then you lose the consistency of having all of your words in a single set of uniform cards.
Ok, so what words should you add to your flashcards? There are many word lists out there for the GRE, most of which include a lot of the same words. At RTP we use the Barron’s 800 list – it’s a very good list that includes many of the high-frequency words that appear on the GRE. It’s also a manageable number of words. There are other lists of 3,000+ words out there, but most people are just not going to be able to bite off such a large quantity of words. We actually have a method that cuts down the 800 words to something more manageable, and this will be discussed below. You can find the Barron’s 800 list out there on the internet, but the version that we often provide to students is on Quizlet and contains sample sentences. If the sample sentences you see there don’t resonate with you, feel free to find other sentences that better help you connect to and remember the words! The act of finding such sentences will likely be the very thing that helps you retain the meaning of the words!
Could you just study these words on Quizlet? Yes, but if that’s what you’re looking to do, Magoosh is probably more effective for a variety of reasons that we won’t elaborate on here. The idea with the Barron’s list is to create your own flashcards! Once you’ve created the cards, there is a method for how to study them effectively that will be explained below, but first we’ll introduce method 3.
Method 3: Buying Premade Flashcards
As we explained, the advantage of making your own flashcards is, again, that the act of creating them helps people learn the words. The disadvantage is obviously that it’s a time-consuming process. So, another option is to just buy a set of premade cards. Several of the major test prep companies have GRE flashcards that you can buy, but the ones that we recommend are from Manhattan Prep. There is a more basic set, 500 Essential Words: GRE Flashcards, and a set of more advanced words, 500 Advanced Words: GRE Flashcards. You can obviously start with the essential words and then move to the advanced ones once you’ve mastered the more basic ones.
Once again, we recommend that you make additional flashcards for any new words that you encounter in your studies!
How to Study Your Flashcards: The 4 Pile Method
The system we recommend below somewhat replicates the SRS method that apps like Magoosh leverage to help optimize the learning and memorization process. Here’s what we suggest:
First, separate your flashcard into 4 categories or “piles.”
The first category or pile is for words that you already know. Take those words and set them aside. Now your list is already smaller!
The second category we call the “Strong” group. These are words that you sort of know, but think would be good to see on a weekly basis to make sure you really remember them.
The third category is the “Weak” group. These are words that you don’t know or perhaps almost know, but believe you could learn or remember pretty easily with repetitive viewing. Maybe you couldn’t guess the word, but when you looked at the definition, it made sense or seemed familiar to you. These words are essentially the low-hanging fruit, and most of your time should be spent on these words.
Finally, there is the “I have no idea” category. These are words that you don’t know, and even when you look at the definition, you are still surprised and would never have guessed that meaning. Because you don’t really have an association with these words, they will probably be harder to learn: they are the fruit at the top of the tree. Set these words aside temporarily and forget about them.
Now, start studying/reviewing the Strong and Weak groups. You probably don’t need to see the Strong words that frequently. It’s the Weak group that should occupy most of your focus. Here’s the key. As you study those “Weak” words, some of them will start to become “Strong.” When they do, move those words to the Strong category. Likewise, some of the “Strong” words will eventually feel like words that you just fully know. When that happens, move those words to the “I already know these words” group.
As you move words from the Weak pile to the Strong pile and in turn from the Strong pile to the “I already know these words” pile, the Weak pile will start to get smaller. Once it gets small enough, go through the words in the fourth category (the “I have no idea” group) and move some of those words to the Weak group. Ideally, select the words that you have the strongest association with or that you imagine would be the easiest to learn (again the idea is to grab for the low hanging fruit).
Over time you will see that the first two categories (the “I already know these words” group and Strong group) will get larger and the last two categories (the Weak group and “I have no idea” group) will get smaller. This method allows you to bite off a manageable number of words, focus your attention on the words that would be easiest to learn, and avoid the ones that initially give you the most trouble.
In the end, you may never tackle some of those most difficult words. That’s ok! In a way, 500 or 800 or 1000 is an arbitrary number anyway. Why not 700? Why not 850? You can always learn more words. The goal is to learn as many of the most commonly appearing words as possible, but at a certain point you’ll definitely reach diminishing returns, so don’t obsess over learning every word out there or even every word in your list.
Additional Tips: Studying Vocabulary at Night
Regardless of which method you choose, the time of day that you choose to do your vocab study may impact the outcome! There are reasons to think studying vocabulary (or anything you’re trying to commit to memory) before going to sleep is helpful. We now know that long-term memories are encoded while we sleep. But a short catnap won’t do it; long-term memories are encoded during REM sleep, which happens during long bouts of sleep. Moreover, the longer you sleep, the more REM cycles you’ll have and the longer their duration. So getting a good long night’s sleep is important and doing your vocab study before bedtime, in close proximity to when your memory of those words will be encoded, is ideal.
Additional Tips: Learning Words in Context
The best way to learn new words is to encounter them in context. That’s how we naturally acquire vocabulary in the first place: we hear someone use a word that we don’t know or read it in a book or article, and the context helps us really understand the word and commit it to memory. In a way, it’s not really “memory” at that point, because once you truly understand a word and how it’s used, it becomes “understanding” and not just “memory.”
Studying “sample sentences” that give you some context for how the words are used aims to try to leverage this fact. That’s why all of the methods described above include the use of sample sentences. They really help! But the best way to acquire new words is to really see/hear them in the wild, in real world situations. So if you have the time and if your test is not imminent, reading GRE-level articles or books or listening to audiobooks or podcasts in which the speaker uses a lot of GRE-type words is a great way to “naturally” increase your vocabulary. When you come upon new words, you can make flashcards and include the context in which you encountered the word. Doing so will really help you retain the words, because you’ll be recording the real world context in which you came to understand the words in the first place!
Final Thoughts
To repeat, although studying vocabulary will almost certainly increase your GRE Verbal score, it’s not the only or necessarily the most effective way to do that. You must make sure that you understand how to “reason” in the way that GRE questions expect you to do – that is what is most important on the test. That said, we definitely see some people who already understand how to do that pretty well and whose obvious weakness is just vocabulary. They will understand, based on their very effective reading of the sentences, exactly what meaning is intended for each blank, but when they turn to the answers, there are just too many words whose meaning is unknown to them, and they get the question wrong. If this sounds like you, you need to study vocabulary! So try one or more of the methods above and remember that there is no one-size-fits-all approach. If what you try does not work as effectively as you hoped, adjust what you are doing or try another method!