Many GRE test-takers hit a wall when aiming for a top percentile score. Generic study plans won’t get you there—but a personalized strategy can. Discover why most people fall short and how you can break through the barrier.
By Dhruv Dharamshi
Between ETS, Magoosh, Manhatten Prep, GregMat and a countless other resources, you should have everything you need to succeed, correct? If you simply pick a platform and get studying, that should get you your target score, right?
Not quite.
Blindly following the 1 month, 3 month, or 6 month prep plan is a sure shot way of taking at least that long - only to end up with an average (or slightly above average) result. These plans are built as general guidance for anyone looking to improve their score by 5 to 10 points - and is a massive time-suck for anyone aiming for much higher percentile score. If your target is a 330+ (and if you have any more than 6 weeks to prep, it should be), you need something a lot more personalised.
Working tirelessly on a 3 month prep plan is pointless because it forces you to work on all aspects of the prep - your strengths as well as your weaknesses.
The correct strategy is one that swiftly identifies your strengths (mostly so they can be ignored - no point fixing something that isn’t broken) so that every bit of energy is spent on eliminating your weaknesses. Eliminating your weaknesses is the ONLY thing that improves your GRE score.
Identifying your strengths is the less complicated aspect. On the other hand, there are two parts to identifying your weaknesses. Known Weaknesses and Unknown Weaknesses (blind spots).
While Known Weaknesses can be identified if you are self-aware enough (and I’ll be sharing specific strategies over the coming weeks to help you find this self-awareness); Unknown Weakness are trickier and require a new perspective - from a friend, a study partner, or a GRE mentor.
Unknown Weaknesses are the blind spots that hold you back without you realizing it. These are the issues that can prevent even strong test-takers from breaking the 330+ barrier. Breaching this barrier requires that you not only look externally (mocks, practise questions, quality of prep resources), but give equal importance to the internal reasons holding you back:
The added advantage of working with a GRE mentor or anyone who has been through this journey (and succeeded) is their ability to help sort your strengths from weaknesses, validate your Known Weaknesses, and help cut down precious time that is wasted in critical decision making:
During my GRE preparation, I realised that the available resources don’t provide as cutting edge of a solution as possible. By leveraging AI-driven flashcards and spaced repetition, I developed an efficient vocabulary-building system that helped me memorize 1,000 words in just six weeks. I’ll be sharing insights on how you can implement similar tools to maximize your GRE prep efficiency. The systems I’ve developed over the months have helped several other test takers replicate my success. The acingGRE project is a compilation of these winning strategies.
Preparing for the GRE and the graduate admissions process that follows is an expensive affair. Expensive not just financially, but also in the amount of time that goes into this process. The rewards are well worth it, and your Return on Investment can be further improved by compressing your preparation into as short a duration as possible. The right guidance can mean reaching your goal score in weeks instead of dragging it out over a year, giving you more time to focus on applications or other life priorities.
To help you achieve this, I’m going to share all of my knowledge on the GRE for FREE over the coming weeks through blog posts. For those ready to break past the 330+ barrier and skip the trial-and-error, I’m also offering a personalized mentorship program for a few select candidates. Schedule a free intro call with me to learn more. And if you have specific areas you’re struggling with, write to me at hello@ddharamshi.com so I can address them in future posts that everyone can leverage.
I'm looking to work closely with select candidates who wish to drastically improve their scores over the next few weeks. My GRE Mentorship is offered at a fee of $350 per month to ensure a serious commitment from both sides. Partial scholarships of up to 50% are available for those with financial need, because I believe everyone should have access to top-tier GRE guidance.
Interested in levelling up your GRE prep? Enter your email below to request an application form.
