Articles written by

Lessons from Learning Science: The Testing Effect

by

Manhattan Prep GRE Blog - Lessons from Learning Science: The Testing Effect by Chelsey Cooley

Did you know that you can attend the first session of any of our online or in-person GRE courses absolutely free? We’re not kidding! Check out our upcoming courses here.


Here’s one surprising way to speed up your GRE studies: quiz yourself. Now, that doesn’t mean that you have to take a lot of practice tests. Think smaller. To reap the benefits of the “testing effect,” give yourself frequent, small quizzes on whichever topics you’ve studied lately. Here’s how and why it works. Read more

Are GRE Verbal Questions Subjective?

by

 

Manhattan Prep GRE Blog - Are GRE Verbal Questions Subjective? by Chelsey Cooley

Did you know that you can attend the first session of any of our online or in-person GRE courses absolutely free? We’re not kidding! Check out our upcoming courses here.


A lot of people think that GRE Verbal questions can have more than one right answer. The GRE itself doesn’t do anything to dispel this myth, since Verbal questions often include wording like which of the following is best supported? or with which statement would the author most likely agree?. These questions make it sound as if you’re supposed to read five pretty good answers and pick the best one, even if the other ones are okay, too. However, this mindset will hurt you on test day. Read more

Here’s How to Study with the Manhattan Prep—GRE® App

by

Manhattan Prep GRE Blog - Here's How to Study with the Manhattan Prep GRE App by Chelsey CooleyDownload now for free!


The Manhattan Prep—GRE® app isn’t just for vocabulary — although it can certainly help you with that! Think of the app as a way to turn down time into study time. When you have time for a longer study session, use the Manhattan Prep Strategy Guides and the 5lb. Book of GRE Practice Problems. But, when you only have a few minutes, use the app to target a particular GRE® skill quickly. Read more

GRE Math for People Who Hate Math: Which of the Following is a Factor of x?

by

Manhattan Prep GRE Blog - GRE Math for People Who Hate Math:  Which of the Following is a Factor of x? by Chelsey CooleyDid you know that you can attend the first session of any of our online or in-person GRE courses absolutely free? We’re not kidding! Check out our upcoming courses here.


Did you know that you can solve ‘which of the following is a factor’ problems with hardly any math at all? It just takes a little basic arithmetic, logical reasoning, and creative thinking — skills that you already have.

Take a quick look at this problem: Read more

GRE Geometry: Three ways to spot similar triangles

by

Manhattan Prep GRE Blog - GRE Geometry: 3 Ways to Spot Similar Triangles by Chelsey CooleyDid you know that you can attend the first session of any of our online or in-person GRE courses absolutely free? We’re not kidding! Check out our upcoming courses here.


Certain diagrams appear in tough GRE Geometry problems over and over again. Here are three of our favorites:

Manhattan Prep GRE Blog - GRE Geometry: 3 Ways to Spot Similar Triangles: Diagram 1

What these three diagrams have in common is that they’re all composed of similar triangles. If you learn to  spot them at a glance, you won’t waste time trying to prove that the triangles are similar.  You’ll simply recognize that fact, and move on to the next step of the problem. Read more

Why Isn’t My Vocabulary Knowledge Helping Me on the GRE?

by

Manhattan Prep GRE Blog - Why Isn't My Vocabulary Knowledge Helping Me on the GRE? by Chelsey CooleyDid you know that you can attend the first session of any of our online or in-person GRE courses absolutely free? We’re not kidding! Check out our upcoming courses here.


You’re up to your ears in flashcards. You know the meanings of ‘nostrum’, ‘pelf’, and ‘maculated’. Maybe you’ve even used the spaced retrieval technique; here’s a piece that I wrote on this technique, and here’s another from my colleague, Céilidh Erickson. But when you take practice tests, your hard work with vocabulary doesn’t seem to be paying off. Why are you still missing GRE Text Completion and Sentence Equivalence problems? Read more

Here’s How to Make a Great Guess on a GRE Quant Problem

by

Manhattan Prep GRE Blog - Here's How to Make a Great Guess on a GRE Quant Problem by Chelsey Cooley

Did you know that you can attend the first session of any of our online or in-person GRE courses absolutely free? We’re not kidding! Check out our upcoming courses here.


Imagine this: you’re at the end of a GRE Quant section, and you have three minutes left. You’ve marked a couple of problems, using the “Good, Bad, and Ugly” technique. Unfortunately, when you look through those problems, there aren’t any that you know you could solve within three minutes. So, what do you do? You’re going to have to guess. Read more

7 Ways to Avoid Careless GRE Math Errors

by

Manhattan Prep GRE Blog - 7 Ways to Avoid Careless GRE Math Errors by Chelsey Cooley

Did you know that you can attend the first session of any of our online or in-person GRE courses absolutely free? We’re not kidding! Check out our upcoming courses here.


There’s nothing wrong with making GRE math errors because the problem is too hard. That’s just the way that the test is designed—there are Quant questions on the GRE that will challenge even the mathematical geniuses among us. However, it’s much more frustrating to miss a problem that you could’ve gotten right, just because you made a silly mistake. Try out the following tips to cut down on careless GRE math errors. Read more

GRE Math for People Who Hate Math: A Gentle Introduction to GRE Divisibility Problems

by

GRE Math for People Who Hate Math: A Gentle Introduction to GRE Divisibility Problems by Chelsey CooleyDid you know that you can attend the first session of any of our online or in-person GRE courses absolutely free? We’re not kidding! Check out our upcoming courses here.


12 is divisible by 3. 24,700 is a multiple of 100. x/15 is an integer. 6 is a factor of 17k. All of this language — divisible, multiple, integer, factor — signals that you’re about to begin a divisibility problem. Do you find these problems intimidating? Do you sometimes have no idea where to start? If so, this article offers a simple, painless way of thinking about divisibility that you can use on a wide range of GRE problems. Read more

How to Create Fantastic GRE Quant Flashcards

by

Manhattan Prep GRE Blog - How to Create Fantastic GRE Quant Flashcards by Chelsey Cooley

Did you know that you can attend the first session of any of our online or in-person GRE courses absolutely free? We’re not kidding! Check out our upcoming courses here.


A great flashcard is more than just a memory tool. It can also help you overcome that “not sure what to do next” feeling on test day. Here’s how to get the most out of every flashcard you create.

You don’t need to memorize that many facts to conquer GRE Quant. You should know the basic geometry facts and formulas, the definitions of math terms such as integer and quartile, and the first few primes and perfect squares. GRE Quant flashcards are a great way to drill yourself on those facts! But you can also use them for much more than just facts. Read more