How to Form an Online GRE Study Group
In this time of social distancing, studying for the GRE in some ways should be easier for many of us—we no longer have to fight FOMO, because we don’t get to go out, anyway. But in other ways it can be harder. Being alone and/or indoors for extended periods of time can feel isolating, and the situation that has given rise to the social distancing causes anxiety for many of us.
My plan this week was to write a post on how to create an in-person study group, but since that’s not possible (nor a good idea) at the present date, I’ve decided to share ideas for how you can create an online GRE study group.
GRE Online Study Group Step 1: Find fellow GRE takers
First, you want to find people who are taking the GRE soon, too. If you’ve taken a course, reach out to your fellow students. This is the most natural place to start, and it makes sense, too, because you likely already know each other somewhat. You’re also probably in the same time zone, or at least time zones that are amenable to live meeting. If you don’t have their contact information, ask your instructor for it.
Or try social media. Post on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter asking if anyone is studying for the GRE and wants to form a study group. So many people are preparing for this test at a given time that I suspect you will find at least a couple of takers. If those people then post on their own accounts, you can assemble a group of four to five people, which is a nice size study group (more on that below).
GRE Online Study Group Step 2: Find a platform to use and a mutually agreeable time
I suggest Google Hangouts to start because 4-6 of you can sign in, see each other on video, and meet for free. There may be other platforms out there, but this one is the one that I know will work for you and is affordable.
For screen sharing, you are also able to share your screen in Google Hangouts, but you won’t be able to share a whiteboard on which you can all write. For this you can use another Google app—either Google Docs or Google Slides—in a separate window that everyone has access to. This way you’re seeing each other on video but also can all watch as one person writes on the screen. (I swear I’m not pushing Google for any reason other than that it’s what I’ve used. If you have other platforms that you recommend or that work better, please share in the comments!)
GRE Online Study Group Step 3: Create a group of the right size—I suggest 4-5 people
Since you’ll need to find a mutually agreeable time to meet regularly—either several times per week or weekly, depending on your needs—what you don’t want to do is have so many people join your group that it’s impossible to calendar your meetings.
Having a group of more than five people, I find, tends to lead to problems. It becomes challenging to coordinate schedules, and also, it becomes difficult for everyone to have adequate time to share. On the other hand, a study group of three can feel too small to be ideal—if two people are unable to attend for any reason, the third is left stranded.
For these reasons, I suggest a group of four to five people. If more people than this express interest, the additional people can form a second group. Then, if the groups ever dwindle, you can combine them.
GRE Online Study Group Step 4: Create an agenda and leadership calendar for your meetings
It is best for your study meetings to have some structure. I recommend something like the following:
- 10-20 minutes: Share/discuss challenging questions from homework
- 45 minutes: Do a timed practice set together (separately, working on your own, but the same set at the same time) and review
- 15 minutes: Do a round robin sharing important takeaways from the session
Next, I would assign one person to be the leader/facilitator each week. This person’s task will be to keep things going as planned and bring the group back to focus if attention drifts off topic. It’s good to rotate the leader/facilitator role so that responsibility is spread out across the group. If people in the group have a shared sense of responsibility to and for the group, they’re/you’re more likely to take it seriously—which means, at the most basic level, to show up consistently and reliably.
A final tip
Finally, a benefit of a study group is that you can help each other stay calm. The GRE is an anxiety-producing test, and in this time of plenty of other reasons to be anxious, it can be especially rough. Consider having one person at each meeting share something that calms them—either a practice (like a meditation app or recording), a quote, a poem, or a trick for during the test or while studying.
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Mary Richter is a Manhattan Prep instructor based in Nashville, Tennessee. Mary is one of those weirdos who loves taking standardized tests, and she has been teaching them for 15 years. When she’s not teaching the LSAT or GRE for ManhattanPrep, she’s writing novels under the last name Adkins. You can find them wherever you buy books. Check out Mary’s upcoming GRE prep offerings here!