How to Study GRE Quant
How to Study GRE Quant
Comprehensive Guide
We know that GRE tests you on Quantitative Reasoning in addition to Verbal Reasoning.
There are so many free as well as paid resources available that a prospective student gets confused and can’t decide where to study from.
This guide lays down an effective and easy to follow plan for you. This plan has been used by many high scorers and we can safely say that it will ensure in depth learning of GRE Quant in a timely fashion. You can use this guide to properly learn all the concepts of Quant from the best resources out there and for absolutely free.
You can find our fully comprehensive GRE Verbal Course here.
Step by Step Process
First, let’s discuss what exactly is needed to be done to study GRE Quant. Here is a step by step process that you need to follow to learn in an organised way. All resources required to follow this plan are given in detail below.
- Get an overview of the type of questions asked in GRE Quantitative Reasoning.
- Start from the first topic. Learn the concepts of the topic.
- Practice a few questions to grasp the concept properly.
- Take a small test to really ensure that you have understood the topic.
- Move on to the next topic in the list and repeat the process.
- Practice solving questions from all the topics extensively from the recommended books.
Let us first look at the recommended books for practising all the topics of GRE Quantitative Reasoning and then move on to the recommended resources for the other steps in this process!
Recommended Practice Books
1. The GRE Official Guide
The GRE Official Guide is the most authentic resource for practising questions as this book is published by ETS, the company that make the GRE test.
The questions here are therefore the closest to the real GRE questions.
No other prep company practice questions can give you the feel of solving real GRE questions as this book.
2. GRE Big Book
GRE Big Book is another book published by the ETS. It contains 27 actual old GRE tests that were taken before the GRE’s pattern was revised in 2011.
So the pattern of tests in this book is not the same as the pattern of GRE now, but the type of questions is mostly the same.
Hence, this book is another awesome resource for practising real GRE questions.
3. Manhattan Prep 5 lb Book
The Manhattan Prep 5 lb. book is another very good resource for practising GRE Quant. This is the only recommended non ETS book.
The number of questions in this book is huge and the quality of questions is good enough for sufficient practice making it an ideal candidate for your practice.
1. The GRE Official Guide
The GRE Official Guide is the most authentic resource for practising questions as this book is published by ETS, the company that make the GRE test.
The questions here are therefore the closest to the real GRE questions.
No other prep company practice questions can give you the feel of solving real GRE questions as this book.
2. GRE Big Book
GRE Big Book is another book published by the ETS. It contains 27 actual old GRE tests that were taken before the GRE’s pattern was revised in 2011.
So the pattern of tests in this book is not the same as the pattern of GRE now, but the type of questions is mostly the same.
Hence, this book is another awesome resource for practising real GRE questions.
3. Manhattan Prep 5 lb Book
The Manhattan Prep 5 lb. book is another very good resource for practising GRE Quant. This is the only recommended non ETS book.
The number of questions in this book is huge and the quality of questions is good enough for sufficient practice making it an ideal candidate for your practice.
Where to Start?
Here are the two best, world class yet free resources to learn the concepts and basic of GRE Quantitative Reasoning. You will not need to learn GRE Quant from anywhere else beyond these resources.
1. ETS GRE Math Review
This pdf- book contains an overview of all the topics asked on the GRE Quantitative Reasoning sections. It will familiarise you with the types of questions, topic wise, along with examples to help you understand the scope of questions.
Start by going through ETS Math Review by clicking here.
When you start to learn Quant, I recommend that you go through this pdf for an overview of the topic and then learn how to solve the particular topic from the second resource listed below.
2. Khan Academy Math Videos
Khan Academy is one of the best resources out there for GRE Quant. The videos here start from the basics and cover all the concepts in a sufficiently detailed manner. Whether you are starting to learn the math topics from scratch or you are good at mathematics and just want to brush up all the concepts, this resource will be of great use to you.
You will not need to learn GRE quant from anywhere else. These videos will be all you need to learn the topics before starting to solve questions from the official material.
All the GRE Quant topics are listed below in the order they are recommended to be studied.
When you click on a topic, you will be directly taken to that particular video.
Keep this “How to study GRE Quant” guide opened and start learning GRE Quant at your own pace:
SECTION I: ARITHMETIC
SECTION II: ALGEBRA
2.2 Operations with Algebraic Expressions
2.5 Solving Quadratic Equations
2.6 Solving Linear Inequalities
2.7 Functions
2.8 Applications
2.9 Coordinate Geometry
SECTION III: GEOMETRY
3.2 Polygons
3.3 Triangles (theorems, bisectors, medians, and centroids not required)
3.4 Quadrilaterals
3.5 Circles (radians not required)
3.6 Three-Dimensional Figures (cones, pyramids, and spheres not required)
SECTION IV: DATA ANALYSIS
4.1 Graphical Methods for Describing Data
4.2 Numerical Methods for Describing Data
- Central Tendency (mean, median, mode)
- Measures of Dispersion (study range, standard deviation only, variance and calculating standard deviation not required
4.3 Counting Methods
- Sets
- Venn Diagrams (frequency tables not required)
- Counting Basics
- Permutations
- Combinations
- Sets
4.4 Probability
4.5 Distributions of Data, Random Variables, and Probability Distributions