As a GRE instructor, I get asked a lot whether or not the GRE is hard. My answer is simply this: The GRE is not hard; the GRE is tricky.

So basically, let me elaborate on what makes the GRE tricky but not hard. We all know that the GRE content is all secondary/high school level – from arithmetic to probability to reading comprehension. The content is so primary that most of us taking the GRE have almost forgotten that we ever studied this stuff. Moreover, no college or university level content appears on the GRE. This is because the GRE wants to test everyone on common ground. For instance, if you studied four years in your Bachelor’s of Engineering from MIT or Stanford and another student did Photography from Pratt, you would be far better on advanced quantitative topics because you had more exposure to the content. By testing only school level topics, the ETS makes sure that all test takers are on the same platform.

Now the good thing about testing material from school days is that everyone is familiar with the content – and frankly speaking, the content is not that difficult. Therefore, the GRE has to make difficult questions on accessible material somehow – so how do they do it?

Timing

Most students would score higher if there were no time limit to answer the GRE questions. Therefore to make the test more stressful, the ETS cuts short the time you have to complete it. This adds a lot more pressure – with time running out, you have little time to think and solve a question. This makes you more likely to err on a problem that would otherwise be easily solvable if there was ample time.

Provide only a Basic Calculator

By providing a basic mathematical online calculator that is tedious to use, the GRE makes more straightforward questions more difficult. This gives the GRE test makers a significant opportunity to increase the difficulty level of the problems by allowing a basic calculator that is not only difficult to use but also is limited in its utility. For instance, it cannot help you solve the following question:

What is the square root of 44736903121?

(A) 211476

(B) 211489

(C) 211497

(D) 211511

(E) 211524

Someone who prepares for the GRE thinking that all mathematical computations are solvable using the calculator will significantly falter on the test day. Then how would you solve this question? Well, to answer this question, you need to utilize the concept of unit digits. For example, if you multiply two or more numbers, the unit digit of the result will be the product of the unit digits of the multiplying numbers.

This is precisely the reason what makes the GRE tricky rather than challenging. As you can see, the above problem is not hard – it utilizes a fundamental concept from the place values of digits.

No Grammar or Spell checker

In analytical writing, you have to type the essay – there’s no spell or grammar check on the AWA. Since we depend on Microsoft word, which has an embedded spell or grammar checker, it gets tough to write without it on the GRE. Moreover, it adds to the frustration.

A lot of times, students try to use brute force to prepare for the GRE. By brute force, I mean, for example, they will learn tons of vocabulary to make sure that they will do well – they are sadly mistaken. If you try to use force, you will face a lot of resistance. However, if you understand that the GRE tests your approach rather than knowledge, you will do far better. Your job while preparing for the test is to learn the method.

Good luck!