Note (updated 2026): ETS restructured the GRE General Test in September 2023. The test is now significantly shorter (about two hours, down from nearly four), and some format-specific details in this post reflect the older version. The math content, problem types, and study strategies below are still accurate. For current format details, check ets.org/gre directly.
The quantitative portion of the GRE strikes fear into many students' hearts, especially since many students do not feel confident about their mathematics abilities. This anxiety can make you freeze up on the test or make silly mistakes because your brain is still preoccupied with fear.
Luckily, this anxiety over the unknown or unfamiliar can quickly and easily be addressed, and you should take heart in the fact that math skills are generally considered much more teachable than GRE verbal scores are. With practice, it's not uncommon to see 5+ point increases.
Prepare for What You'll See in the Math Section
ETS is explicit about what will and will not be covered on the quantitative section, which gives you a clear map of what to study. They publish a free math review guide on their website covering all the content on the quantitative section. It's worth consulting if there's a specific topic you've never studied or need to brush up on.
Recognize the three types of problems
Learn the problem formats so you're not wasting time re-reading instructions on test day. There are three types of math questions:
- Problem solving. Five-option questions where one or more values is the correct answer. The prompt will tell you whether you're looking for one correct solution or if more are possible.
- Numeric entry. You type in an integer, decimal, or fraction. No answer choices to choose from. Fractions don't need to be reduced.
- Quantitative comparisons. Two values or expressions are given, and you choose (always in this order): A is larger, B is larger, they're equal, or it can't be determined from the information given.
Know the topics covered on the test
The GRE tests math up to Algebra II, plus descriptive statistics. Everything is covered in standard high school math classes. Calculus, trigonometry, and anything more advanced are not on the exam.
The four areas are:
- Arithmetic (factorizing, roots, exponents, remainders, prime numbers, absolute values, rates, ratios, and percentages)
- Algebra (exponents, factoring and simplifying, linear and quadratic equations, inequalities, solving simultaneous equations, setting up equations from word problems, graphing equations, slopes, and intercepts)
- Geometry (parallel and perpendicular line properties, triangle, quadrilateral, and other shape properties and angles, volume, perimeter, and surface area)
- Statistics (descriptive statistics, probability, counting methods, and charts)
Knowing this scope is useful in one specific way: if you encounter a problem that seems to require calculus to solve, you're either approaching it wrong or there's a simpler method. There's always a simpler method.
Take a Baseline Test
ETS offers free official practice tests through their PowerPrep software, which replicates the actual GRE interface. Take one before you've done significant studying to get an honest baseline. You can skip the verbal sections if you're only interested in the math score.
After you finish, you'll see what your score would have been on an official test, and you can review the correct answers for all the problems.
Review your incorrect answers
PowerPrep shows you correct answers but doesn't explain them. For explanations, you'll need a prep book or an online prep course. Magoosh (which is what I used) has video explanations for every problem type, which is especially useful for understanding why you got something wrong, not just what the right answer was.
Figure out where you're weakest
In other areas of life, play to your strengths. For the GRE, look for easy wins. Find patterns in what you got wrong. Are there simple concepts you're missing consistently that you could fix in an hour? Are you struggling most with one specific problem type?
Your weakest areas are where your studying time has the most leverage.
Decide on your goal score
How important are GRE math scores for psychology applicants? Probably more important than you'd like them to be.
Some programs and fields are quantitatively intensive, and some professors will read your quant score as a signal of how ready you are for graduate statistics. Other programs may be less math-heavy but still use score cutoffs to thin application pools.
Scores run from 130 to 170. A reasonable target:
| Percentile | GRE-Q Score |
| 70th | 158 |
| 80th | 161 |
| 90th | 165 |
Getting above the 90th percentile is possible, but at that point you're competing with math and engineering applicants for the last few problems. No psychology program expects that. Once you're around the 80th percentile, your time is probably better spent on other parts of the application.
Solve Practice Problems
You will not raise your score by reading about math. You raise it by doing problems. A lot of them. Plan on at least 200 practice problems before test day, with answer review after each session. If you need a significant score increase, aim for 400.
Distributed practice consistently outperforms cramming. Ten problems a day over two months beats 200 problems the week before the test.
How to structure your practice schedule
Set a daily problem quota and stick to it. Ten problems a day is manageable for most people and adds up fast. For every problem you get wrong, understand why before moving on. Blindly accumulating completed problems without reviewing your errors won't move your score.
Practice timed. Set a timer for the whole session rather than per problem, so you build an instinct for pacing. Spending a bit more on harder problems and less on easier ones is natural and expected.
Match what you'll see on test day
Practice under conditions that match the test as closely as possible:
- Computer screen, not paper
- Sitting upright at a desk
- Unlined scratch paper
- Timed
- Earplugs or noise-canceling headphones if that's what you'll use at the test center
A lot of students practice from books and then freeze when they sit down in front of a screen for the first time on test day. Don't be that person.
Review your answers
After you review an answer, put the problem back into rotation. Try it again in a couple of weeks to make sure you've actually retained the concept, not just recognized the solution when you saw it.
Problem Solving Strategies
Find an upper or lower limit
Before solving a problem fully, spend a few seconds asking whether you can eliminate any answer choices by reasoning about what the answer could or couldn't be. Sometimes you can knock out two or three options before doing any real math.
Don't rewrite problems
It's tempting to copy everything from the screen onto your scratch paper. Resist it. Work the first step of easier problems mentally. Only write down what you actually need. This saves 10 to 20 seconds per problem, which adds up.
Don't rely on the calculator
Every problem on the GRE quant section can be solved without a calculator. You can save a few seconds on certain problems by doing the arithmetic mentally. Practice this so it's habit by test day.
Know when to guess and move on
There is no penalty for guessing. If you've been on a problem too long, pick an answer, flag it, and come back if you have time. Timed practice builds the instinct for when to cut your losses. If you're not practicing timed, you won't have that instinct when it matters.
Final Preparations for Test Day
- Know where your testing center is. A lot of them are in odd locations. Drive by or check Google Maps beforehand.
- Get a full night's sleep. If it's a choice between a couple more hours of cramming and a couple more hours of sleep, choose sleep.
- Arrive early. Waiting until the last minute to leave will just add anxiety you don't need.
- Don't let the writing section drain you. For most psychology programs, the Analytical Writing score carries less weight than verbal and quant. Write clearly, support your points, and then move on mentally. You need the energy for the rest of the test.
When you finish, your scores appear after about 30 seconds. If you're unhappy with them, you can retake after 21 days. My general threshold for retaking: if you're below the 70th to 80th percentile and have reason to believe you can do better with more prep, it's worth it. Above that, the time is probably better spent elsewhere in your application.
Good luck.
Related reading: High Impact Ways to Improve Your Psychology Grad School Application | How to Write a Top Tier Psychology Personal Statement | Should You Get a Master's or a PhD in Psychology?
