Let's say you have a friend who becomes interested in jiu-jitsu after watching some UFC fights. He watches a few armbar videos and demonstrates them on you. Sure, his armbar made you tap, but would anyone in their right mind think your friend is a master of the armbar technique? Do you think he could pull off the technique in a jiu-jitsu match with a competent opponent? Does he have any business teaching the technique to others?
For GRE strategies, we want to get as much evidence as we can that you've actually mastered a given strategy so that we become confident you can use it on the real GRE. Let's think about the levels you may want to achieve.
Level 1: The Video
You watched the video, and the strategy makes sense to you.
Level 2: Your Notes
Knowing that memory is fickle, you took notes in your own words, describing the steps entailed in executing the strategy.
Level 3: The Mountain
Just like you do with the vocab and quant mountains, you have a "Strategy Mountain" in which you periodically review the steps of this and other GRE strategies you've learned.
Level 4: The Video Exercises
You were able to apply the strategy on the practice exercises in the video.
Level 5: Deliberate Practice
You went into the wild and found several ETS questions on which you successfully used the strategy, and you have a plan for further practice.
Level 6: Recognition
In a mixed set of questions, you can quickly and accurately identify all opportunities to use the strategy.
Level 7: Timed Practice
You've successfully used the strategy under timed conditions, as evidenced by your review of the question(s) on which you attempted to use it, and, during the section, you recognized most or all of the opportunities to use the strategy.
Level 8: Articulation
You can clearly describe how you used the strategy on one or more ETS questions, as evidenced by someone else affirming they understand your process by explaining it back to you in their own words.
Level 9: Expert Feedback
A GRE tutor / expert has given you positive feedback on your usage of a strategy.
Level 10: Freestyle
You've identified some questions on which the strategy at first seems to apply, but in fact does not, and you've figured out a modification to the strategy that makes it work, or an alternate method.
Level 11: The Student Has Become The Master
You're actively tutoring other people on how to use the strategy.
The Bottom Line
Most people fall far short of mastery when they're learning and practicing GRE strategies. Even if you never make it to level 11, try finding some ways to deepen your strategy mastery by ascending at least to the level above the one you're currently on.
Vince Kotchian•February 17, 2025 at 2:30 PM
