Best GRE Prep Apps

GRE is one of the examinations that students take before entering graduate school. The scores that they receive on the GRE will help them compete for seats in top-tier institutions especially when it comes to science-related programs. But most of the time, it is required for students to acquire grades that are in the 90th percentile or above to get admission to their place of interest.

While preparing for the exam is a task in itself, choosing the best form of prep is also an extremely important step to achieving high scores. It is common for candidates to resort to prep books considering them to be the best form of prep. But recently, students have also been choosing prep apps that offer them the flexibility in the schedule they require. Using GRE prep apps also provides students with the option of studying wherever they are at any point in time.

Why Choose a GRE Prep App?

Due to the high popularity of GRE examinations, many prep options are available in plenty for candidates to score better. The prep apps are an easy alternative to books and other classes that students can take for the examination. The app provides content in an interactive manner that is both interactive and easy-going, helping students master both the content and the format for the examination in a better way.

Students will also not have to carry around all the different prep books they can procure by spending a fortune on the same. GRE prep apps often contain full-length test papers and subject-by-subject explained in detail all for an extremely low cost or even for free. The apps generally contain features like-

• hundreds of practice questions
• detailed explanations for answers to the practice questions
• test-taking strategies that can help the candidate score better
• explanation of test format and content

Top 7 GRE Prep Apps

While there are plenty of apps for GRE prep, not all of them might be perfectly suited for one’s requirements in preparing for the test. A few of the best apps that contain the features suited for a wide audience include-

GRE Vocabulary Flashcards- Magoosh

This app focuses on making students learn the 1,000 most commonly asked words on the GRE to increase their vocab knowledge. The size of the app is 22 MB which is higher than other GRE apps. Students will be able to access the app on Android devices 5.0 and above. They will also be able to access it through iOS devices of 8.0 or above. Candidates with a Mac will require a macOS 11.0 or above and a Mac with an Apply M1 chip to access the app. The app is completely free for all its users. The features of the app include-

• 1,000 vocab words
• detailed definitions along with explanations for words listed
• words arranged according to the difficulty level
• progress tracking
• access to all flashcards
• one's practice is focused on a clever algorithm for effective learning.

GRE Test Prep Math and Verbal- Galvanize

With the help of this app, students can improve their GRE verbal and math scores by having access to the most comprehensive set of practice questions. The size of the app is 12.89 MB and requires Android 5.1 and up to run. The features include:

• reading comprehension
• text completion with one, two, or three blanks
• sentence equivalency
• comparing numerical data
• input of numbers
• analysis of data
• multiple-choice problems with one or more accurate responses

GRE Prep & Practice by Magoosh

This app is provided by Magoosh which is a popular test prep provider for competitive examinations. Students will be able to receive carefully made GRE schedules, practice questions, and a guide to study the content and format of the test as part of the app. While candidates will be able to download the app for free, they will have to pay a nominal amount to access the premium content. The size of the app is 18 MB and candidates will be able to access it on Android devices of 5.0 and above. Candidates will also be able to use it on iOS apps of 9.0 and above. A few of the features of the app include-

• 1,000+ practice questions
• 40 sample questions
• progress tracking
• 70 video lessons explaining sample questions for free users and 200+ video lessons for premium users
• GRE schedule
• talk to GRE prep experts

Varsity Tutors- Prep for GRE Exam

This app is provided by Varsity Tutors and is considered comprehensive concerning both GRE content and practice questions. Students will be able to focus on either Verbal or Quantitative skills or both depending on their weaknesses. They will also be able to find their strengths and weaknesses by taking the diagnostic tests that the app offers. The size of the app is 17 MB and students will be able to access it on Android 6.0 and above. The features of the app include-

• timed full-time practice tests
• diagnostic tests to track strengths and weaknesses
• feedback of general scores and improvement made
• 20-minute study sessions to boost concentration
• flashcards for the content of Verbal and Quant sections

GRE Test Prep- Galvanize

This app focuses on all the processes the candidate will have to go through right from the beginning of their preparation to getting admitted to a university. The size of the app is 30.4 MB and students will be able to access the app on an Android device of 5.1 and above. The app is also accessible on iOS devices of 13.0.0 or later. Students will be able to practice for the GRE by using 100s of practice questions. They will also be able to interact with other users while studying and compare scores to understand where they stand. A few of the features include-

• 100’s of practice questions with detailed explanations
• GRE Score Predictor to track progress
• exam Readiness Indicator to track work required to reach the target score
• timed practice tests
• study with friends

Manhattan Prep GRE

The Manhattan Prep powered by Kaplan is one of the leading GRE prep material providers. The GRE prep app that they have developed has been designed to allow students to study at their own pace. Students will be able to access the app through both Android and iOS devices. The features included in the app are-

• 1,600+ practice questions with complete explanations for answers
• quizzes that students can take to test their knowledge
• students will be able to track their progress
• contains critical vocab words and concepts that benefit the Verbal section
• 120+ prep questions
• vocabulary flashcards

For the Manhattan GRE prep app, there are three auto-renewal options: one month at $14.99, three months at $29.99, and twelve months at $99.99.

GRE Verbal Prep Master

GRE Verbal Prep Master introduces the students to various question sets and highlights key GRE strategies to help them hone their Verbal Reasoning skills. GRE Prep Master assists the user in becoming acquainted with the format and categories of questions on the test. The size of the app is 58.2 MB and students require devices with iOS 10.0 or later and Android 4.1 or up to access. The features of this app include:

• mentor support that will guarantee cost-effective, customized, and flexible learning
• take practice exams to monitor and assess one's development in real-time.
• rigorous vocabulary review exercises and games
• engaging mini-lessons to improve one's comprehension of ideas linked to each section of the GRE Verbal Reasoning exam
• practical advice and techniques to help test-takers perform better on the GRE Verbal exam.

Are GRE Prep Apps Enough?

While most students are using the prep apps as additional prep material, it isn’t always advisable to use them as the only preparation method. This is largely due to the lack of in-depth explanations given for subject content and the extra focus the apps have on practice questions and flashcards. Students who are well-versed in the content of the examination will be able to highly benefit from the apps, whereas those who wish to study for the exam from scratch will have a hard time understanding the concepts and flashcards.

Candidates who have already purchased the prep books of their respective organizations will find that most of the app content has been taken from the practice questions sections in the prep books. This will render the app installation useless unless it is used as a travel companion which students can use to practice questions irrespective of the time and location. Ideally, a student should opt for prep courses or books according to their level of knowledge and use the apps as additional prep which will benefit them in the long run.