GRE Study Secrets: How Smart Breaks Can Improve Your Score

If you are preparing for the GRE, it is crucial to maintain a steady speed rather than moving speedily with everything you have. It is a common misconception among students that they can succeed if they push their limits to the max. However, high scorers know that, with strategic breaks, you can maintain focus, retain information, and avoid burnout.

In this guide, we will explore the importance of taking breaks between the GRE preparation course to help you boost your GRE performance.

Why Breaks Are Crucial for Effective GRE Prep

Studying hard is important, but studying smart is also important. Likewise, breaks help refresh your brain to reduce mental fatigue. At the same time, breaks allow constant focus when you are studying for a long session. Exhausting yourself without breaks causes mental fog and increased stress. You need high-level reasoning and stamina for the GRE, which is greatly affected if you have mental fatigue. As a result, you will move towards burnout if you skip breaks.

Types of Breaks That Enhance GRE Productivity

Every break you take is not equal. It depends on how you schedule your breaks, and their nature may make a huge difference in performance. Therefore, it is important to assess which type of break for your GRE preparation. 

• Micro-Breaks for Quick Refreshment: A micro-break takes 2-5 minutes, and it is great for refocusing. You can take a stretch, a sip of water, or even close your eyes for a minute. These breaks work best after you have finished a task and your brain has processed what you have learned.
• Longer Breaks for Mental Relaxation: After 60-90 minutes of focused work, a longer break, about 15 to 30 minutes, can also be helpful. This is your time to rest deeply from your desk, take a walk, listen to your favorite music, and talk with someone. These longer breaks avoid your mental tiredness and increase your energy for the next study session.

How to Include Strategic Breaks in Your GRE Session 

If you want the breaks to be effective, you need to include them carefully in your study routine. Also, it will be harmful for your GRE test prep online if you take random breaks. A good student will keep track of the duration of the breaks and set their schedule accordingly for a balanced and focused GRE study session. 

• The Pomodoro Technique: This is a widely used method for GRE prep. It has a rule of 25 minutes of focused work with a 5-minute break. Then, between 4 such breaks, take a longer break of 15 to 30 minutes. 
• 90-Minute Study Cycles: Another success strategy is learning in 90 minutes. This break duration is perfect for our brain’s natural attention span. After each session, take a break of 20 to 30 minutes and get back into work. 

Best Practices for Maximizing Your Breaks

How you will spend the break can affect how you will feel after. If you are scrolling through social media during the break, it may not allow your brain to get the rest it needs. Instead, it will lead to stress, which is the opposite of what you want during your online GRE prep. 

• Stay Active During Breaks: Activities such as stretching, walking, and even dancing for a few minutes can re-energize your body and brain. Along with this, it improves blood circulation, which is essential for productivity.
• Avoiding Digital Distractions: Don’t spend your break staring at a screen. Surfing through social media can easily lead to mental exhaustion. Instead, choose non-screen activities to spare your eyes and mind. Moreover, digital platforms such as Jamboree India are one of the best online GRE centre to help you stay focused with its easy-to-use interface and advanced learning methods.
• Hydration and Nutrition: Drink water or a healthy snack during your breaks. Dehydration and hunger can silently distract from all your concentration during long study periods. 

Common Mistakes to Avoid When Taking Breaks

Breaks are beneficial only if you use them wisely. It’s because, if you mismanage your break time, it will prove harmful to your study routine. At the same time, the breaks will cause a waste of time, leading to unnecessary demotivation and chaos. 

• Extending Your Long Breaks: Taking a break of 1 hour after every short session will lead to reduced efficiency in studying. Therefore, breaks should be used for refreshment purposes and not for escaping study. Along with this, you should stay aware of how long you step away from your study session.
• Skipping Breaks Altogether: Many students believe that if you study long enough, you will achieve a high score. However, this is a bad approach for your GRE prep. The truth is, your brain can only focus for a limited time. As a result, you may finish one session without breaks, but it is not a practical solution for studying throughout the day, week, or month.

How Breaks Help You Balance GRE Prep Strategy

Your GRE prep plan will only work if it is sustainable. This is where strategic breaks provide consistency for a long-term study routine. Studying for the GRE often spans several weeks or even months. Without proper rest periods, students can quickly feel confused and exhausted. Breaks give your mind the space to recover, making it easier to return the next day with energy and confidence.

You can easily build momentum if your breaks are well-structured. Similarly, you can train your brain to focus intensely for short periods because you know a break is incoming. This leads to increased productivity and makes your study routine easier to stick to every day. 

Why You Need Jamboree India For The Best-In-Class GRE Prep

If you are aiming for a hassle-free experience in your GRE study, Jamboree India will provide you with the same. It is an interactive learning platform that helps you prepare for the upcoming GRE exam at your fingertips. 

Jamboree has more than 3 decades of experience, and it will give complete guidance in order to boost your GRE score. Jamboree has proven its expertise in the GRE, with 200,000 success stories. So, take your GRE prep to the next level with Jamoree India. 

The Bottom Line

It requires a commitment if you are preparing for the GRE. However, it never means you have to completely exhaust yourself to obtain a high score. If you include strategic breaks into your study routine, it will make your sessions more productive and focused.

It doesn’t matter whether you perform a 5-minute stretch or a half-hour recharge; your brain needs rest in order to produce a high GRE score. Therefore, do not view breaks as a tool for waiting time. For more details about GRE prep online, visit Jamboree India.