It has been proven that the most critical aspect in improving your GRE score, in particular, your GRE verbal score is mastery of GRE vocabulary words. The area where many students fall short is in their inability to correctly answer questions because they don’t understand the words.

The makers of the GRE include challenging vocabulary words in exercises that require other intellectual skills to truly test the candidate’s broad intellectual strengths.  In the verbal section, candidates will be tested on:

• Analogies
• Antonyms
• Reading Comprehension
• Sentence Completion

While each of these sections requires thoughtful operational or analytical skills, you will not be successful unless you have an expansive working vocabulary.  Now, it is strongly recommended that you study, practice, and fully prepare for each of these verbal sections. Each one requires a different skill set, and there are tips, and tricks that can help you become very good, with practice.

So the challenge for most students is finding the time to study all of the areas of the GRE that require practice and preparation. Even the most disciplined student will concede that there is a lot to work on and often not a lot of time. How do you practice hundreds of analogies, antonyms, sentence completions, reading comprehension, and learn perhaps 1000 new words?

Well, modern technology has provided today’s student with an almost unfair advantage over students of just a few years ago. Today, there is vocabulary building software, electronic flashcards, and mp3′s that not only have an enormous time saving benefit, but make it easier for students to learn. I call this “Study Efficiency.” Study Efficiency is the capability to absorb a tremendous amount of material effectively, and in limited time.

By using mp3′s, you can download your GRE vocabulary words to your IPod, IPhone, or mp3 player, and listen wherever you are. You can study on the treadmill, waiting for the bus, or while shopping in the mall. With electronic flashcards, you can download them to your desktop computer, or your laptop and study anywhere. But the biggest advantage of electronic flashcards is that they actual verbalize the words for you, so if you are unable to constantly view the screen, you can still listen to the words and their meaning.

FastVocabulary.com is one company that offers GRE vocabulary words for your MP3 as well as electronic flashcards and interactive testing. The key, however, is not who you use, but how efficient your study habits are. If you are a freshman or sophomore, you may have enough time to begin studying the old fashion way, but if you are a junior, Senior, or graduate, it may be time to commit to Study Efficiency as GRE vocabulary words are indeed quite challenging.

Jeffery S. Morones is a freelance writer and test prep expert. Mr. Morones is a GRE Vocabulary expert and a consultant for the FastVocabulary.com website.