Best GRE prep texts/CDs?

[Lab Vet]

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Hello, Gang:

Does anyone have strong opinions as to the best GRE practice texts/CDs available on the market?

I had excellent success with Gruber's prep text while taking the SAT, and would assume that the corresponding GRE text is also quite good. Thought that I'd poll the masses, though.

Have any of you taken the new format GRE? I took the GRE multiple times AGES ago when applying for graduate school. I'm completely clueless as to the new format/scoring metric. Anyone have any strong opinions for or against? I'd be curious to read your responses.

Thanks much!

 

[Bismarck]

I would wait a little bit to purchase study materials as the GRE was just revised this month. While old materials might be of some value, it may be some time before the new test is fully cracked, etc.

Maybe see if the ETS has an updated version of its PowerPrep program?

 

[BakedZiti]

I took the old GRE, but I used the Kaplan Premier GRE book and PowerPrep software and did well. I found that Kaplan's practice tests were much more difficult than the actual GRE, and PowerPrep's were more similar. I did Kaplan first, then PowerPrep last. But I was rusty on my math skills, and since Kaplan was more difficult, it helped me brush up on those concepts. By the time I took PowerPrep's tests, I was much more prepared than when I started.

 

[Bisbee]

I used Kaplan, and it helped me raise my score by almost 300 points!

 

[kermit123]

I used McGraw-Hill's New GRE and I did very well. I mostly just looked through question types and did a few sample sections. The questions on the test were pretty much the exact format from the book.

Only thing I regret is not doing more vocab … not that I did poorly in the verbal, but I feel like I just didn't know some of the words and I'm sure many were common.

 

[Trematode]

I took the test before it was revised. I have the old Kaplan math and vocab workbook, and vocab flashcards. I ordered the Kaplan Premier for the revised test and the vocab workbook for the revised test. There is some overlap. The top GRE words are the same in both editions. I have been studying both editions. I also have the PowerPrep software, which I have not used yet. I am taking the revised GRE in the middle of September. I'm willing to provide feedback once I take it. I also would like to know how it compares to the old test. 🙂

 

[2CatMatt]

The test is very different in that it is not adaptive - scoring and picking questions as you move along. You can skip and go back to questions.

The verbal section has no standalone words to define. No analogies. Instead they give you a sentence with a couple of blanks and you pick the choice in which the word(s) make the most sense. There are still reading comp questions though.

Math section has a calculator. Some questions don't have answer choices. I probably had about 3 or 4 questions where I had to fill in a box with what I thought the right answer was. Seemed to be more graph/chart analysis.

 

[bunnity]

Barron's worked really well for both me and my boyfriend at the time.

 

[Lab Vet]

Thank you all for your suggestions. I'm especially grateful for the description provided of the new GRE. That's very interesting- I'm curious to try it out. Sounds as though a lot of the prep materials out there are pretty good. At the end of the day, what matters is simply practice. Even though the new version of the test was just released this summer, many of the major test prep companies (Barron's, Kaplan, Princeton Review, etc.) have released test prep volumes specifically geared towards the new test. I'll pick one (or two), practice with it/them, and report back to let y'all know that I think. I appreciate the input!

 

[maddyblue]

I took a class with Princeton Review. I found it to be extremely helpful, and I did really well on the test. Actually I used Princeton Review for the SATs as well now that I think about it....

I took the older version, and the testing strategy that they taught for that was definitely helpful for the adaptive version. They might have strategy for the new version as well, but I would say that was the most valuable part of the class. All I can say is vocab, vocab, vocab...I made a giant stack of index cards and took a stack wherever I went, studying them whenever I had a free moment (I mean, even in the line at Starbucks). That definitely helped. The math is very elementary, and you just need to study up on the tricks.

 

[Sheepdogpsu]

I took the pre August test with the help of The GRE Test "For Dummies" book which despite the name was very helpful and easy to read. It was only like $20 on Amazon. I don't know if it will all be still applicable to the new GRE but I think the math and vocab reviews will still be helpful. It helped me get a 760 in the Quantitative! (I don't want to talk about the verbal)😳

 

[Dexter319]

I took the old test and did pretty good. I used the Kaplan vocab flashcards, the Princeton Review Cracking Book with CD, and the Powerprep software. My advice is to really focus on the flashcards as soon as possible and make it a habit to study 20-50 of them a day. Also, the Kaplan flashcards were quite helpful because they contained synonyms on the back of each one so instead of just the 500 words that were included in the box you were also studying many more beyond that. I saved the Powerprep software till the end to do some full length practice exams. Don't worry if your scores are low, all of mine were lower than my actual GRE. I'm not sure how much the new one has changed but I assume it can't be too much different.

 

[deli]

I recently took the old version of the test. I started with Barron's, tried Kaplan, then discovered Nova. I believe Barrons to be the best out of the three, followed by Nova. I purchased Kaplan because of the recommendations here, but I found the questions to be too easy compared to the other books. I'd suggest getting more than one review book, and also make sure you do full timed practice tests leading up to your test date. Essay and all. Barrons helped me get a great score.

Good luck.

 

[Trematode]

I cannot download PowerPrep II because I have Windows 7 64 bit.