Best GRE study guide?

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SLilaT

SLilaT

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Hey so I want to start studying for the GRE? What is the best study guide (prep books) for the GRE? -Thanks for the advice & answers 😀
 
SLilaT said:
Hey so I want to start studying for the GRE? What is the best study guide (prep books) for the GRE? -Thanks for the advice & answers 😀
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I'd recommend the GRE Math Prep Course by Nova (yes, it's a book). It's more thorough than the other better known ones I'd say. You can find it on Amazon.

I thought Barrons was good for Verbal too.
 
I used the Princeton Review book and found it very helpful. The ETS also has some really good GRE review material on their website.
 
I think the best study tool depends on what areas you struggle in. For me, I knew going in that my vocabulary would be what brought me down, so I looked up online the word lists for the GRE. The words seem different on every site, but I just kept going through them all trying to learn as many of the words as I possibly could. My first score on a practice test was only 950 (350 verbal and 600 quantitative). I ended up with a 1280 on the real GRE when I took it 🙂. I got a 550 on the verbal and 730 on the quantitative. So, for me, I am quite sure that the flashcards I made helped. I probably studied the flashcards for 25-30 hours!

I used a computer game with tutorials on strategies for answering the different types of questions. There were some really good tips for the math section, which I think helped me improve that score. The game also had practice GRE tests to see how you are progressing, which was really helpful. The game was called GMAT/GRE/LSAT Kaplan 2005 platinum edition. I borrowed it from the library.

There was also a great website that a librarian told me about that has practice tests and then goes over the ones you got wrong with you. I can't remember the site, there was a link to it from the library's site. I'd ask at your local library to see if they have something similar.
 
Anything from Kaplan or Princeton Review is good — these are the two "main" providers of GRE study materials, and they update it every year. Particularly useful are their "hit lists" that list the most frequently used vocabulary words.
 
I went to the bookstore and bought the book that had the highest number of full-length practice exams that came with it. I also inherited a more traditional, name-brand book from someone, so between the two I felt covered. The best, most realistic prep of all is the CD they send you with practice tests when you register! Otherwise, I think it is all just personal preference. Go to a store and spend a while reading through some of them, and see which style you like best.
 
moosenanny said:
I went to the bookstore and bought the book that had the highest number of full-length practice exams that came with it. I also inherited a more traditional, name-brand book from someone, so between the two I felt covered. The best, most realistic prep of all is the CD they send you with practice tests when you register! Otherwise, I think it is all just personal preference. Go to a store and spend a while reading through some of them, and see which style you like best.
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I've taken the test three times and have never received this CD. Hmm... I'm being scammed!
 
LittleWiz said:
I've taken the test three times and have never received this CD. Hmm... I'm being scammed!
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Did you register early? I registered fairly late-ish online, and the testing center e-mailed me links to a practice thing (may have been the program on the CD, not sure) at 10 pm THE NIGHT BEFORE THE TEST. I checked my e-mail the next morning as I was leaving for the GRE, and was kinda dismayed to find it there. Would've been nice to have received that a couple weeks earlier, guys. :laugh:
 
LittleWiz said:
I've taken the test three times and have never received this CD. Hmm... I'm being scammed!
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I may be wrong here, but I think you can download the practice tests or request a CD of the same materials, but I don't think it has anything different. Just keep in mind, it doesn't work on MACs (a bit of a problem for me)

The thing that helped me the most was actually something surprising. I downloaded audio GRE vocab and listened to it while driving and my GRE vocab score went way up! It was really boring though. The quantitative section I had more trouble with....just can't seem to get above a 690! very frustrating😡
 
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LittleWiz said:
I've taken the test three times and have never received this CD. Hmm... I'm being scammed!
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Well, I did take it two years ago. It wouldn't surprise me if I requested the CD, given the option. And whoever said it doesn't work on Macs is right - thank goodness my parents have a PC and I was home during the bulk of my studying (winter break of junior year) 😉
 
OK, I'm taking the gre tomorrow, but instead of studying, I'm on SDN! By the way if I don't need the writing portion, how do I skip it?
 
Thank you everyone again, I have another question and it is that the GRE is changing by august 2011. So should I study and take the exam before it changes or wait until after the change?
 
LittleWiz said:
I've taken the test three times and have never received this CD. Hmm... I'm being scammed!
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Nope I never got the cd either...and I didn't register late 😛 and I've tried downloading the program from their website but it doesn't work on my computer which is windows 7...anybody have suggestions for this?
 
SLilaT said:
Thank you everyone again, I have another question and it is that the GRE is changing by august 2011. So should I study and take the exam before it changes or wait until after the change?
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Well, it depends on when you are applying. If you are applying for the new cycle coming up in June for 2012 matriculation you will need to take it before August, because if you take the New GRE in August or later the scores will not be sent out until early to middle November.

You just have to make sure when most vet scool GRE deadlines are and I think they are around the same time as when the application is due in October, which means you would need to take the old one.

hope that helps, they have more details on the ETS GRE website.
 
smilin1590 said:
Nope I never got the cd either...and I didn't register late 😛 and I've tried downloading the program from their website but it doesn't work on my computer which is windows 7...anybody have suggestions for this?
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I remember when I took the GRE, the CD didn't come for months and I had already taken the test by then. lol
 
jetikarabbit said:
OK, I'm taking the gre tomorrow, but instead of studying, I'm on SDN! By the way if I don't need the writing portion, how do I skip it?
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I don't think you can just flat out "skip it." You could write nothing I suppose and hit the End Section button, that would probably get you to the same place.

But if by "you don't need it" you mean you are only applying to schools that don't factor it in -- my guess (unsupported by experience) is that they'll get a pretty weird looking AW score of 0 alongside your regular scores. Might raise questions? Might be easier to crank out a silly high school essay and be done with it.
 
wanted to know suggestions for a good book to read to help with GRE vocabulary.
 
aestrell said:
wanted to know suggestions for a good book to read to help with GRE vocabulary.
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There are a bunch of novels for SAT vocab learning, so that might be a place to start. And Spaknotes supposedly has good ones (says the highschoolers I tutored). http://www.sparknotes.com/satfiction/

Here are some for the GRE's on amazon http://www.amazon.com/GRE-Vocabulary-Builder-Learning-Context/lm/R1P9PFZJK3R6FL

Those are ones specifically written to learn vocab I think. But to be honest though, a huge chunk of GRE words come up regularly on TIMES and Newsweek magazines as well as good newspapers. What helped me a lot was to go through and make flashcards myself from GRE study books and initially try to memorize a bunch. After a while, all the words started sounding familiar (even if I couldn't remember the actual definition). Once I was at that point, I would notice words all the time in newspapers and magazines... and during the actual test, there were definitely questions I got right because I remembered what the article that a word was written in was about! There's so much vocab to be learned from good journalism if you just pay attention to them and not gloss over them.
 
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I still say Kaplan was the best for vocab. The flash card set is great for memorizing, which did help me a lot but YMMV. The book had some tricks for making educated guesses, too, so I also thought that was helpful.

If you are on a budget, number2.com is a good help.
 
aestrell said:
wanted to know suggestions for a good book to read to help with GRE vocabulary.
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my first GRE, i only "studied" for one week...result=uber bad 3-hundred-something.

so now i'm real studying via Barron's essential GRE words and also got a Kaplan's GRE verbal workbook.

i have like 18 days to prepare myself...trying to learn 40 words/day, and so far i think i'm doing good...but i guess we'll see right? lol
 
If you have the time and money, I recommend the Kaplan course to study for the GRE. It helped me tremendously by increasing my score from 1170 to 1310 and my percentiles from 57 and 68 to 78 and 82. It was expensive ($1200) but worth it in the end!
 
I didn't really study vocab much at all. I only had ~14 days to study, so I definitely made the quantitative section my priority.

I liked these websites:
http://www.tyrannosaurusprep.com/Quiz/GRE
http://www.freerice.com

Honestly, I'm glad I did not spend hours memorizing words, because I did fine on the verbal without it (610 v). Then again, I knew I wouldn't have a problem with the reading comprehension and sentence completion portions.
 
I found StudyGRE to be helpful. They recommend a couple of different books plus give some good tips/strategies on GRE studying/testtaking methods. Good luck!
 
Minnerbelle said:
There are a bunch of novels for SAT vocab learning, so that might be a place to start. And Spaknotes supposedly has good ones (says the highschoolers I tutored). http://www.sparknotes.com/satfiction/
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Oh my god there are people who liked those books? My mother bought them for me in high school and I thought they were so bad. Couldn't imagine reading them with three years of college-level material behind me, too.
 
ElijahOne said:
If you have the time and money, I recommend the Kaplan course to study for the GRE. It helped me tremendously by increasing my score from 1170 to 1310 and my percentiles from 57 and 68 to 78 and 82. It was expensive ($1200) but worth it in the end!
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If that price is scaring you, Kaplan does an online one that's about 1/3 of that price. Lots of practice tests and subject lectures on video. Not a terrible deal.
 
I downloaded the Dictionary.com app on my iPhone (a year prior to taking the test!) - and that gives a word of the day everyday... so i learned 365 new words; including the multiple meanings behind the word, origins, etc... (and still use it! some of the words are just ridiculous and hilarious!)

Vocab was my weakest thus the dictionary app. Math I reviewed a few weeks before the test and was fine, but its my stronger area. I used ETS study guides, took a class, Kaplan review books...
 
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I used Kaplan for my GRE studies......didn't really help put too much! Of course, I am horrible in taking standardized exams:laugh:!
 
I used Kaplan to study. I found it pretty helpful, but I don't think they have the new scoring system down. My scores were a lot higher on the actual exam than on the practice exams I took. I'd still recommend it though, it's nice when you actually do better than you expect.
 
twelvetigers said:
Dictionary.com's words are good. I have a daily word on my Google homepage, and sometimes it's just downright pathetic.
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Sometimes the word is too generic and commonly used... Is it strange that it saddens me when it's not a unique one? Probably... 😛
 
oxyjen said:
Sometimes the word is too generic and commonly used... Is it strange that it saddens me when it's not a unique one? Probably... 😛
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Today, Google's word is 'daredevil' and Dictionary's word is 'perspicacious.'

I feel this illustrates my point.

The idea is to use a word that I don't recognize, or at least one I may have forgotten the meaning of...
 
Does anyone know if the Powerprep software that you download from the ETS website a good study aide? Does the score they give you after taking the practice exam reflect your actual score?
 
RetroUnicorn said:
Does anyone know if the Powerprep software that you download from the ETS website a good study aide? Does the score they give you after taking the practice exam reflect your actual score?
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I found my score on the ETS to be much more accurate than the Kaplan practice tests I took.
 
On that note, I found Kaplan to be way more accurate than Princeton review.

Princeton review made the test sound easy and pretty. Epic fail.
 
This is probably not the typical experience, but I bought the online Kaplan class and my (math) score started pretty good and went down steadily with each practice test I took - I think I started overthinking the problems by using the strategies they give you and it really threw me off. On the actual test I ended up doing about the same as my first practice test, so I wished I had not spent the money because it got me nowhere. Ended up wishing I would've stuck with the book and not the expensive class.
 
bearito said:
This is probably not the typical experience, but I bought the online Kaplan class and my (math) score started pretty good and went down steadily with each practice test I took - I think I started overthinking the problems by using the strategies they give you and it really threw me off. On the actual test I ended up doing about the same as my first practice test, so I wished I had not spent the money because it got me nowhere. Ended up wishing I would've stuck with the book and not the expensive class.
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Hmmm I thought the online class helped, but then it could have been I did a lot of practice tests bc of it. Sometimes I did throw the strategies out the window.

So I don't know what raised my scores to tell ya the truth.
 
I used Princeton and Kaplan and did pretty well on them, but after taking the ETS practice test, I feel like I'm not prepared for the actual exam 😕
 
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I didn't really study the math part, but I made flash cards for the verbal part with the hard words that I hadn't encountered before, and those that you always hear but they mean something totally different than what you think they mean (ex: penultimate).

Anyway, I still have them and would be happy to send 'em to a friendly SDN'er. First one to PM gets them. I think there's like 125 or so.
 
sooprnova said:
I didn't really study the math part, but I made flash cards for the verbal part with the hard words that I hadn't encountered before, and those that you always hear but they mean something totally different than what you think they mean (ex: penultimate).

Anyway, I still have them and would be happy to send 'em to a friendly SDN'er. First one to PM gets them. I think there's like 125 or so.
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I just realized these might be totally useless after the format change. #helpfulnessfail
 
sooprnova said:
I just realized these might be totally useless after the format change. #helpfulnessfail
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I think they still use similar word lists on the revised exam...I bought a vocab book for the revised GRE and compared it to the old one my friend gave me and they're pretty much the same. Except no more analogies and antonyms.
 
Flashcards, flashcards, flashcards! I used to carry them around in my purse and study on my commute to work. (1 hour each way on the train, excellent for studying/sleeping)

I also found the Princton books to be the most helpful. I borrowed the Kaplan books from a friend who took the class and basically just used it to make vocab flashcards, I didn't find it very helpful.
 
RetroUnicorn said:
Does anyone know if the Powerprep software that you download from the ETS website a good study aide? Does the score they give you after taking the practice exam reflect your actual score?
Click to expand...
I recommend using the Powerprep software. If you are taking the GRE online, Powerprep is a great way to become familiar with the way the system works before the actual test. Even if you are not taking it online, I think it would still be useful just for practice. The scores on my practice test were a little lower than my actual GRE score. However, I took the practice test before I studied very much and had some distractions.
 
I actually bought that "GRE for Dummies" book and found that rather helpful and quick to get through while refreshing adequately. I then went through the Kaplan book and used Kaplan's 500 word flashcards.
 
- Kaplan GRE Math Workbook was invaluable for me, constant practice is the best way to prepare and Kaplans are pretty much representative of what you can expect for the real thing
-Princeton Review's Verbal Workout (5th edition) was sufficient for me, although I am sure there are better (and cheaper) ways to boost verbal score
-I agree with bunny girl, flashcards are the way to go. Again, PR's has a pretty good list, most effective I found though was Spectacular Vernacular's. Worked great for me as a supplement to PR. Same words as kaplan, princeton review, etc but puts them in silly rhymes so the meaning gets stuck in your head:

http://www.flashnotes.com/PA/carneg...-001/flashcards/spectacular-vernacular/27823/

Good luck everyone, hope this helps!
 
I'm slowly starting my studying for the GRE. For those also on a budget, Magoosh has a pretty awesome app for vocab practice. It's available for FREE in the App Store (not sure if it's also available for droids). It quizzes you on the definition of a word (multiple choice style) and if you get it wrong you get that word again and again till you get it correct consistently. There's also a game where you can do a head to head vocab competition with another app user. It's good for studying on the go and actually kinda fun.

Just search GRE in the App Store and you'll see a couple different free study tools.
 
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