Product Description

Students planning to take the Graduate Record Exam will find six full-length model tests with answers and explanations in this up-to-date manual. They will also find intensive test topic reviews covering antonym questions, analogy questions, sentence completion, reading comprehension, vocabulary, analytical writing, quantitative comparison, data interpretation, and math. A 3,500-word master vocabulary list with definitions is supplemented with a GRE high-frequency word list. The CD-ROM enclosed with the book offers a computer-adaptive model GRE test that is similar in structure to the actual GRE test. All questions on the CD-ROM are answered and explained, and exam results are scored automatically.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #75166 in Books
• Published on: 2005-08-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 544 pages

From the Back Cover
[back cover]
Choose Barron’s Method for Success on the GRE Test

Customer Reviews

most thorough available
I have used nearly every book available to study for the GRE, and this is the most complete one. It is also one of the least annoying.

It has a huge word list divided between 300 most frequent, and 3300 next most frequent. Other than taking practice tests, memorizing tons of words is the best way to significantly improve your verbal score, tedious though it may be. (Besides, most of them are good to know anyway.)

It has a very extensive math review. The math review is quite long, and teaches you the almost all of the math you will need to know for the test, plus of course strategies designed to save time, and do problems more simply, geared toward the style of problems on the test. Furthermore, the practice problems in the book are sort of cleverly designed to teach you more about the material, make you realize certain tricky little things about certain mathematical relationships.

It is not annoying like Kaplan, (which mentions the word 'Kaplan' about thirty-eight times per paragraph) or Princeton Review, which try to focus on 'beating' or 'cracking' the GRE. You cannot beat or crack something designed by a bunch of PhDs to measure raw knowledge. This book is for people willing to put in serious amounts of time, with a significant result. Personally, I would prefer assiduous use of this book over one of those expensive classes even.

However, HERE IS THE ANNOYING AND UNSCRUPULOUS PART OF THIS BOOK: ON THE CD ROM, THE 'DIAGNOSTIC TEST' SCORING SYSTEM VERSUS THE SCORING SYSTEM OF THE 'COMPUTER AIDED TEST' ARE DESIGNED TO MAKE YOU THINK YOU HAVE IMPROVED YOUR SCORE MORE THAN YOU HAVE.

By this I mean, they give you a lower score on their diagnostic test, which you take in the beginning, say 560 on the math, than you would get on their computer aided test (the one that is supposed to most accurately imitate the GRE) which you take when you are done studying, , which would be say 670, with the same amount and type of answers correct. This means that you take the diagnostic test, study with their book, then take their CAT, and think, "Wow, this book really helped my score! I am about to rock that GRE" When really, they rigged the test scores that way. (I know this because I saved both for the end.)

I still don't know which one is closer to the score on the real GRE, which I am about to take. But it seems to me that the lower score is the more accurate one, and the CAT score they give potentially gives false confidence. For example, I scored 800 twice on their CAT (and only 710 on the diagnostic). There is no way in hell that I am going to get 800 on the GRE. (By the way, dont feel jealous - I suck at the math.)

Also, it is my strong suspician that their Computer Aided test does not work like the one on the GRE. The GRE one gives slightly more difficult if you answer correctly, slightly less difficult if you answer incorrectly. This one definitely did not seem to do that.

Nevertheless, this did seem to be the best book around.

Best choice overall
When I started studying for the GRE I purchased guides by Princeton and Kaplan, in addition to this guide. Of the three I think Barron's is far and away the best and most comprehensive. The math review helped me a great deal in the quantitative section; I have no doubt that without this guide my quantitative score would have been painfully low. This guide also, in my opinion, offers the only realistic solution to preparing for the verbal section--working diligently to expand one's vocabulary. There really isn't any way around it, you need to learn several hundred words if your vocabulary isn't already a strength. Over 3000 words and definitions are included which beats the tar out of the other two guides. You will find that many of these words you already know, but there will probably be many (~50%) that you don't.

I should mention that there were a few practice problems (less than five) in the verbal review section, particularly the reading comprehension exercises, that I found marked with questionable answers. (And I say this after I showed several highly intelligent friends the problems who agreed that they were most likely marked incorrectly.) In addition, on some of the quantitative comparison questions in the math review I found the boxes to be blank which indicates an error at the printing press. I haven't heard anyone else complain about this. Overall these complaints are minor and I still would have bought this guide knowing what I know now.

This guide definitely made me more competitive, so I would certainly recommend it. Please note however that the GRE format is expected to change in October and these changes will have some major implications for how to study for this exam, at least that is my understanding. Please check with the GRE website to confirm these changes. Good luck!

Excellent prep guide
I just took the GRE and used only this book + the essay-writing materials on the GRE website to prepare. Running through the tutorials and exercises on CD is very valuable, since you get used to the question formats, directions & styles. It also familiarizes you with the computer interface, which could be a major stumbling block if you're not used to it and the adaptive testing style. I found the math on the actual test a bit more difficult than what was on the CD, but that may end up factored into the percentile ranks when I get my scores.

Overall, I found this to be comprehensive and purely focused on the content and format of the test (not marketing, seminar-plugging, 'tricks' and other distractions), with some nice strategies for difficult question types, pacing and other essentials. One week with this book helped me get a 750 verbal, 740 math. Go for it & best of luck! ;)