Cracking the GRE with 4 Practice Tests, 2014 Edition (Graduate School Test Preparation) 1st Edition

After a month of preparation, I picked up the Kindle version of this guide a week prior to my GRE exam. While I don't recommend a cram session, I did the quantitative chapters one day, the verbal reasoning chapters the next, the essays the day after that, then the practice exams. I found the tips in here to be hugely beneficial... much more so than anything I read the month before purchasing the guide. Suggesting to go through each section skipping questions I don't like and saving them for the end was obvious but, sadly, I never would have thought of that on my own. I was so rooted in my way of taking tests that, without being told to manage my time, I would have squandered my thirty minutes. The essay tips were crucial to my success, particularly writing my conclusion as I go and not saving it for the end. That allowed me to have two minutes at the end to proof read my essays rather than smack out a conclusion that didn't match the rest of the text. The practice tests were illuminating as it revealed that I spend more time on some questions than I need to. It got me trained to know when I needed to skip a question. Yes, I could get the right answer if I work at it but what good is that if I now have little time left for the other questions? By the time I got to the actual test, I knew how to use my time in each section and was confident that this test wasn't going to beat me. In the end I had a 153 QR, a 162 VR, and a 5.0 AW as my scores. I credit this book with the majority of my success and HIGHLY recommend it to anyone who wishes to get some insight on the GRE. In the end I actually was quite calm and had fun taking the GRE. This book helped me to do that.

I read several of the other reviews that were negative about this book but I decided to give it a try. It gave me invaluable insight into how to get the best grade on the GRE. I only had two weeks to study. Which I would recommend you start studying earlier than I did but with the help of this book, I was able to get the grade I needed. I was only able to read about half way through the book. If I had been able to read the whole book I think I would have gotten an even better grade. I would recommend you get the book and look at the strategies it teaches not necessarily the individual problems...which some of them are wrong. Good luck on taking the GRE.

PROS:* Straight to the point* Clear explanations of how to solve problems* They explain what might come in the GRE and try to teach you the ETS mindset* Easy to read, almost like a story* Practice exercises are challenging, unlike Kaplan Practice TestsCONS:* Has many spelling and numerical mistakes, WATCH OUT* Doesn't explain much theory, only some i.e. math principles. They just explain how to solve the problem. Their approach is that they will only explain what comes in the GRE. For me it's better to have a solid theoretical explanation.Overall, very good for GRE. I think it's worth the money, but to have a well-rounded GRE preparation I would suggest flashcards and to review some old algebra and geometry textbooks. I bought the Manhattan Prep flashcards, and take them everywhere I go. Manhattan also has specialized textbooks for each section, it would be good to do this whole textbook and then strengthen your weak areas with Manhattan's.

This book is very helpful! I appreciate the study strategies, practice problems/tests, and online resources that come with it. I only had one try to take the GREs, since that's all I could afford. I wanted to make sure I did well. I researched many different books and ultimately settled on the Princeton Review. I was not disappointed. This is a great investment to boost your scores!

I found this book very helpful in terms of how the GRE is created and laid out. It helps you learn strategies on how to best take the test and understand why the GRE is not a test of how intelligent you are, but a test of how well you can take an exam. This is a great preparation guide, providing all the review that's needed for the quantitative, verbal, and writing sections. It includes 2 practice tests that you can also use to prepare for the real thing. I found this as a very valuable source in preparing for the GRE. Good luck!

This book was great for the price. I went through it twice and the information it provided was very relevant to the test. The only problem was that there were some mistakes in the book and some of the test for vocabulary were not there. Overall a good piece of study material.

In general, it is a good book.Verbal section is good although there are some typos, some helpful strategies and POE process are explained clearly with excellent examples.Math section is just acceptable. There are not only typos, but also many wrong answers. Some answers do not make sense. Very surprised about these mistakes . Should be careful when you do read this section.Analytical writing section is excellent. Clear explaination and easy to follow. Thanks for this section.Mistake is not avoidable in any books, but basic mistake is not acceptable. Anyway, this book is still good for whom need an entry point to start studying for GRE.4 stars for reading section.5 stars for writing section.2.5 stars for math section.

I like the fact that there is a bunch of practice questions and two full tests included to practice. The book only takes about 15-20 hours to get through (not including the practice tests). The end of the practice tests include answers and explanations of how to arrive at the right answer. The thing i dont like is the online tests that you can access. The website for the tests is terrible and almost useless. The book itself is really good though.