GRE General Test

I used this book in preparation for the GRE, and scored in the 80th and 87th percentiles in verbal and math on my first, and only, GRE. I probably could have done even better had I been more thorough in my preparation, but the percentiles qualify me for most graduate programs. The salient point is, I spent minimal time studying and still obtained a decent score; this indicates the book's approach is solid. Getting the most benefit from this book does require studying it from cover to cover. But, doing so doesn't really take that long. I did not intend to spend an exorbitant amount of time studying for the GRE, and the book really cut to the chase. The book gives a review test on various subjects, then presents complete answers of the test. It then provides a review section for each subject. After completing the topics given on the GRE, full length sample exams are provided. Using a timer, I followed the instructions on converting my sample test to a GRE percentile. I was consistently scoring between 80 and 90, and that's where my scores landed on the GRE. The key to an accurate prediction of your score is being honest with the time. I did not use the CD/ROM because I simply don't care for any of the software based "sample exams" from any vendor. The book has some errors, but since each answer is fully explained, it's fairly straightforward to locate the error. I noticed many other test preparations have cursory explanations.

I improved my GRE from 990 (Q:550, V:440) to 1320 (Q:700, V: 620) using nothing but this book! You can't look at this book as an 'ultimate answer' but it will help you to understand how to work the Quanititaive problems and there are good explanations for each answer. The idea is to actually prepare, going through each question you get wrong and understanding how to do it in the future. The verbal questions are great practice, I made up note cards for every word I didn't know. The practice writing section was ok, but I would get another book that focuses specifically on writing (I improved from 4.5 to 5 using this book). Good Luck!