Kaplan GRE Exam 2008 Premier Program (W/ CD-ROM)

I'm so glad I ordered this book! I always read reviews exhaustively before I ever purchase books, so I picked this one out. My review is just of the beginning of the book (I just started it), but I feel like it's so good I can't wait to tell people that they should get it! I graduated with a 3.something Bachelor's degree and have been out of school, and pretty much out of a real job, for a couple years now. Finally I figured out that I want to get a Masters, but I've been out of it for so long- I needed help! So I just started this book the other day from page one. What I love about it is that it is going through everything I need to know in an honest, cool conversational style that isn't putting me to sleep. Yet the language and content is still intelligent- unlike other "Dummies"- type guides that kind of talk to you like you're, well, a dummy... and have no common sense or basic knowledge. Also, it tells you how the test grading works- the test itself is a dynamic computer program that changes difficulty/ amount of points you can get for a limited number of question- so you can trick it out to get the most points for what you know without having to be a genius. Also, the book is so logical, it's like, "Oh, that's why I suck at these questions! And here's the way you're supposed to think about the questions to get them right. And here are the tricks (well, it's logic, not really tricks) for how to guess the right answer- even if you have no clue!!!" Sweet. There's also a section on how to get into grad school- sweeeeet for the clueless like myself. So the first 50 pages of the book are awesome so far. I think the rest will be, too. I haven't looked at the math stuff yet. I actually ordered another couple math books- the one review one with the giant pi on the cover and the blue EZ Solutions Math Strategies one for getting them done faster. Grad School or bust! Was this too long? I hope it helped!

I bought this book after trying Princeton Review's GRE book. I went to a free Kaplan event and really liked how they presented their material, so I decided to get the book. The book does a good job of showing different techniques to solves mathematical problems as well as offer a wide range of techniques to help with the verbal and analytical writing sections. The practice sets on the CD were clutch. They set it up so that the practice sessions have more problems with less time so that you get better with timing and identifying problems quickly. If you're shooting to get an 800, I'd recommend some supplementary materials, because the book does not get too into probability, combinations, permutations and other advanced topics. I'd say it's a great buy because you get 6 practice sets and 3 full length practice tests on the CD. I'd pay the same price for just the CD. Cheers!

This is a great review book, but should not be used in isolation. It would also be worth your while to supplement it with a Princeton Review book, as many of the tips differ, and it's good to find which ones suit your style. The CD is invaluable practice, and I found that the scores I received on the practice tests were slightly lower, but within reason of what I actually received on the test. Most importantly, the timed practice tests teach you how to pace yourself.

The computer administered GRE exam will be changing with the November 2007 administration, and the practice exams in the new 2008 edition of this book do not appear to include the new question types. That's defensible in one sense because for at least the first administration in November, the new questions will not count in the final score. However, the new questions may start to count with the next or subsequent administrations, provided GRE can "validate" the scoring for the new format questions. Thus, if you are thinking of taking the test after November, this book is not quite enough. You'll also need to go to the GRE website and examine the format of the new questions if you want to be fully prepared and avoid any unpleasant "surprises." (I'm also hoping that Kaplan will offer the new question types online at its website at the appropriate time.) In case you were wondering, the new Verbal question type is a text completion question that requires the test taker to fill in two or three blanks within a passage from separate multiple-choice lists. Currently, the Verbal section contains text completion questions that require test takers to fill in one blank within a passage from a single multiple-choice list. The new Quantitative question type will be a numeric entry question that requires test takers to type their answer as a number in a box, or as a fraction in two boxes. Test takers can review sample questions and additional information about the new question types on the GRE website. That said, this book is still quite useful, as the paramount element of this book is the wide-ranging vocabulary review. Kaplan has included a long list of vocabulary words that they feel crop up frequently on GRE exams. I unquestionably feel that reviewing the vocabulary part of the book that helped me come back with a few questions that I would not have known. I also recommend going to the GRE's website and downloading the free PowerPrep software in addition to buying this book. It includes two full GRE tests and a few hundred practice problems, including the new type in verbal and in quantitative. Additionally, for the essay part of the examination, they include a few sample prompts and responses, so you can see the writing they grade highly.