Cracking the GRE [With DVD]

by Magda Pecsenye, Adam Robinson, Karen Lurie, et al.

Book Overview

The GRE will undergo MAJOR changes beginning in late 2006, similar in scale to the overhaul of the SAT in 2005, and Cracking the New GRE, 2007 reflects those changes. In Cracking the New GRE, we'll... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0375765514
• ISBN13: 9780375765513
• Release Date: July 2006
• Publisher: Princeton Review
• Length: 375 Pages
• Weight: 1.60 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 8.5" x 10.8"

Customer Reviews

Awesome, definitely effective

I took the GRE last year with only the ETS preparation materials, and didn't realize until I read this book how many little tricks there are when it comes to the GRE. It's about strategy, and not so much about what you know. I used this book along with 'The GRE Test for Dummies' and between the two, my score went up significantly. The vocabulary lists in this book are wonderful. I made an online flashcard game for every word and spent the summer glancing through them when I had a chance. I was a bit dubious that these would actually be the words on the exam, but on test day I was amazed to find that I knew nearly every word (both in the questions and answer choices and in the reading comprehension) because they were in the lists in this book. My score went up from 560 to 780, and that's a testimonial to this book. The verbal section becomes quite a bit easier once you know your vocabulary :-) The math section was more difficult for me. They had some really good strategies and problem-solving techniques, a lot of which felt like 'cheating' (e.g., they suggest always plugging and never actually doing algebra) but which worked surprisingly well. The strategies for averages and distance/rate/time made life a lot easier and simpler for me. My score went up from 630 to 650, so not a huge improvement, but it's something. This book saved the day with the analytical writing section. They had some really solid advice on writing good essays. I consider myself a good writer, but only got a 4.5 last year. When I read this book, I understood that there is a definite formula that needs to be used and they pinpointed exactly what the GRE graders are looking for. They suggested some basic templates that could be used in any scenario, for both the issue and the argument essays, and it made my writing much more straightforward. My score went up to a 5.5. They also give some general advice, like how to effectively use your scratch paper. Their advice helped me pace myself and focus better. Although I'm giving this book 5 stars, I did feel that the practice sets at the end could have been better. I didn't like how they split it up into 'easy', 'medium' and 'hard.' I would have preferred to have a full-length practice exam that had a combination of difficulty levels because that would better simulate the actual exam. But they're explanations of the correct answers were good and thorough. I highly recommend this book, in conjunction with 'The GRE Test for Dummies.' Between the two, I felt very prepared. This one is a bit more dry and boring, but straightforward, and the Dummies book is more fun and a bit more accessible, but it seemed more geared towards those shooting for just an average score, not a really high score. The improvement in my scores speaks for itself!

Princeton Review Helped My GRE Score

There are two kinds of people who take the Graduate Record Examination. Well, three, actually: Those who don't study for the GRE, those who take a course costing several hundred dollars, and those of us buying a book or two. Buy "Cracking the GRE." It is what you need. I suspect those who take the courses get their money's worth. However, "Cracking the GRE" is a much cheaper, quicker solution. It cuts to the chase, tells you what you need to know, and shows you how to figure out those algebra problems better than your high school freshman year teacher. They teach you how to be organized during the test. And you'll learn how to draw sensible charts for the logic portion. This will save you precious time as you realize you have no clue how to answer number 27. It teach you how to effectively guess. With the DVD, you will endure (it is a tough exam, after all), test conditions, and receive video tutorials. The greatest benefit, however, and where you might find yourself studying the most is the book. Plow through word lists, key types of questions and testing suggestions. I took the GRE. I used the Princeton Review. I crammed. Sure, sure--not the best approach for an important exam, but the fact remains, I'm not alone. Effective cramming involves knowing what to jettison, and what to keep on board. That is, knowing what is important to focus on. The Princeton Review folks know this. I dreaded the math portion. If I told you how low my high school grades were for math, and then told you my GRE score, you'd likely believe neither. But it is true. My score rocked. Why? The easy teaching style of "Cracking the GRE." The MIT admissions people wouldn't be impressed with my score, but for a guy with a literature degree looking to get into a marketing communications program, the "Cracking the GRE" helped me get the math score I needed. Have I convinced you? No more delaying. Hurry up, get on with it, and buy "Cracking the GRE." You'll get the best results cramming can bring you. Oh, and be sure to get to the exam early. There is a long form to fill out beforehand. I fully recommend "Cracking the GRE." Anthony Trendl http://anthonytrendl.blogspot.com

Great tool for improving your score

I had already bought other books from The Princeton Review, so it was no suprise to find that this one is also very objective and intelligent.

Follow it to the letter!

I found this book extremely useful. I researched a number of different publications, after looking over reviews and reading the books in stores I decided on Princeton's product. If you give yourself enough time to prepare, purchase the GRE book recommended by ETS and follow the eight week course to the letter I think that anyone can benefit from using this book. The book places a lot of emphasis on practising real problems where as a lot of other books I looked at focused more on theory. I personally learn better from doing practise problems than reading theory, so it suited my learning style well. The book helped me push my verbal score up 100 points, quantitative score up 50 points (to 800 so I couldn't go any further) and analytical writing from the 72nd percentile to the 86th percentile (the first time I took the test the analytical was scored out of 800 while the second time it was scored out of 6). The book really helped me achieve my goals.

Worked great for me...

I recommend this along with a book of ETS practice tests as a good combination for studying. If you've been out of school even a couple years it'll be helpful to review test taking strategies. It's lighthearted, too, so it's an easy read. I didn't take the GRE before I read the book, so there's no way of telling if or how much it improved my score, but I believe it helped quite a bit. My scores ended up being Math 690, Verbal 740, and Analytical 800.