The Princeton Review Cracking the GRE: With Four Complete Sample Tests on CD-ROM [With CD-ROM]

by Karen Lurie

The Princeton Review realizes that acing the GRE is very different from getting straight As in school. The Princeton Review doesn't try to teach students everything there is to know about mathematics... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0375761977
• ISBN13: 9780375761973
• Release Date: June 2001
• Publisher: Princeton Review
• Length: 400 Pages
• Weight: 1.39 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 8.5" x 10.9"

Customer Reviews

Flawed but Invaluable!

This was the final study guide of 4 I used to prepare for the gre and found it to be the most helpful. Although the computerized tests are flawed in that they are a few (but critical) minutes "off" from the real gre, the opportunity to practice the test on a computer was invaluable. I believe no matter how hard you study for the gre, you can still be at a great disadvantage if you are not able to accomplish the actual gre with speed & accuracy. Knowing the material is only half of it. You also need to be able to strengthen your weaknesses, pace yourself and keep a "cool head", all of which I was able to develop by taking the computer practice tests that came with this study guide. This book is all about honing your abilities, coming up with the strategy that works best for you and building your confidence. I highly recommend it!

This book was a great help to me!

This book takes you step-by-step through everything. I was doing so poorly in math, and the prep in this book takes you from "This is an ineger" to "Here's a quadratic equation". Lots of help. Lurie (the author) teaches you how to get the right answer. The only bummer is that they needed to include a longer word list along with the "hit parade" list. But that's the ONLY negative thing about this book. Overall, it's great! Informal and even funny -- and a heck of a lot easier to understand than Barron's.

The best GRE book I've seen

I have tried a few GRE books, and I liked this one the best. Strategic, Machiavellian, concise.

YOUR KEY TO PASSING THE GRE

Unlike the Kaplan version, I highly recommend this book! First and foremost, you're going to have to sit down and study this book in order to get a good grade. There's no book that is going to teach you tricks to pass without a little hard work. Ok...the book is going to help you master the sections of the GRE, and the CD is great. The verbal section (with the help of Princetons techniques) are explained in simple terms. Kaplan's book is extremely difficult with such confusing techniques. (Also, Kaplan's more concerned with telling the reader why it is important to spend over $800 to attend one of their schools!) The math section is also great. Instead of getting right into the math section (like Kaplan), this book first teaches you the basics of simple math that will appear on the GRE. After reviewing all of the basics, the book then dives into those math questions...with you having some idea on how to tackle the questions. Overall, this book is great! DON'T WAIST YOUR MONEY TO BUY KAPLAN'S BOOK! I've spoken to several students who say that studying from different books has helped, which is true! But don't waist your money on Kaplan's book! Check out the reviews on some of the other GRE books out there, and buy those along with this one! But this book rocks...A+++!

Do get this book

If you're studying for the GRE, this book is a must. It contains a full overview of the types of questions that you will find on the exam, and at the end it has three practice sections for each of the test sections, organized by easy, medium, and hard, for the verbal, quantitative, and analytical. Full explanations of the answers follow. As for the CD, it gives a lot of trouble with the drills, but with the full sections I haven't encountered any problems. The information you get about your performance is very helpful--average time per question type, time spent per question, score, etc. IMPORTANT: The only bummer is that each of the three sections is set for 45 minutes, which is in fact the time allowed only for the quantitative. (On the real test the verbal is 30 and analytical 60.) To solve this all you have to do is check the box that says "untimed," and then time yourself. I recommend this book for especially for higher scorers who want to hone their skills. Please do not consider these materials a substitute for actual GRE practice, however. If you're serious about studying for the GRE, get the official ETS books and software in addition to Princeton Review, which will help you with strategy.