How to Prepare for the GRE with CD-ROM (Barron's How to Prepare for the Gre Graduate Record Examination)(16th Edition) | 
 enlarge | Authors: Sharon Weiner Green, Ira Wolf Ph.d.
Publisher: Barron''s Educational Series
List Price: $29.99
Buy Used: $3.00
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Rating:  97 reviews
Sales Rank: 44010
Media: Paperback
Edition: 16
Pages: 544
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.9
Dimensions (in): 10.8 x 7.8 x 1.1
ISBN: 0764178784
Dewey Decimal Number: 378.1662
EAN: 9780764178788
ASIN: 0764178784
Publication Date: August 1, 2005
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
Students planning to take the Graduate Record Exam will find six full-length model tests with answers and explanations in this up-to-date manual. They will also find intensive test topic reviews covering antonym questions, analogy questions, sentence completion, reading comprehension, vocabulary, analytical writing, quantitative comparison, data interpretation, and math. A 3,500-word master vocabulary list with definitions is supplemented with a GRE high-frequency word list. The CD-ROM enclosed with the book offers a computer-adaptive model GRE test that is similar in structure to the actual GRE test. All questions on the CD-ROM are answered and explained, and exam results are scored automatically.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 92 more reviews...
 This book is all you need, seriously. June 2, 2007
Kelley Fulghum (Mannford, OK USA)
41 out of 41 found this review helpful
I just took the GRE today. I got a 660 verbal/660 quantitative. I was thrilled with that score; I was hoping to get a 1200, but got a 1320 instead. I studied with this book and 2 older (circa 2000) books. The older books were freebies, and after I worked through most of them I ordered this book and the PassKey(just to be thorough-I'm that way). I would have been better off just using this book exclusively. This was VERY helpful to me.
I am coming into grad school after being out of school for 18 years so I had a LOT of reviewing to do.
I started studying INTENSELY (full-time, 6-9 hrs a day-can't study too much math or I get a headache) for about 2.5-3 weeks before the exam. That was a bit extreme, but if I can do it in that amount of time, anyone can. I felt like I had the just the right amount of preparation for the GRE.
Although a few of the reviews here stated that the math section was easier on the actual test than the problems/practice exams in this book, I didn't find that to be the case. This book is packed with excellent math review concepts, test-taking tactics, practice problems AND additionally 5 full practice exams. Also, contrary to another review that I saw here, I didn't find any mistakes/typos in this book.
I would say skip the flashcards and make your own. Just go off the 350 GRE frequently examined words list in this book or you can probably find it elsewhere. That sounds like a lot, but it's really not. Half of those words you probably already know. The clincher is that you have to know the subtle nuances of the meaning of the word. Don't just study the general meaning of the word, because that isn't good enough. That will become evident after you start working though some of the antonyms/analogy practice problems.
If you're like me, you're sweating the essays. Don't. Just spend about 2 days writing a few practice essays and you'll be good to go. For the writing section, this book's recommendations are quite good. That is: the vast majority of the the issue essay topics will cover some permutation of 8-12 broad themes. Examples are: What are the advantages/disadvantages of loyalty; teamwork; higher education; competition vs. cooperation; specialists vs. generalists; idealism vs. pragmatism, etc. Brainstorm about these topics; do free association; don't censor yourself. Separate the wheat from the chaff and you'll have 3 body paragraphs of your essay. Slap on an introduction and a conclusion. Don't write the intro first, because it will change after you've completed the body of your essay. Trust me on this. Next, although it is painful, flesh out 2 or 3 real essays and you're done.
Btw, the free PowerPrep software is definitely worth using (although the 640x480 mode is just stupid). Download it and work through the practice tests (there are 6 math and 3 verbal practice tests). However, beware of an inflated score when you take the final demo exam. The practice tests are harder than the demo exam, so keep that in mind when you receive your final "score". I would estimate that this program falsely elevated my score by about 100 points.
When you're taking the actual exam, you can't really gauge how you're doing. I was certain that I completely aced the verbal section and bombed the math section. I was sure to be painstakingly thorough on the first 1/3 of the math, totally blew my time (had 15 minutes left for 13 problems) and ended up edu-guessing on the last FIVE. But, amazingly, it worked out.
Lastly, don't get the PassKey book AND this book, because the PassKey book is a subset of this book. If you have > 1.5 weeks to study for the test, get this book. If you have < 1.5 weeks, go with the abbreviated version (the PassKey).
This is the BEST GRE book I found December 31, 2004
Bryan I. Johnson (Chicago, IL USA)
28 out of 28 found this review helpful
I tried a couple of books for the GRE and by far found the Barron's book to be the best, most comprehensive one out there. I took the test yesterday and am very happy with the results. I tried the Kaplan books and found them to be too easy and not comprehensive enough. I also tried another math review book (which I forget the name of) but stuck with the Barron's book. Reasons why I love this book:
- The practice tests and CD-ROM are highly realistic, although harder than the real thing. If you can do the questions in this book you are set for the test.
- The math review section is great, it covers EVERYTHING and is geared only towards the GRE, not other tests like other books on the market. Each section of the book contains a topic and it's easy to set goals, finish one topic a day or whatever. You review the subject and then there are a bunch of very realistic questions in GRE format to quiz you over what you just learned. I really liked this approach since it allowed me to break things up and make a nice study schedule. Plus the questions had all difficulty levels which was great practice.
- The book's verbal section is complete and contains a ton of words, including a list of crucial ones needed for the test. It has verbal practice sections which match the difficulty of the exam.
- It also contained 4 simulated tests plus a test on the CD-ROM. I recommend taking the diagnostic test to see what areas you should focus on then work hard on those areas. Take one of the other 3 diagonstic tests every once in a while to guage your progress.
- The last thing I liked was the test taking tips the book provided. They were great and allowed me to try to figure out answers to questions that I had no idea how to do.
The things I did not like about this book were:
- The analytic writing section was short and a little vague. I subsized my studying by going to the GRE website and using there $10 essay practice tools. It's a great way to simulate the test environment and, most importantly, you can see what the GRE considers a 6 answer, 5 answer, 4 answer..... And you can compare that to what you put down.
- The CD-Rom basically contained questions that were from the book. It says it's computer adaptive and the test did get harder but I did recognize some of the questions from the book.
Lastly, I would recommend NOT taking a review course unless you want to waste the money or don't have the discipline to study and use a book. The book basically contains everything you'll learn in a $1,000 class. I would also recommend using the GRE supplied software to take one of their practice tests. Good luck.
Beats the other prep books, truly prepares you for the real test August 26, 2006
vegeta1812 (USA)
32 out of 33 found this review helpful
I bought a ton of GRE prep. books (Kaplan, Arco, Kaplan verbal workout, ETS official practice guide) but ended up ditching all of them for Barrons. Why? Because Barrons realizes that the only way to succeed on the GRE is with a healthy understanding of the facts and a ton of practice.
Barrons succeeds wonderfully as a prep book because they force you to realize that success can only come from hard work. Just flip through the book and you'll know what I mean. It is COMPREHENSIVE. It doesn't have hundreds of pages of tips and tricks like Kaplan does. There's actual material to learn from, and bunch of practice problems.
Barron's verbal preparation section is the strongest aspect of this book, by far. Besides have over 50 practice problems per question type (analogies, antontyms, reading comp, and sentence completions), they include 3000+ vocabulary words taken from over 20 years of practice tests and other sources. I knew that if I wanted to get a good verbal score, I had to memorize vocabulary words, and the ONLY test prep company to provide this many words in a handy guide was Barrons. I spent 2-4 hours a day for 74 days memorizing all 3000+ words and it paid off beautifully on the real test. I started out at a meager 570 on the verbal, my real score on the test was a 730 (99%). Basically, I knew the definitions to all the words I encountered on the test, and I have Barrons to thank.
The math portion doesn't measure up with the verbal section in this book. But it isn't bad either. Again, you get facts galore when you review the math section. However, it can get confusing because of poor organization. Plus, it seems like there is too much material on each page. It can be really be an eyesore, but its helpful nontheless. They do a good job covering what you'll see on the actual test.
Finally, there are the 5(!) practice exams at the end of the book. Practice is everything if you want to do well on the GRE, and Barrons provides it. I can say that the practice tests are somewhat accurate in portraying the actual test, but moreso for the verbal than the math section. Since the GRE is a CAT exam, the actual math questions change (harder) as you get more correct. That is, by the end of the test, the questions get pretty hard, much harder than Barrons would lead you believe.
The software is mediocre, probably not as good as Kaplans and far less comprehensive than the ETS's powerprep software. Use it for the CAT practice test.
From experience, I can say that if nothing else, this book truly PREPARES you for the test. I was never all that great at math, nor was I anything special in the verbal section. My target score was about 1350, and I fully expected to score that. But, after 2.5 months of Barrons (and powerprep), I scored a 1450. Thanks Barron's.
It did the trick for me August 27, 2005
M. Stevens (Tuscaloosa, AL)
19 out of 19 found this review helpful
I just took the GRE yesterday (as I write this in the wee hours of the morning(, and I can say that this book worked wonders. The preparation it offers is beyond thorough. I'll leave it to others to describe it in detail and just point out a few things.
First, be aware that the practice questions in this book and CD-ROM seem harder to me than the actual questions on the GRE. Actually, this is a good thing, since, if you can do well with what the book throws at you, you're overly prepared for the test.
I was a little disappointed with the CD-ROM in that it recycles questions I already answered in the book's practice exercises. Since I'd already seen them and knew what the answers were, I felt I wasn't really getting new material. Still, the CD is useful because it's pretty faithful in reproducing the GRE user interface. This will save you some time in learning how to use the interface when you actually take the test. (Although I wouldn't skip the tutorials at the beginning of the GRE, as they serve to get you focused and calm before the test begins.)
Although the math review in this book is excellent, if you need a really serious refresher, I'd recommend The Ultimate Math Refresher for the GRE, GMAT, and SAT, which is also sold by Amazon. Start out by reading the Barron's book, then, before you begin the quantitative section, switch to the Ultimate Math Refresher. When you finish it, return to the Barron's book and do the quantitative section.
Finally, ETS offers its excellent (and free) POWERPREP software for download. It will not replace any test preparation books, but it will allow you to try more practice questions and two full-length practice tests. Definitely a good way to get used to the test environment after you finish studying and await your appointment with destiny. Studying is vital, but you absolutely must take as many practice tests as possible, if for no other reason than to allow you to learn how to handle the pressure created by that little clock in the corner of the screen.
Helpful September 2, 2006
Great Faulkner's Ghost (Washington, DC)
18 out of 18 found this review helpful
I prepped for the GRE General exam using this book, and I am pleased with the outcome. The paramount element concerning this book is the wide-ranging vocabulary review part: they have included 300 words that they feel crop up frequently on GRE exams. I unquestionably feel that reviewing the vocabulary part of the Barron's book 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. 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.
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