GRE Preparation

[kean]

Hi Guys,

I am going to prepare for my GRE test. Anyone has any idea which preparation guide is the best?

Thanks,
CK

 

[RussianMike]

Use all, get high score, good luck. Kaplan and Princeton Review would be my top choices there's also another one(can't remember off the top of my head). Barron's is good too.

 

[alain]

Bob would be the best person to answer this type of question

Good luck!!

 

[bob]

Bob would be the best person to answer this type of question

Good luck!!

I'm not an expert on the GRE (LSAT and MCAT are my specialties), but I know a little bit. The test is changing radically this fall--or so ETS says. They've already put off rolling out the new GRE general test once, although I'd be surprised if they put it off again.

As long as you're taking it before September, the test format is the same old tried-and-true GRE (read: the old-old SAT with 2 essays, harder vocabulary, and easier math).

If you're looking to come to our program, GRE math shouldn't be a problem for you. ETS's official mock-test is free to download, gets you used to the interface, and gives a reasonable sense of what you can expect. To prepare for the verbal, I'd recommend starting with a one-stop-shopping guide such as Princeton Review's Cracking the GRE. The math won't be particularly useful to you, but believe it or not there are verbal techniques that can improve your score; it isn't just memorizing vocabulary.

Of course, memorizing vocabulary doesn't hurt. If the resources in Cracking aren't extensive enough for you (I haven't seen the book in a few years, but if memory serves, those lists are a little light...), then I'm sure you can find something in B&N that just drills GRE vocabulary. In the end, this is the major thing the GRE verbal tests, which is silly but then the whole idea of this test is rather silly, in my opinion.

The essay is a bit tougher. If you have resources such as a college writing center or a very helpful friend with an English degree, you might try writing some practice essays and ask for opinions about how to improve them. Cracking has some good big-picture advice about writing for standardized tests (one of my favorite exercises but, ultimately, even sillier than the verbal section), but in order to improve your score you really need a human to look at what you're turning out.

Hope some of this helps.

 

[kean]

Thank you. Reviews on Princeton and Kaplan are not so good ...

Anyway, I have to do it for this program.

 

[SteveTownsend]

I used the Princeton Review guide w DVD and found it adequate. Make sure you do plenty of practice tests, that was what really helped me identify where I needed more work.