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Cracking the GRE with DVD, 2010 Edition (Graduate School Test Preparation)
Cracking the GRE offers major features on DVD, including engaging video tutorials from The Princeton Review’s top instructors. The 2008 edition includes over 300 practice questions in the book and exclusive free access to 4 practice exams and expert advice online.
Of course, you’ll also get all the test-prep techniques you expect from The Princeton Review. In Cracking the ...more
Of course, you’ll also get all the test-prep techniques you expect from The Princeton Review. In Cracking the ...more
Paperback, 464 pages
Published
June 17th 2008
by Princeton Review
(first published July 2nd 1996)
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Community Reviews
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I liked this book best out of the few I picked up (including Barron's Math Workbook and a set of Kaplan vocabulary flashcards). The only downfall - and it's a big one - is that there are only a few math problems given and solved for in each chapter, and there isn't a section of practice problems to solve after quantitative chapters. There are practice sections for the verbal chapters, so if that's your problem area then this is likely the book for you. If you're like me, though, and terrible ...more
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This book is not quite as thorough as Barron's GRE 2008, but if you only have a short amount of time to study, this book provides a decent foundation without overwhelming you with information. I found that the questions in this book were more consistent to what has actually on the GRE, but there weren't as many as in Barron's since Cracking the GRE doesn't have any practice tests. I also thought that this book did a better job of breaking down the how-to in the writing section than Barron's. ...more
I realize that writing a review is a bit indulgent as this book, already updated in the last few years, is going to be doubly redundant with the coming of the new GRE in August. But, I did spend a lot of time with this book, praising and damning it in turn, and I know it helped me get my very satisfying score. *Buffs nails on shoulder*
I'd say The Princeton Review, while thorough, is better for those worried about their Verbal Scores as there were a couple things lacking in their Quanti...more
I'd say The Princeton Review, while thorough, is better for those worried about their Verbal Scores as there were a couple things lacking in their Quanti...more
This book offers some good tips in most places, with only a few flaws throughout. But when there's a flaw in the book itself, it's BIG. For instance, page 248-249 presents a problem for which you're supposed to fill in a number in the box. After a long explanation of how to find the answer, it says "Adding 20 and 30 gives us 50 total committees, and the answer is (C)." Err... except that there is no A, B, C, D, or E on this particular question because it's a fill-in-the-box problem...more
I found some of the tips really helpful, and certain sections do offer some useful strategies for, as they call it, "cracking" GRE questions. I was disappointed by the lack of sample questions, however. I would have liked to have seen a lot more drills and more practice tests. When used in conjunction with other study guides, I think this one's a fairly decent resource.
The best book I read in preparation for the GRE. I need about six more months to truly benefit from it, but it had the clearest instructions and broke down the questions in an easy-to-understand way that didn't make my brain implode the way other GRE study guides tended to.
My only complaint: I studied the vocab words in this book pretty good, but the ones on the test were even harder, more obscure words than the ones in the book. This is probably the test's fault more than the book's, ...more
My only complaint: I studied the vocab words in this book pretty good, but the ones on the test were even harder, more obscure words than the ones in the book. This is probably the test's fault more than the book's, ...more
I haven't atually taken the test yet but after reading this and doing the excercises I feel very confident approaching the test. She explains things in a way that are simple and make sense so that there are few places where missunderstanding could potentially arrise.
It has a funny, but strange voice...there's a lot of stuff about an elf that lives in the GRE computers and the stupid hacks who write the test, but it is also a very helpful book. The harder math stuff is very well explained and the sections are easy to use.
the verbal section is good...the vocab words listed as commonly used comprised at least half the words on the gre vocab related sections. the math section was difficult to follow since i'd long since forgotten the concepts, and i needed to get a separate book for math. the outline for the analytical section was very useful. the cd-rom was kind of lacking; there was not enough of a pool of vocab-oriented questions to be able to take more than one practice test without using the same questions ...more
So I had a number of these GRE prep books and this was easily the friendliest of the bunch and written in language that was easy to follow whilst toddlers and babies wailed in the background. It contained a number of helpful techniques that improved my scores. My overall score was good enough...it could have been better, but my innate inability to perform college (or hell, even high school) math was my downfall.
Difficult to rate this one. I read through it and studied it cover to cover in the period of about 5 weeks. I memorized every single vocab word I didn't know, and I made sure I understood every math problem. It seemed to be really informative. Long story short I got a miserably low score on the GRE - several math problems showed up on the actual test that didn't have corresponding examples in the book. I also felt really confident about the verbal section, but only got a 570. My total score was ...more
Jay
rated it
·
review of another edition
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review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Everyone
Recommended to Jay by:
The entire world, basically
A higher compliment can hardly be paid to a book than to say that reading it fundamentally changes one's outlook on life. Still more impressive are accolades praising a book's cover design, font selection, and chapter headline flourishes.
This book deserves no such veneration. That said, it did help me lose close to 30% of my hair and shave 0.5 points off my senior year GPA as I crammed words like "perspicacity" and "saturnine" into my tortured brain during Internati...more
This book deserves no such veneration. That said, it did help me lose close to 30% of my hair and shave 0.5 points off my senior year GPA as I crammed words like "perspicacity" and "saturnine" into my tortured brain during Internati...more
Maybe I should review this AFTER I take the test...
Comprehensive, easy to understand, thorough; it's been my constand study guide.
Comprehensive, easy to understand, thorough; it's been my constand study guide.
If you have to take the GRE, this book has lots of useful information about the test, and was a decent study guide.
So far, I am impressed with the verbal section of the book but not the math section. I am sure this is partially because math is more of a struggle for me, but I think it is also because there are very few practice problems in comparison to a huge amount of information in that math section. I'll write another review after I take the test as that will be the real test...
I felt really well-prepared for my test and was very happy about my verbal score. I think my math score proved, however, ...more
I felt really well-prepared for my test and was very happy about my verbal score. I think my math score proved, however, ...more
Actually , Im reading the 2009 Edition , and gonna complete it by March 30th. Wish me luck!
Very easy to use. Haven't read other GRE preparation books, but I think this one's pretty good because it simplifies everything and has a lot of information on how to approach problems. Also gives you vocabulary to study and sample tests.I used Princeton's online sample test(which you can use my registering the book you have) only once, and I wished I had taken more of those. Won't reveal my score here but I think better with the book than with out it. Also wished I had taken the test at noon an...more
A little less hateful than the other GRE book but it still makes my heart sad.
Ugh. Hopefully having read the book will help will the test.
I used this and the Kaplan vocab flashcards for 4 weeks. My verbal score increased by 20 points and my quantitative dropped by 60. I even thought some of the strategies were pretty handy, but I think it would have been better if I had just taken a lot of practice tests and studied vocab.
If only I'd had these useful mathematics tips in high school! My parents could have saved loads of money on tutors! No, really.
Eve Williams
is currently reading it
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
anybody that felt like they could rip their heads off after trying to seek help from Kaplan!
OMG!!! I actually like- yes, I mean like- this book. I have found myself so overwhelmed and frustrated over this stupid test that means nothing (oh except perhaps admissions to MA and PHD programs of my choice) especially after I have been working i.e. not studying algebra and latin for the past 7 years! But this book is actually helping me understand new concepts as well as awaken some long dormant ones!
I just took the GREs and have changed my mind . . . this is the best test-prep guide ever!!! Of course, it's best paired with (vocabulary) flash cards as well as with the cd that the GRE testing service supplies, but still . . . I recommend that anyone using it simply memorize every single vocabulary word on the Hit Parade and follow the essay format guidelines closely and they're sure to do well!
I looked through 1000's of these books. This one kept me up, under the covers, with a flash light on. Alexis asked me to just turn the bedside lamp on, but the math section was so true, so relevant, I needed it all to myself. It didn't actually turn out helping that much on the GRE, to many slope questions, to little time.
I simply read this book - I didn't memorize any of the vocab or work on any of the problems - - and I did much better on the GRE than I anticipated! It helped me to look at a question and, using reason, figure out the correct answer. I highly reccommend this book - it simplifies the GRE and teaches you HOW to take it!
Lots of good reviews and strategies. Haven't taken the test yet, so can't vouch for the results, but I do feel more prepared.
ETA: Took the test and did better than I expected. Most of the vocab words I encountered weren't ones in this book, but it was still great prep.
From my personal collection.
ETA: Took the test and did better than I expected. Most of the vocab words I encountered weren't ones in this book, but it was still great prep.
From my personal collection.
I like the setup and tone of the Princeton Review books better than those that Kaplan offers. This is a much more reader-friendly study guide.
Using both, though, certainly paid off: Verbal-- 750 (99%!) Quantitative-- 690
Now it's only a matter of filling out all the applications...
Using both, though, certainly paid off: Verbal-- 750 (99%!) Quantitative-- 690
Now it's only a matter of filling out all the applications...
Princeton Review is much easier to follow than Kaplan, so if you need a prep book you may as well get this one. But skip the edition with the DVD; it doesn't add anything. I hate to recommend giving any money to this racket. When will universities have the good sense to drop the GRE?
I liked Kaplan's GRE guide much better. This had exercises after the verbal section. However, with the math, you had to read a whole chapter on math until you got to the problems. It would have been better to have exercises after every type of math problem.
This book was helpful but the online tests that came with it had answer choices that were not correct or didn't have the correct answer choice at all. It was a good starting point but I would use a different book if I could do it over again.
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