Customer Reviews

Barron's GRE with CD-ROM (Barron's GRE (W/CD))

5 star:		(26)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(11)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I studied every day for one month and scored 720 on verbal and 760 on quant. I used the Kaplan GRE Exam 2010 Premier Live Online Book, Kaplan's 500 vocab flashcards, Princeton's latest prep book, and Barron's guide with the CD (did not attend any of those exorbitantly priced classes). IMO, Barron's provided the best prep-- it had the most in-depth coverage. I especially liked that the book included plenty of practice problems and a comprehensive word bank. The guide's main weakness was its practice tests. Kaplan/Princeton provided more realistic Computer Adaptive Tests. FYI: For practice exams that best mimic the real thing, check out the powerprep software (offered for FREE by ETS, the diabolical company that generates GREs). Good luck!!

I'm a college graduate.... who graduated from college more than 15 years ago, so I was a bit daunted when I decided to go to grad school and realized I had to take the GREs. I almost considered not going back to school because the test scared me so much. I haven't done any math past basic arithmetic since college--I haven't needed to. But, I decided to give myself six weeks to prepare for the test and see what happened. After reading several reviews on Amazon, I decided on this book (the one that comes with the CD-ROM), and devised a study plan that would take me through the entire book over a six-week period. The six-week plan I created for myself is not for the faint of heart. This is a book that covers A LOT of information, and if you are going to do the whole thing, I would recommend doing it in 8 to 10 weeks, but I didn't have that kind of time. So I crammed, between work and taking care of kids, I ate, breathed, and slept this book. I started out by taking the diagnostic tests to see where my weaknesses were. I got only 7 math questions correct out of 28 and 15 correct out of 30 verbal questions. I had a lot of work ahead of me.

I began with the math review in the middle of the book, since that was my greatest weakness, and did about 10 pages a day, relearning all the math I had forgotten since high school. I created flashcards for myself with all of the formulas provided so I could keep them fresh in my mind when I moved on to a different math topic. The practice questions at the end of each review are excellent, and the book really teaches you how to think about these problems in a different way. After the math review, I reviewed the test taking tactics provided, which really help when you just don't know how to answer a question. I took every practice test offered in the book, including the one on the CD-ROM, and by the end of my six-week study session, I was getting 18-20 problems correct in the math section.

While I was reviewing math, I also reviewed 2 glossaries a day in the vocabulary review. There are over 3,000 words in the 50-section glossary, so it was important to get started on that right away. I found the verbal section to be a very good review, and I improved my score immensely by the end of my study session.

The essay section of the book provided very good information on what to expect on the test, but I would like to have seen a couple good sample essays in the answer key. Otherwise I would have given this book a 5--really my rating is a 4.5. I'm a pretty strong writer, so for me it didn't matter, but for folks who need help with essay writing, I recommend picking up a book that focuses on writing good essays. ETS's Power Prep does provide good sample essays, though, and I encourage everyone taking the test to download that software AFTER you review this book, and work through the sample tests that ETS provides.

All in all, I am very pleased with this purchase. After taking the test one time, I scored at 650 on the verbal and a 700 on the math, and scored a 5 (out of 6) on the essays. Can't ask for much better than that!

The actual book is useful - although I would recommend picking up a second book and comparing them when studying. But I bought this because it was supposed to come with a CD that had two Computer-Adaptive tests on it. Well, there ARE two tests, but they do not adapt to your answers. The tests simply have 28 verbal questions, 30 math questions, and the two essays. At the end it tells you your raw score (how many you got wrong w/ explanations for why they're wrong), then you check your raw score against a table for your actual score.

The scores seem a little off too. For example, 28 correct math questions gets you an 800, but 27 correct questions get you only a 720? So if you miss more than one you are doomed to <700 score, seems too harsh. I have seen others where you can miss 4 on the quantitative and still get a 700. So are the questions too easy on this test, are they using a harder grading scale, what's going on?

I will admit though that it was useful to try the test digitally first, at least to get a feel for using scrap paper instead of writing on a paper test. Just was expecting a lot more, I mean, I don't understand- It wouldn't have been hard to make the CD a lot more useful.

In short:
- Book is ok, but would use with other study-guides
- Only contains 2 computer tests
- Computer tests do NOT adapt to right/wrong answers or get harder like the real GRE
- Scoring might be off
- CD tests can be useful for learning format of digital test

Later Edit: The more that I use both Barron's and Princeton Review, I have to say that Princeton Review is better - particularly on the practice tests. As I mentioned, Barron's has the CD with two questionable tests on it, Princeton Review has a set of online tests you can take with more accurate scoring, the option to have your writing samples graded ($6/each), and the test looks/feels closer to the actual GRE than the other one. Doing it over again, I would have probably avoided Barron's.

I had 3 1/2 weeks to get ready for the GRE. I went online and purchased this book and received it within 5 days. Right off the bat I took the diagnostic test inside, and got a 790. Pretty bad. Over the next three weeks I went through all of the reviews, trips and tricks, and I worked every problem. Then I did the sample exams in the book and the two GRE Powerprep online tests.

End result: 560 Verbal, 700 Quantitative, and 4.5 Analytical Writing. I went from a 790 to a 1260 in three weeks using just this book and the free GRE Powerprep software.

In short, this book was a great help, helped me increase my score 470 points in just three weeks. I highly recommend to anyone who needs to get ready for the big test.

Well, I suppose if someone was on a desert island with a looming GRE appointment, he or she might just decide to stay on the island. Jesting aside, Barron's has compiled an impressive collection of practice problems, as well as the single best source on vocabulary words, the Barron's 3500 word list. (I don't consider Nova's 4500 a contender as there are too many words that are poorly defined.)

The strategies Barron's gives you on anything from analogies to complex geometry are helpful and clearly explained. And Barron's (unlike Princeton Review) isn't parsimonious with the number of questions it gives you. Math especially is filled with dozens of questions that are very similar in concept and tone to those from the ETS PowerPrep test. Indeed, the problems in the Barron's Math are even more challenging, and cutting your teeth on them will make the real test that much easier. The accompanying CD (as long as it works) is consistent with the hardcopy. That is, the quality of math questions is of a high caliber. The verbal, on the other hand, is a little too easy. In the end, you may score about 50 points lower in math than on the real test and about 50 points higher on the verbal.

Where Barron's is similar to Princeton Review is on the verbal section. Here you will find sentence completions that are about the level of those found on the SAT. The reading comprehension passages too are dumbed down. Anyone looking to break 600 in Verbal will be in for a bit of a shock. (Analogies and antonyms while not exactly 700+ are a little more up to snuff.) Still, there are plenty of verbal practice problems and learning new words can't hurt.

In the end, the best paper-based verbal practice out there is the ETS guide. While dated, this guide was written by the same company that concocts the very questions you will see test day. Even then, the verbal has changed a little bit so that the best overall practice is the powerprep software, downloadable from the ETS site.

Still, Barron's gives you a solid math grounding together with more advanced problems. Throw in the most comprehensive vocabulary list around and you have one of the best overall prep sources (outside of ETS) on the market.

Chris Lele of nostressprep.com.

I had little time to prepare for the GRE. One week before the test-date, I did some practice-tests, on which I scored pretty low on the verbal part (range 300-400) and not high enough on the quantitative part (600-700).

I decided to buy this book (and also the other book, "Essential words for the GRE"), it was delivered by express mail and I studied it for almost a week. My verbal score on the real test was 600 (although I am not a native English speaker), and my quantitative score 780, thank you Barron's!

One remark: if you buy this book, you don't need the "Essential words for the GRE" anymore. This book contains an even more extended word list, as I noticed too late.

Barron's is undoubtedly the most rigorous general GRE guide. It is also, in my estimation, pretty excessive. The 3,500 word list is NOT necessary and is not very helpful. Sure, IF you could learn all 3,500 words, you'd hypothetically be in better shape than if you only knew 1,500 of them. Then again, there are only 30 verbal questions on the GRE. Also, you are NOT going to learn all 3,500 vocab words unless you already know most of them (and you probably don't, so it's just overwhelming). Likewise, the math section provides vague, confusing explanations of many answers, and contains many errors. If you can master the math in this book, you can master any math test rescued from a meat grinder originally written by a severely psychotic schizophrenic. Brilliant! But what about the GRE?
If you have spent your last several years intensely studying Victorian literature, ancient Latin and Greek languages, and college algebra/geometry, and you have a "gimme all you got!" attitude, then by all means, this is the way to go. If you're like the rest of us, you want straightforward training that will teach you what you need to know for the actual test (no more, no less), then look elsewhere. Please, look elsewhere. This book hurts my feelings.
Barron's essential words for the GRE is useful, thorough, and user-friendly. Princeton review is great for giving you the basic tools to do okay, and/or is a great introduction to studying for this wretched thing. Kaplan has a couple of nice, slim 'advanced' verbal and math books, which make a good supplement. Nova's GRE math prep course is also a good, thorough math book.
Don't take the GRE so seriously. The point is to score really well, not to be the ubermench of all topics distantly related to GRE success. Barron's general GRE book is an unforgiving slave-driver. Be good to yourself; use books that are more appropriate.

After using Kaplan and the Princeton Review to study for the GREs, I had a hard time getting a high score in the GREs. My brother gave me this book and it was a blessing. The book is very condensed yet it contains the useful tips needed to study for the GRE. The quantitative section which was very hard for me became a piece of cake after practicing the questions in the Barron's review. I must warn you that the book contains a lot of information. It took me five months to read the book, but I did not regret doing so. I got a high score in the verbal and quantitative section so I have no reason to complain.

Barron's 18th Edition for the GRE will likely help you prepare for the exam better than sitting at home watching paint dry or maybe reading Kaplan's version. This book is poorly edited, mistakes abound and are frustrating to the observant reader, and the format of the examples are not always intuitive. I have noticed errors in several sections, and it has irked me enough that I have stopped studying to write a scathing review. For example, the word definition for "colloquy" in their word list is "informal discussion," when it "informal" should be "formal." The only usage of colloquy in which it would be informal would be related to theological discussions. Another instance of frustrating mistakes is in some of their examples, they simply omit what the correct answer is. On one of their graphic interpretation practice questions, the question is reversed: instead of asking how much less, the question asks for how much more. Only in the answer section do you realize that the author/editor made an oversight, rather than your inability to answer the question.

I will mention again that this book will help you in your preparations for the GRE and possibly more so than Kaplan (in my opinion, which they simply have wrong answers). But that is like saying the urinal smells better than the toilet. However, these books are simply too poorly put together and little care was taken to refine these prep books. I only gave this book 2 stars (vs. 1 star), because I believe it to be marginally better than Kaplan in terms of quality. That is to say, Barron's GRE book is slightly less crappy. The other reason is its "Master Word List" which contains 3500 vocabulary words used commonly. This may be the one redeeming quality of this book, providing mostly accurate definitions with the words used in context on a large volume of vocab words.

Conclusion: This book is not good, but not as bad as comparable products out there. I have not tried Princeton Review products in detail, but they are generally more expensive with essentially the same content. One redeeming quality of Barron's is its word list. If you do purchase this book, buy it for this vocab list. Better yet, if your local library has a copy of these books, borrow it from there.

Update:
Took the GRE again, Verbal score went up 90 points, Quantitative score had no improvement.

Well I can't truly justify if it worked or not. The layout of the book is perfect, in my opinion. The word list is extremely long, but very comprehensive and gives little quizzes every 50 words or so. The quantitative quizzes are a great way to relearn (or learn) how to solve the problems on the GRE. (personal note, I found the questions to be harder in the practice than on the actual test: and i got a 720 out of 800). I didn't use the writing tutorials so I can't comment on those. Overall, this guide does help you prepare if you do time yourself and read the tips they provide.

I only took the test once and I was able to get into a Master of Philosophy program, so I can't compare a performance without the help. But, this book was a great pickup for a good price