Customer Reviews

Kaplan GRE Exam Math Workbook (Kaplan GRE Math Workbook)

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(11)

 

 

This was a great product, but I think students for the GRE need to recognize what it is for. It is meant for students who need extra review and practice on problems, more than what the comprehensive test books cover.

It does go into extensive detail about math you use on the exam. The first half covers the kinds of math (arithmetic, algebra, and geometry) and reviews those things we learned in high school, but may have forgotten. The second half covers the question types (comparison, word problems, and data analysis). There is a lot of material, so you have to skim through what you know and focus on your weaknesses.

I got this book after going through a comprehensive GRE test book and taking several practice tests. I was weak on the quantitative section, so I needed extra work, and this helped. My math score did improve dramatically after a week of intensive study with this book.

So, I recommend that you don't get this book when you start studying for the GRE. For people that are already strong in math, a regular GRE book might be enough. But if you practice and see that your math score is weak, use this one and study hard! It will definitely help.

This book is good for those who haven't looked at a math problem in years and are just hoping to "pass" the quantitative section.

If you are looking to actually do well on the GRE quantitative section (scoring in the 90th+ percentile), then this book isn't for you. It just leaves too much stuff out.

Requiring additional prep in mathematics, I followed the advice of previous users of The Princeton Review's, 'Cracking the GRE, 2010' in combination with Kaplan's 'GRE Exam Math Workbook, Seventh Edition'. 'Cracking the GRE, 2010' was a great comprehensive prep, covering not only the effective techniques to utilize when taking the exam but a great (re)primer for the quantitative section. After completing the 'GRE Exam Math Workbook', I used the The Princeton Review website to access and take their version of the Computer Adaptive Testing (CAT) used by ETS (the GRE author and administrator) - which is included as a part of the 'Cracking the GRE' work tools. It was great to get a feel for the exam and it was perfect for applying what I learned in writing the two essays that are now a part of the GRE. My advice, immerse yourself by blocking off a good three hours at a time for reading and testing on each chapter. Give yourself NO LESS then four weeks of good solid study prior to test.

As for results, I had previously taken a sample paper exam for the GRE,to confirm my suspicion that I needed significant study to prep for exam. After being out of university for over ten years (and already weak in mathematics) my scores were sobering. Now, the paper exam is not directly comparable to the Computer Adaptive Testing (CAT) exam that ETS utilizes but I think my improvement was significant enough to mention after using the Princton/Kaplan combo.

My quantitative points improved a solid 100%! That in itself was worth every penny invested in these two prep books. I scored average in the verbal section but I still experienced a 48% increase in points pushing me above the 90th percentile.

BE WARNED THIS BOOK IS NOT COMPRHENSIVE IT DOES NOT CONTAIN EVERYTING YOU NEED TO KNOW FOR THE MATH. I went throught this book thinking im good with math, but when i opened the kaplan premier program (another study guide book I bought)to my surprise there was a whole new section of math that the workbook did not cover such as standard deviation,compound interest, simple interest, permutations, combinations,weight average,new average with deletion,orginal average to find what what has been deleted,sequence. Thse are just a few things not covered in the math workbook.

I just took my GRE's this week and used this book and Princeton's review book, the math in this book was not on my test, the Princeton's review had it all on there. It was a better one for me.

This book was a huge help for me! I bought it a little less than four months ago, and all the while I paced my studying habits (15-30 minutes every other night or so). When my test got closer, I upped the frequency and length of studying time. I found this book to be helpful with recalling the oft forgotten (yet necessary) basics of math: FOIL, general number properties, volume and surface area, etc. It was profoundly helpful simply by the fact that it was not difficult to understand, and if something appeared to be beyond my grasp, I reread the information after attempting the problem. Plus, the price isn't bad either.

I looked at lots of other Math study books and due to the reviews this one received, I went with it somewhat hopeful, but not really expecting anything. I was surprised, and I sit here before you all attesting to an increase in my quantitative scores by approximately 200 points (I say approximately because the last time I took the test was longer than 5 years ago)! 200 extra points was great! I highly recommend this book if you want to up your math scores a little bit. I even recommend it if you are just looking for a brushup before exam day.

I found this book helpful, but once it came to test day it only took me so far. I would say there are two main issues. First, the quantitative comparison questions in the workbook are far too simplistic. The only ones I actually encountered on the test were similar to the hardest presented in each practice test. In these situations the very detailed problem solving you've learned elsewhere in the book are relatively useless. When you have 1 minute per question, you can't really solve anything. There should be more focus on shortcuts. The second issues is that the book doesn't seem to address permutations and groups in much detail. You know, those "How many different numbers can you creating using the digits 1 through 9, with no repetition and in descending order," type questions. My version of the GRE was crawling with these, and I was ill-equipped to handle them.

Overall, I'm content with this as a study starting point. I'm glad I used it and all of the practice problems and explanations were very helpful, but I wouldn't go so far as to say it will leave you fully prepared for the quant. test. But I guess that's why they're trying to pit the "Comprehensive" book instead. Ah well, best of luck.

This book was excellent for word problems! I liked the way that the chapters are organized and the practice with quantitative comparison exercises. This book is better than the Barron's math workbook.

The Math Workbook provided me with much needed practice questions and answers that I couldn't get with some of the other study manuals I was using. I needed more practice to help me remember how to do the math and the other books offered explanations but with few or no opportunities for me to try the lessons out myself. This will not help you learn how to take the test as well as other books, so I suggest you start with a basic GRE review first. If you need extra math help, especially if you are looking for extra practice problems, definitely turn here next.

I was never much of a math person in school and since it's been a few years since I've studied it, I decided to buy a book to help me prepare. Yes, I found a couple of weirdly boneheaded typos in the book (which is the only thing keeping me from giving it 5 stars), but it was a great book overall. I improved my math score by 100 points! It teaches you not only about the formulas, but ways to solve problems without having to do all the time-consuming work. Thanks to that, it didn't take me nearly as long to answer the questions and I was able to get through more questions, giving me a greater chance at a higher score.

Does this book have everything about math in it? No, but it has everything you'll find on the GRE in it and that's really all I cared about. I strongly recommend it.