Customer Reviews

Pass Key to the GRE Test (Barron's Pass Key to the GRE)

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

After frustrating myself with ETS' GRE book, I found this little gem at a local bookstore. ETS' book does not prepare you for the math/quantitative part of the exam -- the book's exercises are not set up the same way as the computer or written exam. Meaning you have to solve out completely any equations or problems, rather than picking from a set of answers.

This book is considerably cheaper than many of its contemporaries, but don't let that fool you. This book was a better prep tool than its $25-30 brethren.

Very helpful was the frequently used GRE word list -- having taken the exam yesterday, I can tell you a lot of the words in the list are on the test.

Quite a bargain, and well worth the $9.

I took the GRE two times before I found this book, and my Quantitative score went up 110 points, on the test I took yesterday, by using this book to study with. It teaches you how to read and understand the problem, how to simplify the problem, and how to narrow down choices if you are unsure. I didn't study the Verbal as much, but I'm sure if I would have my score would have increased a lot too. I spent the little time I did studying on the Quant. part, and I'm glad I did. Please check out this book, and use it. It's wonderful!!

I've had my share GRE and MCAT books and they all say the same thing: study and study and sleep before the test. This book says something different, something actually useful. I found their vocab section very helpful, the list of words was longer than the 200 common GRE words in a Kaplan book of 2.5X the size. So far, the "Tactics" are the best thing to this book. For each section, they help you with HOW to solve the problems. For instance, in Comparative Problems for Quantitative, they go through how to determine if A is ALWAYS greater, or SOMETIMES greater (if sometimes, then it can't be answer A -- always greater -- or answer C -- always equal). Sounds complicated, but it's been very helpful! Also with hints for substituting in a 1, 0 or -1 to all comparison questions, this can help find a solution.

Anyway, this book, combined with the Ultimate Math Review, I've found that I am finally learning some math. Ewwww.

I took the CAT based GRE general test on 9/1/06. To prepare, I got this book, as well as "The Ultimate Math Refresher", the larger Barrons book, and the ETS book.

"Pass Key" is the one I would recommend over all the others, though. Its 263 pages are packed with just as much info as the other books, but in a more compact (and thus, easier to travel with and study in multiple settings) package.

Included are three full-length practice tests, a detailed strategy section on each type of question, tips on essay writing, and an extensive vocab list (which is quite accurate - I saw several of the words on the test itself).

Since the ETS "power prep" software is such a buggy P.O.S. (couldn't get it to work on a brand new WinXP desktop or a slightly older laptop), and the other books simply add length and size, "Pass Key" is the book to get. I was glad I had used it while taking the test, especially after I saw my very satisfactory results on the final screen.

This is a great review if you need a little brushing up, however, if you are going to take the GRE sometime soon you might want to purchase something that covers more math material. And if you verbal score isn't that great then neither is theirs. The word frequency list is not that great. I might have seen four words, maybe one or two more, on the GRE that were in this book. As I said above this book is small therefore it lacks what the giant books have, more words, more problems. However, it does offer its cheapness and takes up less space in your house. I gave it three stars because it was semi helpful on the math part of the GRE. I would have like more problems dealing with algebra and less with geometry, because my GRE test didn't have much geometry. But anyway, if you don't mind forking out the 10 bucks or so then this book will help you a little.

The Pass Key is a great study tool, if you choose to purchase this instead of the regular Barron's How to Prepare for the GRE. The contents are comparable and the exams are often repeats.

However, its size is its best asset and also the source of its faults. It's a small book that's great for carrying around, and its vocab list is especially concise. But its size sometimes make for awkward exam formatting, so that the second question on a graph will be on the back page. Also, the regular Barron's has a larger vocabulary, word quizzes, and root/prefix lists, as well as more practice question sections and exams.

If you're short on test preparation time and need the pith of understanding how to best approach the GRE, the Pass Key would be a great purchase. If you would like more practice, then buy the regular Barron's.

This was a great slim volume to use alongside Kaplan's GRE Premier Program since they have slightly different hints and perspectives. Once you get oriented to the test, I would encourage you to start taking practice tests right away to see where you are at and it will inspire you to study more! You can always buy more tests because each GRE book has a number of them. I also highly recommend the Kaplan GRE Exam Vocabulary Flashcards Flip-O-Matic for learning vocab. Good luck on the test.

This book is great, but it covers a lot of material and not all of it is in the best way. I liked the way it described the verbal section and the exercises related to the verbal section. I also benefitted from the verbal part of the practice exams in the back of the book. There is a 300 word vocabulary section which was a lifesaver. Learn these words, write them on flashcards and practice them. You WILL see them on the test! It is well worth your time.

The part of the book I did not like was the part related to the quantitative section. I liked the explanations of the types of questions found in the quantitative section and an explanation of how to do them, however, the practice questions and practice exams were much harder than those on the actual test and because I did poorly when practicing with this book, my self-esteem went way down and I felt like I was going to fail. When I did the practice exams from the ETS GRE software, I did much better. I am not a mathematical genius and I never will be. I had to start over with math when practicing for this exam. For someone a little more savvy, this book might be a great way to do WELL on the quantitative section. I got a 600 and was happy, even with my very limited math skills.

To summarize, I would definitely invest in this book, however, don't let yourself get depressed if you don't do well on the quantitative practice questions and practice exam.

This book might help if you use it in conjunction with the online GRE practice test. I did not do well but that was not the books fault. Lack of time and not being able to go back and change answers did me in for the bad scores. So if you are preparing for the GRE, if you are like myself and have never taken an online test with strict time limits. This is what I suggest.

1. Study any GRE book - this particular one is cheaper than some others. It really doesnt matter the size.

2. PRACTICE ONLINE

3. Study what you missed.

4. Practice ONLINE

5. Practice Online again!

I bought this as a supplement to the thicker Barron's GRE Review and I could have done with one or the other. If you just want a quick review, then this is a great option. It is FULL of information and tips and everything that can be found in the thicker book but in a lot less detail. I personally preferred the larger book because I wanted more review problems and such but if you just want to brush up on a few skills and grab a few REALLY helpful pointers, then get this book. My only complaint was that it didn't have enough review problems but it's not even a true negative. Helpful study guide.