Customer Reviews

Powerprep Software: Test Preparation for the Gre General Test, Version 2.0

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This will provide you with an extremely accurate picture of how you will do on test day. More importantly, practicing with a test identical to the type you will actually encounter can give you an extra edge on speed, which is a key consideration. I recommend taking the practice pre-test questions and BOTH practice CATs provided with the software at least twice each (I found the questions did change) and reviewing your mistakes until you understand where you went wrong. I also recommend supplementing this with the printed text put out by ETS, the ARCO 30 days to the GRE (for its easy, concise "mapping" strategy for the Analytical section; its Verbal and Quant. sections are kind of lame.) and at least two other general prep books. (Kaplan, Barron's, and The GRE For Dummies were all pretty useful--especially for the Quant. Memorize all those special right triangles! And be sure you know how to manipulate exponents. ETS had the best verbal practice passages. Most of the books had pretty good long lists of obscure words to memorize.)

When I took the GRE, I scored 800 on the Verbal, 780 on the Quantitative, and 700 on the Analytical--and yes, I am indecently pleased about it. This is also an increment of proof that determinedly studying/practicing for the GRE can significantly raise your scores.

I can't give this software a high rating. Yes, I do feel it was an invaluable resource, and a "must-have"for anyone prepping for the GRE, but that's only because it has the real questions from ETS, and two real, timed GRE simulation tests. These tools give you experience using the actual GRE software you'll encounter at the testing site, and I found that preparation very helpful. BUT (and, yes, this definitely is a BIG BUT!), this "PowerPrep" software gives absolutely NO explanations on how to answer various types of questions. For example, I know I'm weak in the "analytical" section, and all the software did was confirm that. I did the practice questions, got them wrong, and then was frustrated because I had no idea WHY I got them wrong. My advice to prospective testers is to buy this software for the practice with GRE software and real sample questions, but definitely also buy yourself a book that explains how to figure out logic questions, basic math, etc.

Until today I was skeptical about the sofware's power to "predict" actual test scores but I took the "real" test and let me tell you-my verbal score was 10 points lower that the practice one while the quantitative and analytical were identical to the practice scores! It is amazing-like taking a glimpse at the GRE ahead of time. I'd strongly recommend this software to anyone preparing for the GRE-combined with a textbook (I personally prefer Kaplan and Arco) it becomes a powerful weapon in mastering the GRE. The Kaplan CD is also very, very good, especially if you are scoring in the 90+ percentile. It provides a lot of hard questions for practice. Buy this software, it's well worth your money!

The value of this software lies in the fact that it was developed by ETS, the company that writes the GRE. Also, the practice tests are formatted exactly like the actual computer-based test, so you get used to that format.

However, I was disappointed with this software for a few reasons. First, there is no review of the various concepts. While the software discusses test-taking strategies and contains many valuable practice questions, it does not review the specific math concepts (such as formulas) with which you'll need to be familiar. For someone that has been out of school for several years, as is the case with many who apply to grad school, the ommission of this important information is significant. If you need this kind of information, you are forced to purchase the ETS GRE preparation book, after having already purchased the expensive software.

The second reason I thought the software was a poor value was that there were only two practice tests. Again, the book has 7, so if you want more practice tests you are forced to purchase the book.

The final reason I was displeased was that, while the correct answers to the sample questions were discussed in depth, this was not the case with the practice tests. They gave you the correct answer, but did not tell you how they arrived at that answer.

I would still recommend buying the software if you are planning to take the computer-based test, but beware...it is not a particularly good value for the money.

This is the ultimate software by which u can gauge your performance on the real test. I must say that this is not meant to be a preparation software as there are no explanation or strategies given in it but it gives u a 99% accurate indication of how well u r goin to do on the test... I had scores of 2180 and 2160 on its two tests and i ended up scoring 2160...so it is pretty accurate and close to the real thing ...but remember not a preparation software...

I have a masters degree in EE and applying for Ph.d. The real exam is quite close to the software samples. My scores on the samples were very close to the ones on the actual test. However, this software is primarily helpful in assesing one's ability rather than preparing the student. If you wish to know how you would score on the "real thing" then it is a must buy!

Ask yourself this one question. Who is most likely to prepare a practice test most similar to the real test? I don't think anyone knows the GRE any better than the makers of the test itself - ETS. The Powerprep software isn't instrumental in teaching you the skills you need for the exam, but it is priceless in giving you the opportunity to see how you'll do on the real test. It is exactly like the real exam and indeed should be - it's a former test! In any event, if for no other reason than to give you confidence about the types of questions you'll actually see and the format in which you'll actually see them, you should purchase this software. It's an exact replica of the real thing. Kaplan and others do a respectable job of simulating questions and attempting to calculate the computer adaptive scores, but in the end, no one tops ETS itself. I recommend taking one of the two CATs on the CD-ROM at the beginning of your preparation and the other at the end, just prior to taking the real exam. Even if your practice CAT scores are not as high as you'd like, at least you'll have a realistic (and accurate) expectation going into the test center on exam day. Good luck.

It is almost a perfect predictor of how are you going to do in the real test. I got only 10 points above my verbal scores in the practice tests. In the quantitative section, my actual score was the perfect average of the two practice exams. All other books don't have the correct algorithm of grading and confuse you about your performance. Buy it, it is worth it.

I agree with the other reviewers who said that this software is absolutely essential to preparing for the GRE's. The practice tests and math tutorial are particularly helpful. You can re-take the practice tests and get mostly new questions, which helps too. I used several books and two different kinds of software and took two months to prepare. This software and the Barrons's GRE prep books were the best resources I found. On my first math pretest, I got 20 out of 28 math problems wrong. On the real GRE, I scored in the 600's in math. One caveat: I thought the real GRE was harder than even the Powerprep software practice tests. I know they are real GRE questions, but I was still a bit surprised by the difficulty of the real GRE. Also, it's worth the time to download the Powerprep software from the ETS web site. Don't wait for the ETS to send it to you when you register.

ORIGINAL REVIEW:

I am a professional instructor of GRE, GMAT, etc., and I have to say that ETS got it right this time! If only they would release more software like this, we would all be much happier.

The biggest problem with most of the other products out there is that they invariably have mistakes, have questions unlike those you will see on the real test, or give you a score that has nothing to do with the score you'll get on the real test. Furthermore, in every other book or software program now published, the math will be easy if you are scoring in the 90%ile and above. This product has NONE of these problems--you will get hard problems if you are good in math; and, since this product is "fresh," it contains material similar to that currently on the tests. Some of the older materials are outdated and contain questions of a type no longer tested on the GRE.

So, and I almost hate to say it, this software is PERFECT! Well, almost perfect--the only real drawbacks are that you CANNOT review your answers after the test and there are no explanations. However, this program contains two full, actual tests--the score you get on this will be your real score. Even after you take the two tests, you could actually take them a few more times--the program actually contains something like a thousand questions and each time you take the test, you get a different variety of questions, depending on your level/performance.

In a word, this is a GREAT product. I wish there were more like it!

Good luck on your test!