Customer Reviews

Princeton Review: Cracking the GRE Literature, 2nd Edition

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Following McMullen's plan of attack, I went through his must-read list name by name, a little every day (o.k., every other day), working my way through the Norton Anthologies and the new Oxford Companion to English Literature which has synopses of plays and novels -- often on the test all you need to know is the name of some of the characters and the author to clinch the question. I spent over $150 in books, but they'll come in handy once I'm in grad school anyway. I haven't received my score yet but I know I could have done better only if I'd given myself more time and had a better memory -- through no fault of the book. Also helpful was the book of tests published by ETS -- they really prepare you. As another reviewer mentioned, the test contains more 20th c., African-American and new theory questions (phenomenological criticism?) than the guide warns but that's the only criticism. Good luck!

I bought this book the summer before I took the subject test in English Literature and it turned out to be an absolutely invaluable resource. I used both volumes of the Norton Anthology of English Literature and also the McGill series to augment my studying. By the time test day came, I was able to finish the exam half an hour early--with a score of 93%.

Beware, however: the actual test included more questions about theory and 20th century authors than the Princeton Review book warned. But this a decidedly minor flaw on the whole. Indeed, anyone who says it's impossible to crack the subject test in literature hasn't read this book!

If you're signing up to take the notoriously awful GRE Literature in English test, invest the extra cash (a fraction of test registration costs) and buy this book. It will not only remind you how to distinguish a Shakespearean sonnet from a Petrarchan sonnet, but also outline test-taking strategies, explain the basics of literary theory, and list the surprisingly few works you should study to maximize your score. The author has a sense of humor that will make all of this seem more bearable, even while you're slogging through practice questions. You should also buy ETS's Practicing to take the GRE Literature in English Test and do the practice tests it contains, but if you're only going to buy one book, buy this one. Avoid having to pay those outrageous ETS fees more than once--study this book, and you should get a great score the first time you take the test.

The "Cracking" series are valuable for whatever test you are taking. I've used this one and the GRE Cat, and they work without wasting your time like so many others.

May I offer you all a suggestion? I came across the Magill series on Literature (usually found in reference sections of the library) and found them invaluable for getting a concise, well-written synopsis on the novels, poetry, drama etc. that will be covered on the test. I zeroed in on the suggested reading list offered by the "Cracking" book, studied for about 4 weeks, and got a 96% on the test. Good luck to you all, and let me know if you've used my sage advice,ok?

Another testimony to add to the other success stories. I used the lists in this book to prepare for the November, 1999 test in combination w/ Frank Magill's *World Masterpieces* series and the Norton Anth. of Poetry. For my month and a half of studying I ended up with a 97% score. The test is a bear, but this book WILL help you. The Princeton Review does a fantastic job of prioritizing the vast amount of material covered on the test, and makes this whole thing about as painless as a standardized test can be.

This book definitely helps take away some test anxiety by explaining that it is ok to be overwhelmed by how difficult the test is. It gives great studying tips and explanations for the exam.

I must confess that I admire that this book admits that it cannot cover everything; however, it left out a major components that were on my exam. I took the exam in April '07 and was slammed in the face with post-modern and even contemporary literature from around the globe. Tough questions, not the basics that we all should know by now. Also, the criticism questions dealt with things not even mentioned in the book. I'm talking like 20% of the test being on things I never anticipated. So much for getting rid of test anxiety.

To be fair, I have yet to find any kind of study help for this growing section of the exam. Just be advised that this book skipped it completely. So you'd better find it elsewhere.

McMullen's plan of attack for the GRE Literature in English subject test is superb. Following that plan over several months (and doing LOTS of reading on my own) I went from a score on my first practice exam in the 35th percentile (I didn't major in English) to an actual score on the test a few months later of 660 (88th percentile). Had I managed my time better, as McMullen recommended, I probably would have cracked the 90th percentile.

A word of caution, however: Do not expect the book alone to boost your scores. It won't. This is an extremely difficult test and you will need to do a great deal of reading to prepare. McMullen will tell you WHAT to read and HOW, but there is no substitute for doing the hard work. If you want to go to graduate school in English, you won't mind the reading and it will probably help you in the long run anyway. If that much reading intimidates you, then don't even bother with the book and forget about graduate school altogether.

When I decided to return to graduate college to begin work on my Ph.D. I was apprehensive about taking the test. I scoured bookstores and reviewed every test prep book available. The clear and common sense approach of Doug McMullen in Cracking the GRE Literature in English Test appealed to me. Since I had only 6 weeks to study, I followed the book's recommended reading lists and test taking suggestions exactly. I just received my scores for the December 1998 test: a scaled score of 660 and a percentile ranking of 92%.