Princeton Review: Cracking the GRE CAT with Sample Tests on CD-ROM, 2000 Edition [Paperback]

Karen Lurie (Author)

Book Description

Series: Cracking the Gre Cat With Sample Tests on CD Rom, 2000 | Publication Date: June 29, 1999

WE KNOW THE GRE CAT
The experts at The Princeton Review take the GRE CAT and other standardized tests each year to make sure you get the most up-to-date, thoroughly researched books possible.

WE KNOW STUDENTS
Each year we help more than two million students score high with our courses, bestselling books, and award-winning software.

WE GET RESULTS
Students who take our six-week GRE CAT course have an average score increase of 212 points (verified by International Communications Research).  The proven techniques we teach in our course are in this book.

AND IF IT'S ON THE GRE CAT, IT'S IN THIS BOOK
Acing the computer-adaptive GRE is very different from getting a 4.0 in college.  We dont' try to teach you everything there is to know about English, math, or analytic thinking.  We just tell you what you'll need to know to score high on the GRE CAT.  There's a big difference.  In Cracking the GRE CAT, we'll teach you now to think like the test makers and

*Eliminate answer choices that look right but are planted to fool you
*Solve GRE CAT analogies when you're not sure what all the words mean
*Master the vocabulary words that appear most often on the GRE CAT
*Solve GRE CAT algebra problems by plugging in numbers in place of letters

This book includes more than 135 simulated computer-adaptive test questions.  The questions in this book are the same kind of problems you'll see on the actual GRE CAT, and we fully explain every solution.

This book also includes four full-length sample GRE CATs on a Windows and Macintosh CD-ROM.  Quick feedback--predict your GRE CAT score instantly.

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

WE KNOW THE GRE CAT
The experts at The Princeton Review take the GRE CAT and other standardized tests each year to make sure you get the most up-to-date, thoroughly researched books possible.

WE KNOW STUDENTS
Each year we help more than two million students score high with our courses, bestselling books, and award-winning software.

WE GET RESULTS
Students who take our six-week GRE CAT course have an average score increase of 212 points (verified by International Communications Research).  The proven techniques we teach in our course are in this book.

AND IF IT'S ON THE GRE CAT, IT'S IN THIS BOOK
Acing the computer-adaptive GRE is very different from getting a 4.0 in college.  We dont' try to teach you everything there is to know about English, math, or analytic thinking.  We just tell you what you'll need to know to score high on the GRE CAT.  There's a big difference.  In Cracking the GRE CAT, we'll teach you now to think like the test makers and

*Eliminate answer choices that look right but are planted to fool you
*Solve GRE CAT analogies when you're not sure what all the words mean
*Master the vocabulary words that appear most often on the GRE CAT
*Solve GRE CAT algebra problems by plugging in numbers in place of letters

This book includes more than 135 simulated computer-adaptive test questions.  The questions in this book are the same kind of problems you'll see on the actual GRE CAT, and we fully explain every solution.

This book also includes four full-length sample GRE CATs on a Windows and Macintosh CD-ROM.  Quick feedback--predict your GRE CAT score instantly.

About the Author

Karen Lurie lives in New York City.  She has written five books, including the LSAT/GRE Analytic Workout and Crash Course for the GRE.

Product Details

• Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: Princeton Review; Bk&CD-Rom edition (June 29, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0375754083
• ISBN-13: 978-0375754081
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 8.2 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 2.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,180,465 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Caters to the diligent student, November 15, 1999

By 

A.P. (Great Neck, New York (on Long Island)) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Princeton Review: Cracking the GRE CAT with Sample Tests on CD-ROM, 2000 Edition (Paperback)

Overall, this book establishes a strong approach to the GRE Cat with several useful techniques for analyzing questions (particularly for the Verbal and Analytical sections.) However, these techniques are not always intuitive and therefore must be practiced! Those of you who want to find significant results with this book will probably have to adopt a strong work ethic that includes consistency in applying the techniques.

At first, application of the techniques seemed to swallow time, which was extremely frustrating, but after MUCH practice and drilling they became automatic. In the end, the techniques saved me time by narrowing in on the questions and eliminating the superfluous or irrelevant. Karen Lurie also includes a solid REVIEW of high school level math, but the expectation, as evident from the explanations to practice problems, is that you have already learned and remember the fundamentals.

Therein also lies the book and software's WEAKNESS: Explanations are not always as thorough as one might like- for example, she will not work out all the math for you in a math explanation, she will not draw out a chart in a game explanation (software only,) and she won't give you complete definitions on each word in a Verbal explanation. I believe one is expected to know and/or deduct certain "obvious" conclusions for themselves.

Another major flaw of the Software is that you will see the majority of the questions repeated several times (particularly for the Games,) which makes it difficult to drill effectively past a certain (repetition) point. Also, the HIT PARADE is a great way to learn new vocabulary, and you will see these words frequently on the software thereby inflating your Analytical score. What actually happens on the real exam is that you see maybe two (in my case) of the HIT PARADE words, which CAN improve your actual score, but note that the standard deviation will probably be smaller. There are also some annoying typos in the book that are easy to overlook if you are secure with the presented information.

I DO RECOMMEND this book for SELF MOTIVATORS who feel they already have a basic grasp on standardized test taking but want to refine their skills and improve their timing through techniques. You may want to purchase supplementary practice exams/ drill materials: for example, Powerprep Software published by ETS, and an Analytical Game drill book.

30 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars A comparison of two books..., January 1, 2000

By 

J. Purswani "graduate student" (Catskill, NY United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Princeton Review: Cracking the GRE CAT with Sample Tests on CD-ROM, 2000 Edition (Paperback)

I purchased both the Princeton Review and the Kaplan GRE 1999-2000 edition book. I found that while the Princeton Review book had some good pointers, the Kaplan book was better organized and a lot easier (for me at least) to study from. If you're only going to buy one book, I'd suggest passing this one up and getting the Kaplan book.

What really sold me on Kaplan was the fact that they divided up their list of vocab words into categories, instead of one big list.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Software and Support needs work, January 3, 2000

By 

Brian H Beer (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Princeton Review: Cracking the GRE CAT with Sample Tests on CD-ROM, 2000 Edition (Paperback)

While the techniques advocated by Princeton Review are very helpful, the software is not. After three hours on hold with their support, the tests still freeze up and cannot be scored. Without this software, the book is grossly overpriced.