Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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71 of 71 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
NOT the right book for math prep, good otherwise, November 7, 2008
DISCLAIMER: I am NOT violating my commitment to privacy to ETS. Read carefully: the following information makes NO mention of specific GRE questions, nor of categories of questions, nor of ANYTHING related to specific test content. Rather, it compares what I believe to be the test's difficulty to this particular book. So, ETS, don't whine: you're not being cheated.
This book provides excellent preparation for the GRE General Test as a whole. It is particularly strong on the verbal and analytical sections. However, its coverage of quantitative contents (math/algebra/geometry) is greatly underdeveloped and seriously troublesome.
The strengths of "The Princeton Review's Cracking the GRE" lie primarily with its techniques to, well, CRACK the GRE. It suggests very many tips that apply to test-taking in general and to the GRE in particular. For example, can you eliminate up to three possible answers (out of five) just with ballparking, or with a little bit of common sense? The book tells you how. Can you answer a question about a word that you have no idea what it means? Sure! How do you write an essay on a topic that you have never heard before? Again, the book tells you how.
Also, the verbal workout section is quite strong. Many words on my GRE exam I had learned from this book. I might have been lucky, but I don't think so: this book's word bank is impressive and thorough, yet easily accessible.
Where this book SERIOUSLY lacks is in the math/quantitative section prep. The questions on my exam were NOWHERE near the sort of questions, or even topics, that this book contains. Only after getting very many questions wrong did the test "adapt" to me and started giving me easier questions, as per standard procedure. I ended up with a score that I did NOT like.
Truth be told, my quantitative score was still higher than the national average, but let's face it: the national average is LOW. Like, amazingly low, retardedly low. You get 200 points just by writing your name. To score as high as I did (which would be a barely passing grade in college) is nothing to brag about.
I blame this primarily on this book, which gives A TOTALLY UNREALISTIC IDEA OF THE QUANTITATIVE/MATH QUESTIONS FOUND IN THE ACTUAL GRE. Once again, the verbal and analytical parts are just fine, great, fantastic. But this is a serious shortcoming, and if math isn't your forte you should definitely look elsewhere.
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34 of 34 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Does not reflect actual test, November 22, 2007
From the good reviews here, I decided to buy this book with DVD. However, it's really not worth the money or the time.
1. the book is too short to have enough useful information
2. the online practice questions have almost no relation to the actual test....also, the online practice questions are doggy, once I did a CAT, the quantitative questions did not have any geometry questions in there, I got only 700, yet only got 1 question wrong (in the ETS CD, I got the 2nd question wrong and was able to get 800)
On the other hand, it does contain some useful hints, but they are better covered in the Kaplan book.
Yes, I've done the GRE, got >1400, no help from this book though.
I suggest for people who want to do well in the GRE to buy Barrons (very good for math) and Kaplan (good for verbal). More importantly, practice the free material that ETS sends you!
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92 of 103 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Princeton Review Helped My GRE Score, July 12, 2007
There are two kinds of people who take the Graduate Record Examination. Well, three, actually: Those who don't study for the GRE, those who take a course costing several hundred dollars, and those of us buying a book or two. Buy "Cracking the GRE." It is what you need.
I suspect those who take the courses get their money's worth.
However, "Cracking the GRE" is a much cheaper, quicker solution. It cuts to the chase, tells you what you need to know, and shows you how to figure out those algebra problems better than your high school freshman year teacher.
They teach you how to be organized during the test. And you'll learn how to draw sensible charts for the logic portion. This will save you precious time as you realize you have no clue how to answer number 27. It teach you how to effectively guess.
With the DVD, you will endure (it is a tough exam, after all), test conditions, and receive video tutorials. The greatest benefit, however, and where you might find yourself studying the most is the book. Plow through word lists, key types of questions and testing suggestions.
I took the GRE. I used the Princeton Review. I crammed. Sure, sure--not the best approach for an important exam, but the fact remains, I'm not alone. Effective cramming involves knowing what to jettison, and what to keep on board. That is, knowing what is important to focus on. The Princeton Review folks know this.
I dreaded the math portion. If I told you how low my high school grades were for math, and then told you my GRE score, you'd likely believe neither. But it is true. My score rocked. Why? The easy teaching style of "Cracking the GRE." The MIT admissions people wouldn't be impressed with my score, but for a guy with a literature degree looking to get into a marketing communications program, the "Cracking the GRE" helped me get the math score I needed.
Have I convinced you? No more delaying. Hurry up, get on with it, and buy "Cracking the GRE." You'll get the best results cramming can bring you. Oh, and be sure to get to the exam early. There is a long form to fill out beforehand.
I fully recommend "Cracking the GRE."
Anthony Trendl
editor, HungarianBookstore.com
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