I was very nervous about going into the GRE. I hate math and have not practiced it any since being in college other than a calculus class my freshman year. I also haven't taken a test like this since my SAT, and I knew what I had to have for grad school. This book is great at getting you in the mindset to take the exam, not just for the questions themselves. I really think the math sections help a lot, I got over 700 on my math, and I think it's in great part due to this book. I thought the analytical part helped a lot, as well as the vocabulary words, yet again the review was a majorly necessary part. The only complaint I have with this book is that the CD-ROM often cuts out the question so that you can't read the ends of questions, you can see that the border thing that goes around them is actually blocking the ends of some of the questions and charts. Also, it tries to make you do the writing part even if you don't want to, and you have to skip over it to do the rest of the test. However, my final score on the CD version and my real score were pretty close, so I feel like it must have pretty standard questions on it. I was really surprised though, because I am more of a verbal person than a math person and I actually did a bit better on math, so I have nothing but praise for the math section, but I don't think I would have done as high on either section without this book. This is not the only GRE prep that I used, but I do consider it the best of what I used. I did do it all in about 11 days instead of the 8 and 4 week plan it has, so perhaps it was more fresh. Nonetheless, I hold this in high esteem since I got higher than what I was shooting for on my exam and I mainly used this book.

Bottom line: there is better stuff on the internet for free. This was a waste of 30 bucks. The program does not seem to function correctly or accurately.

I took the GRE tests a few weeks ago, but I did not do as well as I expected to do in the math section. I figured that if I practiced math and also some more vocabulary, then I'd be in good shape. This book advertises 300 practice questions and 4 practice tests on the CD-ROM. Well, yeah I guess. Using the book for practice questions, I should have realized, can't cut it. It's only going to have a handful of questions for each topic. This is no problem for me since I have the CD (I foolishly think). So I pop the CD in, register, fail at that, try again, fail, then I go to the website, register successfully, and finally let the software look for updates (which it said it was already up to date). Okay, it says that if i want to skip the writing section to do later, I can do that. That would work for me, I want to practice the math and verbal, and the Daily Show is on in about an hour Perfect.
Or maybe not. Turns out, there isn't really a way to skip the writing part and go back to later. Since I'm working with a deadline, I just leave these blank, entering nothing for the essays. I go on to the verbal section, and discover there isn't any way of reviewing the rules once they are dismissed the first time. The options and directions on the screen are also different enough from the actual GRE test. The 'help' button doesn't offer any relevant help. Unfazed, I continue and finish the verbal section. The screen says that I can take a break before starting the next section. So I go double check the TV guide, get some water, and come back. The screen now tells me the test is over and I can review my scores. Well, I didn't get to take the math section. Unable to take the math section without erasing my verbal tests, i decide to find out how i did in the verbal section. The program asks if I want to upload my results. Thinking that this is the way to go to find the scores, I say yes. Well, it seems that uploading the results does nothing except make the screen say "uploading file". I've given it half an hour, and tried again, but it doesn't seem to work. I'll try taking the tests again, maybe the other ones and update this. For now though it seems like a waste of money.

Update:
I did manage to get it to show me the scores, but that uploading file does not seem to work. I thought that when the file was uploaded it would give detailed explanations on what you answered wrong and whatnot. Looks like I can't do that.

By the way, for the verbal score that is shows, I don't think it is accurate. It is showing me a much higher score that I believe I deserve.

And I just noticed I paid 10 bucks more for this at the store than amazon's price (I was in a hurry to get it). Great thats adding insult to injury.

I took the GRE CAT exam several weeks ago and had purchased this book with the CD-rom and also Barron's GRE book. I highly recommend that you do not rely on just one book alone when studying.

I started studying from the Barron's book first but found the practice questions to be incredibly difficult (I am not a naturally good standardized test taker). I settled on Princeton Review's (PR) guide as a backup. As I worked through the PR explanations and practice questions, I found both the Verbal and Math portions to be much easier in comparison to Barrons. I initially appreciated the "right-brain" approach to the GRE: taking advantage of process of elimination, viewing questions holistically, and making educated guesses- which gave me the confidence to take on the problems even if I did not know how to calculate an answer precisely.

Although PR's book gave me the confidence going into the exam, the exam itself was somewhat different and indeed, did require at times precise calculations for the math portion. That is where Barrons came in handy. In addition, the verbal portion on the actual CAT was harder than any of the practice questions PR provided (I did not have a chance to use the actual CD; I am referring to the practice questions in the book). The vocabulary list was also somewhat insufficient for the exam. In order to do well, you MUST know as many vocabulary words as possible. I recommend reviewing Barron's 3,000 word hit list and PR's Word Smart to beef up your vocabulary if needed.

Overall, CRACKING THE GRE isn't terrible, but it's not the best. If vocabulary is your achilles heel, check out University of California's free tutorial and vocab site called Number 2 (search for it online). I wish I had discovered this site much earlier than a few days before taking the exam. You should not dread the GRE, as CRACKING THE GRE emphasizes, but as a three hour game solving vocabulary and math questions. As silly as that sounds, being able to breathe deeply and be confident can really help you do well on the exam. Good luck.

I had taken the GRE in 1999 on paper. When I was preparing to re-take the GRE, I bought this book to understand the changes in the test and to practice on the computer. My practice scores were excellent (far exceeding my performance in 1999), so I went into the actual test expecting to do well. However, my verbal score was 80 points below what it was in 1999, and 120 points below my average practice test from the CD-ROM. While the information for the analytical section was helpful, the verbal reasoning practice sections and vocabulary are not challenging enough. You would do well to look elsewhere for verbal practice.

The GRE is one of those tests that isn't all that hard, but is very, very important. It is used by many grad schools as part of their entrance criteria. This book is intended to give you an introduction to the test, provide the background you will need to know to score highly, and has practice questionsin the book.

In addition there are four full-length practice tests on the CD-ROM. There is also an on-line web-site to provide additional information and still more testing. One component of the on-line material is a detailed score analysis of your score to tell you where you should concentrate your studying time.

The GRE has three main components: math, verbal and analytical writing. Each of these areas has a major section in the book. Another big part of the book is the introduction and strategy sections which tell you what to expect on the test and how to approach it for the best results.

While the exact questions for the next test are secret, the books study exams uses questions both like those used in past years and many of the actual questions.

If you've used the Princeton Review books beforek you will not be surprised by this one. It is a cram guide to getting a higher score on the GRE.