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I would recommend the GRE ETS books (Official GRE Super Power Pack, Second Edition https://www.amazon.com/dp/1260026396/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_QRGH3RQQF2WX3CYKJSQJ)
And I'd also recommend looking into a subscription to Magoosh GRE especially because they have really great videos for math!
Bought these last year for my MSN program but ended up taking the MAT and forgot to return these to Amazon. Highlighted the first two pages of one book, but other than that brand new never used. If anyone wants these, just cover ship and they are yours! Just wanted to offer these here first, otherwise I'm just going to donate them to Goodwill. Also, here's the link from where I got them https://www.amazon.com/Official-GRE-Super-Power-Pack/dp/0071841814/ref=sr_1_16?ie=UTF8&qid=1531872629&sr=8-16&keywords=ETS+gre+book
The official prep book by ETS is your best bet since they're the makers of the exam. Just make sure you get the most recent edition.
>the current material. Some of the TC and SE questions on gregmat are also pretty good, but the ETS stuff is the best
By referring to current material, ETS stuff,you meant this one yeah ?
https://www.amazon.com/Official-Super-Power-Pack-Second/dp/1260026396/ref=sr\_1\_1\_sspa?dchild=1&keywords=super%20power%20pack%20gre&psc=1&qid=1595108403&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEyQ0VRSFJLS0hGQVdOJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwMzA3MTE...
The last PowerPrep I used was the free one back in 2019. (not exactly recent) and I remember getting something close to 311 on it.
This year I attempted with much more prep than before and used the official GRE material to test myself.
This has 2 tests included I believe.
I was averaging around 158V and 168Q in these tests at the end. So I think they are a fair indicator of your eventual test performance.
However, I took a lot of the mini-exams by GregMat+ at regular intervals.
You get to know your weaknesses and they test your understanding quite well.
Gregmat+ was the best investment I made for a period of 2.5 months.(quite affordable too)
umm not sure what you saw but you can get the 3 main official books for pretty cheap on amazon!
Cracking the GRE Mathematics is what I studied. I took it with Almus and she had a great amount of resources, including past lectures, on her website. She's the one who recommended the book to us.
I started studying for the GRE about 2 months out from when I took it. I didn't want to start studying for it super early because then I'd forget all the vocab words I was cramming into my mind. I used this book, since it came with a few paper tests and 2 online ones.
I took the paper practice tests less seriously, just doing a section at a time throughout the day. It would take me maybe 2-3 days to finish a full test, but it was nice to get the practice in small bites so I didn't burn myself out. About 2 weeks before the real test, I took the 2 online ones they provided, each in a single sitting. That way I could get used to how it would feel to take the test.
Other than that, I looked up a list of about the 200 most common GRE vocab words, made a quiz let for them, and started cramming them into my mind over the course of about 2 months.
Thank you for your post! I saw that you had a Magoosh subscription and unfortunately, I don't think I'd be able to have it. However I've been watching all of their videos for conceptual purposes and plan on solving the GRE 8 book set and the Manhattan 5lb. Would you say that'd suffice? How else, according to you, could I compensate for missing out on the Magoosh questions for Quants? Essentially, what would be the best strategy for quants if I'm aiming for 165+ without the Magoosh questions?
I'd be definitely subscribing o Greg's 1-month plan though.
i got the ETS set. I liked it a lot. Then corona hit and many schools dropped the gre requirement.
Thank you for the response! So I think I found the official ETS book here: https://www.amazon.com/Official-Guide-Revised-General-Edition/dp/007179123X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1377185372&sr=8-1&keywords=official+gre
Sorry for not understanding but what section workbooks are you talking about?
It is the 5lb book and the Math Strategies 5th edition by Manhattan Prep. If you want more math questions, they have another series of books based on the math topics that come up in the GRE. It's called the "instructional series guide" - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Manhattan-Prep-GRE-Strategy-Guides-dp-1937707911/dp/1937707911/ref=dp_ob_title_bk
Please take time to go through each topic! I made so much improvements that way.
Gregmat is REALLY good stuff. For $5 it’s almost worth the money just to try it... but it’s really high quality for a third party tool.
Gregmat will tell you to buy the GRE study material directly from ETS. I completely agree.
I just finished going through “The Official GRE Super Power Pack”. It’s essentially three different books that ETS has smashed into one. The first book’s shows you how the test work and has different problem sets for the different types of math and verbal questions. Then the second and third books are completely dedicated to verbal and quant, respectively. There’s also two practice tests included. All of this material is something like $50 I believe. I bought the ebook version for kindle here:
Official GRE Super Power Pack, Second Edition https://www.amazon.com/dp/1260026396/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_Vb8gFbZFRTSPZ
Another resource is the two free practice tests on the ETS website, and you can also purchase two more tests at the ETS site as well. Only after exhausting these resources would I consider looking into a tutor or other tools. And honestly, by the time she gets through all of these resources she might be feeling ready to take the test- I know I’m feeling close after going through the combined book and taking the practice tests.
Hope this helps! Feel free to ask follow up questions... although I’m still in college so I can’t speak to the gap year dilemma. I’m sure sell do great though if she prepares!
>ETS material
Thank you for this. Is this an example of the ETS book(s) you are referring to?
https://www.amazon.com/Official-Guide-Revised-General-Test/dp/007179123X
I used this book when I was studying and felt it was really helpful. I’d supplement with Khan Academy or YouTube videos to fill any gaps you might have.
I used a traditional GRE prep book with GRE flash cards which helped me jump 10% in quantitative and 20% in qualitative.
The official material is here: Official GRE Super Power Pack. Definitely use those, they're your best friend, especially for verbal.
156 in verbal is nothing to scoff at: that's the 73rd percentile. For a non-native speaker pursuing engineering, I would imagine that'd be sufficient, especially with a 167 in quant.
It sounds like you think you could've done better in verbal though. If you do poorly on the first section, it's hard to bounce back. You really need to get the hard second section to do well.
Here's what I think. I have a very hard time imagining that some program would reject you with a 156 in verbal, but accept you with a 160. So I don't think it's worth fretting too much about.
However, it seems like you're a 160 verbal student, and should be able to achieve that. Your GRE score is one of the very few things on your application that is totally within your control. What you don't want is to not get accepted, and then kick yourself for not retaking the GRE. You might be tempted to think that's why you got rejected. So if it will help put your mind at ease and you've got $205 to spare, go for it.
Honestly, everyone's different. Some people need more than others. My general recommendation is to start with a powerprep test to get a feel for it. Then work on the official material for awhile and see how it goes. You'll want to own those materials no matter what.
If you're doing well you might be able to get away with just that stuff. If you're struggling, you might have to look into other options.
Online programs like Magoosh will have recorded lessons for you to watch instead of reading. Then there will be practice problems with explanations and access to real support. But they're more expensive than just books.
What have you been doing so far? How are you feeling about it? Do you have the official material? Do you think you'll need more?
It won't be outdated. But will it be effective? I'd start with the official materials if you can. Those are invaluable must-haves for studying, and will only set you back $30 for all three books. Save the Kaplan stuff till you've exhausted the official stuff.
You can expect a pretty sizable jump from your cold scores. Generally you'll get big gains as you start studying, and then you'll plateau a bit. Luckily, though, quant is easier to improve 10 points in than verbal. Quant is fairly linear, in that you can learn concepts and improve your score directly. Learning how to read well is a much less straightforward proposition.
These are the official materials: Official GRE Super Power Pack. You'll want to have those books and know them inside and out. They are as good as it gets, and well worth your time.
Make sure to keep an error log, and pay close attention to the problems you are missing. Why are you getting them wrong? What concepts are you not confident with? What traps are you falling for? This will help you identify and target your weaknesses, to better focus your study time. Don't move to quickly, but keep coming back to those hard problems and concepts, even if you think you know them.
Otherwise, I'm here to help, so feel free to reach out if you can any questions along the way! Seems like you're on a good path, so keep it up.
-Magoosh Student Help
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I'll second the advice that ETS is closest to the real thing, and everything else will be subjective and potentially unreliable. ETS provides two free full length practice tests, two more for a charge, and a bunch of practice questions in the super power pack (that you can get used for cheap or potentially rent from a library). These should keep you busy for a good long time. For most students, that's enough practice. But really pay attention to those problems, and if you then need more sources, you'll have a good idea of what you're comparing them to. In other words, you'll be able to tell when questions aren't very GRE-like and can pay less attention to those. You'll be better discerning yourself.
Indeed, the official ETS powerprep practice tests are a great place to start.
Different students have different constraints when it comes to the real test. Namely, it is expensive, and can require travel. However, if those are not an issue for you, go ahead and take a real test! I planned on taking it twice: once to scope it out and get a feel for the test center and process, and once for my real score. However, I absolutely crushed it my first time. I attribute this to a total lack of stress or worry, because I knew I'd be taking it again. Taking it once might be a good idea if you can.
Otherwise, pick up the official ETS material as a start. They have the best practice material in the business, so you'll want the books no matter what else you do. If you think they'll be sufficient, then great. Their teaching of material and explaining of answers leaves much to be desired, but the problems themselves are unparalleled.
Take the first powerprep test, and let us know how it goes! I'd love to help with anything more specific as you go.
-Magoosh Student Help
Hey there!
Best of luck in your studies and your pursuit of admission :)
How long will you need to study for? There is no exact magic number here. Some people can score a 328 cold in their sleep. Others will study for years and never get close to that. I guess what we need is a baseline. So go ahead and a powerprep test, or two, and see how you do. If you're already close to your goal, you might not have to work that long. If you're very far away, it might take awhile.
Luckily, quant is easier to improve than verbal, and progress tends to come quicker. This is because it's pretty linear: today, you might not know exponent laws so you get exponent questions wrong. But then tomorrow you can learn the exponent laws, and no you won't miss those questions anymore. So bit by bit you can just learn what you need to learn. The creative application of concepts, critical thinking, and logical problem solving skills are harder to learn, but it seems like you probably have pretty good intuitions in those areas.
But start with the practice tests and see what your baseline is. Stick to official stuff at first and see how it goes. If you need more you can look to outside sources.
Let us know how things go! I'm here to help.
-Magoosh Student Help
In addition, there are 2 written exams from the Official Guide. Of the major test prep companies, Kaplan's practice exam questions and score predictions are imho the most realistic.
That said, even for those skilled in math, 6 officials + 6 Kaplan exams is often not enough to achieve 170Q. You'll probably want to supplement with other materials, taking an exam perhaps once every week or two for practice and to evaluate progress.
I used this book: https://www.amazon.com/Practice-Problems-Manhattan-Strategy-Guides/dp/1941234518/ref=dp_ob_title_bk
I studied for about 6 hours total (was juggling applications and school at the same time) and did well enough that I can apply for any grad program I want to. Got 170 Q which is all I wanted, and did better than I expected in Verbal and Analytical
It does, but it's mostly calculus and linear algebra, a fair amount of beginner analysis and algebra, then a tiny bit of further topics. But I think the further topics are a such a small part they're not necessarily worth the study time, especially since you don't really know which ones you'd get. Also "algorithms" is one of the topics that is listed and usually shows up, which sounded a bit intimidating as algorithms can be a tough CS class, but the way it shows up is it will tell you how to perform something simple like the Euclidean algorithm and ask you what the result of step 3 is.
Here's a study guide: https://www.amazon.com/Cracking-GRE-Mathematics-Subject-Test/dp/0375429727
It'll give you a brief review of every topic followed by a short quiz.
Also the ETS site has a description of the topics covered (and how they're weighted): https://www.ets.org/gre/subject/about/content/mathematics
There should be some practice tests on the ets site too.