Cracking the GRE with DVD, 2009 Edition (Graduate School Test Preparation)

Home | Download | Purchase | Contact

Call Center Software:

Freeware for Call Center:

Free Internet Tools:

Net Picker

Call Center Solution:

Resources:

Cracking the GRE with DVD, 2009 Edition (Graduate School Test Preparation)

List Price: $33.95

Our Price: $31.02

You Save: $2.93 (9%)

Product Description

Cracking the GRE offers major features on DVD, including engaging video tutorials from The Princeton Review’s top instructors. The 2008 edition includes over 300 practice questions in the book and exclusive free access to 4 practice exams and expert advice online.

Of course, you’ll also get all the test-prep techniques you expect from The Princeton Review. In Cracking the GRE we’ll teach you how to think like the test writers and

��Solve analogies even when you don’t know the meanings of all the words in the problem
��Crack even the most complex algebra problems by plugging in numbers in place of variables
��Master even the toughest problems in the Verbal and Quantitative sections
��Learn directly from our teachers in a GRE strategy session on DVD

We give you plenty of practice problems to help you master our proven techniques. Our practice questions are just like those you’ll see on the real GRE—but with detailed answers and explanations for every question.

Customer Reviews:

comes with good online component

The practice exams available online with the serial number for the exam give very good diagnostics to help focus study. They also have good explanations for each problem. I found that to be very helpful....more info

A good choice

I struggled for several weeks (especially with the math) using the Kaplan study guide. I guess it really depends on what type of learner you are, but I found this book to be easier to follow and it had more time-saving tips. Also, many of the math tips were easy to understand and very helpful....more info

Worth it's weight in gold!

This was one of two books I used for the GRE review. I chose to use this book as opposed to paying $499 for the online Princeton Review GRE review course. I would have been clueless without this book. The only complaint I have is that there were not more math review questions. They did a great job of showing you how to "crack" each problem but only gave 2-3 examples of each kind of math problem. I had to buy a supplemental math study guide, which helped tremendously. Very helpful overall!...more info

The book is OK, the CD is useless: an older edition will do.

I bought this item a little too fast: the CD does not include any online practice tests, but it is comprised of one empty folder for "Audio" and one folder for "Video". Which makes me remember that after I registered for the GRE, I received the "official" CD with a test practice software: it is so antiquated that the software needs to change the screen resolution to a ridiculous (860x860, or close) in order to work.
As other reviewers have mentioned, the math review section is slim especially on some topics that always are on the GRE (e.g. probabilities) & the math test questions do not reflect the difficulty on the real test. The tips/examples for the Verbal section can be found in any other book.
So, to sum up, don't buy this book because it says "2009" or because it comes with a CD: a previous edition (2008, 2007), preferably second-hand, would do just fine....more info

Online practice tests are clumsy!

I really bought this book for access to the online practice tests so that I would be familiar with the format used. Unfortunately, the system they use is extremely slow and clumsy. I didn't really use the book itself so I won't comment on that.

As for the on-line practice: It takes at least a half hour to get started. First you must create an account, yep another username and password to forget. Then you must surrender all your personal information, answer to a barrage of survey questions and marketing junk. Then you have to do a bunch of other crap like set goals and other mumbo jumbo that doesn't really help. Finally when you get to taking the practice tests, they are slow and clumsy. Not because of my internet connection (I tested loading other pages which came right up). Their server is extremely slow, sometimes making you wait several minutes for the next stage to load. Question submissions often fail, making you think you should wait for the question (while time ticks away) then you realize that you need to re-submit your answer to get the next one to load, only to find your wait indeed did tick away time from your test. Furthermore, the results are also cumbersome to retrieve, and solutions to the quesitons are also extremely slow to load, often taking several minutes.

When you do get through the test, it gives you a score, so you can see where you stand, and that's a valuable feature. But the practice scores can really only be used to track your improvement relative to each other, they should not be considered a reasonable estimation of your score. I got pretty consistent results on my practice tests, but on the real GRE my score was around 150 points lower than the practice test scores.

In short, if you really want to see what the test will look like and what the screen will be, then go ahead and use this resource, it will help you. But it is slow and cumbersome such that I don't believe it's an accurate representation of how the test will really work, or how you will score on it. ...more info

Good online practice tests

The four online practice tests are useful for familiarization, but don't expect the questions to match with those on the actual exam. There is not test prep book that knows what's going to be on the exam. I memorized a lot of vocabularies, i.e. all the Hit Parade and more from various websites, but still there were some vocabs I wasn't sure with. I got only 560 verbal on the actual test, while I got 660 on the practice test. Know your vocabs and know how to read the passage for GRE.

The math however was very helpful. I'm a physics major, but I still couldn't finish the math part. Left two questions and scored 700. If a question is too long, skip it. Don't get stuck on the POE too much; that's just the guideline. Go as fast as you can.

If you don't take the online practice tests, you will not do well. I recommend buying this book, just for the online practice tests. (It's a little tricky to access it. You have to click on the very first word in the link at the center.)...more info

Clear, to the point

The book contains very useful information, a set of vocab lists, and a lot of practice. I believe this is what helps the most. My only complaint is that in certain types of math problems, they teach you how to find the right answer without actually solving the problem. This bothers me- even if it takes longer to solve that way, I'd like to be able to do it. That said, I feel much more prepared thanks to this book....more info

Review of GRE 2008 Princeton Study Guide

The condition of the book was not new, but in very good condition. I was disappointed, however, that the CD was not included with the book....more info

Princeton Review Helped My GRE Score

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...more info

Fantastic

Fantastic book with very real help. The explanations are a little short sometimes but that makes one think just a little bit harder on how the answer was arrived at.

The DVD is a nice touch and a great asset to the book.

A must have......more info

Great book for studying for the GRE

This is a great book to get you started studying for the GRE's. It goes step-by-step and makes things a little less overwhelming....more info

Princeton Review Helped My GRE Score

Pretty satisfied

I feel that this book gave helpful hints and really helped my score on the GRE. The reason that I gave it 4 stars is because I did not feel adequately prepared for the verbal portion, but honestly I think that is near impossible!! All I got to say is good luck on that part. I would focus on really brushing up on math skills you learned long ago (I'm talkin 7th grade!). This is where you can really improve your score! ...more info

NOT the right book for math prep, good otherwise

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....more info

This book tells you WHY

If you're one of those people who needs to know WHY before you can begin, much less complete a task, you'll like how the authors of this guide break down each of the test components, and explain the most important thing about them (i.e. how to get the "correct" answer. What else do you really need to know?)

They acknowldege that standardized tests are not tests of ability or intellect or knowledge base, but merely a test of taking standardized tests. As a result, all you really need to know is how to take the GRE, by ultimately knowing WHY profit-based testing monopoly ETS asks you what they ask you.

This GRE guide covers all three sections of the test, and breaks each one down into their basic parts, tells you how to find the "correct" answer to each type of question you will encounter, and then explains why it is the 'best answer' (ETS refuses to say 'right' answer, because, well, it protects them from liability in case they are wrong. Experts don't write their test questons, after all).

Smart people who dislike standardized tests, and authority figures, wrote this book. I've used several of their study guides and always seek them out first. Theirs in never the most comprehensive guide available, but it's always the the most useful and helpful.

You will need other supplements for building your vocabulary, and accessing practice test questions (which can be found online for free)....more info

Good purchase

Arrived quickly and has been a great resource for my wife, who is taking the GRE to apply for physician assistant schools. She has mentioned several great things she has read and likes the general layout and practice tests....more info

this seems not as helpful as the other one. BUT if you need maths guidance etc. it might be very helpful....more info

New types of questions coming-- -- alert!

The computer administered GRE exam has changed with the November 2007 administration, and the practice exams in the new 2008 edition of Cracking the GRE do not appear to include the new question types. That's defensible in one sense because for at least the first administration in November, the new questions will not count in the final score. However, the new questions may start to count with the next or subsequent administrations, provided GRE can "validate" the scoring for the new format questions. Thus, if you are thinking of taking the test after November, this book is not quite enough. You'll also need to go to the GRE website and examine the format of the new questions if you want to be fully prepared and avoid any unpleasant "surprises." (I'm also hoping that Princeton Review will offer the new question types online at its website at the appropriate time.)

In case you were wondering, the new Verbal question type is a text completion question that requires the test taker to fill in two or three blanks within a passage from separate multiple-choice lists. Currently, the Verbal section contains text completion questions that require test takers to fill in one blank within a passage from a single multiple-choice list. The new Quantitative question type will be a numeric entry question that requires test takers to type their answer as a number in a box, or as a fraction in two boxes. Test takers can review sample questions and additional information about the new question types on the GRE website.

That said, this book is still quite useful, as the paramount element of this book is the wide-ranging vocabulary review. Princeton Review has included several hundred words that they feel crop up frequently on GRE exams. I unquestionably feel that reviewing the vocabulary part of the this book helped me come back with a few questions that I would not have known.

I also recommend going to the GRE's website and downloading the free PowerPrep software in addition to buying this book. It includes two full GRE tests and a few hundred practice problems, including the new type in verbal and in quantitative. Additionally, for the essay part of the examination, they include a few sample prompts and responses, so you can see the writing they grade highly....more info

Princeton Review - decent GRE preparation

Ok for learning GRE test taking techniques. I thought Princeton Review had better techniques, but Kaplan had better questions and quizzes were longer and more complete.

It cannot make studying fun, because this is a BORING test for which to study!

I did OK on the quant, but might have done a little better if studying for the test was not so mind-numbing.

I scored 1460/1600 which is good, but I was hoping for a better quantitative score. Results were:
Quant 760/800 = 86th percentile.
Verbal 700/800 = 97th percentile.

Did Princeton Review help? Certainly. I thought that the techniques for some test portions, esp analogies, were better dealt with than they were in Kaplan, but Kaplan had better quizzes - some of the PR stuff was simplistic in the quizzes they gave.

Update: I applied to, and was accepted by, Columbia for an MS in Operations Research, so the Quant score proved to be good enough....more info

I strongly recommend against this book!!

I'd rate this a ZERO, but Amazon wouldn't allow it. I spent 2 months carefully working through this book. With every concept and every subgroup within each section, I was left with a feeling of "is that it?". I was wanting more in every case. It just isn't enough instruction for the actual test. The verbal section was inadequate, but a passable review of concepts if you already know them and simply need a refresher. However, the math section is totally and completely worthless in preparation for an actual exam. It leaves out explanations of key concepts that are necessary for success, sample questions for each concept are minimal, some basics aren't taught until much later in the math section that would have been useful earlier, the instruction is vague, sometimes misleading and in some cases its more difficult to figure out WTF the instructor is trying to say than the actual math concept itself. I highly recommend the Barons comprehensive exam prep and the Kaplan Math Workbook. Both combined will give you all the tools you need to do the best that you possibly can on the GRE. They both are comprehensive, well written, and well organized. But for God sakes, don't waste your time or money with the Princeton Review. You'll spend a lot of money, waste a lot of time and it will leave as prepared as if you did nothing. I wish I could get back the time and money I wasted on this book. You are warned!!...more info

great service

Thanks! My book arrived very quickly and was in perfect condition. I appreciate the great service. ...more info

A good aid to "cramming" for the GRE

I ended up registering for the GRE at the last minute and received this book 4 days before my test date. While I do not recommend waiting until the last minute to begin studying for a test that can make a big difference on grad school applications, I definitely saw results in the short time I had to study. This book contains a DVD, which allows access to practice tests on the Princeton Review website. After taking 3 practice tests my score improved from a 690 quant/550 verbal to a 750 quant/610 verbal. Although the practice tests were certainly helpful in themselves, I would read the sections on the book that described how to do better on whatever sections I struggled on in the practice tests, and I think this is what improved my score the most. The authors have many valuable strategies for outsmarting the test, which save time and greatly increase the chances of guessing the right answer, should that become necessary.
I took the actual GRE today and scored a 790 quant/650 verbal, so the practice tests were definitely a good indicator of what is on the test, although I agree with some reviewers who complained that the math questions on the actual test seem tougher than what this book prepares you for. Again, I heartily recommend taking a decent amount of time to prepare for the GRE, but I certainly noticed a notable benefit from using this product for only 4 days....more info