Best GRE books or tips?

Moogie · Aug 13, 2010

Moved to the Post Graduate Nursing Student Forum to elicit more responses.

CrufflerJJ, BSN, RN, EMT-P · Aug 13, 2010

hi all,
i was looking up graduate school requirements and all of them required the GRE (this means the general exam, right?) was it tough?
i was wondering if any of you could recommend to me some books that were helpful to you. i don't perform too well on standardized exams and could use some tips as well! thank you all!

The GRE covers high school math (plus verbal stuff + essays), so theoretically it shouldn't be too hateful. That being said, I prepped for my GRE for about 6 weeks, and am glad that I did.

Check your local library for GRE prep books/CDROMs. I liked the Kaplan GRE book/CD most of all. Barrons was also pretty good, but I really like Kaplan. The Kaplan CD asks you up front "how long do you have to prep", and designs a study program aimed at improving upon your weaknesses (evaluated by a sample exam). This was VERY helpful for me.

Give yourself at least a month or so of prepping for the exam (an hour or so per day). Don't just go in to the test "cold", although for some folks, that might work.

The GRE is very "doable". You want to score as well as possible on the exam, since good results may improve your chance of being accepted to your program High scores might also improve your chances of receiving a scholarship.

Good luck!

Moogie · Aug 14, 2010

I am using the 2011 Princeton Review w/ CD as well as Barron's Essential Words for the GRE and Barron's GRE Math Workbook. My son had a copy of McGraw-Hill's 2009 GRE but as I was doing some of the exercises in that particular book, I found numerous errors (e.g., the practice question asked one to multiply two quotients but the answer was correct only if one added the two quotients.)

I am impressed with the two Barron's books because the math workbook seems like a fairly comprehensive review for someone who hasn't taken math (other than statistics) in a while and the word essentials book would be useful as a resource just to increase one's vocabulary.

Thanks for the heads up on the Kaplan book, CrufferJJ. I might look into that one if I don't feel adequately prepared with the three books I already have.

And to the OP---good luck on the GRE! I hope it goes well for both of us!

UVA Grad Nursing · Aug 14, 2010

I had to take the GRE twice -- as there was more than 5 years between my Masters and PhD programs. I recommend spending some time (6-8 weeks) to prepare for it.

I would recommend taking one of the GRE sample tests (from one of the books) cold at first. This is a baseline and expect to do poorly. Then use that as a diagnosis test. What areas did you know well, and what did you mess up? Create a plan of study to address what you messed up. There is no sense focusing study time on something like 'fractions' that you know well. Then take another sample test at the 1 month mark (and reward yourself for improving!). Then see if you need to adjust/edit your study plan as you hit the homestretch.

A second tactic I used for vocabulary and reading comprehension practice is that I also used a LSAT booklet for preparation. I found the reading comprehension parts of the LSAT to be much tougher than those used in the GRE. So when it came time for me to take the GRE, I actually found it easier than I had expected (and I had time to spare in each section).

One note: I have always performed well on standardized tests, so I never feel stressed/fearful of them.

audacia · Aug 14, 2010

thanks guys! i went out to check out the kaplan book and supposedly, ETS is getting ready to change the GRE in August of 2011.

Educational Testing Service (ETS), the organization that writes and administers the GRE, has announced a series of major changes to the test. The changes, planned for August 2011, promise to be the most significant changes to the GRE General Test in the test's history.