It's all you need., 23 Oct 2008
Perfectly adequate, full of helpful tips. Nothing on the exam was a suprise. What more could one ask for. Don't waste your money on anything else.

A Good Strategy Book, 24 Oct 2000
I agree with the below reviews in that this is a very good strategy book. The dummies book is not written for dummies but is written in an intertaining and logical way. I do have a couple of critical comments, however. First, I think something is lacking in the verbal section. Susan Vri's idea is that you must only study the roots of words as opposed to memorizing a whole bunch of words. While I found her "root strategy" to be very helpful, I still missed the obligatory word list. So I bought a GRE verb book and memorized 900 words. Believe, this can be done in a week, if you do it in a systematic way. Secondly, her math section was not structured in a logical way. She presupposed certain knowledge when explaining. Later, she would reveal that knowledge which impeded you understanding in the previous section. I felt that I needed to supplement her book with another math books.

A must buy! Indispensible!, 04 Sep 1999
I am taking the GREs to get a certain score to get into the school of my choice. I have taken this test twice and failed to reach my goal. Prior to the the first try I shelled out big money for a Kaplan course and bought Kaplan's cd-rom. For the second test I bought Princeton's cd-rom. I memorized hundreds of vocabulary words, took endless practice tests, and sat through banal classes -- and still was not able to meet my goal. If you are applying to graduate school, all of the standard guides and cd-roms will seem patronizing at best. In desperation and preparation of my third try I bought the 'Dummies' book. While some of the vocabulary is rather general, the tactics are marvelous! The vocabulary is based on roots, prefixes and suffixes... much better than memorizing definitions by rote. The study strategies are really useful. The math section explains each answer in full. The time management strategies are great. I would highly recommend using this book in conjunction with one of the standard ETS guides. While the title is daunting, you won't be disappointed with the content.

A thorough, yet concise prep tool - very helpful., 17 Jul 1999
I purchased this book 2-3 weeks before taking the computer-based GRE. I went through all the material and took both practice exams. I found the book to be extremely useful in terms of the many tips for doing well, even though you may not have the material totally mastered. I am 40 years old, married, two kids, and work full-time. I needed something that could help me get it done quick. This book really proved to be well worth my time and money. I will say that I found the analytical and verbal sections on the actual test more difficult than the practice exams. Nevertheless, I scored just as well on the actual test as on the practices: V-580, Q-530, A-580, for an overall score of 1690. I needed a 1600 for the masters program I am applying to. I really think the strategies I learned from the book are what helped me, because there were several questions on the exam I felt clueless about. Thanks Suzee!

This book is the best GRE-Prep I've used!, 22 Jun 1999
The auther uses humor throughout the review and incorporates basic lessons to get you through this agonizing (but quite important) process. She talks to those who just graduated with an undergraduate degree and are (hopefully) off to grad school AS WELL AS to those who haven't sat in class for years. Each question she presents includes a full explanation, along with potential traps, tips and very useful strategies. The author really makes you interested in "studying" for the GRE and helps you realize there is a way to prepare for this test! The book includes all of the appropriate reviews for each section of the real test (analogies, antonyms, reading comprehension, real math, quantitative review, logic, etc...) plus 2 complete practice tests.

It's all you need., 23 Oct 2008
Perfectly adequate, full of helpful tips. Nothing on the exam was a suprise. What more could one ask for. Don't waste your money on anything else.

A Good Strategy Book, 24 Oct 2000
I agree with the below reviews in that this is a very good strategy book. The dummies book is not written for dummies but is written in an intertaining and logical way. I do have a couple of critical comments, however. First, I think something is lacking in the verbal section. Susan Vri's idea is that you must only study the roots of words as opposed to memorizing a whole bunch of words. While I found her "root strategy" to be very helpful, I still missed the obligatory word list. So I bought a GRE verb book and memorized 900 words. Believe, this can be done in a week, if you do it in a systematic way. Secondly, her math section was not structured in a logical way. She presupposed certain knowledge when explaining. Later, she would reveal that knowledge which impeded you understanding in the previous section. I felt that I needed to supplement her book with another math books.

A must buy! Indispensible!, 04 Sep 1999
I am taking the GREs to get a certain score to get into the school of my choice. I have taken this test twice and failed to reach my goal. Prior to the the first try I shelled out big money for a Kaplan course and bought Kaplan's cd-rom. For the second test I bought Princeton's cd-rom. I memorized hundreds of vocabulary words, took endless practice tests, and sat through banal classes -- and still was not able to meet my goal. If you are applying to graduate school, all of the standard guides and cd-roms will seem patronizing at best. In desperation and preparation of my third try I bought the 'Dummies' book. While some of the vocabulary is rather general, the tactics are marvelous! The vocabulary is based on roots, prefixes and suffixes... much better than memorizing definitions by rote. The study strategies are really useful. The math section explains each answer in full. The time management strategies are great. I would highly recommend using this book in conjunction with one of the standard ETS guides. While the title is daunting, you won't be disappointed with the content.

A thorough, yet concise prep tool - very helpful., 17 Jul 1999
I purchased this book 2-3 weeks before taking the computer-based GRE. I went through all the material and took both practice exams. I found the book to be extremely useful in terms of the many tips for doing well, even though you may not have the material totally mastered. I am 40 years old, married, two kids, and work full-time. I needed something that could help me get it done quick. This book really proved to be well worth my time and money. I will say that I found the analytical and verbal sections on the actual test more difficult than the practice exams. Nevertheless, I scored just as well on the actual test as on the practices: V-580, Q-530, A-580, for an overall score of 1690. I needed a 1600 for the masters program I am applying to. I really think the strategies I learned from the book are what helped me, because there were several questions on the exam I felt clueless about. Thanks Suzee!

This book is the best GRE-Prep I've used!, 22 Jun 1999
The auther uses humor throughout the review and incorporates basic lessons to get you through this agonizing (but quite important) process. She talks to those who just graduated with an undergraduate degree and are (hopefully) off to grad school AS WELL AS to those who haven't sat in class for years. Each question she presents includes a full explanation, along with potential traps, tips and very useful strategies. The author really makes you interested in "studying" for the GRE and helps you realize there is a way to prepare for this test! The book includes all of the appropriate reviews for each section of the real test (analogies, antonyms, reading comprehension, real math, quantitative review, logic, etc...) plus 2 complete practice tests.

A good textbook, 29 Sep 2003
This is the official ETS release for the GRE exam. And it is a very good guide for those preparing for this test. The book goes through a lot of background to prepare you for the Verbal, Maths and Analytical sections, including revision chapters, and sample tests and essays. But the best feature of the book are the 7 tests at the end, and to prepare for the GRE, you need practise more than anything.

But be warned: the practise tests are 'Paper-based' tests; which are not quite the same standard as the 'Computer-based' tests. For a computer test, you need to get Powerprep which is sent to you by ETS when you register for the exam. Powerprep is excellent, and as close an example to the real thing you will get.

All in all, this manual is good, but not the best on the market. For better guides, seek the Kaplan books.

If you want to pracitce real tests this is the book for you., 16 Nov 1998
Good book. All the tests have answers and scoring sheets. If you do every test in the book you will be as prepared as you are ever likely to be.

It's all you need., 23 Oct 2008
Perfectly adequate, full of helpful tips. Nothing on the exam was a suprise. What more could one ask for. Don't waste your money on anything else.

A Good Strategy Book, 24 Oct 2000
I agree with the below reviews in that this is a very good strategy book. The dummies book is not written for dummies but is written in an intertaining and logical way. I do have a couple of critical comments, however. First, I think something is lacking in the verbal section. Susan Vri's idea is that you must only study the roots of words as opposed to memorizing a whole bunch of words. While I found her "root strategy" to be very helpful, I still missed the obligatory word list. So I bought a GRE verb book and memorized 900 words. Believe, this can be done in a week, if you do it in a systematic way. Secondly, her math section was not structured in a logical way. She presupposed certain knowledge when explaining. Later, she would reveal that knowledge which impeded you understanding in the previous section. I felt that I needed to supplement her book with another math books.

A must buy! Indispensible!, 04 Sep 1999
I am taking the GREs to get a certain score to get into the school of my choice. I have taken this test twice and failed to reach my goal. Prior to the the first try I shelled out big money for a Kaplan course and bought Kaplan's cd-rom. For the second test I bought Princeton's cd-rom. I memorized hundreds of vocabulary words, took endless practice tests, and sat through banal classes -- and still was not able to meet my goal. If you are applying to graduate school, all of the standard guides and cd-roms will seem patronizing at best. In desperation and preparation of my third try I bought the 'Dummies' book. While some of the vocabulary is rather general, the tactics are marvelous! The vocabulary is based on roots, prefixes and suffixes... much better than memorizing definitions by rote. The study strategies are really useful. The math section explains each answer in full. The time management strategies are great. I would highly recommend using this book in conjunction with one of the standard ETS guides. While the title is daunting, you won't be disappointed with the content.

A thorough, yet concise prep tool - very helpful., 17 Jul 1999
I purchased this book 2-3 weeks before taking the computer-based GRE. I went through all the material and took both practice exams. I found the book to be extremely useful in terms of the many tips for doing well, even though you may not have the material totally mastered. I am 40 years old, married, two kids, and work full-time. I needed something that could help me get it done quick. This book really proved to be well worth my time and money. I will say that I found the analytical and verbal sections on the actual test more difficult than the practice exams. Nevertheless, I scored just as well on the actual test as on the practices: V-580, Q-530, A-580, for an overall score of 1690. I needed a 1600 for the masters program I am applying to. I really think the strategies I learned from the book are what helped me, because there were several questions on the exam I felt clueless about. Thanks Suzee!

This book is the best GRE-Prep I've used!, 22 Jun 1999
The auther uses humor throughout the review and incorporates basic lessons to get you through this agonizing (but quite important) process. She talks to those who just graduated with an undergraduate degree and are (hopefully) off to grad school AS WELL AS to those who haven't sat in class for years. Each question she presents includes a full explanation, along with potential traps, tips and very useful strategies. The author really makes you interested in "studying" for the GRE and helps you realize there is a way to prepare for this test! The book includes all of the appropriate reviews for each section of the real test (analogies, antonyms, reading comprehension, real math, quantitative review, logic, etc...) plus 2 complete practice tests.

A good textbook, 29 Sep 2003
This is the official ETS release for the GRE exam. And it is a very good guide for those preparing for this test. The book goes through a lot of background to prepare you for the Verbal, Maths and Analytical sections, including revision chapters, and sample tests and essays. But the best feature of the book are the 7 tests at the end, and to prepare for the GRE, you need practise more than anything.

But be warned: the practise tests are 'Paper-based' tests; which are not quite the same standard as the 'Computer-based' tests. For a computer test, you need to get Powerprep which is sent to you by ETS when you register for the exam. Powerprep is excellent, and as close an example to the real thing you will get.

All in all, this manual is good, but not the best on the market. For better guides, seek the Kaplan books.

If you want to pracitce real tests this is the book for you., 16 Nov 1998
Good book. All the tests have answers and scoring sheets. If you do every test in the book you will be as prepared as you are ever likely to be.

BEST BOOK FOR LEARNING NEW WORDS, 17 Aug 1999
This book is so much better than Princeton's Review Word Smart in that this book is more creative! Word Power is a progressive book in which you learn more words according to difficulty as opposed to an exhaustive list of words I never saw on the ACT. Word Power is the vocabulary book to buy!

It's all you need., 23 Oct 2008
Perfectly adequate, full of helpful tips. Nothing on the exam was a suprise. What more could one ask for. Don't waste your money on anything else.

A Good Strategy Book, 24 Oct 2000
I agree with the below reviews in that this is a very good strategy book. The dummies book is not written for dummies but is written in an intertaining and logical way. I do have a couple of critical comments, however. First, I think something is lacking in the verbal section. Susan Vri's idea is that you must only study the roots of words as opposed to memorizing a whole bunch of words. While I found her "root strategy" to be very helpful, I still missed the obligatory word list. So I bought a GRE verb book and memorized 900 words. Believe, this can be done in a week, if you do it in a systematic way. Secondly, her math section was not structured in a logical way. She presupposed certain knowledge when explaining. Later, she would reveal that knowledge which impeded you understanding in the previous section. I felt that I needed to supplement her book with another math books.

A must buy! Indispensible!, 04 Sep 1999
I am taking the GREs to get a certain score to get into the school of my choice. I have taken this test twice and failed to reach my goal. Prior to the the first try I shelled out big money for a Kaplan course and bought Kaplan's cd-rom. For the second test I bought Princeton's cd-rom. I memorized hundreds of vocabulary words, took endless practice tests, and sat through banal classes -- and still was not able to meet my goal. If you are applying to graduate school, all of the standard guides and cd-roms will seem patronizing at best. In desperation and preparation of my third try I bought the 'Dummies' book. While some of the vocabulary is rather general, the tactics are marvelous! The vocabulary is based on roots, prefixes and suffixes... much better than memorizing definitions by rote. The study strategies are really useful. The math section explains each answer in full. The time management strategies are great. I would highly recommend using this book in conjunction with one of the standard ETS guides. While the title is daunting, you won't be disappointed with the content.

A thorough, yet concise prep tool - very helpful., 17 Jul 1999
I purchased this book 2-3 weeks before taking the computer-based GRE. I went through all the material and took both practice exams. I found the book to be extremely useful in terms of the many tips for doing well, even though you may not have the material totally mastered. I am 40 years old, married, two kids, and work full-time. I needed something that could help me get it done quick. This book really proved to be well worth my time and money. I will say that I found the analytical and verbal sections on the actual test more difficult than the practice exams. Nevertheless, I scored just as well on the actual test as on the practices: V-580, Q-530, A-580, for an overall score of 1690. I needed a 1600 for the masters program I am applying to. I really think the strategies I learned from the book are what helped me, because there were several questions on the exam I felt clueless about. Thanks Suzee!

This book is the best GRE-Prep I've used!, 22 Jun 1999
The auther uses humor throughout the review and incorporates basic lessons to get you through this agonizing (but quite important) process. She talks to those who just graduated with an undergraduate degree and are (hopefully) off to grad school AS WELL AS to those who haven't sat in class for years. Each question she presents includes a full explanation, along with potential traps, tips and very useful strategies. The author really makes you interested in "studying" for the GRE and helps you realize there is a way to prepare for this test! The book includes all of the appropriate reviews for each section of the real test (analogies, antonyms, reading comprehension, real math, quantitative review, logic, etc...) plus 2 complete practice tests.

A good textbook, 29 Sep 2003
This is the official ETS release for the GRE exam. And it is a very good guide for those preparing for this test. The book goes through a lot of background to prepare you for the Verbal, Maths and Analytical sections, including revision chapters, and sample tests and essays. But the best feature of the book are the 7 tests at the end, and to prepare for the GRE, you need practise more than anything.

But be warned: the practise tests are 'Paper-based' tests; which are not quite the same standard as the 'Computer-based' tests. For a computer test, you need to get Powerprep which is sent to you by ETS when you register for the exam. Powerprep is excellent, and as close an example to the real thing you will get.

All in all, this manual is good, but not the best on the market. For better guides, seek the Kaplan books.

If you want to pracitce real tests this is the book for you., 16 Nov 1998
Good book. All the tests have answers and scoring sheets. If you do every test in the book you will be as prepared as you are ever likely to be.

BEST BOOK FOR LEARNING NEW WORDS, 17 Aug 1999
This book is so much better than Princeton's Review Word Smart in that this book is more creative! Word Power is a progressive book in which you learn more words according to difficulty as opposed to an exhaustive list of words I never saw on the ACT. Word Power is the vocabulary book to buy!

nobody is perfect, but come on... you are pushing it!, 11 Nov 2007
If the 3rd edition was full of typoes.. how bad was the 1st one?
on a positive note: i liked the structure and the fact that they provide you w a new prospective on certain topics.

It's all you need., 23 Oct 2008
Perfectly adequate, full of helpful tips. Nothing on the exam was a suprise. What more could one ask for. Don't waste your money on anything else.

A Good Strategy Book, 24 Oct 2000
I agree with the below reviews in that this is a very good strategy book. The dummies book is not written for dummies but is written in an intertaining and logical way. I do have a couple of critical comments, however. First, I think something is lacking in the verbal section. Susan Vri's idea is that you must only study the roots of words as opposed to memorizing a whole bunch of words. While I found her "root strategy" to be very helpful, I still missed the obligatory word list. So I bought a GRE verb book and memorized 900 words. Believe, this can be done in a week, if you do it in a systematic way. Secondly, her math section was not structured in a logical way. She presupposed certain knowledge when explaining. Later, she would reveal that knowledge which impeded you understanding in the previous section. I felt that I needed to supplement her book with another math books.

A must buy! Indispensible!, 04 Sep 1999
I am taking the GREs to get a certain score to get into the school of my choice. I have taken this test twice and failed to reach my goal. Prior to the the first try I shelled out big money for a Kaplan course and bought Kaplan's cd-rom. For the second test I bought Princeton's cd-rom. I memorized hundreds of vocabulary words, took endless practice tests, and sat through banal classes -- and still was not able to meet my goal. If you are applying to graduate school, all of the standard guides and cd-roms will seem patronizing at best. In desperation and preparation of my third try I bought the 'Dummies' book. While some of the vocabulary is rather general, the tactics are marvelous! The vocabulary is based on roots, prefixes and suffixes... much better than memorizing definitions by rote. The study strategies are really useful. The math section explains each answer in full. The time management strategies are great. I would highly recommend using this book in conjunction with one of the standard ETS guides. While the title is daunting, you won't be disappointed with the content.

A thorough, yet concise prep tool - very helpful., 17 Jul 1999
I purchased this book 2-3 weeks before taking the computer-based GRE. I went through all the material and took both practice exams. I found the book to be extremely useful in terms of the many tips for doing well, even though you may not have the material totally mastered. I am 40 years old, married, two kids, and work full-time. I needed something that could help me get it done quick. This book really proved to be well worth my time and money. I will say that I found the analytical and verbal sections on the actual test more difficult than the practice exams. Nevertheless, I scored just as well on the actual test as on the practices: V-580, Q-530, A-580, for an overall score of 1690. I needed a 1600 for the masters program I am applying to. I really think the strategies I learned from the book are what helped me, because there were several questions on the exam I felt clueless about. Thanks Suzee!

This book is the best GRE-Prep I've used!, 22 Jun 1999
The auther uses humor throughout the review and incorporates basic lessons to get you through this agonizing (but quite important) process. She talks to those who just graduated with an undergraduate degree and are (hopefully) off to grad school AS WELL AS to those who haven't sat in class for years. Each question she presents includes a full explanation, along with potential traps, tips and very useful strategies. The author really makes you interested in "studying" for the GRE and helps you realize there is a way to prepare for this test! The book includes all of the appropriate reviews for each section of the real test (analogies, antonyms, reading comprehension, real math, quantitative review, logic, etc...) plus 2 complete practice tests.

A good textbook, 29 Sep 2003
This is the official ETS release for the GRE exam. And it is a very good guide for those preparing for this test. The book goes through a lot of background to prepare you for the Verbal, Maths and Analytical sections, including revision chapters, and sample tests and essays. But the best feature of the book are the 7 tests at the end, and to prepare for the GRE, you need practise more than anything.

But be warned: the practise tests are 'Paper-based' tests; which are not quite the same standard as the 'Computer-based' tests. For a computer test, you need to get Powerprep which is sent to you by ETS when you register for the exam. Powerprep is excellent, and as close an example to the real thing you will get.

All in all, this manual is good, but not the best on the market. For better guides, seek the Kaplan books.

If you want to pracitce real tests this is the book for you., 16 Nov 1998
Good book. All the tests have answers and scoring sheets. If you do every test in the book you will be as prepared as you are ever likely to be.

BEST BOOK FOR LEARNING NEW WORDS, 17 Aug 1999
This book is so much better than Princeton's Review Word Smart in that this book is more creative! Word Power is a progressive book in which you learn more words according to difficulty as opposed to an exhaustive list of words I never saw on the ACT. Word Power is the vocabulary book to buy!

nobody is perfect, but come on... you are pushing it!, 11 Nov 2007
If the 3rd edition was full of typoes.. how bad was the 1st one?
on a positive note: i liked the structure and the fact that they provide you w a new prospective on certain topics.

What a Waste!, 22 May 1999
Save your money on this dog of a test guide and instead, check out the Magill Masterpieces of World Literature, ed. by Frank Magill. Well written, concise, pertinent, and more timely for what the test covers. Good luck.

THE BEST? I BEG TO DIFFER!, 23 Dec 1998
No, this is not the best test prep for the Lit in English exam -- more like the worst. I postponed the damn test for two years because of this book, thinking I needed to know much much more than I did. My suggestion for a study plan is this: Buy the "Cracking the Gre lit in eng" and "Practicing to take the Gre lit in Eng" then use the "Masterplots" series in your library for an excellent 2-3 page synopsis of those great works of lit you've just never gotten around to actually reading. Like myself, you may find after reading the excellent essays that you want to read the real thing -- but, for the test, you will cull all the info you need from Masterplots. They also have a Poetry series that covers any poem that may pop up. A real gem, these Masterplots! I wish I would have encountered them before this "best test prep" tome. Good luck and don't sweat it. Bring some glucose for the 4 o'clock sugar blues.

Thanks for your comments!, 07 Dec 1998
I'm signed up for the test on Dec. 12 and dug out this book to supplement my studies from both the ets and the princeton book. I soon became depressed after the first practice test, scoring maybe 6 out of 10. It made me panic until I read your opinions. Think I'll can this book, as it was psyching me out--

Misleading and outdated., 20 Nov 1998
The GRE Subject Test in English Literature seems daunting, and this book does nothing to alleviate those anxieties. The major problem is the proposterous 7 page list of authors and titles that prefaces the book. I couldn't quite figure out what this list meant; however, my best guess is that the authors somehow believe that if you read all 300 or so books on the list then you'll do pretty well on the exam. That is ludicrous. It would take one well over a year to read every work on the list if that was the only thing one did all day long -reading those books- which of course is completely unrealistic. I can't believe the authors of this book were so far off in their judgement of what it takes to get a good score! The practice tests which make up the rest of this huge tome are, of course, only approximations of the real thing and I believe the other reviewer when he/she says that those practice tests look nothing like the current exam. If you are taking the exam, forget about huge reading lists like the one presented in this book and instead try to maximize your score by using logical approaches like those outlined in two excellent guides to the exam, "Cracking the Gre Literature in English Subject Test (2nd Ed" by the Princeton Review and "English Literature : Practicing to Take the Literature in English Test (3rd Ed)" by ETS.

This book is completely out of date!, 09 Nov 1998
I just took the 1998 Subject test last week, and I can tell you it does not at all resemble the practice tests in this book. Although this book has a 1997 copyright date, I discovered after months of studying and stressing out that it contains practice tests which are clearly extremely out of date. I took four of the six tests in the book and scored in the 50-60th percentile each time. This surprised me since I have quite a good background in English lit. So I set to work cramming all kinds of obscure authors and literary terms. Then I got the official practice book from the ETS, and surprise! It contained a very different practice test, with much more contemporary questions on literary theory, non-canonical writers, etc. I sat down and took that practice test and scored in the 99th percentile! All that pain for nothing...Don't make the mistake I made! Find another practice book, and make sure it contains test questions similar to those in the official ETS book.