A Review of the Kaplan GRE Premier Book

Kaplan, Inc. was founded in 1938 by Stanley Kaplan and has done extensive research about standardized test preparation since its founding. As a results of Kaplan's reseach, the company has produced excellent test preparation resources, as well as a variety of other products. The Kaplan GRE Premier book is among Kaplan's best resources for preparing for the Graduate Record Exam (GRE) in an organized manner. The way the book is divided allows the reader to specifically target the areas they are most concerned with without having to flip back and forth. It provides the reader with detailed descriptions of what to expect for each section of the test and the best strategies for approaching those sections. The book also has an interactive online component. Without the CD-ROM, which if you have an internet connection is unnecessary, Kaplan GRE Premier retails for around $35 and is well worth the price tag.

The reference section of the book is located at the end of the book, but it's very effective to start there when you begin to study. The section includes word groups (not necessarily synonyms, but words that can be loosely associated with one another), root words, vocabulary and all of the mathematical concepts that may be tested on the GRE. Before taking a practice test (usually the first practice test helps analyze weaknesses), taking a look at the back of the book will be helpful. The reference section allows the reader to get familiar with the types of words and mathematical concepts that that will be encountered on the practice exams.

Once the reader takes a practice exam it is easy to differentiate strengths from weaknesses and focus efforts on the areas that need the most improvement. The reference section is an excellent study guide. However, the vocabulary words in the reference section are simply the most popular GRE words, they are not the only GRE words you will find when taking the test. To expand vocabulary beyond the words defined in the reference section, the online component's word of the day is a fantastic resource. Also note that the word groups presented are loose associations not definitions, but for the purpose of the GRE, these associations will be enough to answer the questions presented.

The downside to the reference section is that the definitions for the vocabulary words and the word groups do not provide you with parts of speech. When memorizing definitions of words, it's very effective to use them in sentences; because one needs to know which part of speech a word is in order to do this, it takes a bit of extra work if using the words in context is part of the reader's study method. While one can easily infer which part of speech some words belong to, it may be a bit more difficult for many of the less-used words that are likely to be tested on the GRE.

The strategies section of the book is an excellent way to mentally prepare for how to approach GRE questions. Example questions are given, as well as the directions you will find on the GRE for that particular section. The Kaplan GRE Premier book provides strategies for each individual section of the test, rather than for the test as a whole. The book includes strategies such as,Kaplan's 4-step method for sentence completion, Kaplan's 4-step method for antonyms and Kaplan's 4-step method for reading comprehension, as well as a plethora of strategies for quantitative questions and essays.

The practice section of the book not only gives students an opportunity to gauge how prepared they are, but it also has detailed explanations of the correct answers. Rather than just finding out that their answers were wrong, they can find out why the answers are wrong and work on answering those types of questions correctly. If the explanation in the practice section isn't sufficient, the reference section provides even more details on mathematical formulas and concepts.

The online component has a wealth of information for students preparing to take the GRE. Online, students can stay updated with any changes that are made to the exam, it also answers additional questions on what to expect on exam day. It includes additional practice questions for each section and a full length practice exam that is as close to the actual exam as possible. With the purchase of Kaplan GRE Premier, comes a key for an online account with Kaplan that allows access to all of these features. The online component also announces a variety of free events in the student's area including a sample test preparation class, tips on applying to graduate school and tips for financing graduate school.

The Kaplan GRE Premier book is a wealth of resources and it's more than worth it's price tag. With this book student's can customize their studying-experience to focus on the aspects of the test that they need the most help with. Because the GRE is administered electronically, the online component and the full practice exam that is included allow students to experience a full exam that closely resembles what they will see on test day. If read from cover to cover and studied thoroughly, the Kaplan GRE Premier book is sure to increase GRE scores for any student!