Are you planning to take the GRE exam to enroll into your desirable college or university? Moreover, are you looking for the best GRE books around to start off your GRE prep? These books will give you the latest question patterns along with answers.
IF SO, then there are certain aspects which you need to sort out first!
Table of Contents
STARTING OFF-
- You need to take the online GRE practice test from its official website to get a clear picture of your baseline score and know about your strong points and areas of improvement
- Next, you need to set up a proper GRE study plan which best suits your capabilities and needs. If you are someone who relies on visual learning more, then you need to choose a study guide that comes with a CD.
- On the other hand, if you are short on time, you need to opt for a quality e-guide. However, if you have ample time: say about two months or so, you should go for the best GRE prep books.
- Along with that, you also need to procure a complete mock test, which allows you to test your skills and knowledge with reading comprehension, a quantitative section, and verbal reasoning practice questions.
- You should also aim to secure official GRE quantitative, study materials, GRE math official guide, or any focused area of concern as your additional guide to improving that particular section.
- In addition to these, you must also continuously take adaptive computer tests of the ETS to monitor your scores and gradually progress till the actual exam date.
The GRE or Graduate Record Examination is the mandatory standardized test that the ETS or Educational Testing Services conduct. These GRE scores are what most colleges and universities seek from their enrolling test taker(s) wanting to go for Master Degree Programs such as MSc degree or anything similar.
Furthermore, this generalized exam does not relate to any specific field or discipline. It is mainly designed to analyze one’s skills in 3 different sections- namely,
- Analytical Writing
- Verbal Reasoning
- Quantitative Reasoning
To be honest, cracking the GRE is by no means an easy task. It requires sound knowledge and proficient problem-solving skills in all quantitative, analytical, and verbal section(s).
Honing all those specific skills is only feasible by using the best GRE books around. And if you want to know which study materials and textbooks will be best for your GRE preparation, then follow this list carefully.
7 BEST GRE BOOKS FOR TEST TAKERS TO PREPARE GRE EXAM
1. Manhattan Prep GRE Set of 8 Strategy Guides, 4th Edition
As the 4th edition from the house of Manhattan Prep, this is one of the best GRE books around for students gearing up for their GRE.
It Features –
- 6 Math books and 2 verbal books, each of them dedicating to specific subject topics. They include – percentage and decimals, number properties, geometry, quantitative comparisons, data interpretation, fractions, algebra, reading comprehension, text completion, and sentence equivalence.
- Right at the end of every book will also feature an arrangement of 3-sets of practice questions as per its level of difficulty.
- This GRE prep guide also proves to be a wonderful way for you to learn about the exam concepts, techniques, and ways to apply them in testing questions. You will find concept-clearance and explanations to be clear and lucid for sound understanding.
All in all, this is another great GRE prep book that you must have in order to improve your success rate in the up-approaching exam.
If you also want to know the registration process, then follow Signing Up For The GRE – YOUR GUIDE TO REGISTERING!
2. PRINCETON REVIEW – CRACKING THE GRE REVIEW
The latest edition of the Princeton Review includes 4 full mock test papers along with answer explanations. Plus, it incorporates all 3 key parts of the GRE and provides the perfect practice drills for students looking to polish up their skills and ability in each of them.
In addition to all, these; you will also get timing tips, tactics to avoid traps, a list of key GRE vocabulary, and relevant exercises to prepare adequately.
3. GRE PREP BY MAGOOSH REVIEW
This GRE prep by Magoosh review comes in a quality blend of top practice questions and answers from all the past tests. In total, it consists of over 130 questions to help you grasp each concept properly.
In Addition-
- It contains in-depth explanations of statistics and explanation to answers to help you determine your skill level and where all to improve.
- There is even a different analytical writing section that allows you to augment your verbal skills.
- The practice tests also come with answer hints, which you can check after taking the test.
4. GRE PREP PLUS BY KAPLAN REVIEW
Being a recent inclusion by the house of Kaplan, this, too, includes in the best GRE books to use for aspiring candidates.
It includes the following –
- This practice test gives you access to an online practice test. You can access it anytime using your computer, mobile phone, and tablet
- It also contains testing methods to make you familiarize with the real exam conditions
- In addition to the online section, you will also find a total of 1700 questions and 6 practice tests. The text will cover all 3 sections of the GRE, and the practice questions will also consist of in-depth explanations.
In short, it’s good mix of online and text study materials makes this one of the best GRE guides around. Know also How Using Kaplan GRE Prep Proves Beneficial For You?
5. Manhattan’s 5Lb Prep GRE Book
As per the best GRE books, this study guide is another one that test-takers can unhesitantly use. This in-depth study guide comes from the house of Manhattan Prep and encompasses lots of practice questions focusing on all GRE sections.
In addition –
- This book contains numerous analytical writing assessment topics and proves great for reading comprehension
- Moreover, the best thing about this 5Lb prep GRE book is that its Quantitative section is seriously tough- probably more than the actual exam. Working with this advanced quant section could be the best thing for test-takers as it makes them ready for anything that comes in their real GRE.
6. Official GRE for Quantitative Reasoning by ETS
The Quantitative Reasoning section can be a doozy for many test-takers. However, with a good amount of practice and polishing up those problem-solving skills, this section can often turn from difficult to intriguing.
To hone up those quantitative reasoning skills, this official study guide by the ETS is the perfect tool.
Being an official GRE guide from the ETS, it contains a litany of concept-based questions that frankly are tougher than even the actual exam.
Its patterns are up to date with the revised GRE and with over 150 real test questions to work with; this will help you prepare for the worst.
If you have financial problem, you can also try for the GRE fee waiver option.
7. ETS’s Official GRE Verbal Reasoning Practice Questions
Lastly, this book by the ETS is specifically for students who have issues with the verbal reasoning section.
As the official GRE verbal practice text –
- It contains over 150 actual GRE verbal reasoning questions along with its complete answers
- It presents the best GRE analytical writing measures along with analytical writing tasks and its score responses
- In addition, the arrangement of its verbal practice section is as per the difficulty level of the actual GRE
Solving its verbal reasoning practice questions will be tough. But if you dedicate to work with it during your study plan, then you will have no issues during the actual exam.
THE KEY TO GRE SUCCESS –
Hard Work, Commitment & Honing Skills Using the best GRE books around!
While it is true that there are no shortages of best GRE books around to work it, in picking one, it all comes down to your personal preference.
However, the most important thing here is to work hard, commit yourself dedicatedly to your study plan, and hone those skills that need more improvement. These prep guides will prove to be a wonderful medium through which you can better your skills and problem-solving abilities.
That said, you must also think about enlisting help from the top online GRE tutors to help you prepare. As said before, the GRE is not an easy to crack. But it is not impossible either.
So stay confident and positive. Work with your chosen GRE prep books (be it the ones above or any other of your choosing). And listen to every piece of knowledge and advice your GRE tutors provide you.
All of these will go a long way in improving your chances of cracking the GRE and securing your course program from the college/university you want.