GRE The Official Guide to the Revised General Test with CD-ROM, Second Edition [Paperback]

I'm a full-time test prep tutor, I've taken the Revised GRE, and I've written two preparation books for it (Barron's 6 GRE Practice Tests, and GRE Vocab Capacity). As such, I'm very familiar with the test (maybe a little too familiar).

This version of the ETS Official Guide to the Revised GRE is exactly the same as the old version except for a couple of important things:

1. There's a new paper practice test. This is great, since it brings the number of authentic GRE practice tests available to four.
2. Sample responses to the 2nd paper test's essays are included with grader commentary. This is useful since you can see what the real graders liked and what they didn't.

Things I like about this book:

1. The AWA (analytical writing assessment) chapter is well-written. Not only does it clearly explain how to score well, but it includes real sample essays (and there are more sample essays + commentary at the end of each paper test).
2. The book and CD have real GRE questions and tests (obviously). Using real questions is much more valuable that using those written by a third party because they are always more realistic and therefore are better preparation for the real GRE you're going to take. The computer tests are exactly like the real GRE I took.
3. The book covers all question types and math concepts.

Things I don't like:

1. The question explanations are often inaccessible to the average student, too technical/highfalutin, or too presumptive that the student understands certain concepts. I realize that the book can't explain everything, but more question explanations could be written in layman's terms. Similarly, the math review goes into too much detail about certain concepts and skimps on others.
2. The strategies in the book are not very insightful. Any good tutor or test-prep book can offer more helpful strategies than this book - but I guess we shouldn't expect ETS to give us the best tips on its own test - just like we shouldn't expect the IRS to tell us how to save the most money on our taxes.
3. The CD is only compatible with PCs, not Macs. I don't think any of my students use PCs anymore. (I live in San Diego, but I suspect most GRE test-takers, or a large percentage of them, only have Macs).

The practice tests on the CD are the same ones you can download from the GRE website for free (but they're still PC only).

Overall, this book is essential to prepare for the new GRE, and your time spent with it will pay off. Even if you think you're very good at math, verbal, and/or writing, mastering the GRE demands getting used to its format, quirks, and nuances. I strongly recommend that you supplement this book with another source of practice tests/technique and with an experienced GRE tutor. If you're interested in my help, either in-person or via Skype, lemme know.

To make this review short I will just say that if you are an individual such as myself, who has struggled with math since grade school and are now trying to learn enough math to get a humble score on the GRE this is not the book you should be purchasing. This book assumes that you already have a decent understanding of mathematical concepts in Geometry, Algebra, and Statistics. For those of us who are majoring in social sciences or another non math related field this book will feel like it is skimming through weeks worth of math concepts on every single page.

I found it to be utterly impossible to understand many of the ideas presented in the book due to the cluttering of these concepts and marginal explanation of how they work together. I found the Princeton Review book to be much more organized and easy to follow due to my severe math deficiencies. The Princeton review does not attempt to teach you 3 years of math by giving you a extremely condensed and limited version of concepts that you barely understood the first time around. Instead its focus is on helping you simply get through the GRE. This book does not even allow you to look at the answer choices in the practice problems as A,B,C,D,E as you would have them on the GRE so it forces you to do the problems their way without actually providing you with enough explanation to understand those problems in the first place. The Princeton review embraces the idea of turning a hard algebra problem into a simple arithmetic problem by plugging in, this book does not even mention this invaluable strategy! Nor does it let you apply it because as stated previously, it does not provide you with A,B,C,D,E answer choices!

If you are someone who has done well in math in the past and just need a refresher for the GRE I recommend this book for you however, if you are like myself, an individual who has struggled with math since elementary school, avidly avoided math in college, and are now trying to pursue a graduate education in your (non math related) field then I would highly advice you to look into both the Princeton review and the GRE for Dummies 7th Edition books. Although not perfect they are much easier to understand for those of us who are dreadful at math.

BUYER BEWARE!!!!! This is nearly the EXACT same book as Edition 1. Reading through it, the questions are ALL the same. The ONLY exception is they include one extra practice test at the end. I strongly advise you to consider another study prep if you're in the market and already have edition 1.