Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I am a Harvard graduate, 99% scorer and professional GRE tutor with 16 years of experience, and it’s safe to say that I am not a fan of this book. The fact that this is currently the highest selling GRE test-prep book on Amazon tells me that GRE test-takers don't always know what they are doing, and perhaps that they don't realize that the 6 tests (5 online CATs and 1 in the book) are not real GREs. It also tells me that sometimes, marketing and hype can trump quality and realism. To me, Kaplan has always represented the lowest common denominator of test-prep books, and this one is no exception. First, let’s contrast Kaplan’s book description with reality. **Kaplan: “GRE Premier 2017 is a comprehensive prep system that includes…” **Reality: This book is quite full of information, yes, but it is clearly not comprehensive because it doesn’t include any official GRE test questions. That’s right: there are exactly ZERO real GRE questions in this book, despite the fact that there are nearly 1,000 real questions available to test-takers, straight from the test maker, through the free GRE Powerprep Software (google "GRE Revised General Test: POWERPREP II Software" to find and download this software) and the Official GRE Super Power Pack: Official GRE Super Power Pack So how could this book ever be honestly marketed as “comprehensive?” I understand that there are copyright issues involved, but the least Kaplan could do is to mention that these official GRE materials exist—otherwise it is doing its students and clients a disservice by making them feel fully prepared for the GRE, when they in fact are not. If acing the GRE were as easy as Kaplan makes it seem, then everyone would do it. The fact is that to maximize your score you need to put in hard work and practice with real GRE questions. Why are the GRE Official Guides (Super Power Pack) the very best place to start your GRE preparation, other than the free PowerPrep software? Because the questions in these books are super-realistic. They are just like the questions on the real GRE, because these books are written by the test-maker and use actual GRE questions. Don't waste your time and money practicing on questions made by any other companies--these are merely inferior imitations of the real thing. If you must use other materials for test strategy and learning, then that's fine, and in most cases necessary, but try your best to stick to official questions whenever possible.        **Kaplan: “Kaplan guarantees that if you study with this book and online resources, you will score higher on the GRE—or you'll receive a full refund.” **Reality: So, if for some reason you already took the GRE, and you buy this book and try to use it, and your score doesn’t go up a single point (!), and you decide to go through the process of formally sending this book back and requesting your $22 refund, then we will request documentation and, after an inevitable bureaucratic delay, eventually give you your $22 back. Yes, you might get your money back, but you will still be stuck with a low GRE score and nothing to show for it. Am I surprised by any of this? No. I've been in the test-prep industry for a long time, and since then, this purgatory between mediocrity and incompetence is what I have come to expect from Kaplan. That, and an army of anonymous online droids who predictably show up on Amazon, immediately after any Kaplan book is published, brandishing predictably brief, vague and grammatically incorrect 5-star reviews. I would strongly suggest that students and parents read the many 5-star reviews of this book thoroughly to see which ones you feel are from actual GRE test takers or parents, and not paid, anonymous reviewers. TWO MAIN REASONS WHY I DON’T RECOMMEND THIS BOOK: 1) Kaplan is not horrible; it's just OK. That being said, the Manhattan Manhattan Prep GRE Set of 8 Strategy Guides (Manhattan Prep GRE Strategy Guides) , Barron's Barron's GRE, 21st Edition and Princeton Review GRE guides Cracking the GRE Premium Edition with 6 Practice Tests, 2017 (Graduate School Test Preparation) are all better than Kaplan's. Kaplan is the best at marketing, perhaps, but not the best GRE strategy and learning book. I would suggest that you read the many (upcoming, trust me) 5-star reviews of this book thoroughly to see which ones you feel are from actual GRE test takers, and not paid, anonymous online reviewers. 2) As I wrote earlier, the Official Guides to the GRE are currently ranked lower on the GRE best-sellers list than this book by Kaplan. How is it possible that you would buy this book before you buy the Official Guides to the test you are taking? You should always try to practice with real GRE questions whenever possible, because the practice questions in this book (and online) are noticeably different from real GRE questions. Amazon is a very democratic place, and anyone is given a voice, including unknown individuals with questionable agendas, so do your research and see what GRE experts such as myself and (my “GRE Vocab Capacity” co-author) Vince Kotchian have to say about these types of "all in one" GRE preparation guides. A QUICK NOTE ABOUT THE POWERPREP CATs: TWO OFFICIAL CATS ARE NOT ENOUGH, SO SUPPLEMENT WITH MANHATTAN, BARRON’S OR PRINCETON REVIEW. As I have already mentioned, the free GRE Powerprep Software contains two official GRE CATs (computer adaptive tests). When you take the test, you will only see 80 questions, but there are 160 possible questions on each test, depending on your performance on the first section. For more information on this, google "The GRE PowerPrep II Scoring Algorithm, Demystified." Since there are only two official CATs from ETS, You’re going to want to find another source of CATs, since you should take around 4-8 tests before you are fully prepared.  My preferred company for this purpose is Manhattan GRE. You can either buy the entire series of books, which is helpful but pricey, or you can simply buy the books individually GRE Algebra Strategy Guide (Manhattan Prep GRE Strategy Guides), based upon your needs.   Either way, you will gain access (through a scratch code on the back of each book) to Manhattan’s 6 online GRE CATs, which are a bit harder than the real thing, and slightly different from the real GRE, but worthy imitations nonetheless. For my additional GRE prep recommendations, google "GRE Action Plan - McElroy Tutoring." Please leave any questions or comments below and I’ll be sure to respond.