Rating: 
Summary: Great book, but you'll only get out what you put in.
Review: After reading both this and Princeton Review's Word Smart to prepare for the GRE, this book is hands down the better book. The layout is much easier, the approach more fun and most importantly, the words covered here -at least in my experience- represented the GRE better.Another handy thing is that the sections are organized into degrees of difficulty. This combined with the fact that 'frequent test words' are marked by a thunderbolt next to them helps you maximize your study time. That having been said, you still get out what you put in. There's no way around it. GRE verbal is about memorization. Here's a strategy that I used to make the process easier and more fun. It can be applied to any vocabulary book After one chapter, write down the words you had any trouble with on flash cards with definitions on the back, making sure to put the definitions in your words, not the books. As the chapters progress, shuffle the new flash cards in with the old and review them twice a day. In addition keep a notebook and after each chapter write down all the words on the top of a new page. Below, create a paragraph (a story, essay etc.) using all the words in the chapter. At the end of each section of the book, write a new story or essay using only the words you remember. A lot of work? Not really, considering it will be a lot harder to simply memorize from rote. And it will pay off come GRE time.
Rating:
Summary: Great book, but you'll only get out what you put in.
Review: After reading both this and Princeton Review's Word Smart to prepare for the GRE, this book is hands down the better book. The layout is much easier, the approach more fun and most importantly, the words covered here -at least in my experience- represented the GRE better. Another handy thing is that the sections are organized into degrees of difficulty. This combined with the fact that 'frequent test words' are marked by a thunderbolt next to them helps you maximize your study time. That having been said, you still get out what you put in. There's no way around it. GRE verbal is about memorization. Here's a strategy that I used to make the process easier and more fun. It can be applied to any vocabulary book After one chapter, write down the words you had any trouble with on flash cards with definitions on the back, making sure to put the definitions in your words, not the books. As the chapters progress, shuffle the new flash cards in with the old and review them twice a day. In addition keep a notebook and after each chapter write down all the words on the top of a new page. Below, create a paragraph (a story, essay etc.) using all the words in the chapter. At the end of each section of the book, write a new story or essay using only the words you remember. A lot of work? Not really, considering it will be a lot harder to simply memorize from rote. And it will pay off come GRE time.
Rating: 
Summary: Not worth it!
Review: I bought this to study for the GRE. The CD's are really short and I already knew 90% of the words. This might help you if you were having a hard time trying to get a 500 -
Rating:
Summary: Perfect for epanding your vocabulary - at any age
Review: I wasn't sure what the first two reviews were talking about until I realized they were writing out the audio version of this title. Perhaps they're right about the CDs, but for this book, I would recommend it for those in high school, college and beyond. It's a fun, effective read and it's bound to get those less excited about learning new words on their own, to actually do so with enjoyment. What more could you want from a book? Those who tend to be overly bright may prefer those books that deal strictly with word and meaning or root origins, but for the rest of us, this is a refreshing change from those boring altenatives.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent for the GRE
Review: I would recommend buying this book over "Word Smart II" for building your vocabulary. I'm taking the GRE exam soon and this is the text I'm using to study my vocabulary. It has three sections each slightly more difficult than the last. I would recommend starting in the second section if you already have a fairly good vocabulary. Maybe go back through the first section and pick up any words you may not know.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent for the GRE
Review: I would recommend buying this book over "Word Smart II" for building your vocabulary. I'm taking the GRE exam soon and this is the text I'm using to study my vocabulary. It has three sections each slightly more difficult than the last. I would recommend starting in the second section if you already have a fairly good vocabulary. Maybe go back through the first section and pick up any words you may not know.
Rating:
Summary: this CD is, was, and will forever be horrible
Review: id have given this a 0, but 1 is the lowest, so i had to. Basically this CD is for someone trying to learn useless words, not in the sense that any of them are complicated, but truly useless words that you will never use. I can truly say that I hated this product, a surprise because it comes from such a respected company. Don't waste your money on this product like I did.
Rating:
Summary: this CD is, was, and will forever be horrible
Review: id have given this a 0, but 1 is the lowest, so i had to. Basically this CD is for someone trying to learn useless words, not in the sense that any of them are complicated, but truly useless words that you will never use. I can truly say that I hated this product, a surprise because it comes from such a respected company. Don't waste your money on this product like I did.
Rating:
Summary: Effective Way to Learn Vocabulary For Tests
Review: Intentionally learning new words is difficult. Which words are important? Which definitions should you focus on? Preparing for exams requiring a certain level of verbal knowledge necessitates more than flipping through a dictionary. "Kaplan Word Power" is what the studious test taker needs. There are 750 words presented amidst 55 lessons. With titles like "Thomas: Not a Temerarious Tatterdemalion" you will enjoy the game of learning what chapter names mean. Kaplan prepared this book. This matters because they are experts at teaching test takers how to get higher scores on the LSAT, GRE and other major exams. They aren't the only ones capably doing it, but they are among the leaders. They have the experience to write this book. The definitions are brief, only slightly more complex than a Scrabble dictionary. With each definition is enjoined with a sentence following the theme of title. For example, tatterdemalion is defined as "a ragged person, always in tatters" accompanied by "Tatterdemalions everywhere foraged through the garbage for some food." There are 10-15 quiz questions for each chapter. A significant appendix called "Root Juice" provides a useful collection and explanation of key Latin, French and Greek roots. This is an effective way to shine up your vocabulary. I fully recommend "Kaplan Word Power" by Meg F. Schneider. Anthony Trendl
Rating: 
Summary: Solid
Review: Most books that help you boost your command of the English vocabulary are more or less the same. Word Power doesn't deviate too much from the word sets you'll find in any other book with a similar goal. Word Power's strong point is that the format is concise and is dedicated to helping you blast through the lessons one after the other. If you're gearing up for the GRE's or SAT's, you'll probably use this book in conjunction with others - which is recommended. The book has a good sense of continuity as well. For 9 bucks it's not a bad deal, and you can pick up a used one for less than half that.
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