Rating: 
Summary: Excellent Volume
Review: This book is invaluable and is a must-read for anyone seriously considering expanding their vocabulary. It is well written and worth the money.
Rating:
Summary: Very Good
Review: This book is really very very VERY good!
Rating:
Summary: First-Class Delivery
Review: This book will make you feel a lot smarter. Remember those words that you would see on papers and magazines? You though you were not smart enough because you did not know their meaning? If you answered yes, then this book will help a LOT. The words they teach you here are not only the words students would find on SAT, but these are commonly-used words, but unfortunately, not many people know of.Just a tip, this book is much more fun to read it you don't do it in one sitting; it's much better if you keep on a place you would see it most of the time (e.g. desk) and open it each time you seem to have the mood for it. You can then pick up a word or so and read it carefully and make lively connections to these words -- this way, which is how I do it, is more effective.
Rating: 
Summary: Useful Complement.
Review: This is a book for the highly-motivated student who wants to know the most frequent words on the SAT and GRE exams and is willing to work his or her tail off to learn them. It has several other things going for it: the authors recognize the inseparability of language from thought; they caution against mistaking a large or esoteric vocabulary for knowledge; they provide some tips about etymology and the uses of Latin and Greek roots and affixes but they do not overrate this occasionally helpful tool (word meanings are dynamic and frequently arbitary, having little to do with the original word form). The downside of the volume is that it doesn't provide a "programmed" approach capable of engaging the less-motivated reader in a progressive series of fun yet educational exercises. For this purpose, the Norman Lewis books are a better bet, even though the latter author tends to overemphasize esoteric words and overrate the importance of etymology.
Rating:
Summary: Effective
Review: Very good book for International students preparing for TOEFL/GMAT/GRE
I used when I was taking my GMAT. I knew about 25% of the words that it had such as prolific or excentric but there were some good ones that I still remember such as vociferous and verdant. I found it very helpful to use during short periods of time when I would have a few minutes between meetings or in the public transportation on the way home. Generally, a very pleasant book. It has good white paper and each words has a full page. Remebering was easy too, but forgetting was not hard. Sometimes I caught myself that I would remember the picture but would not remember the definition. In any case, this is a much faster way to learn words than mere memorizing.
Rating: 
Summary: Hmmm...........Not Bad
Review: Very good for learning some of the words, especially the short and seemingly complicated ones (but can only be remembered with luck). Rather disappointing in the form of a dictionary, as I was looking for some different layout. CAN BE IMPROVED with crazy and wild sentences as examples, and adding pictures and cartoons to it since visual learning is always better. The GOOD POINTS in the book are the good guide to pronounciation and the abundant number of sentences (but rather dull ones). Overall, an above average book.
Rating:
Summary: What a Treasure!
Review: Were it only available years ago! I left school in the third week of sixth grade and didn't return until a GED test enabled me to start college studying engineering at 23 years of age. A couple of years later as a U.S. army draftee my perfect Verbal/English score of 152 along with my Arithmetic/Reasoning test score of 146 yielded an Army I.Q. of 149; among the top two percent of Mensa members. But it had been won at immense cost in time and effort. Wordsmart provides perhaps 80% of all that is needed for a perfect score; thus much of the benefit of hundreds of books is condensed into one - Wordsmart! I'm ordering from Amazon.com a copy of it for each of the students in my class. It can transform lives!
Rating:
Summary: As good as it gets.
Review: When you buy a reliable name, such as Princeton Review you are buying into the company. You are placing your faith that this company will continue to provide good products and satisfy its consumers. I will be honest, I bought Word Smart because of the name and publisher. The people at Princeton Review have belted out hundreds of books with an exceptional amount of educational value. Their review and study guides have helped me get through not only my SATs, but my GREs and SAT 2s. On my expansive book shelves I can be credited with owning probably a dozen Princeton Review books. Word Smart is no disappointment. In order to illustrate how effective these books are, I can not help but to reveal my scores on the SATs, humbly of course. My first time around, I scored a 1350. I was ecstatic to say the least. My verbal score was a 720, and this should be noted because on my next try, after mulling over Word Smart I missed a single question on the verbal section, resulting in a near perfect score. Word Smart's hit parade found in the back of the book was endlessly useful, and many of the words found there were, to my delight on the SATs. Buy this book, you won't be disappointed. No serious student should go without it.
Rating:
Summary: Should be required reading
Review: Word Smart gives one of the best selections of need-to-know words I have ever seen. It lists over 800 every-day-useful words, while avoiding the temptation of adding some long, snooty-sounding words for the sake of intellectual arrogance. These are words that most college students should know. If you can master these in high school, you will be on the way to a rock solid vocabulary. The format of the book is straight forward. After a very helpful chapter on tips for learning new vocabulary, the set of words is introduced in alphabetical order. Every ten words or so ends in a quick quiz. This allows you to test what you have learned; you can also start with the quiz to see what words you can skip over. The concluding chapters contain a lengthy final exam, the SAT and GRE hit parade (words you should have mastered well before taking these standardized tests), word roots, common usage errors, abbreviations, and some lists for the arts, science, finance, and foreign words. This is a great book for anyone who would like to beef up on their vocabulary, or for those who would just like a good review to make sure they are not using some words wrongly.
Rating: 
Summary: Typical foolish dialogue
Review: Yet another poorly executed vocabulary tape set on the market. Here's the formula: First pick a set of words. Even good ones are acceptable. It doesn't really matter though, because no one will actually end up learning them, anyway. Second, hire a pair of silly, pun-happy Ken and Barbie speakers to introduce the words. Fill up as much time as possible with insipid banter and corny jokes. If possible, even allude to a love interest between them since that will keep the uneducated audience's attention. Don't spend too much time on the words themselves, because words are pretty boring, and what people really need is entertainment. Lastly, remember that real-world examples would also be boring. Instead create silly stories with nutty characters who can introduce the new words. And by all means, place as much emphasis as is humanly possible on them, so the audience can recognize them. "You know, John, when you refuse to cooperate, you really (pause for effect) EXACERBATE (pause again just to let the word sink in) the whole situation." At all costs, the words should never be allowed to sound like an ordinary part of one's speech. This is a real shame, because people who are serious about increasing their word power have nowhere else to turn. Every tape set I have found falls along these same lines. This may appeal to elementary or junior high students, but adults will have to look elsewhere.
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