Rating: 
Summary: Good Choice Unless Aiming For >90%
Review: This was the most useful test prep aid I had. Most importantly, I would say that if you are considering taking a Kaplan GRE course, don't do it. You're better off just buying this book (and/or the individual verbal/math books). It covers the same strategies that the class does at a fraction of the cost. The only negative remark I have about this book is that if you are shooting for scores in the 9oth or 95th percentile (e.g. a combined verbal/math score of 1400 or above) then this is not the book for you. Frankly though, I haven't seen any books that accomodate for this sort of goal.
Rating: 
Summary: Fast Track to Good Scores on the GRE
Review: What distinguishes this book from Princeton, Barrons, ETS and others is the speed in which one can learn the various strategies of GRE test taking. I found the vocabulary and root word lists as well as the paper practice tests also invaluable, but understanding GRE test strategies is of paramount importance. I had not taken a test in decades, and I had only a month to prepare. Furthermore I squandered most of this month away, so it came down to cramming in the last week. After several false starts with the other books, I stuck with Kaplan because it looked like it would be the only one I could get through in the limited time that I had. In that short period, I believe Kaplan improved my verbal and quantitative score by a total of 100 or 200 points.Although I found the book to be superb, I did find the CD very much lacking. The scored computer adaptive test (CAT) completely failed to predict my eventual score on the GRE, which I took yesterday. In the verbal portion, the Kaplan CAT predicted I would receive 470; the GRE scored me at 630. In the quantitative portion, Kaplan predicted 660; the GRE scored me at 800. I took the Kaplan practice CAT the day before the GRE, and after taking about five or six paper practice exams. And no cramming was done after taking the Kaplan CAT. Upon investigating my wrong answers in the Kaplan CAT, I found at least one question defective (failed to provide needed information) and another with an answer explanation that was not consistent with the question. There may have been others. Fortunately the Kaplan CAT grossly underestimated my scores, but after taking the practice exam I was left very uneasy going into the GRE. If you have any difficulty with lack of confidence whatsoever, even at times, I would strongly advise you to avoid taking the Kaplan CAT as it might negatively affect your mental preparedness for the GRE. But Kaplan the book is great and deserves 5 stars. Use this book if you don't have much time to prepare.
Rating: 
Summary: Book is OK, software is pretty bad
Review: When I applied for my M.A. in 1999, I took the GRE for the first time and used "GRE for Dummies." I pulled a 550V, 510M, 590A. I'm horrible in math, but I still managed a decent score. In 2003, when applying for a Ph.D., I used this book and the PowerPrep software from ETS and scored a 580V, 460M, and a 4.5 on the new writing section. My higher verbal score was due mostly to the CD from ETS, which has superb material. But my math scores actually DROPPED (yes, I'm horrible in math, but most of the blame goes to this Kaplan book). My math handicap didn't kill me the first time when I used "GRE for Dummies," and I barely studied then. Overall, Kaplan's math explanations are terribly unclear, and basic concepts many non-math people have forgotten since high school (formulas for areas of various shapes, fractions, factoring, exponents, algebra) are simply "assumed" as general knowledge by this book and are just not reviewed. The Dummies book went over all of these things, and I should've used it again. But because Kaplan "guarantees" a higher score, I figured this was the better way. (Ph.D. applicants generally need to break the 600 barrier.) Basically, if a guy can use a Dummies book and score higher than when using a Kaplan, that should tell you something. Go for the Dummies book instead. Better explanations, more down-to-earth, less trick questions, better scaled scoring, more realistic approach (actually reviews formulas you haven't seen in 5-10 or more years, and understands that not everyone has the Pythagorean theorem tattooed on his/her forehead). I don't know whether to sell my Kaplan as "used" or burn the thing in effigy. Either way, I'll never use another book from these fools.
Rating: 
Summary: My score actually dropped. Buyer beware!!!
Review: When I applied for my M.A. in 1999, I took the GRE for the first time and used "GRE for Dummies." I pulled a 550V, 510M, 590A. I'm horrible in math, but I still managed a decent score. In 2003, when applying for a Ph.D., I used this book and the PowerPrep software from ETS and scored a 580V, 460M, and a 4.5 on the new writing section. My higher verbal score was due mostly to the CD from ETS, which has superb material. But my math scores actually DROPPED (yes, I'm horrible in math, but most of the blame goes to this Kaplan book). My math handicap didn't kill me the first time when I used "GRE for Dummies," and I barely studied then. Overall, Kaplan's math explanations are terribly unclear, and basic concepts many non-math people have forgotten since high school (formulas for areas of various shapes, fractions, factoring, exponents, algebra) are simply "assumed" as general knowledge by this book and are just not reviewed. The Dummies book went over all of these things, and I should've used it again. But because Kaplan "guarantees" a higher score, I figured this was the better way. (Ph.D. applicants generally need to break the 600 barrier.) Basically, if a guy can use a Dummies book and score higher than when using a Kaplan, that should tell you something. Go for the Dummies book instead. Better explanations, more down-to-earth, less trick questions, better scaled scoring, more realistic approach (actually reviews formulas you haven't seen in 5-10 or more years, and understands that not everyone has the Pythagorean theorem tattooed on his/her forehead). I don't know whether to sell my Kaplan as "used" or burn the thing in effigy. Either way, I'll never use another book from these fools.
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