Even though I bought these on a whim because they were right next to the GRE test prep books, I do not regret the purchase. They are on the expensive side but I figured if it helps me improve my abysmal vocab skills, then it's worth it. I did well on the verbal part, so all in all I have a positive view of the Kaplan study materials.

Pros:
1) Sample sentences (these are awesome because it's a lot of work making your own flashcards if they include relevant sentences)
2) Synonyms (for the most part very good, but sometimes the synonyms were a bit of a stretch)
3) Very compact

Cons:
1) Too flimsy (they bend very easily, which I didn't like)
2) The words are too easy (claims to be the "hard words" but I saw even harder words on my real GRE test)
3) Pricey

I purchased both these and the Baron's GRE cards, studied each religiously for about 3 weeks, and took my test. I much preferred the Barron's cards to these. The cards are flimsy and, while the words are hard, the ones that actually appeared on my test were the ones that both Kaplan and Barron covered. I also preferred the definitions and format of the Barron's cards. More of the synonyms/antonyms on the Barron's cards also appeared on the actual test and one part of the analogy did too.

These Kaplan cards are good to get if you have plenty of time, but the words were needlessly difficult and might serve more to make you paranoid.

The cards are great and will save you a lot of time since you don't have to make any yourself. I have not taken the exam yet but my overall opinion of the product is positive. They are business card size and slightly thinner than a business card but this makes them very transportable.

Vocabulary flash cards for the GRE are a great idea. The 500 words given from Kaplan are fine. Unlike previous reviewers, I find the definitions to be sufficient. They're short and could definitely be more involved, but they're sufficient.

I was most disappointed with the presentation and actual execution of the idea. The flash cards themselves are very small, about the size of a "Chance" or "Community Chest" card in the classic monopoly game. The writing is even smaller, and after a little bit of time studying, it becomes a bit straining on the eyes. The poorest part, however, are the cards themselves. They're not glossy or laminated, such as a nice deck of playing cards. They're just paper, thinner than a notecard. They're easily ripped, would stain with any water or food, and bend and wear very easily. I'm disappointed. I've used Kaplan a lot, this is the most inferior product I've seen from them. I will most likely return the cards for a vocab building book and just make my own cards.

As others have written in, while the cards cover most of the frequently used GRE vocab words and are an extremely helpful way to study, be wary of the some of the definitions. Kaplan doesn't always provide the best definitions or example sentences. They often define the word as a verb and then use it as an adjective in a sentence, for example. In addition, they often don't provide all of the possible definitions, and it's the secondary definitions that get you on the GRE. The card design is extremely helpful, but I had to relearn many words from other vocab sources.

Embarrassing quality from Kaplan. The words they have chosen may be appropriate and certainly seem like "GRE Words", however, the word choice, sentence examples, and even the definitions are terrible. Did they even have an English instructor take a look at them?

The example sentences often use an obscure or not-intuitive usage of the vocab word. For example, "inimical":

"Even though a cease-fire had been in place for months, the two sides were still inimical to each other."

The point being: You would NEVER see this sentence in a newspaper or book...why didn't they use a more common usage of the word as an example? Like "...inimical to good health...".

More examples abound. This terrible work and an embarrassment from Kaplan.

This product has helped my vocabulary expand. You do need to use them to see the difference. I have not taken the GRE yet, but I do know I will be going into the test with a more developed vocabulary.

I think these cards are a great value.

They are the perfect flashcards for a lazy person who wants to learn new words and does not want to drag around a huge, heavy book. The box is pretty small and easy to carry around. Plus, the flashcard format is less daunting than reading through a lot of material in a book. I do, however, think it is wise to supplement these cards with another study guide. I purchased the Barron's book, but it's still sitting on my desk, unopened--ha ha. The cards are easier. :)

The only downside is that the cards themselves are are bit smaller and more flimsy than I expected (they are roughly the size of business cards). But I can deal with that.

Seriously, these cards will help you learn a lot of words in a short amount of time. I give Kaplan credit for coming up with such a simple, yet brilliant idea.

I purchased these cards in an attempt to build my vocabulary for the GRE. However, they proved to be pointless. I took the time and the effort to memorize all the words, as well as the synonyms for each word. When I took the GRE practice tests from Kaplan, the words showed up, I knew the answers, and I did well. When it came time to take the GRE however, only one word from the entire box showed up, and I ended up guessing on majority of the questions. Needless to say, I did not do well. While these cards did build my vocabulary, it did not help for the GRE.
I had glanced over the root list that Kaplan gives in their GRE Premier Program book, but didn't study the list as much as I should have. I will say that it would be much wiser to study the root list that they give, and not concern yourself with knowing these words too much. Plus, their Premier Program book gives much of the same words, so all you have to do is make flashcards yourself.
For some people, these cards seemed to have worked, so perhaps it was just me that didn't work for. But it should be noted that a common theme among all these reviews is to study the root list. Studying the root list will get you through a lot of questions, whereas memorizing 500 words and definitions, as well as all synonyms, didn't really seem to have a big impact on my performance. I leave the decision up to you.

I used these flashcards to study vocab for the MAT. The words often have meanings other than what I thought they did - good to be corrected. The words did show up and made the difference in getting the analogy correct. Easy to carry.

I always make my own index cards, but this saves me time and money, actually. Plus, I would never have been able to choose 500 words myself!

While studying these cards I thought they were the best thing ever... Then I started taking practice tests and then I took the real thing, the GRE general exam and realized they were kind of useless. The box has so many words and they are presented in a great easy to study format. Unfortunately though, the GRE uses a lot of the same words over and over again which account for a very small portion of the words in this "exam in a box". In short I recommend buying the GRE Premier edition with CD-Rom. In the book it gives you a list of the 20 most popular words on the GRE, of which I saw about 3/4 of on the test.

In the end I did pretty well on my verbal and I studied the cards constantly so there just might be something to it.

This is a good study guide for the GRE. The small cards can be used wherever you want to study. I haven't taken the GREs yet, so I don't know how many words will be used, but as of now, I've found them useful.

These cards are a helpful review, but if you have the time before you take the GRE you should memorize "root" words.

I think it is a very good idea for people who are lazy like me in writing and preparing their own flash card. There is word on one side and on the other side, beside the meaning of the word, synonym has been recorded too which I found it very helpful.

Very Helpful. But you must also use other sources, so as to broaden your scope if you want to do well in the GREs.

In fact, just read the review of the product itself. That is all you need to know. Its a great buy.

I used several study aids, including a software package (Kaplan GMAT/GRE/LSAT 2006 Platinum (PC)) which you might want to consider as well.
As far as these flashcards are concerned... Well, they were EXTREMELY helpful in preparing for the verbal section of the exam. I always had a small stack in my pocket, and, anytime there were spare moments, I would run through them. They certainly brought my score up! Well worth purchasing!

first i will say that flashcards are best to learn these words and test yourself, which is why i got these cards. what i like about them: good word selection, synonims and especially sample sentences - they are very helpful to see exactly how some of these weird words are used. what i don't like: they are very small - the size of a business card - and very thin. i would have liked them maybe two times bigger and thicker/sturdier. overall, i definetely recommend them and will use them myself.

easy to take it on the go, but somewhat cumbersome caring it on the bus. Only take a few cards out at a time to memorize them, or you might become overwhelmed. Great for studying with a friend. Type is appromixately 10-12 font size. Also writing the words out is helpful.

I ordered this because I was going to have to take the GRE in order to begin a Master's program. I am going through a certification program in order to teach school. I decided that I did not want to continue my education at this time as I would like to be ready for my first year of teaching. However, I enjoy going over these cards because there are words in there that I have never heard of before. I am an avid reader and it is amazing that I have never come across some of these words. This product is a wonderful tool for anyone. A business person who needs to brush up, a stay at home mom or dad who want the satisfaction of a sharpened intellect. This is also terrific for children. I have an 8 and 10 year old and share these words with them sometimes and their teachers have both commented that their vocabulary is astounding. I would say put them in a place where you get bored and you will always have something to pull out and practice.

I found these flash cards to be very useful. The majority of the words were actually on the test, which was a bit surprising to me! :)

The GRE Exam in a Box is a collection of 500 words commonly used on the GRE verbal section. I found this an excellent way to increase my vocabulary for the GRE, and many of the words I learned were actually on the test. I tried making my own flash cards, but much preferred using these cards. They had the word and its pronunciation on the front, and the definition, an example sentence, and synonyms on the back. The cards are sturdy, and were in good shape even after being carried around in my pocket. The definitions were simple and straightforward enough to be remembered easily.

I decided to take the GRE basically on a whim, and scheduled an exam right after I had finished finals for that particular semester. I did use a few other study methods for the exam, but this was by far the most helpful in a short period of time. I studied these cards intensively for about three days and ended up with a 700 on the verbal section. Take the deck once you get it and quiz yourself over them. Take all the cards you didn't get right and put them into one pile, and then study those. It worked well for me.

I bought several different study aids and used them all. This was the best of the lot. These words actually showed up on the test I took.