I bought this as a supplement to the thicker Barron's GRE Review and I could have done with one or the other. If you just want a quick review, then this is a great option. It is FULL of information and tips and everything that can be found in the thicker book but in a lot less detail. I personally preferred the larger book because I wanted more review problems and such but if you just want to brush up on a few skills and grab a few REALLY helpful pointers, then get this book. My only complaint was that it didn't have enough review problems but it's not even a true negative. Helpful study guide.

I bought this as a supplement to the thicker Barron's GRE Review and I could have done with one or the other. If you just want a quick review, then this is a great option. It is FULL of information and tips and everything that can be found in the thicker book but in a lot less detail. I personally preferred the larger book because I wanted more review problems and such but if you just want to brush up on a few skills and grab a few REALLY helpful pointers, then get this book. My only complaint was that it didn't have enough review problems but it's not even a true negative. Helpful study guide.

The perfect size test prep book for throwing in a bag instead of the usual Kaplan and Princeton Review monstrosities. I wish they had more editions with just practice exams. Sometimes I wished that the answer explanations were clearer.

This is the most basic of GRE review books. If that's all you need, then it's perfect. If you need more explanations of how to solve math problems then this is not the right book.

The author of this book is trying to help you more at guessing than to help you understand the matter. Let me start with the verbal section. Some problems in the practice tests do not make sense at all. Reading the explanation I am surprised to find out that some words have meanings that cannot be found in any dictionary.

The math is horrible. In general the graphs require great skill at guessing where the values fall or otherwise you will not get correct numbers. (Practice test 2 questions 14 and 15) There are graphs that are wrong. (Practice test 2 questions 20 and 21). The problems are solved and explained in such a manner that shows you the workarounds if you have no idea how to solve the problem. The essential theory behind the problem that is being actually tested is not explained.

I would not recommend this book if you want to get an excellent score. Rather it would be good for someone who wants to get the scores from low to an acceptable level.

So far, using the Barron's guide has been beneficial. Since the book is not 30 pounds like other GRE study guides, I feel less intimidated about studying. Also, even though it's a small book, I don't feel like it's missing anything. I've got just a little more confidence about standardized tests now.

This is a mathematics book for advanced mathematics or physics students, in graduate study.

To get the most from it one should have already studied Quantum Mechanics in a less mathematical setting, and had some exposure to the theory of functions, and Lebesgue integration. It is the work of a scolar

The book is exact, rigorous, and well structured.

The Pass Key is a great study tool, if you choose to purchase this instead of the regular Barron's How to Prepare for the GRE. The contents are comparable and the exams are often repeats.

However, its size is its best asset and also the source of its faults. It's a small book that's great for carrying around, and its vocab list is especially concise. But its size sometimes make for awkward exam formatting, so that the second question on a graph will be on the back page. Also, the regular Barron's has a larger vocabulary, word quizzes, and root/prefix lists, as well as more practice question sections and exams.

If you're short on test preparation time and need the pith of understanding how to best approach the GRE, the Pass Key would be a great purchase. If you would like more practice, then buy the regular Barron's.

This book is great, but it covers a lot of material and not all of it is in the best way. I liked the way it described the verbal section and the exercises related to the verbal section. I also benefitted from the verbal part of the practice exams in the back of the book. There is a 300 word vocabulary section which was a lifesaver. Learn these words, write them on flashcards and practice them. You WILL see them on the test! It is well worth your time.

The part of the book I did not like was the part related to the quantitative section. I liked the explanations of the types of questions found in the quantitative section and an explanation of how to do them, however, the practice questions and practice exams were much harder than those on the actual test and because I did poorly when practicing with this book, my self-esteem went way down and I felt like I was going to fail. When I did the practice exams from the ETS GRE software, I did much better. I am not a mathematical genius and I never will be. I had to start over with math when practicing for this exam. For someone a little more savvy, this book might be a great way to do WELL on the quantitative section. I got a 600 and was happy, even with my very limited math skills.

To summarize, I would definitely invest in this book, however, don't let yourself get depressed if you don't do well on the quantitative practice questions and practice exam.

This book is great, but it covers a lot of material and not all of it is in the best way. I liked the way it described the verbal section and the exercises related to the verbal section. I also benefitted from the verbal part of the practice exams in the back of the book. There is a 300 word vocabulary section which was a lifesaver. Learn these words, write them on flashcards and practice them. You WILL see them on the test! It is well worth your time.

The part of the book I did not like was the part related to the quantitative section. I liked the explanations of the types of questions found in the quantitative section and an explanation of how to do them, however, the practice questions and practice exams were much harder than those on the actual test and because I did poorly when practicing with this book, my self-esteem went way down and I felt like I was going to fail. When I did the practice exams from the ETS GRE software, I did much better. I am not a mathematical genius and I never will be. I had to start over with math when practicing for this exam. For someone a little more savvy, this book might be a great way to do WELL on the quantitative section. I got a 600 and was happy, even with my very limited math skills.

To summarize, I would definitely invest in this book, however, don't let yourself get depressed if you don't do well on the quantitative practice questions and practice exam.

This book has a lot of good information on the GRE. I recommend it for those going for the Greaduate Record Exam TEST or Exit exams in college.

This little book worked really well for me when I was studying for the GRE. It is broken up into the verbal and match sections along with a smaller section covering the essays.

I was able to make copies of all of the tips sections and then make notecards out of them. This was a great method for me and I really noticed the results. I could have worked harder studying for he math section which I scored right around average. The verbal section surprised me and I scored over a hundred points higher. I scored slightly above what I wanted on the whole and am satisfied with my results.

If you are an on the go person and studying for the GRE I recommend you get this book.

This book might help if you use it in conjunction with the online GRE practice test. I did not do well but that was not the books fault. Lack of time and not being able to go back and change answers did me in for the bad scores. So if you are preparing for the GRE, if you are like myself and have never taken an online test with strict time limits. This is what I suggest.

1. Study any GRE book - this particular one is cheaper than some others. It really doesnt matter the size.
2. PRACTICE ONLINE
3. Study what you missed.
4. Practice ONLINE
5. Practice Online again!

This book might help if you use it in conjunction with the online GRE practice test. I did not do well but that was not the books fault. Lack of time and not being able to go back and change answers did me in for the bad scores. So if you are preparing for the GRE, if you are like myself and have never taken an online test with strict time limits. This is what I suggest.

1. Study any GRE book - this particular one is cheaper than some others. It really doesnt matter the size.
2. PRACTICE ONLINE
3. Study what you missed.
4. Practice ONLINE
5. Practice Online again!

I took the CAT based GRE general test on 9/1/06. To prepare, I got this book, as well as "The Ultimate Math Refresher", the larger Barrons book, and the ETS book.

"Pass Key" is the one I would recommend over all the others, though. Its 263 pages are packed with just as much info as the other books, but in a more compact (and thus, easier to travel with and study in multiple settings) package.

Included are three full-length practice tests, a detailed strategy section on each type of question, tips on essay writing, and an extensive vocab list (which is quite accurate - I saw several of the words on the test itself).

Since the ETS "power prep" software is such a buggy P.O.S. (couldn't get it to work on a brand new WinXP desktop or a slightly older laptop), and the other books simply add length and size, "Pass Key" is the book to get. I was glad I had used it while taking the test, especially after I saw my very satisfactory results on the final screen.

This is excellent to brush up before taking the GRE. The tips are so useful and easy to remember. I would definately recommend this.

This was a great slim volume to use alongside Kaplan's GRE Premier Program since they have slightly different hints and perspectives. Once you get oriented to the test, I would encourage you to start taking practice tests right away to see where you are at and it will inspire you to study more! You can always buy more tests because each GRE book has a number of them. I also highly recommend the Kaplan GRE Exam Vocabulary Flashcards Flip-O-Matic for learning vocab. Good luck on the test.

This book has lots of problems to solve but no explanations. It was very little help.

I've had my share GRE and MCAT books and they all say the same thing: study and study and sleep before the test. This book says something different, something actually useful. I found their vocab section very helpful, the list of words was longer than the 200 common GRE words in a Kaplan book of 2.5X the size. So far, the "Tactics" are the best thing to this book. For each section, they help you with HOW to solve the problems. For instance, in Comparative Problems for Quantitative, they go through how to determine if A is ALWAYS greater, or SOMETIMES greater (if sometimes, then it can't be answer A -- always greater -- or answer C -- always equal). Sounds complicated, but it's been very helpful! Also with hints for substituting in a 1, 0 or -1 to all comparison questions, this can help find a solution.

Anyway, this book, combined with the Ultimate Math Review, I've found that I am finally learning some math. Ewwww.

After frustrating myself with ETS' GRE book, I found this little gem at a local bookstore. ETS' book does not prepare you for the math/quantitative part of the exam -- the book's exercises are not setup the same way as the computer or written exam. Meaning you have to solve out completely any equations or problems, rather than picking from a set of answers.

This book is considerably cheaper than many of its contemporaries, but don't let that fool you. This book was a better prep tool than its $25-30 brethren.

Very helpful was the frequently used GRE word list -- having taken the exam yesterday, I can tell you a lot of the words in the list are on the test.

Quite a bargain, and well worth the $9.