Skip to content
Certification Guides

Princeton Review GRE Prep, 2024: 5 Practice Tests + Review and Techniques (2023)

Learn faster with Princeton Review GRE Prep, 2024: 5 Practice Tests + Review and Techniques (2023), featuring key study points for certification.

Preview 31 of 1027 pages

See the first 31 pages exactly as they appear in the document.

  1. Page 1
  2. Page 2
    Read page 2 as text

    Downloaded from StudyXY.com [= Ww + StudyXY oi as . Za \ Rr ' BE \ Stu dy Anything This ContentHas been Posted On StudyXY.com as supplementary learning material. StudyXY does not endrose any university, college or publisher. Allmaterials posted are under the liability of the contributors. | 8) www.studyxy.com

  3. Page 3
  4. Page 4
    Read page 4 as text

    The Princeton Review Publishing Team Rob Franek, Editor-in-Chief David Soto, Senior Director, Data Operations Stephen Koch, Senior Manager, Data Operations Deborah Weber, Director of Production Jason Ullmeyer, Production Design Manager Jennifer Chapman, Senior Production Artist Selena Coppock, Director of Editorial Orion McBean, Senior Editor Aaron Riccio, Senior Editor Meave Shelton, Senior Editor Chris Chimera, Editor Patricia Murphy, Editor Laura Rose, Editor Penguin Random House Publishing Team Tom Russell, VP, Publisher Alison Stoltzfus, Senior Director, Publishing Brett Wright, Senior Editor Emily Hoffman, Assistant Managing Editor Ellen Reed, Production Manager Suzanne Lee, Designer Eugenia Lo, Publishing Assistant The Princeton Review 110 East 42nd St, 7th Floor New York, NY 10017 Copyright © 2023 by TPR Education IP Holdings, LLC. All rights reserved. Published in the United States by Penguin Random House LLC, New York. Terms of Service: The Princeton Review Online Companion Tools (“Student Tools”) for retail books are available for only the two most recent editions of that book. Student Tools may be activated only once per eligible book purchased for a total of 24 months of access. Activation of Student Tools more than once per book is in direct violation of these Terms of Service and may result in discontinuation of access to Student Tools Services. ISBN 9780593516959 Ebook ISBN 9780593516966

  5. Page 5
    Read page 5 as text

    The $100 discount is valid only on new enrollments in The Princeton Review's self-paced GRE course between May 16, 2023 and May 16, 2024. Discount cannot be combined with any other offer (except referral program) and is available to U.S., Puerto Rico, and Canada customers only. For specific information on the course, visit Princetonreview.com/grad/gre- selfguided-course. GRE is a registered trademark of the Educational Testing Service (ETS). This product is not endorsed or approved by ETS. The Princeton Review is not affiliated with Princeton University. The material in this book is up-to-date at the time of publication. However, changes may have been instituted by the testing body in the test after this book was published. If there are any important late-breaking developments, changes, or corrections to the materials in this book, we will post that information online in the Student Tools. Register your book and check your Student Tools to see if there are any updates posted there. Editor: Selena Coppock Production Editors: Nina Mozes, Emily Epstein White Production Artist: Lindsey Cleworth For customer service, please contact editorialsupport@review.com, and be sure to include: o full title of the book e ISBN * page number a_prh_6.0_144052297_c0_r0 StudyXY

  6. Page 6
    Read page 6 as text

    Acknowledgments The following people deserve thanks for their help with this book: Many thanks to National Content Director for the GRE John Fulmer, and to Kyle Fox. Special thanks to Adam Robinson, who conceived of and perfected the Joe Bloggs approach to standardized tests, and many of the other successful techniques used by The Princeton Review.

  7. Page 7
    Read page 7 as text

    Contents Get More (Free) Content! Part I: Orientation 1 Introduction 2 General Strategy Part ll: Practice Test 1 Practice Test 1 Practice Test 1: Diagnostic Answer Key Practice Test 1: Answers and Explanations Study Guides Part lll: How to Crack the Verbal Section 3 The Geography of the Verbal Section 4 Text Completions 5 Sentence Equivalence 6 Reading Comprehension 7 Critical Reasoning 8 Vocabulary for the GRE Part IV: How to Crack the Math Section 9 The Geography of the Math Section 10 What Are Math Fundamentals 11 Math Fundamentals on the GRE

  8. Page 8
    Read page 8 as text

    12 Algebra Basics 13 Plugging In 14 Real-World Math 15 Geometry Basics 16 GRE Geometry 17 Math Et Cetera Part V: How to Crack the Analytical Writing Section 18 The Geography of the Analytical Writing Section 19 The Issue Essay 20 The Argument Essay Part VI: Answers and Explanations to Drills and Practice Sets Part VII: More Practice Tests Practice Test 2 Practice Test 2: Answers and Explanations 144052297 _

  9. Page 9
    Read page 9 as text

    1 Go to PrincetonReview.com/prep and enter the following ISBN for your book: 9780593516966 2 Answer a few simple questions to set up an exclusive Princeton Review account. (If you already have one, you can just log in.)

  10. Page 10
    Read page 10 as text

    3 Enjoy access to your FREE content! Need to report a potential content issue? Contact EditorialSupport@review.com and include:

  11. Page 11
    Read page 11 as text

    full title of the book e ISBN * page number Need to report a technical issue? Contact TPRStudentTech@review.com and provide: « your full name « email address used to register the book « full book title and ISBN * Operating system (Mac/PC) and browser (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, etc.) Once you've registered, you can... e Take 5 full-length practice GRE exams + Watch nine short videos in which some of The Princeton Review's teachers discuss GRE question types and strategies, and work through practice problems step by step * Access crucial information and advice about the GRE, graduate schools, and the graduate school application process * Get a code for $100 off The Princeton Review's self-paced GRE course (restrictions may apply)

  12. Page 12
    Read page 12 as text

    * Check to see if there have been any corrections or updates to this edition Look For These Icons Throughout The PROVEN TECHNIQUES ONLINE ARTICLES PREMIUM PORTAL ONLINE PRACTICE TESTS APPLIED STRATEGIES WATCH OUT ANOTHER APPROACH GOING DEEPER

  13. Page 13
    Read page 13 as text

    TIME-SAVING TIP STUDY BREAK ONLINE VIDEO TUTORIALS

  14. Page 14
    Read page 14 as text

    Dear Test Taker, There is a lot of content that could be tested on the GRE. Virtually all that content is covered in this book. Therefore, this book is very long. We set out to create a book with a simple goal in mind: we want you to achieve the GRE score of your dreams. We’ve loaded this book with enough practice questions, tests, and discussion about the GRE, so that nothing you see on test day is going to surprise you. Before you even see a single question, you are going to be provided with information details to give you confidence that the GRE is the right test for you to take to help achieve your career goals. Over the years, The Princeton Review has learned a lot of important lessons about preparing to take standardized tests. Those lessons that pertain to the GRE are in the pages of this book. We’ve also learned lessons about students such as yourself. And central to those lessons is that no two students follow the same path to success. Some of you are going to thoroughly comb through every page, take every practice test, send questions to our editorial team, and consider nearly nothing else until test day. If this sounds like you, then you are in luck. This book is crammed full of practice questions, advice, and strategies for how to best approach problems. You are going to love this book. You might even give it a permanent spot on your mantle. But others of you only have so many hours a day or week to devote to your studies. You're going to see a book that is this big, that feels this heavy, and know you are unlikely to see every page and work through every question. If this sounds like you, then we have good news. You are also going to love this book. The opening practice test is a diagnostic, which is going to give you a

  15. Page 15
    Read page 15 as text

    good sense of where you are with each section. The customized 2-, 4- and 6- week study guides are going to help you evaluate that first diagnostic test and give you a plan for how to move through this book. The closing practice test here in the book is going to let you know just how far you’ve come, and what you still may need to review to maximize your score. You can further monitor your progress with even more practice tests online in your Student Tools. In short, we created a book that you can use to maximize your time in order to maximize your score. We think you’ll love it. But don’t take our word for it. See for yourself. Happy studying, The Princeton Review + Studyxy

  16. Page 16
    Read page 16 as text

    Part I Orientation 1 Introduction 2 General Strategy

  17. Page 17
  18. Page 18
  19. Page 19
    Read page 19 as text

    Chapter 1 Introduction What is the GRE? Who makes the test? What's a good score? The answers to these questions and many others lie within this chapter. In the next few pages, we’ll give you the lowdown on the things you need to know about the GRE.

  20. Page 20
    Read page 20 as text

    CRACKING THE GRE For a lot of people, taking a standardized test such as the GRE usually brings up a number of emotions—none of them positive. But here’s the good news: The Princeton Review is going to make this whole ordeal a lot easier for you. We’ll give you the information you will need to do well on the GRE, including our time-tested strategies and techniques. Strategies Galore In this book, you'll find The Princeton Review's trusted test-taking strategies to help you crack the GRE The GRE supposedly allows graduate schools to get a better sense of an applicant’s ability to work in a post-graduate setting—a goal that is unrealistic indeed, considering that the people who take the GRE are applying to programs as diverse as physics and anthropology. It’s safe to say that the GRE is not a realistic measure of how well you’ll do in grad school, or even how intelligent you are. In fact, the GRE provides a valid assessment of only one thing: The GRE assesses how well you take the GRE. Got it? Even so, you still want to do well on the GRE, because you want grad schools to take you seriously when they consider your application. With this in mind, you should cultivate several very important skills when you’re preparing for the test; each of them is attainable with the right guidance

  21. Page 21
    Read page 21 as text

    (which we’ll give you), a strong work ethic (which you must provide), and a healthy dose of optimism. Who knows? Maybe after working through this book and learning how to crack the test, you'll actually look forward to taking the GRE. So what exactly is this test you’ve heard so much about? Fun fact: It's possible your GRE score could come in handy if you are interested in law school. Check a school's admissions page for more info, as some schools are (or are considering) accepting GRE scores in lieu of LSAT scores. Your grad school options may have opened up even further! WHAT IS THE GRE? The Graduate Record Examination (GRE) is a 3-hour, 45-minute exam that’s used to rank applicants for graduate schools. The scored portion of the GRE consists of the following sections: e One 30-minute Analysis of an Issue Essay e One 30-minute Analysis of an Argument Essay * Two 30-minute Verbal Reasoning sections e Two 35-minute Quantitative Reasoning sections According to the official scoring for the GRE, the Verbal Reasoning sections test your skills on three different types of questions: e Text Completion * Sentence Equivalence * Reading Comprehension StudyXY

  22. Page 22
    Read page 22 as text

    However, in this book we break Verbal Reasoning into four sections by splitting Reading Comprehension into two categories: Reading Comprehension and Critical Reasoning. This distinction will become clearer later on. The Quantitative Reasoning sections measure your prowess in four areas: o Arithmetic and Number Properties * Algebra * Geometry * Data Analysis WHY DO SCHOOLS REQUIRE IT? Even though you will pay ETS $220 to take the GRE, it is important to note that you are not their primary customer. Their primary customers are the admissions offices at graduate programs across the United States. ETS provides admissions professionals with two important services. The first is a number, your GRE score. Everyone who takes the test gets a number. It is difficult for admissions committees to make a decision between a candidate with a 3.0 and a 3.2 GPA from drastically different schools and in two different majors. A GRE score, on the other hand, provides a quick and easy way for busy admissions offices to whittle a large applicant pool down to size. as Australia and China, charge slightly more than $220 for the administration of the GRE. You can find the most recent pricing at https://www.ets.org/gre/test-takers/general- test/register/fees.

  23. Page 23
    Read page 23 as text

    Applicants could come from all over the world and will certainly have an enormous range in academic and professional experience. How does one compare a senior in college with a 32-year-old professional who has been out of college working in a different industry for the past 10 years? A GRE score is the only part of the application that allows for an apples-to-apples comparison among all applicants. The second service that ETS provides is mailing lists. That’s right; they will sell your name. You can opt out, but when you sit down to take the test, ETS will ask you a whole bunch of questions about your educational experience, family background, race, and gender, as well as other biographical data. All of this information goes into their database. In fact, ETS is one of the most important sources of potential applicants that many graduate programs have. Another reason schools require the GRE is that it ensures that most graduate school applicants are qualified. It helps to weed out the people who might be considering grad school, but who can’t get their act together enough to fill out applications. When you ask a program how important the GRE score is to the application, they may say, “it depends” or “not very,” and that may be true, as long as your score is in the top half. If your score is in the bottom half, however, it may mean that your application never gets seen. So the GRE may have little relevance to any particular field of study you might be pursuing, but as long as it helps graduate programs uncover potential candidates, and as long as it is the only tool available to compare a diverse candidate pool, the GRE is here to stay. WHO IS ETS? Like most standardized tests in this country, the GRE is created and administered by Educational Testing Service (ETS), a private company located in New Jersey. ETS publishes the GRE under the sponsorship of the Graduate Record Examinations Board, which is an organization affiliated

  24. Page 24
    Read page 24 as text

    with the Association of Graduate Schools and the Council of Graduate Schools in the United States. ETS is also the organization that brings you the SAT, the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), the Praxis, and licensing and certification exams in dozens of fields, including hair styling, plumbing, and golf. TEST DAY You may take the test at a testing center or, now, at home! The GRE General Test at home is a safe and convenient option for test-takers who prefer to test at home and not a test center. There is a lot to know about what your setup at home should look like (as far as what computer setup is approved, what tabletop and seating setup is approved). Learn more at www.ets.org/gre. For that testing center version of the GRE, which is what the vast majority of test-takers use, the GRE is administered at Prometric testing centers. This company specializes in administering tests on computer. They administer citizenship exams, professional health certifications, dental exams, accounting exams, and hundreds of other exams on computer. When you arrive at the center, they will check your ID, give you a clipboard with a form to fill out, and hand you a locker key. Despite the fact that they already have your information, you will be asked to fill out a long form on paper. This form includes an entire paragraph that you have to copy over—in cursive (they specify this)—that states that you are who you say you are and that you are taking the test for admissions purposes. This process will take you about 10 minutes, and you can complete it while you wait for them to call you into the testing room. The locker is for all of your personal belongings, including books, bags, phones, bulky sweaters, and even watches. You are not allowed to take anything with you into the testing room. When they call you into the testing room, they will first take a photo of you and, in some cases, fingerprint you before you go in. They will give you six sheets of scratch paper, stapled together to form a booklet, and two sharpened

  25. Page 25
    Read page 25 as text

    pencils with erasers. Then they will lead you into the room where someone will start your test for you. The room itself will hold three or four rows of standard corporate cubicles, each with a monitor and keyboard. There will be other people in the room taking tests other than the GRE. Because people will be entering and exiting the room at different times, you will be provided with optional headphones. 1. Your registration ticket 2. A photo ID and one other form of ID 3. A snack Test Day Tips * Dress in layers so you’ll be comfortable, regardless of whether the room is cool or warm. * Don’t bother to take a calculator; you're not allowed to use your own— just the one on the screen. * Be sure to have breakfast, or lunch, depending on when your test is scheduled (but don’t eat anything you haven’t tried before). Take it easy on the liquids and the caffeine. e Do a few GRE practice problems beforehand to warm up your brain. Don’t try to tackle difficult new questions, but go through a few questions that you’ve done before to help you review the problem- solving strategies for each section of the GRE. This will also help you put on your “game face” and get you into test mode. * Make sure to take photo identification to the test center. Acceptable forms of identification include your driver’s license, photo-bearing employee ID cards, and valid passports.

  26. Page 26
    Read page 26 as text

    o If you registered by mail, you must also take the authorization voucher sent to you by ETS. o Stretch, drink some water, go to the bathroom, and do whatever you need to do in order to be prepared to sit for this four-hour test. TEST STRUCTURE While your test structure may vary, you should expect to see something like this when you sit down to take the exam: The first section of the test collects all of your biographical information. If you fill this out, you will start getting mail from programs that have bought your name from ETS. In general, this is not a bad thing. If you don’t want them to sell your name, or you don’t want to spend the time answering their questions, you can click on a box that tells ETS not to share your information. More Online For tons of information about the GRE, check out PrincetonReview.com/grad/gre-information Once all of that is done, you will begin your first scored section, the essays. The two essays will be back-to-back. You have 30 minutes for each essay. Immediately after your second essay, you will get your first multiple-choice section. It may be math or verbal. You will have a 1-minute break between sections. Here is the structure of the test: Section Time # of Questions Biographical Information +/— 10 minutes - Issue Essay 30 minutes 1 StudyXY

  27. Page 27
    Read page 27 as text

    1 Possible Research Section Optional Select Schools/Programs Upto 4 Reevescons fimne | Here are some things to keep in mind: * You will see five multiple-choice sections, but only four will count. The fifth will either be mixed in with the other sections as an unidentified “experimental” section or as a final, identified “research” section. * Math sections are 35 minutes. There are 20 math questions in each section. If your experimental section is math, your test will be five minutes longer than someone whose experimental section is verbal. * Verbal sections are 30 minutes. There are 20 verbal questions in each section. o For the computer-delivered test, the optional 10-minute break comes after the second multiple-choice section. For the paper-based test, the 10- minute break comes after the second Analytical Writing section. * You may or may not get a research section. If you do, it will come last; it does not count toward your score, and it is optional. * You must accept your scores and, if you choose, send your scores to selected programs prior to seeing your results. + StudyXy

  28. Page 28
    Read page 28 as text

    * If you choose not to accept your scores, neither you nor any program will ever see them. * You may choose to send your scores to up to four graduate programs on the day of the test. This service is included in your testing fee. The computer-delivered GRE is the standard format for test takers. The paper-based GRE is far more rare and offered up to only three times a year. But if you want to learn more about the paper-and-pencil test, visit ETS.org. The Experimental Section ETS administers the experimental section to gather data on questions before they appear on real GREs. Because there are only two scored Math sections and two scored Verbal sections, you’ll know by that last section whether the experimental section is math or verbal. However, you will have no way of knowing in advance which multiple-choice section is experimental, so you need to do your best on all of them. Don’t waste time worrying about which sections count and which section does not. Research Section Instead of an experimental section, you may find that the last section of your test is marked as an unscored research section. This section is used only to help develop and test questions for the GRE and you have the option to skip it if you want. You may be offered some sort of prize to persuade you to take it, but by that point in the test you will probably be exhausted. If you're offered a research section, you must choose your own ending: decline, get your scores, and go home, or forge ahead with the research section in the name of science, or something.

  29. Page 29
    Read page 29 as text

    When tackling practice tests during your test preparation, be sure to mimic the real GRE and give yourself these timed breaks. The 10-Minute Break You are given 1 minute between sections except for the second multiple- choice section, when you get a 10-minute break. Go to the bathroom, splash water on your face, wave your arms around. You want to re-oxygenate your brain. The goal, as much as it is possible, is to hit your brain’s reset button. When you sit back down for the third multiple-choice section, you want to feel as if you are just sitting down at that computer for the first time that day. Your GRE test day is going to be a long and intense day, so be sure to take full advantage of break time. Accepting Your Scores Before you see your scores, you will be given the opportunity to cancel them. There are very few reasons to do so. First, if you cancel your scores, you will never see them and you will have to go through the whole experience again, including paying an additional $220 to take the test again. Second, GRE scores are curved. Most people believe that they are doing worse while taking the test than they actually are. Third, you can make use of the GRE ScoreSelect® service. ScoreSelect® ScoreSelect® allows you to select which scores get sent to which schools. Options for sending scores depend on whether you are sending scores on the day of your test or after your test day. On test day, you have the following options for sending scores:

  30. Page 30
    Read page 30 as text

    * Most recent. This option sends the results of the test you just took. o All This option sends all your scores from the last five years. If you send your scores to schools after test day, you have even more options. After test day, your options are: * Most recent. This option sends the scores from the test you took most recently. * All As above, this option sends all your GRE scores from the last five years. * Any. Send just the scores you want to send. You can send one score or multiple scores. For example, if you have taken the GRE three times and your second score is your best, you can send just that score. When you use ScoreSelect® after your test day, the score report that is sent to schools shows only the scores that you choose to send. The report does not indicate how many times you have taken the GRE, nor does it indicate that you have sent, for example, your scores from the second time you took the test and also the fact that you took the test a total of three times. ScoreSelect® is another reason to think twice before canceling your scores. Provided that you send your scores after your test date, your schools will never know that you didn’t do as well as you would have liked or even that you took the test more than once if you don’t want them to know. Sending Additional Score Reports If you wish to send reports to additional schools, you'll need to request that these additional reports be sent after your test day. Each additional report costs $27. The fastest way to send additional score reports is to order them online using the My GRE® account that you create when you register to take the test. WHAT DOES A GRE SCORE LOOK LIKE? + StudyXxy

  31. Page 31
    Read page 31 as text

    Every GRE score has two components: a scaled score and a percentile rank. GRE scores fall on a 130-170-point scale. However, your percentile rank is more important than your scaled score. Your percentile rank indicates how your GRE scores compare to those of other test takers. For example, a scaled score of 150 on the GRE translates to roughly the 43rd percentile, meaning that you scored better than 43 out of every 100 test takers—and worse than the other 57 percent of test takers. A score of 152 is about average, while scores of 163 and above are very competitive. Get the latest reported scores and percentiles at PrincetonReview.com and at www.ets.org/gre, the official ETS website for the GRE. Head over to your Student Tools to gain access to online practice tests that include detailed score reports. These score reports can help guide and focus your test preparation time The Verbal Reasoning and Quantitative Reasoning sections are each reported on a scale of 130-170 in 1-point increments. For each section, a raw score is computed; this raw score is the number of questions you answered correctly. Each raw score is then converted to a scaled score through a process known as equating, which accounts for minor variations in difficulty between different test administrations as well as for differences in difficulty that occur as a result of the adaptivity of the test. These scaled scores are what are listed on your score report and lead to the percentile ranks referred to above. The essays are scored a little differently from the Verbal and Quantitative sections. Each essay receives a scaled score of 0-6, in half-point increments, which is the average of two scores for that essay. The scores of the two essays are then averaged to produce a single score that is reported for the

996 more pages in the full document

Unlock it once and it stays in your library, ready to chat with or turn into flashcards.

Unlock the full document

More Graduate Record Examination study materials

See all

Study this document with CramX

Once it is in your library, every tool can work from it.