GRE Practice Tests Straight From ETS
October 30, 2008When you study for a standardized test, it's important to use the most realistic materials possible. Every test-prep company will try to convince you that their materials are the most like the exam itself. Every test-prep company will be wrong.
That's because the GRE testmaker itself--Educational Testing Service, or ETS--publishes a book called "Practicing to Take the GRE General Test," which contains several full exams from the last several years.
The book isn't the best way to re-learn GRE math skills--that's not what it's designed for. (Total GRE Math does a great job of that, in my humble opinion.) However, it does prepare you for what you'll face on test day. You can look at hundreds of questions that will help you grow accustomed to the challenges you'll face when you take the GRE.
One GRE Topic To the Next
Perhaps the most valuable aspect of a realistic practice test is that it forces you to do different types of problems back-to-back. Unlike in my study guides (including my own), you won't see five percent questions in a row. Instead, you'll see a percent question, then a geometry item, then a rate problem, and so on.
When you're first learning the material, it's important to drill subjects one at a time. But before you sit for the GRE, make sure to use realistic practice tests to ensure you can switch gears as necessary. Mental flexibility is as much a part of the GRE as content knowledge is, and ETS's book will help you practice that skill.
Jeff Sackmann is a test-prep tutor based in New York City and the author of Total GRE Math, among other GRE and GMAT resources.
Need a better Quant score? Check out Total GRE Math.