Title Page	5
	Copyright Page	6
	Contents at a Glance	7
	Table of Contents	9
	Introduction	17
	About This Book	17
	Foolish Assumptions	18
	Icons Used in This Book	18
	Beyond the Book	18
	Where to Go from Here	19
	Part I: Getting Started with the GRE	21
	Chapter 1: Knowing What to Expect with the GRE	23
	Signing Up for the GRE	23
	Breaking the GRE into Manageable Pieces	24
	Scoring Max: 340 and 6	25
	Understanding how the scoring breaks down	26
	Calculating your score	26
	Figuring out how your scores measure up	27
	Playing the guessing game	27
	Seeing or canceling your scores	27
	Taking advantage of the ScoreSelect option	28
	Gimme a Break! GRE Intermissions	28
	Chapter 2: Owning the GRE: Strategies for Success	29
	Making the Best Use of Your Time	29
	Budgeting your time for studying	30
	Budgeting your time for practice	30
	Beating the clock: Time management tips	31
	Repeating the Test	31
	Reporting Test Administration Abnormalities	32
	Using Old Scores	33
	Chapter 3: Gearing Up for Exam Day	35
	Gathering Your Stuff the Night Before	35
	Knowing What Not to Bring	36
	Training Physically and Mentally for Test Day	37
	Staying active	37
	Eating well	37
	Relaxing	38
	Test-Driving the Computerized Version	38
	Bringing the GRE into Your Comfort Zone	39
	Getting familiar with subject matter and questions	39
	Understanding that the GRE is only one of many admissions requirements	40
	Part II: Tackling the Verbal Section One Word at a Time	41
	Chapter 4: Making Sense of Sentences: Text Completion and Sentence Equivalence	43
	Grasping Text Completion and Sentence Equivalence Questions	43
	Developing Your Skills for Finding the Correct Answers	45
	Interpreting the sentence	45
	Using vocabulary properly	46
	Recognizing irony, figures of speech, and formal diction	46
	Attacking the Question Head-On	47
	Read and interpret the sentence without looking at the answer choices	47
	Fill in the blanks with your own words	48
	Eliminate answer choices that don’t match your words	48
	Interpreting Trickier Sentences	49
	Identify transition words and use them to get the gist of the phrases	49
	Break the sentence into smaller pieces	50
	Check one word blank at a time to eliminate answer choices	51
	Getting Your Hands Dirty with Practice Questions	52
	Text Completion questions	52
	Sentence Equivalence questions	55
	Chapter 5: Extracting Meaning from Text: Reading Comprehension	61
	Recognizing the Three Reading Comprehension Question Formats	61
	Multiple-choice questions: Choose one answer	62
	Multiple-choice questions: Choose one or more answers	62
	Sentence-selection questions: Choose a sentence from the passage	63
	Developing Strategies for Success	63
	Using the context as your road map	63
	Grasping the gist of the passage	64
	Using keywords strategically	64
	Avoiding traps	64
	Acing the Three Commonly Tested Reading Comprehension Passages	65
	The biological and physical science passage	65
	The social sciences passage	68
	The humanities passage	71
	Chapter 6: Analyzing the Argument Questions	75
	Skipping the Answer Choices	75
	Knowing What to Look for in the Question	76
	Reading the Passage with a Critical Eye	76
	Identifying the premise and conclusion	76
	Finding the hidden assumption	77
	Spotting weaknesses in supporting details	78
	Exploring common logical fallacies	78
	Answering the Question in Your Own Words	80
	Eliminating Wrong Answers to Find the Right One	80
	Leveraging the process of elimination	80
	Testing your skills	81
	Trying other examples	82
	Chapter 7: Expanding Your Vocabulary to Boost Your Score	85
	Brushing Up on Prefixes, Suffixes, and Roots	85
	Prefixes	85
	Suffixes	88
	Roots	88
	Memorizing the GRE’s Most Common Vocabulary Words	91
	Part III: High School Math and Beyond: Math You Thought You’d Never Need Again	105
	Chapter 8: Brushing Up on Basic Arithmetic	107
	Knowing Integers, Factors, and Multiples	107
	Factoring in Prime Time: Prime and Composite Numbers	108
	Reading between the Lines: Absolute Value	108
	Remembering the Order of Things: Putting PEMDAS to Use	109
	Taking Advantage of the Distributive, Associative, and Commutative Properties	110
	Distributive property	110
	Associative property	110
	Commutative property	110
	Measuring Up: Units of Measurement	111
	Discovering the Point with Decimals	112
	Adding and subtracting decimals	112
	Multiplying decimals	113
	Dividing decimals	113
	Facing Off with Fractions	113
	Adding or subtracting fractions	113
	Multiplying fractions	114
	Dividing fractions	115
	Mixed numbers	115
	Manipulating Percentages	115
	Converting between percentages and decimals or fractions	115
	Finding the percent of change	116
	Making Ratios More Rational	117
	Considering the total number of items	118
	Finding the amount of a specific term	119
	Maintaining the ratio	119
	Combining two or more ratios	120
	Working the Numbers: Arithmetic Practice Problems	121
	Chapter 9: Algebra: Finding What X Really Means	123
	Tapping the Powers of Bases and Exponents	123
	Working with Math Operators and Functions	126
	Substituting for the variable in the math operator	126
	Substituting for the variable in the function	127
	Mastering the Fundamentals of Algebra	127
	Solving for x	127
	Multiplying with the FOIL method	129
	Factoring and the “X Method”	130
	Dealing with Square Roots and Radicals	131
	Simplifying square roots and radicals	132
	Estimating the radical	132
	Adding and subtracting radicals	133
	Multiplying and dividing radicals	133
	Working radicals from the inside out	134
	Traversing the X- and Y-Axes with Coordinate Geometry	134
	Using formulas to solve problems	135
	Distance formula	135
	Slope formula	136
	Equation of a line	137
	Midpoint formula	137
	Performing linear algebraic equations	138
	Solving simultaneous equations	139
	Method of addition	139
	Method of substitution	140
	Recognizing Patterns in Sequential Terms	141
	Chapter 10: Shaping Up Your Geometry Skills	143
	Exploring Lines and Angles	143
	Lines	143
	Angles	144
	Recognizing the Many Sides of Polygons	147
	Determining total interior angle measure	147
	Finding one interior angle	148
	Understanding Triangles from Top to Bottom	148
	Recognizing triangle types	148
	Noting key characteristics	149
	Calculating a triangle’s perimeter and area	150
	Understanding the Pythagorean theorem	151
	Identifying common Pythagorean ratios in right triangles	152
	Knowing Quadrilaterals Inside and Out	154
	Recognizing a quadrilateral when you see one	155
	Working with Circles	157
	Recognizing a circle’s characteristics	157
	Mastering essential formulas	159
	Tackling shaded-area problems	165
	Going 3-D with Volume and Surface Area	165
	Calculating volume	165
	Calculating surface area	166
	Chapter 11: Translating Word Problems into Math and Solving Them	169
	Working a Word Problem Step by Step	169
	Are We There Yet? Calculating Distance, Rate, and Time	170
	Figuring Averages	171
	Calculating Simple Interest: I = Prt	174
	Working Out with Work Problems	175
	Mixing It Up with Mixture Problems	175
	Sorting Out Sets and Groups	177
	Using the Venn diagram	178
	Using the group equation	179
	Solving Simple Probability Problems	179
	Rule #1: Create a fraction	180
	Rule #2: Multiply consecutive probabilities	180
	Rule #3: Add either/or probabilities on a single event	181
	Calculating probability in sets and groups	181
	Surveying Different Counting Methods	182
	Putting the counting principle to work	182
	When order matters: Permutations	183
	When order doesn’t matter: Combinations	184
	Chapter 12: Interpreting Data and Graphs	187
	Brushing Up on Basic Stats	187
	Defining the median	187
	Understanding mode	188
	Establishing the range	189
	Finding the mean	189
	Using the standard deviation	190
	Estimating the standard deviation	191
	Analyzing Data in Tables	191
	Analyzing Data in Graphs	192
	Reading different graph types	193
	Answering questions with two graphs	197
	Estimating graph totals quickly	199
	Chapter 13: Comparing Quantities: Which Is Greater?	201
	The Answer Choices Are Always the Same: Memorize Them Now	201
	Easy as ?: Approaching QC Questions	202
	Gotchas and Other Pitfalls: Tips, Traps, and Tricks	203
	Remembering that equal appearances can be deceiving	203
	Keeping an eye out for scale	204
	Remembering that it’s not just a pretty picture	205
	Canceling out identical quantities	206
	Estimating the quantities	206
	Plugging in the Sacred Six	207
	Throwing down a hundred	208
	Inserting variety when working with multiple variables	209
	Deciding On Your Own: Quantitative Comparison Practice Questions	210
	Part IV: Penning Powerful Analytical Essays	213
	Chapter 14: Writing Analytical Essays on Issues and Arguments	215
	Setting Your Sights on the Target: Scoring a Perfect 6	215
	What the essay scores really mean	216
	Key methods to scoring well	216
	Writing the Issue Essay	217
	Step 1: Read and understand the prompt	218
	Step 2: Start with your supporting info	219
	Step 3: Take a position that’s in line with the supporting data	219
	Step 4: Write your Issue Analysis essay	220
	First paragraph: Introduction	220
	Second paragraph: Your best supporting detail	220
	Third and fourth paragraphs: More supporting detail	221
	Final paragraph: The conclusion	222
	Tying everything together with smooth transitions	222
	Writing the Argument Essay	223
	Step 1: Read and understand the prompt	224
	Step 2: Identify the stated position	224
	Step 3: List the reasons given to support the stated position	224
	Step 4: Analyze the assumption and conclusion based on the facts	225
	Step 5: Write your essay	226
	Chapter 15: Practicing Analytical Writing and Sample Essays	229
	Setting the Stage for a Realistic Experience	229
	Writing an Analyze an Issue Essay: Some Samples	230
	Having trouble getting started? Identifying relevant laws: Some examples	230
	Sample essay — score 6 (outstanding)	231
	Evaluator comments on the score 6 essay	232
	Sample essay — score 4 (adequate)	232
	Evaluator comments on the score 4 essay	233
	Sample essay — score 2 (seriously flawed)	233
	Evaluator comments on the score 2 essay	234
	Writing an Analyze an Argument Essay: Some Samples	234
	Having trouble getting started? Identifying some faulty assumptions	235
	Sample essay — score 6 (outstanding)	235
	Evaluator comments on the score 6 essay	236
	Sample essay — score 4 (adequate)	236
	Evaluator comments on the score 4 essay	237
	Sample essay — score 2 (seriously flawed)	237
	Evaluator comments on the score 2 essay	237
	Part V: Taking Full-Length Practice GREs: It’s All You	239
	Chapter 16: Practice Exam 1	241
	Analytical Writing Sections	245
	Section 1: Verbal Reasoning	247
	Section 2: Quantitative Reasoning	253
	Section 3: Verbal Reasoning	257
	Section 4: Quantitative Reasoning	263
	Chapter 17: Practice Exam 1: Answers and Explanations	267
	Analytical Writing Sections	267
	Section 1: Verbal Reasoning	267
	Section 2: Quantitative Reasoning	269
	Section 3: Verbal Reasoning	273
	Section 4: Quantitative Reasoning	275
	Answer Key for Practice Exam 1	278
	Chapter 18: Practice Exam 2	279
	Analytical Writing Sections	283
	Section 1: Verbal Reasoning	285
	Section 2: Quantitative Reasoning	291
	Section 3: Verbal Reasoning	295
	Section 4: Quantitative Reasoning	301
	Chapter 19: Practice Exam 2: Answers and Explanations	305
	Analytical Writing Sections	305
	Section 1: Verbal Reasoning	305
	Section 2: Quantitative Reasoning	307
	Section 3: Verbal Reasoning	309
	Section 4: Quantitative Reasoning	311
	Answer Key for Practice Exam 2	314
	Chapter 20: Practice Exam 3	315
	Analytical Writing Sections	319
	Section 1: Verbal Reasoning	321
	Section 2: Quantitative Reasoning	327
	Section 3: Verbal Reasoning	331
	Section 4: Quantitative Reasoning	337
	Chapter 21: Practice Exam 3: Answers and Explanations	341
	Analytical Writing Sections	341
	Section 1: Verbal Reasoning	341
	Section 2: Quantitative Reasoning	343
	Section 3: Verbal Reasoning	344
	Section 4: Quantitative Reasoning	346
	Answer Key for Practice Exam 3	349
	Part VI: The Part of Tens	351
	Chapter 22: Ten Key Facts about the GRE	353
	You May Return to Previous Questions in the Same Section	353
	The GRE Doesn’t Penalize for Guessing	353
	The GRE Uses a Percentile-Based Scoring System	354
	Practice Makes All the Difference	354
	You Must Study for the GRE	354
	The GRE Is Different from the SAT	355
	The GRE Also Measures Your Stamina and Performance under Pressure	355
	The General GRE Is Not Program-Specific	355
	You Can Practice the GRE on Your Own Computer	355
	You Can’t Bring Anything into the Testing Center	356
	Chapter 23: Ten Mistakes You Won’t Make (But Others Will)	357
	Cheating	357
	Running Out of Steam	357
	Not Planning for Your Breaks	358
	Worrying about Questions in the Previous Sections	358
	Panicking Over the Time Limit	358
	Rushing through the Questions	358
	Choking on the Essays	359
	Fretting Over the Hard Questions	359
	Taking the Test with Your Best Friend	359
	Changing Your Morning Routine	359
	Chapter 24: Ten Ways to Take Advantage of Online Practice	361
	Take an Exam in One Sitting to Build Stamina	361
	Recognize the Wrong Turns You Make Under Pressure	362
	Get Accustomed to the Presence of Other Test-Takers	362
	Make It a Dress Rehearsal	362
	Make It Personal	362
	Practice Your Strategies	363
	Discover How the Software Works	363
	Get Used to Writing the Essays First	363
	Gauge Your Skill Level	363
	Review the Answers and Explanations	364
	Index	365
	About the Authors	381
	Wiley End User License Agreement	388