Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I'm a Harvard grad, 99% GRE scorer (337, 168 Q / 169 V / 5.5 AWA), and professional GRE tutor since 2002. Any serious GRE prepper knows that the GRE Official Guide The Official Guide to the GRE General Test, Third Edition and free GRE PowerPrep Software from ETS are the best places to start, but the problem is that the GRE Official Guides, PowerPrep, and Super Power Pack Official GRE Super Power Pack, while the very best sources of realistic GRE practice questions and diagnostic tests, do a pretty lousy job of explaining the GRE in terms that most students can understand. Overall, GRE Prep by Magoosh is an accessible, organized book. It provides lots of basic info on the GRE, many synthetic practice questions and explanations, links to online study plans, and references to other learning resources. However, it doesn't cover every area of the GRE--not by a long shot. The questions and answer explanations are helpful, but less than perfect--and most importantly, do not include real GRE questions. As far as cost, the physical book is perhaps a little overpriced at $20, so I would go with the Kindle version for $9.99. You might know Magoosh from its endless advertisements on NPR, or maybe from its online study programs for standardized tests. I am a fan of the company and its employees for the most part, although they are not as open to outside materials as they try to appear, which is why their study plans, while popular, are glaringly incomplete. (As a private company, of course Magoosh wants to steer you toward its own resources.) They also exude a bit of an amateurish vibe, as evidenced by their goofy videos and inconsistent/mediocre online educational content. Magoosh is a good fit if you are trying to go from 50% to 70% on the GRE, but if you are trying to go from 80% to 99%, then you will need a more serious book than this. Ultimately, though, this book is still far more helpful than any of the other GRE mass-market offerings out there, with the exception of the Manhattan GRE Series Manhattan Prep GRE Set of 8 Strategy Guides (Manhattan Prep GRE Strategy Guides) and the Manhattan 5-Lb Guide 5 lb. Book of GRE Practice Problems (Manhattan Prep GRE Strategy Guides). As a private GRE tutor, GRE-prep author and obvious competitor of Magoosh, I can admit my bias here. Just because I know that I could do a better job (that is, if I weren't busy tutoring private students of my own) doesn't mean that I should be overly critical of their work. I must admit that McGarry and team are doing something right with regard to GRE self-study, and I admire their core principles as stated in the introduction, even if they don't always adhere to those principles. Throughout the book, they maintain a positive vibe and get straight to the point…but just remember that there are plenty of other helpful GRE materials out there that the authors don’t necessarily want you to know about. So long as you use this book as one of many resources instead of your *only* GRE Prep resource, you should find that it makes a helpful addition to your GRE prep library. For more information on my personal GRE prep recommendations, google "GRE Action Plan."