Books to Practice GRE WORDS

[Lillies123]

Hey everyone!

I was wondering if anyone has helpful hints on the kinds of books I can read to practice some of the GRE words. I think it will help to apply them when reading them in context rather than tirelessly reviewing them from index cards. Thanks!

[Lantern]

I had really great luck using one of those boxed sets with pre-made cards, but I know you're looking for something else. I think just reading anything on a higher level is going to help.

I just happened to read The Island of the Day Before by Umberto Eco toward the end of my studying. I was amazed at how many "GRE words" are in there! In all honesty, I didn't like the book very much, but everytime I came across a word that I had recently learned, it was like I got a little thrill. But I would say choose something you enjoy reading that is written on a higher level than your average newspaper, and you'll probably be surprised at how many GRE words you come across. Even something like National Geographic should help you out. Good luck!

[Lillies123]

I had really great luck using one of those boxed sets with pre-made cards, but I know you're looking for something else. I think just reading anything on a higher level is going to help.

I just happened to read The Island of the Day Before by Umberto Eco toward the end of my studying. I was amazed at how many "GRE words" are in there! In all honesty, I didn't like the book very much, but everytime I came across a word that I had recently learned, it was like I got a little thrill. But I would say choose something you enjoy reading that is written on a higher level than your average newspaper, and you'll probably be surprised at how many GRE words you come across. Even something like National Geographic should help you out. Good luck!

Hi Lantern,

Thanks for your response! I will definitely check out the National Geographic and the book you mentioned by Umberto Eco. I have the Kaplan vocab words and so far they are great. I also heard that scholarly journal articles are a good source but if it is something I am not interested in I probably wouldn't be able to keep my attention on it for too long!!

[2010international]

i found barron's really useful. they have a 'short list' with the most frequently occurring words on the GRE, and a longer list of about 3000 words, with definitions as well as a sentence that gives you an idea of how the word is used contextually. they also have short quizzes testing you on about 15 words each which is helpful.

But yeah, generally just read and make sure you check up words that you don't know, since for analogies etc the GRE can use secondary meanings of words

[Dith Vader]

I used Princeton Review's "Cracking the GRE" and I think it has helped me tremendously, even if I have never done SAT and found that sort of testing very unfamiliar. They also have awesome sample tests on their DVD which helped bring up my confidence, knowing that I at least know what taking the test will feel like.

I also recommend just googling "GRE words" and learning those insanely long lists available online since one weakness of the book is that their vocabulary list isn't as extensive as I liked it to be. A few hours before my test, I crammed in 8 pages full of lists of GRE words I found online and about 10-15% of words in the test were there, which I think is pretty good!!

All the best!

[Branwen daughter of Llyr]

If you mean texts that contain words that are likely to appear on the GRE - work with the following:

The Economist - loads and loads of "GRE words". Scientific American, as well.

Any academic book / publication - I read a history book about the middle ages which contained a great deal of "GRE words" in it. Just look for high-quality books written by academics, as well as academic journals (science, social science, and humanities).

Any Umberto Eco book will contain a great deal of higher level words - he's a high-flown writer. Foucault's Pendulum is actually very good, as is The Name of the Rose.

[Dith Vader]

Oh, sorry! Big apology, I apparently couldn't read D:

[Lillies123]

If you mean texts that contain words that are likely to appear on the GRE - work with the following:

The Economist - loads and loads of "GRE words". Scientific American, as well.

Any academic book / publication - I read a history book about the middle ages which contained a great deal of "GRE words" in it. Just look for high-quality books written by academics, as well as academic journals (science, social science, and humanities).

Any Umberto Eco book will contain a great deal of higher level words - he's a high-flown writer. Foucault's Pendulum is actually very good, as is The Name of the Rose.

Great suggestions! I will be on my way to check Umberto Eco's books out from the library this week! lol...This is exactly what I was looking for.

[Lillies123]

Oh, sorry! Big apology, I apparently couldn't read D:

No worries. Your suggestion about googling GRE words was very helpful!

[Octavia]

Hey everyone!

I was wondering if anyone has helpful hints on the kinds of books I can read to practice some of the GRE words. I think it will help to apply them when reading them in context rather than tirelessly reviewing them from index cards. Thanks!

Being an avid reader helps a lot with GRE words. Words and reading passages can't scare you if you've survived through Proust, Joyce or Dostoevsky If you're not into classic literature, I would recommend Supreme Court Justices' and politicans' books. Scalia, Rehnquist and Obama are all great writers and have an impressive range of vocabulary. Maybe stay away from Palin's books (no offense) - she writes like a 10 year old.

Also, here is a list: http://www.testprepreview.com/vocabulary.htm

[lily_]

One TV show that tends to have a lot of "GRE words" is (surprisingly) Star Trek: The Next Generation!

Also, a lot of 19th century literature has GRE words, as well as the aforementioned periodicals. Essentially, to study for the GRE vocab section, I have been reading things with a dictionary next to me and if I don't completely understand a word or have never seen it before, I look it up and write down the definition and review my notes a few times daily. A lot of the words for the antonyms section use a lesser known GRE word alongside a more common word, which can make it trickier. I think that one has to go beyond simple memorization to truly score high on that section.

Best of luck!

[Nibor6000]

Ditto on the Economist suggestion. Maybe I'm a dork, but it's often laugh-out-loud funny.

[GradGRE]

If you mean texts that contain words that are likely to appear on the GRE - work with the following:

The Economist - loads and loads of "GRE words". Scientific American, as well.

Any academic book / publication - I read a history book about the middle ages which contained a great deal of "GRE words" in it. Just look for high-quality books written by academics, as well as academic journals (science, social science, and humanities).

Any Umberto Eco book will contain a great deal of higher level words - he's a high-flown writer. Foucault's Pendulum is actually very good, as is The Name of the Rose.

The Economist! Where were you when I was studying for the GRE ! Great idea.

I used the Barron's big list and made homemade flashcards. Actually making the cards seemed to help rather than buying them. Tedious, though.

[Branwen daughter of Llyr]

The Economist! Where were you when I was studying for the GRE ! Great idea.

I used the Barron's big list and made homemade flashcards. Actually making the cards seemed to help rather than buying them. Tedious, though.

I got the recommendation from Princeton's "Cracking the GRE" and followed it - and found it very helpful. I'm teaching a GRE prep class this summer and I'm definitely recommending both the Economist and Scientific American to my students - they should read them EVERY DAY (and cram vocab).