Using old GRE books for the current general GRE and Psychology subj test

[ThiefOfJoy]

I purchased general GRE prep books for math and verbal in fall 2008 (whatever was current then) when I thought I'd be studying for the GRE. I decided to work instead after graduating in 2009, but I'm finally going to start studying for the GRE, take it before the August 2011 changes, and apply to Ph.D. programs this fall for fall 2012. I'm having trouble finding a history of GRE changes for the past few years or any information about whether I could still use my old prep books. Do you think they are still ok to use? I'd of course rather save money than not, but I'm ok with buying new books if it'd mean I'd be better prepared. I'm not sure which ones I purchased (Kaplan, etc.), but I'm getting the books from my parents' home tomorrow, in case that impacts your answer.

I also purchased a prep book for the Psychology subject test in fall 2008. Same question- has this test changed and can I still use my old 2008 book?

Thank you!

[Tall Chai Latte]

Don't get the general GRE book from Princeton Review. The math section has many mistakes in the answer key.

[Ennue]

I got high scores on both tests. For the general GRE I used a 10-year old book from Barron's - the word list was still useful (I ran into several of their words on the test) although I prefered to use online flashcards for practising (http://quizlet.com/47571/barrons-gre-wordlist-4759-words-flash-cards/). The math part was still very relevant and useful. If you take the test before this summer I don't think much will have changed compared with two years ago.

For the GRE psychology subject test I went through my first psychology textbook, which I bought in 2005. On the test were some things that were in the book, and some things that weren't (but which had been covered in other courses). I don't think this one will have changed much in two years either, but since I didn't use the prep book I can't be sure because I don't know what's in there!

Good luck!

[nessa]

yeah, neither test has changed since then- if you already bought the books, they will be fine.

I also second Ennue's comment about studying an intro psych text; I looked over (but didn't buy) a psych review book, and although it was helpful, it missed a lot of content. The one I looked at (Kaplan? Princeton? don't remember) gave only basic info about each theory, researcher, etc. and I found that some questions on the test asked different questions about those topics than what had been covered in the book. I would combine the prep book with the textbook, picking out the concepts to study from the prep book but actually learning the material in the textbook. If your local library doesn't have an intro text, you can find one through interlibrary loan, so it won't cost you anything more than the ILL fee.

good luck!

[ThiefOfJoy]

Thanks for the tips, everyone! I just picked up my books from my parents' home-- turns out I had bought Barron's prep book for the GRE (2008- 17th edition) and Kaplan for the Psych subj test (third edition). I actually still have my Intro to Psychology textbook, so it's good to hear that it was worth keeping that textbook.

I haven't looked back in this forum for specific book/brand tips since I now know what I purchased, but any comments aimed at these specific books are more than welcome.

Thanks again!