Quality of ETS's Big Book Reading Comprehension

[Tinieblas.]

Hi everyone.  I have a quick question about the Reading Comprehension in the Big Book.   I've spent the summer bolstering my vocabulary, so I've been doing well on the sentence equivalence and text completion in my practice tests.  Most of the mistakes that I make have been in Verbal are with the reading comprehension, so I'm trying to work on that.  I've been using the ETS official guide and their book with Verbal practice problems, and Manhattan (7, 8 + 5lb book).  I'm going to finish all of the questions in the ETS books, but I've heard some mixed comments about the quality of the Manhattan verbal questions.  My question is: has anyone used the reading comprehension from the old Big Book from ETS to prep for the revised exam?  Are the reading comprehension questions a similar level of difficulty to the current revised GRE?  

Thanks in advance.  

[Vince Kotchian GRE Prep]

The one big thing I'd add to your prep is to analyze ETS questions until you can explain them to a friend. Even better, actually explain them to a friend!

This will force you to notice things you didn't before and to develop stronger justification for your answers.

You should do this with questions you get right, too (most people don't analyze questions they get right much). This will let you get a lot more mileage out of the ETS big book. Also get its verbal practice book if you don't have it. Manhattan's computer tests are good for extra timed practice.

If you follow the above advice, you might not need the old ETS big book, but the old ETS big book is probably better practice than Manhattan or any other third-party material. I just would only break it out after you can easily explain any ETS RC question to someone from the PowerPrep2 tests, the big book, and the verbal book.

[Tinieblas.]

Thanks for the tips, Vince.  : )

[greMS15]

Hi Vince,

Can you please let me know what old ETS big book?Sorry, i just started off with the preparation and still getting familiar with materials  and terminologies

Thank you !!

[Tinieblas.]

On 11/2/2015, 6:33:55, greMS15 said:

Hi Vince,

Can you please let me know what old ETS big book?Sorry, i just started off with the preparation and still getting familiar with materials  and terminologies

Thank you !!

It's this one.  I wouldn't use it as your first resource but I used it when I ran out of reading comprehension questions. http://www.amazon.com/GRE-Practicing-Take-General-Test/dp/0446396001/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1446585446&sr=8-1&keywords=ets+big+book

[greMS15]

On 11/2/2015, 9:33:55, greMS15 said:

Hi Vince,

Can you please let me know what old ETS big book?Sorry, i just started off with the preparation and still getting familiar with materials  and terminologies

Thank you !!

Thank you Tinieblas