List of Best GRE Preparation Books and Materials

Now when you have decided to step ahead in your career and look forward to getting admission into international universities, It's the time to prepare well for your GRE. There are different materials available for you to prepare for your GRE. One can get GRE preparation books and join online GRE forums, which help you prepare for the exam.

In this article, we will talk about the various GRE Preparation Books and other materials which are best for cracking the GRE. We have provided a comprehensive list of the best GRE study books and resources that will give you a proper understanding you will be able to crack the exam easily.

Best GRE preparation resources

1. ETS Official Guide to the GRE Revised General Test

This is a must-have book for every GRE test taker. Because it is written by the experts of the GRE. This book gives an extensive overview of GRE  exam pattern, GRE structure, GRE question types as well as with 4 practice tests as well 2 paper, 2 CD-based. The questions and practice papers are very much similar to what you will encounter in the actual GRE. Along with these things the official guide also offers effective strategies for each section and certain question types that a GRE candidate might find difficult.

2. Manhattan Prep Set of 8 Strategy Guides

The Manhattan Prep series is one of the most suggested books for the GRE candidates because it is not a single book, it is a set of 8 books which includes each and every important topic in-depth such as  Fractions, Algebra, Number Properties, Geometry, Quantitative Comparisons, Word Problems, Text Completion and Sentence Equivalence, Reading Comprehension and Analytical Writing. You have the choice to buy those selected topics based on your needs. Along with it, you will also get access to 6 practice tests when you buy any one of the books. These books do not focus to teach you the usual tactics but rather on building a solid basic grasp with the help of their effective explanations and a huge kit of practice problems.

3. Magoosh GRE Prep

It is a very effective resource if you want to prepare for the GRE on your own. This online GRE preparation material entirely focuses on interactive learning by using video tutorials and practises questions. It allows GRE candidates to choose personalized plans depending on various factors such as costs and duration of preparation. Along with these things it also provides several free resources in the form of eBooks and customized study plans. Thus, this is definitely the best preparation material if you are planning to prepare for the GRE on your own and if you prefer online learning over books.

4. Barron’s GRE

One of the oldest publications to guide students for GRE preparation, Barron’s has always maintained its position as a widely chosen book for GRE no matter how many other publications come and go by in the market. Although the level of questions is not as challenging as the real GRE, Barron’s GRE provides extremely useful explanation strategies as well as an excellent question bank to practise the fundamentals. This should definitely be in your list of choosing GRE preparation material during the early stages of your preparation.

5. The Princeton Review, Cracking the new GRE

 Another very popular book is Princeton Review. It is widely acclaimed for its strategies to deal with the GRE Verbal Section and the GRE Quantitative section even on the basic level. This is a good resource to be referred to if you are finding it difficult to deal with any of the GRE sections even on the basic level. Additionally, this is a good book for those who want to learn through visual aids. One of the major disadvantages of this book is the lack of practice problems. 

6. Kaplan New GRE Premier

Kaplan is a very big and popular company for standardized test preparation worldwide. This book provides innovative explanations as well as several practise exercises on different kinds of concepts across all the GRE sections. The practise tests that come along with the book are said to be very close to the official GRE. However, it is said that its strategy is quite jumbled up to deal with the vocabulary section. But still, you should definitely keep this book in your list if you are looking to solve a large number of practice problems for GRE.

7. GRE POWERPREP II Software 

This is a popular material used for preparation for the Computer-delivered GRE revised General Test. Along with the practice questions, strategies and tips, this free software consists of 2 full-length practice tests. They have timed tests, which presents the test-taking experience including the user-friendly design features such as changing answers within a section and an on-screen calculator. 

8. Official GRE Guide Mobile App  

The Official GRE Guide app is the only application direct from ETS. It includes real test questions with answers and explanations from ‘The Official Guide to the GRE revised General Test, Second Edition’.

Best GRE Materials for particular sections

There are various books that are strongly advised for specific GRE modules/sections. For better and proper preparation for the GRE, we have made a list of the best GRE books for individual sections as well.

Best Books for GRE Quantitative Section

1. Manhattan  5LB Book of Practice Problems
2. Kaplan GRE Math Workbook
3. GRE Math Prep Course (Nova’s GRE Prep Course)
4. ETS Official GRE Quantitative Reasoning Practice Questions

Best Books for GRE Verbal Section

1. ETS Official GRE Verbal Reasoning Practice Questions
2. Kaplan GRE Verbal Workbook
3. GRE Verbal Grail – Aristotle Prep (Good for Reading Comprehension)
4. Manhattan 5LB Book of Practice Problems (Questions harder than the actual GRE)

Best Books for GRE Analytical Writing Ability (AWA) Section

1. ETS Official Guide to the GRE Revised General Test
2. Vibrant Publishers GRE Analytical Writing – Solutions to Real Essay Topics ( Books 1 and 2)

Best books to learn GRE Vocabulary

1. Word Power Made Easy – Norman Lewis
2. Magoosh GRE Vocabulary eBook
3. Barron’s 1100 Words You Need to Know
4. Manhattan 500 Essential Words for GRE and Manhattan 500 Advanced Words for GRE.

We hope you have found enough GRE Preparation Books and other materials that we have listed above. You can keep taking mock tests, check your performance and on gaining confidence write the original GRE.

Wishing you good luck for your GRE with a good score.