Kaplan GRE Exam Vocabulary in a Box

Customer Reviews

• Good investment.  Jan 9, 2008 (80 of 80 found this helpful)

  I decided to take the GRE basically on a whim, and scheduled an exam right after I had finished finals for that particular semester. I did use a few other study methods for the exam, but this was by far the most helpful in a short period of time. I studied these cards intensively for about three days and ended up with a 700 on the verbal section. Take the deck once you get it and quiz yourself over them. Take all the cards you didn't get right and put them into one pile, and then study those. It worked well for me.

• Be wary of "Definitions" and "Synonyms"  Jun 11, 2009 (55 of 55 found this helpful)

  These cards suited my purpose well. I have about a month before my GRE general exam but I gave myself 5 days to work through this entire box so I would learn them all before I had a chance to get bored and before my summer course started and I had other things on my mind. That's 100 cards a day, which is quite a few but, by going through each set, setting aside the words I already knew, and then drilling myself on the remainder, I learned them all and learned them well! So lets evaluate the cards themselves...
  
  1) Physical Quality of Cards: The cards are each 3 1/4" x 2 1/8". This was a good size for me, not too small to read but still portable. They are made of a thin but glossy (not matte) paper. They are definitely sturdier and easier to use than cards made from writing paper but don't expect them to be cut from a stiff cardstock. The only time the quality of the cards was an issue for me was when I accidentally splashed a few drops of water onto some of them. Water, I discovered, will cause them to almost immediately warp. However, I wiped them off right away and then put them back in the box where they fit in snuggly with the other cards so that they dried completely flat. Also, because the cards are thin, sometimes static causes them to cling to each other and it's easy to accidentally pick up two cards rather than one and not notice until you see that the definition on the back doesn't belong to the word on the front.
  
  2) Effectiveness of Wordlist: On practice GRE tests, etc, I have seen many of the words in this box (eg. desultory) but also many other words that were not in the box. After I learned all of these, I began supplementing my vocabulary study with additional wordlists. For example, the Barrons word list of high frequency GRE words has 300 words more than Kaplan. Also, I was tipped off by a fellow GRE testtaker to Freerice.com, where you can improve your vocabulary and donate rice through the UN World Food Program at the same time.
  
  3) Accuracy of Given Definitions: I often needed more than the given definition to fully understand the meaning of words that were completely new to me and to understand how they are typically used. For example, I learned the word meretricious from this box, where the definition was given as "falsely attractive". I was a little shocked therefore when I came across this word elsewhere defined as meaning "like or relating to a prostitute". I'd like to know in advance if I'm going to use a word that means that. While another dictionary definition of meretricious is "insincere, based on deception or pretense; showy in a cheap, inappropriate way", it's origin is definitely truer to the former meaning. It comes from the word, Meretrix, meaning harlot. I worked through some of these cards with a friend and we came across additional cards where the given definitions were very narrow or otherwise somewhat questionable. So, don't rely solely on the definitions given. It's easy enough to google any word (eg. define: meretricious) to see multiple definitions and get a better idea of the way it is actually used. Furthermore, the more you engage with the vocabulary, the better you will learn it.
  
  4)Quality of Sentences: Together with the other information provided on the back of the cards, the sentences did help me to both remember the meaning of each word and understand how it is used. No complaints here.
  Ex. Calumny - The unscrupulous politician used _calumny_ to bring down his opponent in the senatorial race.
  
  5)Accuracy of Provided Synonyms: On each card, there is a list of "synonyms", however these are sometimes better thought of as families of related words. For example, according to the Kaplan cards, these words are equal in meaning...
  languid = weak
  desultory = unplanned
  winsome = attractive
  lampoon = tease
  attenuate = water (not water down)
  and
  lar

• Best Bang for the Buck  Sep 29, 2007 (44 of 45 found this helpful)

  I bought several different study aids and used them all. This was the best of the lot. These words actually showed up on the test I took.

• Great idea but poor definitions  Aug 22, 2008 (30 of 30 found this helpful)

  As others have written in, while the cards cover most of the frequently used GRE vocab words and are an extremely helpful way to study, be wary of the some of the definitions. Kaplan doesn't always provide the best definitions or example sentences. They often define the word as a verb and then use it as an adjective in a sentence, for example. In addition, they often don't provide all of the possible definitions, and it's the secondary definitions that get you on the GRE. The card design is extremely helpful, but I had to relearn many words from other vocab sources.

• Excellent GRE study tool  Feb 19, 2008 (29 of 29 found this helpful)

  The GRE Exam in a Box is a collection of 500 words commonly used on the GRE verbal section. I found this an excellent way to increase my vocabulary for the GRE, and many of the words I learned were actually on the test. I tried making my own flash cards, but much preferred using these cards. They had the word and its pronunciation on the front, and the definition, an example sentence, and synonyms on the back. The cards are sturdy, and were in good shape even after being carried around in my pocket. The definitions were simple and straightforward enough to be remembered easily.