Customer Reviews: Read 13 more reviews...
 Great idea but poor definitions August 22, 2008
D. Louk (United States)
2 out of 2 found this review 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.
 Good words, but TERRIBLE definitions August 12, 2008
A. vartan (San Francisco, CA)
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
Embarrassing quality from Kaplan. The words they have chosen may be appropriate and certainly seem like "GRE Words", however, the word choice, sentence examples, and even the definitions are terrible. Did they even have an English instructor take a look at them?
The example sentences often use an obscure or not-intuitive usage of the vocab word. For example, "inimical":
"Even though a cease-fire had been in place for months, the two sides were still inimical to each other."
The point being: You would NEVER see this sentence in a newspaper or book...why didn't they use a more common usage of the word as an example? Like "...inimical to good health...".
More examples abound. This terrible work and an embarrassment from Kaplan.
 If you use them your vocabulary will grow July 29, 2008
Diana Hartley (West Chester, PA USA)
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
This product has helped my vocabulary expand. You do need to use them to see the difference. I have not taken the GRE yet, but I do know I will be going into the test with a more developed vocabulary.
Add these to your cart right now! July 29, 2008
A. Turek
I think these cards are a great value.
They are the perfect flashcards for a lazy person who wants to learn new words and does not want to drag around a huge, heavy book. The box is pretty small and easy to carry around. Plus, the flashcard format is less daunting than reading through a lot of material in a book. I do, however, think it is wise to supplement these cards with another study guide. I purchased the Barron's book, but it's still sitting on my desk, unopened--ha ha. The cards are easier. :)
The only downside is that the cards themselves are are bit smaller and more flimsy than I expected (they are roughly the size of business cards). But I can deal with that.
Seriously, these cards will help you learn a lot of words in a short amount of time. I give Kaplan credit for coming up with such a simple, yet brilliant idea.
 Focus Your Time Elsewhere July 24, 2008
Fast Eddie (USA)
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
I purchased these cards in an attempt to build my vocabulary for the GRE. However, they proved to be pointless. I took the time and the effort to memorize all the words, as well as the synonyms for each word. When I took the GRE practice tests from Kaplan, the words showed up, I knew the answers, and I did well. When it came time to take the GRE however, only one word from the entire box showed up, and I ended up guessing on majority of the questions. Needless to say, I did not do well. While these cards did build my vocabulary, it did not help for the GRE.
I had glanced over the root list that Kaplan gives in their GRE Premier Program book, but didn't study the list as much as I should have. I will say that it would be much wiser to study the root list that they give, and not concern yourself with knowing these words too much. Plus, their Premier Program book gives much of the same words, so all you have to do is make flashcards yourself.
For some people, these cards seemed to have worked, so perhaps it was just me that didn't work for. But it should be noted that a common theme among all these reviews is to study the root list. Studying the root list will get you through a lot of questions, whereas memorizing 500 words and definitions, as well as all synonyms, didn't really seem to have a big impact on my performance. I leave the decision up to you.
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