Kaplan GRE 2011 Premier with CD-ROM (Kaplan GRE Premier Program (W/CD))

After a month and a half of studying with Cracking the GRE with DVD, 2011 Edition (Graduate School Test Preparation) and this Kaplan book, I took the GRE today and can say that between the two I was extremely well-prepared. I began with Princeton and reviewed all the material in that book, including the practice tests, and then moved onto Kaplan, subsequently reviewing all the Kaplan material and using the DVD quizzes and tests as well. Here are my thoughts on the positives and negatives of the Kaplan GRE Premiere 2011 book (with CD) compared to the Princeton Review Cracking the GRE 2011 (with DVD) book:

Positives:

- Reading Comprehension: Kaplan's material on Reading Comprehension is fantastic. Kaplan lays out their strategy for you and then beats it in your head over and over with example after example to get...Read more

If you are new to the GMAT, Kaplan Premier is a great book to start with - it provides a good intro to the test (explains the mechanics, basic priciples, gets you familar with the test structure, etc), has solid strategies that you can use regardless of your level, and finally, comes with 6 Adaptive tests. Think of it a starter car - you don't want to start with anything expensive before you know what you are looking for actually.

THE GOOD:
* Solid material with great Math and Verbal strategies as well as some background
* Good structure and layout; helps if you are a visual learner
* 6 Full GMAT Tests (5 are in adaptive CAT format on the CD/online and 1 is in a paper format in the book)
* Online practice with additional exercises and quizzes - 15 online drills
* Much of general info on gmat has been moved into online video format, called Fast Fact Videos; that helps with learning when you have had too much reading for the day
* Great...Read more

So, i was frustrated with kaplan in the beginning because the CD wasn't working on my windows 7 computer. Don't waste your time calling kaplan's customer service because from what i've read in online forums, they don't know how to deal with it. However, i came across a thread on microsoft's website about the MCI drivers the CD asks for and here's a way to get around it: Install the CD on your computer, remove it from your computer and restart your computer in safe mode ( hit the F8 key while the black screen is on just before the windows logo appears) and just select the safe mode option. I know some people with vista who select the 'safe mode with command prompt' but i discovered that selecting just the "safe mode" option works perfectly. Once your computer is started, insert the CD and click on the icon and viola!, it should work like a charm. I have a HP windows 7 laptop and it worked wonderfully.

The CD has 6 quantitative test and about the same amount of verbal...Read more