Kaplan GRE Exam Vocabulary in a Box

Comment: There are a lot of words in the GRE sample test that were not covered like cajole or penchant.

Comment: Lots of new vocabulary. A word, its type (noun, adjective, etc.), and its pronunciation are on one side of the card; a definition, a brief example of the word in a sentence, and synonyms are on the other side. They come alphabetically organized.
The box containing the cards is sturdy and the cards are made of good material, resistant to moderately frequent use. Maybe a small envelope to carry a couple dozen cards at a time would be a good addition, since carrying the whole box is not so convenient.
Overall, a great acquisition.

Comment: This is a good resource for people cramming for the GRE; you can easily learn a lot of new vocabulary in a short time with these flashcards! Unfortunately, there are several shortcomings which you should be aware of before purchasing this set.

FLASHCARDS VERSUS ALTERNATIVES
This is a great tool for studying. I've tried books with lists of words, but the flashcard approach in my opinion is far easier. I've also tried audiobooks, and while those are good if you're on the go (i.e. iPod during a commute), these get incredibly boring very quickly. Furthermore, since during the GRE you will see the word written, it's much easier to learn it visually than through audio, in my opinion.

WHY I RECOMMEND THEM
This is convenient. In this tiny box (it's much smaller than I expected), you have many flashcards that offer spelling, pronunciation, definition, and sample sentences of many words that appear on the GRE. This will help you learn new words, plain and simple.

SHORTCOMINGS
I found the quality of the cards to be somewhat disappointing. These are small, which makes them incredibly portable. That being said, I'm reluctant to lug them around because once outside of the box, these are incredibly vulnerable to damage. Instead of thin cheap paper, it would be ideal if they were made of something a little more solid, like many other flashcards I've used in the past. If these felt more like playing cards and less like flimsy magazine pages, I'd give them more stars.

Additionally, this set doesn't have as many words as it should, in my opinion. Don't get me wrong, learning these will undoubtedly help you, but there are many more omitted words than there should be.

Lastly, like other reviewers, I feel that some words are excellently defined and well-used in the sample sentences, but some other definitions and synonyms are a bit more ambiguous or inaccurate. Don't let this be your sole study tool, and you'll prevent that from becoming a problem during the test!

FINAL THOUGHTS
This is a good set, but better definitions and card quality would be much appreciated in a future edition. While lacking some words that should be there, this set still offers a lot of useful vocab cards that will be able to help boost your verbal score.

Comment: You get exactly what you expect. A huge set of flash cards already created for you. Studying with Flash cards is just such an easy way to study.

Comment: I memorized 400 + words in 3.5 weeks and only 10 out of the 500 were on the verbal portion of the GRE exam. The box shouldnt guarantee a higher score. Yes it increased my vocab but that did not help me. It was my second time taking the test. The first time I only studied for 2 days and the second time I studied for a month and memorized the Kaplan Vocab words and my score actually decreased from the first time I took the GRE. I want my time and money back.