This is the book that would accelerate your preparation from 0 to 320 +. It is one of the largest collections of questions available for GRE Exam. It covers all the sections of the exam in tremendous detail and is a must have resource for people who plan to take the self-study approach to GRE. By the way, the book weighs more than 5 pounds.

*** PROS ***

*** Huge Volume of GRE Questions: The book has 1000+ pages and most of these pages are dedicated to questions ad their explanations. The book has 1800 odd question. In the Verbal chapters, it has 100 to 150 question including in chapters such as Reading comprehension. The Quant Section is subdivided into topics such as Arithmetic, Algebra etc and each chapter has 50 odd questions. Instead of dividing the book by question types Manhattan has divided it by topic. This is particularly useful for identifying ones weak topics.

*** RC Sections: This book is, by far, the best resource for RC Questions available in the market. It has about 150 questions in the RC section and a dedicated chapter for Logic based RC.

*** Probability and Statistics Questions: Probability and statistics have a dedicated chapter in the book. The standard of question in this chapter is at par with the GRE and the answer section provided deep in depth analysis of the questions.

*** Prolific DI Questions Section: This book boasts of a fairly large DI section that spans across various formats Graphs and Tables alike. The answer section implicitly discusses various test taking strategies.

*** Advanced Quant Section: The book has an advanced quant section for people targeting the perfect Quant Score. The standard of Quant questions in this section is quite high and this section is a must do for all the test takers who need a high Quant Score.

*** Book includes access to an online video introduction and to the Manhattan Prep Challenge Problem Archive.

*** CONS ***

*** There is no theoretical write up before the chapters.

*** While the Chapter on AWA section is fairly comprehensive it is not as detailed and Effective as AWA chapters in ETS’s Official GRE Guide.

*** It is not the most beginner-friendly book. The book assumes that you have polished your basic concepts, especially in the Quants section, before going through it. Refer to the section below on how to score high with this book.

*** It is definitely not a travel sized book.

This is the perfect book with which you can polish your GRE Prep. The fact that it has 1800 questions alone is a powerful reason to buy it. You need to train your ear, esp. with the verbal questions. Further, the Chapters on Quant and Verbal Practice Question would add significant value to your preparation.

*** Some Frequently Asked Questions: ***

*** What are some of the other study options that I have?

Students in the past who have felt the need that they require training from a basic level have started off their test prep with Kaplan or Barron’s books and topped them off with ETS GRE Guide and Manhattan. While ETS does provide original GRE Questions, it does not have ample practice material. Furthermore, you would need at least a couple of months’ time to finish this book. So it would be wise to plan your time wisely and well in advance.

*** What is a good study plan using Manhattan’s 5lb?

I would recommend that you could start with Manhattan and while you are at it, you can evaluate if you face challenges in a particular section, then you can invest in one of the Manhattans study guide for theoretical knowledge and problem solving tips. If you have been out of college for a while and need a concept refresher course you might want to consider a book like Kaplan Premier or ETSs’ GRE Guide.

*** Will this get me to 320+?

This book alone, won’t get you to 320+ score – it is a large collection of questions with detailed answer section. You should consider investing in a guide book that can refresh your quant and verbal skills. Good options are Kaplan or ETS guide. Ideally this book should be employed in the last leg of your preparation just before you start taking the final set of your tests.

Other Books I should know about?

From Manhattan:

• The Algebra GRE Strategy Guide
• The Fractions, Decimals, & Percents GRE Strategy Guide
• The Geometry GRE Strategy Guide
• The Number Properties GRE Strategy Guide
• The Word Problems GRE Strategy Guide
• The Quantitative Comparisons & Data Interpretation GRE Strategy Guide
• The Reading Comprehension & Essays GRE Strategy Guide
• The Text Completion & Sentence Equivalence GRE Strategy Guide

From ETS:

• Official GRE Verbal Reasoning Practice Questions
• Official GRE Quantitative Reasoning Practice Questions

From Kaplan:

• Kaplan Premiere