<p>OK, so now I have got my math juuuuust about where i want it on the practice tests after 5 weeks of intense studying. Time to start the verbal. I am baselined at 500 (power prep and REA test). i really want to hit 600 (90 percentile) so that my choices of schools is as wide as possible. What vocab list is generally accepted to be the best compramize between lenght and point increase on the test. Right now, I am planning on using the REA's top 177 words. I really do not think I can digest the Barron's 3500 word list. Any thoughts? Thank you.</p>
<p>i'm going through the barron's 3500 word list as of now. i've gotten down 10 out of the 50 lists so far - this is painful, but it's the only sure way of getting those antonym/analogy questions.</p>
<p>the first thing i think of when i wake up these days is the words from the list i learned the day before.</p>
<p>ccmadforever,</p>
<p>I too have completed 10 lists (26-35, didn't want to start at 1) from the 3500 word list in barron's and boy is it painful (keeping my fingers crossed that it actually helps :)). </p>
<p>Only difference is when I wake up I'm trying to remember the words I forgot from the night before :)</p>
<p>tomslawsky,</p>
<p>Barron's is the best vocab list that I've seen out there.</p>
<p>Looking at etymology, especially Greek and Latin roots, is really helpful for understanding more words in less time. Like, if you come across a word that you don't know, but you know what the roots are, you can at least have some idea of what the word means than if you never encountered it on a word list.</p>
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i'm going through the barron's 3500 word list as of now. i've gotten down 10 out of the 50 lists so far - this is painful, but it's the only sure way of getting those antonym/analogy questions.
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<p>Seconded.</p>
<p>I am memorizing, verbatim, the entire list, in addition to three thousand other words.</p>
<p>You could probably do better than 600, if you work at it. I would aim a little higher.</p>
<p>i dont remember which book i used- it had the 3500 words on it, so it might be barrons- but i did score in the 99th percentile (750), so i'd definitely recommend it</p>
<p>Also, try "I Always Look Up the Word "Egregious"" by Maxwell Nurnberg after you memorize Barron's list.</p>
<p>Is the Barron's GRE word list the same as the Barron's SAT word list? If not, how similar are they?</p>
<p>I used Barron's, albeit lazily, and managed 90th percentile +. So I suppose I must give my endorsement to Barron's as well.</p>
<p>However, I recommend a more heuristic approach to vocabulary acquisition. Namely, that you read journals, periodicals, and texts that tend to favor a more, shall we say, "sophisticated" level of writing. I find that The Economist is an excellent springboard for improving both vocabulary and one's understanding of world events. If more "local" news is your preference, then consider the NY Times and other so-called "highbrow" newspapers.</p>
<p>My God, If I had to read the NY Times every day, I think I would go absolutely insane...haha just kidding. I guess I need to study the Barrons 3500, I was hoping for just a few hundered words as I am aiming for a 600, not a 700+. My math on GRE power prep is already 700+, good enough for what I want.</p>
<p>If the NY Times isn't your cup-o'-tea, then consider The Economist. It's, in my opinion at least, the fairest news source in the English-speaking world, and a really good source for good vocabulary.</p>
<p>Besides, reading it just carries an air of "smartness."</p>
<p>Is that anything like "truthiness"?</p>
<p>A little. :p</p>
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Besides, reading it just carries an air of "smartness."
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<p>...you could probably gain more from scholarly journals, which tend to have better quality material.</p>
<p>nspeds,</p>
<p>Scholarly journals are great and all, but they're not nearly as current as periodicals.</p>
<p>I was being facetious anyway. The Economist is just a damned fine source of news, that's all. Besides, they don't necessarily have "better" material. They have different material.</p>
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Scholarly journals are great and all, but they're not nearly as current as periodicals.
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<p>They do not need to be. Philosophers are not trying to apprehend terrorists and scientists are not trying to increase our GDP.</p>
<p>Also, the Harvard Law Review is monthly from November to June (I think). Not bad for such a good journal.</p>
<p>How about one reads BOTH? :rolleyes:</p>
<p>No one has poked fun at this yet, so I'll seize the opportunity: with this thread title, it's good that the verbal GRE doesn't have a grammar section.</p>
<p>I thought about it, but ultimately decided that it was too easy.</p>