Best Books for GRE Preparation 2023 - Section-wise Best Books & Resources Here

GRE Best Books and Study Material 2023

The best way to prepare for GRE is by referring to the popular GRE books. It is necessary for you to refer to the latest versions or volumes of books so as to be updated with the latest changes in the GRE exam. There are various GRE prep books for aspirants that can be referred to for GRE preparation.

An important feature of reference or best GRE books is the inclusion of mock or practice tests which allows a candidate to gauge his or her intellectual capacity for the test. Candidates will be able to figure out their strengths and weaknesses, thus, giving them a clearer picture of the areas that they need to prepare with the help of the best books for GRE preparation 2023. Therefore, aspirants must first check whether the books contain mock practice papers or not.

Also, it is necessary to refer to study materials from renowned and popular sources only. Studying from unauthentic books may hamper the preparation and waste precious time.

GRE Preparation with GRE study materials and study/guidebooks will smoothen your preparation strategy and reduce your stress for the test. You can find some of the best books for GRE 2023 through various online portals, thus reducing the time you spend searching for GRE books.

The Graduate Record Examination or GRE is among the popular examinations accepted globally by the top universities of the world. Therefore, preparing for the test and securing a good score on the test would be key to your aspirations for international education. As Walt Disney once said, “There’s more treasure in books than in all the pirate’s loot on Treasure Island”. Hence, selecting the right book is the recipe for success.

How to Select GRE Best Books 2023?

Choosing the right GRE self-study materials can be tasking and difficult for a few. Often selecting authentic books that target the needs of students is difficult to find. One has to first understand their needs and select books accordingly. Here the process of selecting the right GRE books is made simpler by following certain steps and procedures:

• Attempt a GRE Practice Test: If you have an idea of where you stand, knowledge-wise, then you can skip this step.  However, attempting the test will allow you to understand your weak and strong points, thus, allowing you to focus on the weaker points first. You can select study materials that will help you overcome your weakness.

• Visit a Bookstore: You can choose to visit a physical bookstore or check out the online stores that sell GRE Books. Here, you can find a number of popular practices and the best books for GRE preparation. You can scrutinise them and select the one that appears best suited for your needs.

• Gauging Your Need: This is an important step and this will allow you to prepare a study strategy that will help you prepare completely and thoroughly. First, you should determine the available timeline for studying before your scheduled test. Second, you should gauge how long it may take you to prepare the different sections. Third, you should also determine the quicker method of studying, i.e. through books or visual guides such as videos and CDs.

• Choose the Books: With all your requirements in place, you must choose more than one GRE prep book for your GRE 2023 preparation. One possible option is to buy or rent a GRE General Test guidebook and separate books for your weak points or section-based GRE books. Different books have different strengths and you must select atleast three to four books to cover all the sections of the GRE thoroughly.

Once all the steps have been completed you will have a much clearer idea of your requirements for a better and more efficient GRE preparation strategy. There are numerous authors and publishing houses that offer guidebooks. However, it is necessary to know the effectiveness of ETS GRE best books. With the help of the technology available now, students can easily access google reviews or book reviews to understand the GRE self study material.

What Makes a Good GRE Prep Book?

The GRE preparation process can become somewhat easier and simpler if the books are of good standard and quality. A good GRE prep book must have a few characteristics that make the preparation process for GRE smooth and helps to get a good GRE score. The best GRE books must have:

• Good Quality Material- Good quality GRE prep books will have in-depth analysis and review of concepts. They will cover the important aspects of the syllabus. The content will be rich and feature all types of question formats.

• Standard Practice Papers- GRE books that are good will have good quality test papers of quantitative, analytical writing and a verbal section for students to practice from. The question papers will be at par with the standard of the GRE exam.

• Thorough Explanations- GRE study materials must have lengthy explanations of answers instead of only “correct” or “wrong”. This will help test-takers understand where they have made mistakes and how to not repeat them.

• Examination Tips and Tricks: Good GRE books also contain important tips and tricks which students should follow while appearing for the exam. This extends help in assisting to follow the questions properly and provide appropriate answers.

• A Full-Fledged Simulation of the GRE: You may read all the books you want, but if you don't practise taking examinations that are similar to the GRE, you will undoubtedly perform poorly on the exam. Full-length practice exams that are as similar to the real GRE as possible are included in each solid prep book. A book is better if it has more practice. You become used to the GRE's format with practice tests that are realistic. They help in time management and endurance building.

• Affordable Price: If there are less expensive options that can offer an equivalent learning experience, not all pricey GRE prep books are worth the money. On the other hand, I also advise you to have a look at book sets because, in most cases, the set pricing is less expensive than making separate purchases.

Best Books for GRE 2023

Here is a list of the GRE books that you can buy or rent:

ETS GRE: The Official Guide to Revised General Test Third Edition

ETS GRE book is the official test preparation book for GRE. The third version of the book is now available and it covers the following:

Four real practice tests, two published in ETS GRE book and two in the form of  POWERPREP Online practice tests. 

• Hundreds of authentic GRE questions

• Description of answers to questions

• Strategies for taking GRE

• Quantitative Reasoning problem-solving steps and strategies

• Sample essay questions and comments from readers

5 Lb. Book of GRE Practice Problems by Manhattan Prep

5 Lb. Book of GRE Practice Problems is prepared by the Teach for America alumnus and Yale graduate Zeke Vanderhoek. This GRE prep book is designed to offer real education that can help students learn the skills necessary to score well on GRE. 

You can find 2000+  practice problems and answer keys and explanations. You will also get a digit code sticker with the book. The code can be used to access some free online tests for GRE. 

The book contains questions that students hope to encounter in the GRE exam. Algebra, Statistics, Geometry, Number Property, Data Interpretation, Essays, Reading Comprehension and Sentence Completion are available in the book.

Manhattan Prep GRE Set of 8 Strategy Guides

The fourth edition of Manhattan Prep GRE Set of 8 Strategy Guides is now available and contains updated GRE questions and practice tests. It is a comprehensive guide for GRE that covers the following eight main guides: 

• Algebra GRE Strategy Guide

• Fractions, Decimals, and Percents GRE Strategy Guide

• Geometry GRE Strategy Guide,

• Number Properties GRE Strategy Guide

• Word Problems GRE Strategy Guide

• Quantitative Comparisons and Data Interpretation GRE Strategy Guide

• Reading Comprehension and Essays GRE Strategy Guide

• Text Completion and Sentence Equivalence GRE Strategy Guide

This GRE prep book also contains detailed lessons and strategies to attempt questions based on the GRE test format. 

The Princeton Review GRE Prep 2022

The Princeton Review GRE Prep is one of the best books for GRE preparation. The book comes with:

• 4 full- length practice tests

• Thorough reviews on topics 

• Extra online practice tests 

• A USD 100 discount on accessing Princeton Review online GRE course. 

Kaplan’s GRE Prep Plus 2023

This recent edition of the GRE book from Kaplan is revised and updated. The book offers:

• Master study plan

• Six full-length practice tests (5 online and 1 in book)

• One year of access to GRE prep material

• Tips and strategies for test day

Mometrix GRE Prep 2021 and 2022 

The fifth edition of Mometrix GRE Prep is very useful for aspirants. The book has

•  650 practice questions which are analysed deeply

• A chapter dedicated to each of the GRE question types

• Individual personal summary to build a study plan

• Video tutorials to study from

GRE course curriculum is built around modules that are interactive and there are video lessons to hold your attention. The practise tests have the same difficulty level as the real GRE exam.

PowerPrep and PowerPrep Plus

Some GRE books are provided by ETS for free, while others must be purchased. PowerPrep 1 and 2 are free resources given by the ETS, while PowerPrep Plus is a more sophisticated version. The ETS free resources are the most recommended GRE preparation books. At the same time, the premium edition, which costs USD 39.95, can be a valuable complement to a GRE aspirant's total preparation. The free versions given by ETS familiarise you with the online GRE exam format, while the premium version takes your preparation to the next level. Furthermore, the detailed explanations of the answer key assist students in correcting their approach to questions.

GRE Prep by Magoosh

Among the best GRE preparation books, GRE Prep by Magoosh is the most widely read by GRE applicants. Toppers often advise hopefuls to read this book since it is the greatest GRE book for beginners. The book is designed to familiarise you with the exam pattern, assisting you in both the preparatory and advanced levels of preparation. It is maybe the only GRE prep book recommended by professionals and top scorers that includes video solutions to help students grasp the fundamentals. This is a comprehensive guide to the GRE exam, from quick tactics to exam day instructions. There is also a GRE essay part, which helps students plan their strategy when writing the essay.

A distinct area for comparing a student's performance on a specific set of questions against that of other competitors.

Official GRE Verbal Reasoning Practice Questions & Official GRE Quantitative Reasoning Practice Questions by ETS

Another ETS book that consistently comes up in talks with the top of the list of GRE best books on the market. This GRE prep book assists students in taking their preparation to the next level once they have completed the introductory level. The book comprises GRE verbal and quantitative component questions. The questions are comparable to those on the test, and the best GRE prep books use this book to structure their questions. As a result, it serves as a model for other novels. Advanced-level verbal and quantitative questions with full explanations. 

Barron’s GRE by Sharon Weiner Green

Barron's GRE book is a popular alternative for GRE preparation due to its thorough examination of the exam's material. GRE practice questions, explanations, and test-taking tactics are provided in the book to help you feel more confident and prepared for the GRE exam.

Official GRE Super Power Pack by Educational Testing Service (ETS)

The ‘Official GRE Super Power Pack’ is a thorough preparation tool for the GRE that was developed by the GRE test's creators. The ‘Official GRE Guide’, which offers GRE practice problems, methods, and explanations, as well as access to two authentic GRE exam samples, are included in the collection. Additionally, it contains the books ‘Official GRE Verbal Reasoning Practice Questions’ and ‘Official GRE Quantitative Reasoning Practice Questions’, which offer extra practice questions.

GRE Analytical Writing: Solutions to Real Essay Topics

This book focuses on Test Preparation Series to make the process of taking tests for you simple and effective. They feature a wide selection of books to help you while you prepare for entrance examinations including the GRE, GMAT, and SAT. The Test Prep Serie books are occasionally well-researched, current, and full of sufficient substance and written by authors with more than 10 years of expertise in their disciplines.

The Princeton Review’s 1,027 GRE Practice Questions, 5th Edition

This book, which contains many GRE practice tests with solutions, is a great resource if you wish to ace the GRE. Even more advice for acing your exam can be found in this book. This book includes 73 verbal, mathematical, and essay questions as well as 1 diagnostic exam to determine your level of preparedness. Additionally, use Word Smart's online bonus vocabulary resources to help you prepare for the GRE's Sentence Equivalence questions. 

Cracking GRE Premium Edition with 6 Practice Tests

The Princeton Review's GRE preparation book includes GRE practice questions with in-depth explanations and extensive solutions for all GRE subjects. It provides crucial points for problem-solving, sentence equivalents, numerical entries, and quantitative comparisons. Additional practice tests and extra tests are included with each purchase.

Official GRE Super Power Pack

If you are looking for a book to read in 2023, the Official GRE Power Pac guide is one of the top GRE Preparation Books you should have. This book includes Quantitative Reasoning Questions Vol. 1 and Verbal Reasoning Questions Vol. 1 as well as the Official GRE Super Power Pack, which includes crucial material and practice problems. This book includes 4 full genuine GRE test series and papers as well as hundreds of original GRE practice papers with explanations, descriptions, and solutions. The book contains test-taking tactics and advice. You may receive online access to it, which includes 60 actual practice test questions and answers.

Best Books for GRE Quantitative Section

Here are some best GRE books you can try out to improve your command of GRE Quantitative Section: 

Official GRE Quantitative Reasoning Practice Questions by ETS

It is the only official guidebook released by ETS to help candidates prepare for the GRE Quantitative Section. The GRE book contains more than 150 questions on GRE Quantitative Reasoning along with answers and explanations. 

It also has practice questions that candidates can work on to increase their effectiveness of candidates in the GRE. Along with this, the book also contains vital test-taking strategies and instructional materials. 

Manhattan Prep: GRE Math Strategies

Manhattan Prep: GRE Math Strategies book is written and updated by some 99th percentile GRE instructors. The book covers in-depth content and strategies to help students score maximum in the Maths section of GRE. 

The book is divided into chapters. Each chapter contains sufficient content on topics and sample questions practice. The book also covers time-saving strategies to attempt certain questions based on GRE Maths test format.  

It is one of the best books for GRE preparation to build confidence and gain mastery in the GRE Maths section. 

Princeton Review: Math Workout for GRE

The Princeton Review’s Math Workout for the GRE is one of the best guides to prepare for the GRE Maths Section. It covers all aspects of the GRE Maths Section and  is useful to help you score high in the GRE Maths Section: The book covers the following:

• Practice Papers 

• 275+ practice questions

• Test Strategies

• Tricks to attempt GRE Quantitative and Numeric Entry questions

• In-depth coverage of Algebra and Geometry

• Two sample GRE math sections

Kaplan GRE Prep Plus 2022

The Kaplan GRE Prep Plus 2022 contains five online tests and tools and strategies for step-by-step solving of maths questions. The book provides expert guidance and targets with each question holistically. 

The book features techniques to be used in exams that help in getting good GRE quant scores. It is easy and comprehensive and students can access online programs.

Be a Human Calculator

‘Be A Human Calculator: Mere Observation - No Magic’ is a good book suitable for beginners. The book is cheap and is also available in PDF format.

The quant section requires students to calculate fast and this book effectively serves that purpose. The book presents methods and strategies that help improve the skills of students. Students can even compare the techniques used for each topic and use the most suitable ones. 

 GRE Math Bible by Nova

The book contains topics that help students analyse their strengths and weakness. The book helps to remain competitive while providing necessary tips and strategies. 

The book contains more than 150 exercises and analytical questions. There is a summary and overview of all question types with a focus on quantitative comparisons, graphs and high quality multiple-choice questions. There is also a review section for difficult questions.

Best Books for GRE Analytical Writing Section

Check the list of some of the best GRE books to prepare for GRE Analytical Writing Section: 

The Official Guide to the GRE General Test by ETS

It is the official guide for the GRE Analytical Writing Section designed by ETS. These GRE study materials contain important questions and features to help candidates prepare well for the GRE Analytical Writing Section.

Questions covered in the book analyse the quantitative and verbal reasoning skills of the candidate. It also accesses their analytical writing skills and critical thinking skills.  

The essay writing exercise in GRE is an important part of the book. In this book, you will find both types of questions asked in  Analytical Writing i.e analysis of issues and analysis of an argument. Questions with different levels of difficulty are included in the book. You can practice hundreds of genuine questions that could actually appear in the exam. 

You can also find strategies to help score high in the Analytical Writing section of the GRE.  

GRE Analytical Writing: Solutions to the Real Essay Topics by Vibrant Publishers

This book is specially designed to help students score well in the GRE Analytical Writing section. It is an excellent and highly recommended book if you want to improve your English writing skills for the GRE. 

The book covers essay writing sample sets and essay writing strategies, as demonstrated below: 

• 25 solved Issue topics with strategies to be used as a benchmark

• 25 solved Argument topics

• Expert Strategies and methods  

• Scoring Guides for Issue and Argument tasks 

GRE Analytical Writing Supreme: Solutions to Real Essay Topics

The book contains updated material for the Analytical Writing section. There are practice papers and explanations that help you gauge your performance in real-time. There are more than 60 topics related to analytical issues and arguments. Questions are similar to the ones in the real GRE exam.

Students generally have the potential to score higher after practising from this book. The beginners can benefit from the tips and explanations. It is best to purchase this book and practice all the questions.

Manhattan Review GRE Analytical Writing Guide: Answers to Real AWA Topics

It is one of the most popular GRE study materials and contains high standard content. There are sample questions, answers and tips to tackle the Analytical Writing questions. The book also helps with last-minute preparation.

There are detailed instructions on each topic. Also, the book provides with strategies and ideas that help beginners as well as advanced students

Best Books for GRE Verbal Reasoning

Here is the list of some of the best GRE books to prepare for the GRE Verbal Reasoning section: 

The Official GRE Verbal Reasoning Practice by ETS

Official GRE Verbal Reasoning Practice Question by ETS covers important topics, questions and strategies to score well in the Verbal Reasoning section of GRE. It is the best book to prepare for GRE Verbal Reasoning, as the book is created by GTE test makers. 

The book helps students have in-depth knowledge about the topics covered in the GRE Verbal Reasoning section. The book is divided into sections and each section has a set of questions and practice pacers. The main topics covered in the book include  Reading Comprehension, Text Completion and Sentence Equivalence. Tips and tricks mentioned in the book are useful to solve questions easily. 

This GRE self study material contains:

• An overview of GRE Verbal Reasoning Measure

• Reviews of each GRE verbal reasoning

• 150 verbal reasoning question bank 

• Answers and explanations for all questions 

•  Separate Analytical Writing section of the GRE

Barron’s Verbal Workbook

The Barron’s GRE Verbal Workbook is a comprehensive book published by New Age International.   It is a suitable book to prepare for the GRE Verbal Reasoning section. The book covers all three sections of the Verbal part. Other elements of the book are:  

• Practice tests

• Up-to-date reviews 

• Question-based on the latest pattern and syllabus of GRE Verbal Reasoning 

• More than 380 example questions with reviews 

• One diagnostic test

• Two full-length verbal practice tests

Manhattan Word Problems GRE Strategy Guide

Manhattan Word Problems GRE Strategy Guide 4th edition is available for purchase. The new edition of the book is updated and it contains new practical problems and strategies to help students solve complex problems. 

The book is divided into chapters and each chapter is comprehensive and well structured. Each chapter has several examples, strategies, and rules to attempt questions. The book also contains:

• Chapter-wise content

• Check Your Skills quizzes

• Complete problem sets at the end of every chapter

• Mixed drill sets at the end of the book 

• Detailed answers and explanations, written by top scorers of GRE 

Princeton Review’s Verbal Workout for the GRE 

This book is best suited for the verbal reasoning section of the GRE. It prepares students holistically for the exam by giving valuable tips on the process of skimming, scanning and identifying important information. There is a long list of vocabulary with quizzes that sharpens verbal skills. The book helps to understand each question type easily and consists of:

• 250+ practice questions

• Detailed answers and explanations

• All question types

• Important essay writing strategies

Kaplan’s GRE Workbook

Students willing to gain expertise in the verbal section of the GRE can refer to this book for optimum preparation. It has beginner-friendly tips and strategies and the vocabulary list and explanations are quite helpful. Features of the book are given below:

• More than 200 practice questions

• 175+ exercises on vocabulary and grammar.

Alternative Study Material for GRE Preparation

Besides GRE books, students can opt for other alternative study materials to prepare for GRE and fetch good scores.

PowerPrep

It is a free software tool available on the ETS website and is a good source to study for the GRE. There are two full practice papers along with numerous verbal and quant questions. 

This software gives test-takers a feel of a real GRE examination with its similar interface and question standards. They can attempt the practice tests after completing a major chunk of the syllabus.

Free GRE Games, Apps and Flashcards

The other alternative study materials for GRE can be free games, apps and flashcards. They are useful for preparing and revising the syllabus. Flashcards contain concepts that can be remembered easily such as vocabulary and mathematical formulas. 

There are apps that provide high-quality study materials along with pronunciation guides, definitions, examples and anecdotes. They track the strengths and weaknesses of candidates. 

There is a leader board in many apps that gives a playful and competitive atmosphere.

Games and apps are a fun way to learn quant and verbal concepts. These apps, games and flashcards are useful supplementary sources of GRE preparation.

Quizzes

There are many websites and apps that provide quizzes which help students understand their readiness for the GRE exam. There are different questions based on vocabulary and quant which students can solve when they get the opportunity. 

Students can get scores based on their performance and that motivates them to perform better. It is a simple way to learn and review the answers.

ETS Mathematical Conventions PDF

ETS provides this free resource that contains mathematical conventions, rules and symbols for the Quant section. It helps in revising concepts and clarifies assumptions.