Bonus From Kaplan

If you buya GRE study guide, Kaplan provides FREE webinars and practice tests.

Money well spent, imo.

I just spent an hour and a half in one of the free webinars that I was directed to after registering the code that came with my Kaplan Strategies, Practice and Review guide that has been my companion since the summer semester ended. These webinars do NOT replace their courses, rather, they provide a little hands on direction to go along with what you read in the book.

In this webinar, I got quite a bit of practical tips I can use when I take the test in three weeks. Tomorrow, I'm signed up to take a free practice test that utilizes the same format that I'll experience on test day.

Each day, students planning on taking the test can take a '20 minute workout,' which throws questions at you with a timer counting down on screen. If you're an anxious test taker (I am not) that probably would be a little disconcerting.

Meanwhile, this is what I experienced tonight:

It was a lot like an Elluminate session, and was facilitated by an instructor who walked participants through twelve questions, pointing out strategies and traps. At the end of the webinar, they do give you a code to use if you want to take the various fee courses (don't ask, I'm not giving it out).

No, those courses aren't cheap, but if you're like me and would be self-directed in preparing for the GRE, this was time well spent. I took notes that will help me out as I continue through the book. One takeaway that you should know: Kaplan suggests a minimum of 100 hours over two months to prepare effectively for the test.

If you're using any of the practice guides for any of the standardized tests, please look at the supplemental materials: CD's, online codes or addendums at the back of the book, because you may find the publisher is going to throw you a nice bonus with the book.