Guide to Using GRE Prep Materials

发布时间：Date: 2021-03-27 返回新鲜资讯Back to News

Facing the overwhelming variety of GRE prep materials, CheersYou（清柚教育） advises test-takers to prioritize core resources that are highly timely and targeted. For students with limited time or weak foundations, the *CheersYou（清柚教育） GRE Monthly Real Questions* and *CheersYou（清柚教育） GRE 1000 Must-Know Words* are strongly recommended. The former closely replicates the logic and set sequence of 2023–2024 real exam questions, while the latter, based on data from the past three years, filters out the highest-frequency test points, significantly improving study efficiency. In contrast, traditional materials like *Text Completion 1300* and *Reading 300 Passages* help consolidate problem-solving skills, but due to their older question years and lack of full-length mock exam functionality, they are better suited as supplementary practice rather than first choices during the sprint phase.

While building a solid foundation, students should make full use of official ETS resources for full-scale simulations to accurately gauge the exam pace. In particular, the PPO and PPplus mock tests are the best tools for adjusting your condition and developing a feel for the questions in the week before the exam, as their thought processes, question distribution, and adaptive mechanisms are highly consistent with the actual test. By combining these with the exclusive high-frequency math questions and official practice sets provided by CheersYou（清柚教育）, students can construct a complete preparation loop from vocabulary memorization and targeted practice to full mock exams, thus maximizing score improvement within a limited time.

First, the common GRE prep materials available on the market include the following:

I. GRE Real Questions (Recommendation: 5 stars)

1. Set Materials: *CheersYou（清柚教育） GRE Monthly Real Questions*

CheersYou（清柚教育）'s latest exclusive real questions, highly similar to GRE exam questions from 2023–2024. Overlap with the widely circulated Text Completion 1300 and Reading 300 is less than 5%. Moreover, unlike the scrambled order of those materials, the CheersYou（清柚教育） GRE Monthly Real Questions maintain a full set format. When used with the CheersYou（清柚教育） mock exam platform, students can experience the question order and difficulty progression of the actual GRE. If your preparation time is relatively short, it is recommended to complete these 24 sets first.

2. Text Completion Real Questions: *GRE Text Completion 1300*

This is a widely circulated text completion practice set that mainly summarizes real exam questions from 2018 and earlier. Due to its scrambled arrangement, it is suitable for consolidating GRE text completion logic and skills during the practice phase. However, a drawback is that it is not in full set form and cannot be used for mock exams before the test. Additionally, because it only contains questions up to 2018, it does not cover trends in exams from 2019 onward.

3. Reading Real Questions: *GRE Reading 300 Passages*

Another widely available prep resource, its advantages and disadvantages are similar to the 1300 questions. Occasionally, original questions appear in the exam.

4. Math Real Questions: *2024 Math Real Questions 560*

After completing these questions, combined with the latest high-frequency math questions from CheersYou（清柚教育） GRE2, you can handle GRE math problems of various difficulty levels.

II. Vocabulary Books

1. *CheersYou（清柚教育） GRE 1000 Must-Know Words* (Recommendation: 5 stars)

The CheersYou（清柚教育） must-know words are compiled by CheersYou（清柚教育） through data analysis of real exam questions from the past three years and various real-question collections on the market, filtering out the latest high-frequency vocabulary. After cross-referencing with *Kill You 3000* and *Buddha Foot Vocabulary*, a list of approximately 1,000 high-frequency words is summarized. For students with limited preparation time or a weak vocabulary foundation, it is recommended to start with *CheersYou（清柚教育） 1000 Must-Know Words*.

2. *Kill You 3000*

A traditional GRE vocabulary resource, it allows systematic vocabulary preparation and has spawned *Little 3000* and *Buddha Foot Vocabulary*. If you have ample preparation time, you can memorize the full *Kill You 3000* several times.

III. ETS Official Resources

1. ETS Official PPO

PPO (Powerprep Plus Online) is a free full-length mock test set released by ETS, though the questions are relatively old. Additionally, ETS introduced two new mock tests in 2017, called PPplus, each costing around $40. These mock tests are highly consistent with the real exam: in terms of question order, distribution, and underlying logic, they closely mirror the actual test and are also section-adaptive. If possible, try to use PPO for a few mock exams in the week before the test to develop a feel for the questions and find your optimal test-taking pace.

2. ETS 150 Questions (Recommendation: 3 stars)

These are a set of Verbal and Quant practice questions published by ETS in 2014, each with 150 questions. As official releases, they will not appear as original questions on the exam, but they offer insight into ETS's question style. For students with ample time, the official 150 questions can be a useful addition, but for those with limited time, their value is limited.

3. OG (Official Guide) (Recommendation: 1 star)

OG stands for Official Guide, an official GRE resource published by ETS. It is quite lengthy and primarily serves as an introduction to the GRE. If you have abundant preparation time and are just starting out, you can glance through it, but it is not essential.