Magoosh is a highly regarded name in the world of standardized tests. If you have been looking up GRE prep stuff online, then the chances are that you have already come across Magoosh. Whether it be their GRE flashcards app, GRE prep books, or their online courses, Magoosh has consolidated quite a reputation amongst students.

GRE Prep by Magoosh offers a set-by-step approach to GRE preparation with well thought out practice questions and explanations. Unlike other GRE books, Magoosh doesn’t inundate you with a flood of practice. The 150 practice questions that you will find in the book are carefully curated to resemble the actual GRE.

This book is designed for those who are new to the GRE. You will not find any jargon or complicated explanations. From start to finish, the book is structured in an extremely organized way.

GRE Prep by Magoosh contains a total of 6 chapters. 

Chapter 1 is an overview of the GRE test. It takes you through the different sections of the GRE, the format, the question types, the scoring system, etc.

The second chapter is on how to study for the GRE. It breaks down different strategies and tips that Magoosh claims will help you prepare better. Magoosh puts a lot of emphasis on managing your time efficiently when preparing for the GRE. So much so that they have even included a one-month GRE study schedule that breaks down the whole process. This can be very helpful for students who need help with managing their time. 

Chapter 3 is dedicated to quantitative reasoning. The chapter begins with a general overview of the quantitative section. It then goes into various topics such as “commonly tested GRE math concepts” and “How to approach complicated math problems,” etc.

You will also find various tips on answering math questions faster and strategies on how better pace your timing.

The rest of the chapter is divided into nine quantitative concepts that range from fractions/ratios/percentages to data interpretation and everything in between. Anything that has to do with GRE quantitative, you will find it in this chapter.

The explanations are carefully thought out and refrain from using terminology that may be difficult to understand. I like how “friendly” and companion-like the tone of the book is. You would feel like a personal tutor is reaching out from the pages and giving you a helping hand.

At the end of each concept explanation, you will find several drill questions that will help consolidate what you have just learned. Once you have answered the questions, the next few pages will contain the answer key and explanations on how to arrive at the correct answer.

Chapter 4 is dedicated to GRE verbal reasoning. Much like the previous chapter, this one also begins with a general overview of the verbal section. It goes over all the different verbal question types. Then it breaks down each question type giving you tips and strategies along the way.

Part of the chapter also goes into GRE vocabulary. You will find helpful tips on how to memorize words.

The rest of the chapter is divided into verbal question types, i.e., Text completion, sentence equivalence, and reading comprehension.

Each subtopic contains a detailed description of the question type followed by essential strategies to keep in mind while answering the questions. At the end of each subtopic, you will find several drill questions and their answers and explanations.

Chapter 5 of the book is about analytical writing assessment. GRE prep books often don’t pay much attention to the essay part of the test; however, Magoosh offers detailed descriptions of the two essay questions, i.e., “Issue Essay” and “Argument essay.”

Like previous chapters, you will find multiple strategies and tips to write the essays. Magoosh also goes into how the essays are scored. Once you are past that, you will find detailed examples of the anatomy of a GRE essay. Each part of the essay is explained with examples using sample essays.

The 6th and final chapter contains one full-length GRE practice test. At the end of the test, you will find an answer key with explanations.

As a plus, Magoosh also provides a 20% off coupon code on their online GRE prep course when you purchase the book.

PROS 

Clear and Easily Understood Language

GRE Prep by Magoosh is written in a very straightforward and easy to understand way. The language is free of poorly constructed sentences. Explanations are to the point and concise. GRE preparation can be quite a daunting task in itself; the last thing you need is a pretentious writing style, which can make things worse.

Excellent verbal questions and explanations

The chapter on verbal questions stands out. Every explanation is well thought out and gets to the heart of the problem. The strategies and tips are beneficial and work, unlike other books that mostly rely on arcane vocabulary and guesswork.

More importantly, the verbal test questions are pretty accurate when it comes to the actual GRE. You will find almost the same nuances and context-based clues that one finds in real GRE questions. Books that contain hundreds of test questions rarely offer high-quality questions. Here, although the number of test questions isn’t that much, the ones you do find are well thought out.

Question stats and difficulty levels

You will find different stats for all the practice questions, such as how many test-takers answered a particular question correctly. Moreover, each question has a difficulty rating of either easy, medium, or hard. This can be very helpful as it tells you what difficulty level you have the most problem with. It also gives you an expectation of the type of questions you will find on your GRE.

GRE study schedule

If you find yourself in a position where you have only a couple of months or less to study for the GRE, then the included one-month study plan can be incredibly useful. The study plan carefully breaks down the whole preparation process into four weeks. It will tell you what to study and for how long.

CONS

Brief explanations

I have stated that this is a beginner’s book because the explanations are very simplistic and to the point. Some might consider the book’s concise nature as a plus, but if you are aiming to score 165+ in each section, this book will not cut it.

Explanations only address the correct answer type. It doesn’t detail why the other answer types are wrong and what sets them apart from the right one. GRE questions rely heavily on subtle tricks that deceive you into choosing the wrong answer.

Quantitative questions don’t resemble GRE style

The math test questions in this book are nowhere similar to actual GRE questions. Some questions are overly simple, while others can be unnecessarily difficult.

Only 1 Full-length Practice Test

It is very disappointing to see the lack of multiple full-length practice tests. Almost every reputable GRE book offers two or more GRE practice tests. One full-length practice is nowhere near enough to get you ready for the actual GRE. In case you wanted access to more tests, you will have to purchase their online prep course, which seems like a shady trick to get you to spend more money.

Not enough practice questions

Magoosh only offers some 150 practice questions, whereas you would find many more in books such as Manhattan’s 5lb GRE book and Kaplan’s GRE prep plus. The practice is an essential requirement to acing GRE, and I can’t stress it enough. This book alone is not an adequate solution for GRE prep. I would advise supplementing this book with additional books like the Manhattan, as mentioned earlier book. 

The Bottom Line

Overall, GRE prep by Magoosh is a good choice for those who are just starting on their GRE journey. If you lack a basic understanding of GRE itself and/or the topics therein, this book will be an excellent starting point for you. However, if you are already acquainted with the topics and want to practice difficult questions, you may want to look elsewhere. This book is specifically catered to beginners. The test questions are few. Ideally, you would want to supplement this book with something like ETS’s official GRE Super-Power Pack or Manhattan’s 5lb book of GRE practice problems.