Kaplan is one of those companies that keep popping up whenever you look up GRE. It is no secret that Kaplan is one of the leading test-prep companies in the industry. Kaplan has made quite the name for itself; from GRE prep books to a wide selection of online courses, their catalog is extensive.

I was surprised to find out that Kaplan has existed for over 80 years. It was first founded in 1938 by Stanley H. Kaplan, who provided personal tutoring to students for the New York State Regents exam.

In the past, I have reviewed many of Kaplan’s test-prep products and have always held them in high regard. Their online course is one of the best in the market, albeit a little expensive and, their GRE Book set is only second to ETS’s official guides.

However, there is one GRE Book set that doesn’t come up all that much. The book is called Kaplan GRE Premier, and it was originally published nearly a decade ago. You will find it being discussed on forums dating back to 2014 and earlier, but recently it seems that the book has died down in popularity.

Perhaps the biggest reason for its ailing popularity is that Kaplan discontinued its production back in 2017. The most recent version of the book that you can find on Amazon was published in 2017.

Moreover, Kaplan has since rebranded the book and has replaced it with their GRE Prep Plus line of books.

So then how good is Kaplan GRE Premier? Should you get the 2017 edition to prepare for your GRE test? Let’s find out.

Kaplan GRE Premier

The book comprises some 24 chapters, the last four of which aren’t GRE related but contains the practice test, the answer key, and some test day advice followed by grad school and program information.

At a glance, the contents seem to be comprehensive. The book starts with a general introduction to the test and covers the scoring system and registration process. The introduction also gives you an understanding of the test, such as its format and question types.

After the introductory chapter, the book starts with verbal prep first. Chapters three to eight are all dedicated to the various topics tested on the test’s verbal portion. You will find the verbal section’s content review followed by individual chapters dedicated to each verbal question type.

Chapters 9 through 14 deal with the quant section of the test, and you can expect to find a detailed content review followed by lessons that are broken down by topics and sub-topics.

The last four chapters of the first 20 are dedicated to AWA. This portion of the book surprised me a good deal because I wasn’t expecting such detailed coverage of the AWA section from a hardly known book.

Practice Questions and Full-length Tests

Kaplan GRE Premier promises that it has 2200+ practice questions. However, only a few hundred of those are on the book itself, and the rest are online. It also has a total of six full-length mock tests, four of which are online.

As for the quality of the practice questions, I have to say I am a bit disappointed. Firstly, you have to understand that this is an old book and even the 2017 version is virtually identical to the one published on 2011.

Secondly, Kaplan must have improved their quality substantially in recent years because their recent GRE books are the polar opposite of what this book represents.

The practice questions are nothing like the actual GRE and lack the format and nuances that make up an official question. The quant questions are easier than what you would get on the actual GRE and the verbal ones aren’t any better either.

Thirdly, since this is an older book, I had difficulty accessing the online material like many others who purchased it in recent years. Kaplan has completely rebranded its website in the last few years and the online access code provided in the book doesn’t work in most cases.

Exceptional AWA portion

The AWA section is the only portion of the book that left a good impression on me. If your only goal was to prepare for the AWA section of the test, I would be the first one to recommend this book. The AWA section is often treated as a less important part of the test by many prep-books, and all you find is a single chapter dedicated the whole section. This is true for even some of the best GRE books on the market.

Kaplan GRE Premier on the other hand has four whole chapters on the AWA section and covers every aspect.

You will find a detailed breakdown of the foundation of AWA and its contents. Each topic will take you through a litte detail that will help improve your writing.

For example, Chapter 16 is filled with topics like:

• Eliminating redundancy
• Avoiding excessive qualification
• Removing unnecessary sentences
• Strong openings, use of parallelism
• Correct use of hyphens and dashes

It’s the attention to detail that has impressed me the most. Not only does it show you what a good essay is but it also gives you the tools to refine your writing. From punctuation and grammar to the use of clichés and jargon, it covers everything.

In my opinion, this book’s strength lies in the AWA section. It is incredibly comprehensive and does a tremendous job of detailing the writing process.

Is Kaplan GRE Premier a good book?

Overall? No. However, more specifically, It depends on what you need it for. If your goal is to have an all-in-one solution for your GRE prep, this might not be the best choice. I say this because although the book does a fine job of explaining the test’s content, it is sadly outdated.

The explanations are good for a beginner, but it lacks the in-depth detail that you would need to grasp the more difficult concepts. The practice questions are nothing special either; they don’t match up to official GRE questions and tend to be easier.

However, the book’s AWA section is an incredible resource to improve your writing skills and learn key tactics conducive to a high score.

So is Kaplan GRE Premier worth getting? No.I would advise against getting this book. It is outdated and isn’t supported by the company anymore. There is a good chance you won’t get to access the practice questions and the tests.

Instead, buy Kaplan’s recent GRE prep books, which overall are far superior to Kalpan GRE Premier. If Kaplan hasn’t discontinued the book and released subsequent revisions, I am sure it would have caught up. However, since this is not the case, your best bet is to seek recent books and get the most value for your money.