Kaplan Word Power, Second Edition: Empower Yourself! 750 Words for the Real World

by Meg F. Schneider, Stanley H Kaplan Educational Centers, Kaplan

Book Overview

A valuable guide to improving vocabulary, including 750 key words commonly found on standardized tests such as SAT, ACT, and graduate school admissions tests Presented in a fun format geared to high... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0743205189
• ISBN13: 9780743205184
• Release Date: March 2001
• Publisher: Kaplan
• Length: 346 Pages
• Weight: 1.20 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 6.2" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

Excellent GRE prep book

I bought this book on the recommendation of the masters program administrator at a major university because my score on the verbal portion of my first GRE test was unacceptable (at least to me and I'm sure the university). I was somewhat leary about how a single book could select an accurate list of words from the thousands of potential choices and actually have the selected words appear on the test, but I had little time before my second test and I needed to prepare somehow. The book is divided into 3 sections, 1) words you should know, 2) words for a good score on the test and 3) words for word geeks and a great score on the test. I studied with the book for 3 weeks before my second GRE test. The first section was truly words you should know and I spent little time on that section. The second section is where I spent 95% of my study time and the third section I merely glanced at as I'm not a word geek. I'll let the results of my second test speak for the effectiveness of the book. During the entire verbal section of the test there were only one or two words I didn't recognize (I'm not saying I remembered the definitions of them all!!), but at least I recognized them and had something to work with. It's true that the verbal section has multiple components, only one of which relies heavily on knowing the definition of key words, but I raised my score on the overall verbal section 180 points from my first test. I credit the words in the second section of the book for most of this improvement. I don't know how the authors knew what words frequently appear on the test, but they were absolutely spot on, as I got a good score as advertised and the words in the second section of the book did indeed appear frequently on the test.

Perfect for epanding your vocabulary - at any age

I wasn't sure what the first two reviews were talking about until I realized they were writing out the audio version of this title. Perhaps they're right about the CDs, but for this book, I would recommend it for those in high school, college and beyond. It's a fun, effective read and it's bound to get those less excited about learning new words on their own, to actually do so with enjoyment. What more could you want from a book? Those who tend to be overly bright may prefer those books that deal strictly with word and meaning or root origins, but for the rest of us, this is a refreshing change from those boring altenatives.

Excellent for the GRE

I would recommend buying this book over "Word Smart II" for building your vocabulary. I'm taking the GRE exam soon and this is the text I'm using to study my vocabulary. It has three sections each slightly more difficult than the last. I would recommend starting in the second section if you already have a fairly good vocabulary. Maybe go back through the first section and pick up any words you may not know.

Effective Way to Learn Vocabulary For Tests

Intentionally learning new words is difficult. Which words are important? Which definitions should you focus on? Preparing for exams requiring a certain level of verbal knowledge necessitates more than flipping through a dictionary. "Kaplan Word Power" is what the studious test taker needs. There are 750 words presented amidst 55 lessons. With titles like "Thomas: Not a Temerarious Tatterdemalion" you will enjoy the game of learning what chapter names mean. Kaplan prepared this book. This matters because they are experts at teaching test takers how to get higher scores on the LSAT, GRE and other major exams. They aren't the only ones capably doing it, but they are among the leaders. They have the experience to write this book. The definitions are brief, only slightly more complex than a Scrabble dictionary. With each definition is enjoined with a sentence following the theme of title. For example, tatterdemalion is defined as "a ragged person, always in tatters" accompanied by "Tatterdemalions everywhere foraged through the garbage for some food." There are 10-15 quiz questions for each chapter. A significant appendix called "Root Juice" provides a useful collection and explanation of key Latin, French and Greek roots. This is an effective way to shine up your vocabulary. I fully recommend "Kaplan Word Power" by Meg F. Schneider. Anthony Trendl editor, HungarianBookstore.com

Great book, but you'll only get out what you put in.

After reading both this and Princeton Review's Word Smart to prepare for the GRE, this book is hands down the better book. The layout is much easier, the approach more fun and most importantly, the words covered here -at least in my experience- represented the GRE better.Another handy thing is that the sections are organized into degrees of difficulty. This combined with the fact that 'frequent test words' are marked by a thunderbolt next to them helps you maximize your study time. That having been said, you still get out what you put in. There's no way around it. GRE verbal is about memorization. Here's a strategy that I used to make the process easier and more fun. It can be applied to any vocabulary bookAfter one chapter, write down the words you had any trouble with on flash cards with definitions on the back, making sure to put the definitions in your words, not the books. As the chapters progress, shuffle the new flash cards in with the old and review them twice a day.In addition keep a notebook and after each chapter write down all the words on the top of a new page. Below, create a paragraph (a story, essay etc.) using all the words in the chapter. At the end of each section of the book, write a new story or essay using only the words you remember.A lot of work? Not really, considering it will be a lot harder to simply memorize from rote. And it will pay off come GRE time.