There hundreds of study-centric apps available today, but not all of them are designed with your needs in mind. Some of them may be too intricate to deliver value while others are just too basic and gloss over the learning part to be of any actual use to you. It will not do to download the cheapest app or the one that takes up the least space on your phone either because these may not offer any value addition to your GRE preparation. To pick the right ones, you should have a basic idea of what each one does and what it is good for. Match this information what your specific needs and you can quickly find a GRE preparation app that will give you maximum benefit.
1. The Official GRE Guide Mobile App by ETS
Overview:ETS is the company that writes and administers the GRE the material you access through the app, which is drawn from previous tests. The Start pack is $4.99 and it has verbal reasoning, quantitative reasoning questions (25 each), 2 analytical writing topics. You can buy the Expansion pack at $19.99 which has 125 extra verbal and quantitative reasoning questions (each) and 4 additional analytical writing tasks.
App Pros:
- Tips on how to answer are included so you can learn to answer quickly and correctly to maximize scores
- You have explanations of why answers are right or wrong which makes for better understanding of the subject matter
- Covers a good number of questions that are a good representation of the actual test
- Various quiz modes for practice are a highlight
- Highly reliable because it comes from ETS
- Authentic questions and answers, meaning this can be your go-to source for study
- Frequently updated (last update August 15, 2015)
App Cons:
- Practice questions are limited in number and you may have to supplement with questions from other sources
- The app does not offer questions or quizzes or helpful material that is different from what is already on site. The ETS site has all of the app’s content for free so the only advantage you have is the ease of access to this material on the go when you buy the app
- Onsite, you will also find revised General Test Preparation material for GRE, absolutely free of cost
The Expansion pack is costly
Recommended For:
- For those who are completely unfamiliar with GRE test questions/ pattern
- For visually impaired because it has accessibility features
- For those who will use these as the standard study material since it comes from the ETS, the original, authentic source
- For those want to understand the GRE question structure and understand how to approach the questions
2. GRE+ by Arcadia Prep
Overview: You can start with free initial access and then make in- app purchases of various packages depending on the subject area that you need most help with. The Math package costs Complete Math Package ($15.99) Complete Verbal Package ($4.99), Complete Writing Package ($4.99), Sentence Equivalence, and Text Completion Package (2.99)
App Pros:
- App comes with community feature- you can discuss questions and answers with other users for better learning
- Quick response to queries
- Question explanations are excellent, step by step solutions make it easy for you to understand how the answer has been arrived at
- Built-in timer to pace yourself to match GRE test time
- Scorecard lets you measure your performance
- Very comprehensive, a good number of questions based on authentic study materials is included
- Workspace and pen tool make it easy to do your working without reaching for books or pencils- a big advantage when you are studying on the go
App Cons:
- Only initial access is free
- The app offers good GRE study only when you opt for the add-ons, but these are quite expensive
- Users point out that a number of errors are found in the study materials, formatting issues and missing information being the most common of such issues. However, these are generally quickly rectified as and when they are brought to light by users
- Updates are slow and somewhat infrequent so latest changes to the GRE test may not be incorporated. This can become a big problem if the test has undergone massive changes recently. The app’s last update happened onNovember 5th, 2014
Recommended For:
- Students who want in-depth review of concepts
- Students who understand better when they can discuss with others working on the same topics
- Those who study on the go (easy to solve problems even if you lack access to writing material)
- Those who want to time themselves/ Improve their time- taken
3. GRE Prep App: Math, Verbal & Writing Videos by Magoosh
Overview: This free app that requires you to pay for premium content gives access to video lessons covering math, verbal and writing sections of the GRE test. It includes introduction to the test, outlining the format, and giving detailed explanation of concepts. For premium content, you subscribe to the site and take a $100 one month package or $299 six month package.
App Pros:
- Over 200 video lessons covering writing, math, and verbal sections of GRE
- Comprehensive lessons, that have helped previous students improve scores by 8 points (average)
- Animated examples make it easy to follow how the solution is derived
- Created by experts
- Option to measure progress
- Tips and strategies for answering each GRE test question type are given
- Practice questions also have video explanations
- Option to measure your progress
- Organized chapters that make studying more efficient
App Cons:
- Lack of practice tests is a big drawback in this app
- The videos play at a fixed speed, no speed selector, reviews of videos or of specific topics covered in the videos, this is inconvenient and takes much longer than necessary
- For practice problems, you have to visit the site for downloads, pre-download of video for offline study is not possible
- You need to download a second app to apply the concepts you learn or you have to visit the Magoosh website. The app cannot be considered a stand-alone study tool, in this respect.
Recommended For:
- Ideal for those who are completely unfamiliar with GRE test structure/ questions
- For those who study better through teacher- student interactions formats, which is duplicated in the videos
- For those who want to have better control over their pace of study (the app has a personalized dashboard to make this easy)
- For those want to track their progress
4. GRE Math Prep App – Your Teacher
Overview: This app is like having your own Math teacher on call and it is designed to mimic the tutoring format in a typical classroom. The app costs $9.99 but remember this is only a Math app, you will need other tools to cover the other sections of the GRE test. It comes with quite a number of examples, practice questions, and higher level test questions to train you thoroughly in the concepts and application.
App Pros:
- Over 130 Math lessons cover all concepts thoroughly
- Each lesson has video examples and interactive practice to help you understand how to solve problems. In addition, there are several self-tests and worksheets for practice.
- It is like having a personal tutor take you through the math problems, explaining when you don’t get how to do it.
- Basic concepts are covered so you can brush on forgotten Math knowledge in minimum time
App Cons:
- You cannot track the lessons and section you have already completed
- You cannot track your progress or measure improvement
- A few more GRE practice level questions are needed
- Only Math topics are covered, you will need to opt for other tools for the other GRE sections
- Some students feel that this is a good primer but not enough for advanced test preparation
- The GRE test questions are more complex and varied than the ones the app has, so it may not reflect the test very accurately
Recommended For:
- For those who are not sure of basic Math concepts that are covered in the GRE test
- For those who thrive in a typical classroom teaching environment with the personal guidance of the tutor
- For those who perform better when interactive teaching via videos is used
- If you need quick reminders of forgotten concepts and a ready- reckoner to tell you how to solve a problem, this app is a good fit
