Testing Is the REA Book Effective for Physics GRE Prep?

AI Thread Summary
The discussion centers on the REA book used for preparing for the physics GRE, with multiple users expressing dissatisfaction with its content. Many participants report finding errors in the book and criticize its problems for being unrepresentative of the actual exam, often requiring calculator use for solutions. There is a consensus that the REA book is not a reliable resource, with suggestions to avoid it altogether. Alternatives like "A Guide to Physics Problems" are mentioned, although it's noted that this book is not GRE-specific and may contain more challenging problems. The general recommendation is to focus on actual GRE test materials, which are available online, as the most effective preparation method.
LHarriger
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Is anyone out there also using (or has used) the REA book to prepare for the physics GRE. I keep finding what I think are errors and it would be nice if someone could verify they are finding the same mistakes. Also, in general, how useful did you find this book and what other preparations do you recommend.
 
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LHarriger said:
Is anyone out there also using (or has used) the REA book to prepare for the physics GRE. I keep finding what I think are errors and it would be nice if someone could verify they are finding the same mistakes. Also, in general, how useful did you find this book and what other preparations do you recommend.

i've heard that that book is crap and completely unrepresentative of what is actually on the exam.
 
Thanks for reinforcing what I was beginning to suspect. Since my last post I have found extremely obvious errors. Many of the problems are also set up so that you can only solve them using a calculator. Does anyone else have an opinion on this book or know a better one to use? I have only one month of prep time left.
 
The purple book is indeed crap. Just something slapped together and labeled with "GRE" to get your money. I found it worthless.

Perhaps A Guide to Physics Problems (2 parts) might be better, but it's not specific to the GRE. AGtPP is designed to prepare you for qualifying exams, though, so many of the problems are probably a lot harder than GRE problems.
 
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i'm also finding REA's guide for the general GRE to be crap-tacular.
 
Avoid anything by REA. The only way to go is to study actual tests. Scans of them are floating around the net; you can find them on http://www.physicsgre.com" .
 
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Hey, I am Andreas from Germany. I am currently 35 years old and I want to relearn math and physics. This is not one of these regular questions when it comes to this matter. So... I am very realistic about it. I know that there are severe contraints when it comes to selfstudy compared to a regular school and/or university (structure, peers, teachers, learning groups, tests, access to papers and so on) . I will never get a job in this field and I will never be taken serious by "real"...
Yesterday, 9/5/2025, when I was surfing, I found an article The Schwarzschild solution contains three problems, which can be easily solved - Journal of King Saud University - Science ABUNDANCE ESTIMATION IN AN ARID ENVIRONMENT https://jksus.org/the-schwarzschild-solution-contains-three-problems-which-can-be-easily-solved/ that has the derivation of a line element as a corrected version of the Schwarzschild solution to Einstein’s field equation. This article's date received is 2022-11-15...

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