.The goal of this site is to organize the vast amounts of information tested on the GRE Literature test into logical, cross-linked, manageable chunks. Each entry represents one of the hundreds of flashcards I used to study for the GRE Literature exam. I followed the methods described here and earned a score in the 99th percentile; there's no guarantee it will work for everyone, but it surely worked for me!
Here's how I recommend you study:
1. Assess (1/2 day):
Start with a sample test from ETS (PDF). Take it cold, under your best approximation of the actual test conditions, and use it to identify your strengths and weaknesses. Also, don't panic--this is a very difficult test, but you're in control: studying harder will increase your score.
2. The Quick Fix (1-2 weeks):
Buy a copy of Cracking the GRE Literature Test
. It outlines the most effecient way to boost your score quickly: minimum work for maximum output.However, the Princeton Review method won't be enough to catapult you into the uppermost percentiles: the difference between the 80th and 90th percentiles is a whole lot of work for a small handful of answers.
3. Assess (1/2 day):
Use the Princeton Review practice test to identify any remaining weaknesses.
4. Plan Readings (time will vary):
You obviously won't have time to read everything that might show up on the GRE Literature Exam--many people couldn't do that in a lifetime, and the works tested are so eclectic that trying to read them all would be a waste of time.
Instead, you should use this list to set some reasonable goals for your reading. The good news is that, if there's anything in the top 20 or so that you haven't read yet, it's probably worth your while to read it before you go to grad school.
Note: for major works and authors, I've provided links to my recommendend editions.
5. Don't get sucked into Dickens or Shakespeare!
They have such an enormous volume of work relative to the number of questions about them that will appear on the exam, and so many of the questions on them can be answered by summary knowledge of their major works, that you're better off reading something by an author you're completely unfamiliar with.
6. Use This Site for the Rest
For all those authors and works you won't be studying in-depth, the short summaries and links provided on this website will usually be enough.
I recommend printing the entries you have trouble with and using them as flash cards. Keep them with you wherever you go--the bus, the subway, theory lectures--every repetition counts!
Occasionally, you might come across an author who strikes your fancy (I came to appreciate Dylan Thomas much more than previously through my GRE Literature studies). If you'd like to read more, I've tried to provide links to my preferred editions. That is, if I have a favorite edition--it's not like I, or anyone else for that matter, actually READS all of these books!
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