GRE : A Strategic Approach

The book’s lead author (core review and strategies), Doug Tarnopol, M.A., brings a unique mix of talents and experience to test-prep teaching, tutoring, and instructional design. Doug has fifteen years of varied experience in test preparation. He has taught and tutored students of all backgrounds and advised both students and parents; he has also developed instructional print materials, designed online tests and courses, and run online academic support. Doug combines over a decade of test-preparation experience in teaching, instructional design, and front-line customer and academic support with an academically rigorous education.

Since moving to Rhode Island in 2005, Doug has been tutoring students for the SAT and ACT, as well as admissions-essay review, GRE, and GMAT. He has also tutored high school students in American history, English literature, biology, and writing, as well as college students in history, writing skills, and algebra. Currently, when not tutoring students for the SAT, ACT or GRE, Doug is working on a book for the new AP Biology exam.

Elizabeth Rollins, M.A., has been a curriculum developer, editor, and content author for educational publishers for more than ten years. Formerly the Director of Research and Development for GRE Programs at the Princeton Review, Elizabeth directed a complete revision of the then existing GRE course. She has also written lessons and assessment material for high-stakes and national standardized tests. Elizabeth wrote all of the verbal test items for the two paper-and-pencil and two computer-based practice tests.


Norman Levy, Ph.D., has been the Director of Mathematics and Testing for NJL College Preparation in Albertson N.Y., for the past twenty-five years. He coordinates all the instruction and materials for the math preparation required for AP Calculus, GRE, GMAT, LSAT, SAT I, ACT, SAT II, and PSAT. He also personally instructs individuals and groups in all levels of mathematics, ranging from middle school math through calculus. Previously, he was the Mathematics Coordinator for the Hebrew Academy of Nassau County (N.Y.). He supervised staff , participated in textbook selection, held teacher-training workshops, and implemented new programs as required to meet or exceed state standards.

Norm is a prolific author, having written more than 20 books in his career. Most recently he has written REA’s AP Calculus AB & BC. He has also authored review books for PRAXIS II, ACT, Essential Math for the College Bound, Big 8 Mathematics, PSAT/NMSQT, Study Cards for the SAT I Math, CLEP Calculus, and SAT Subject Test: Math Levels I and II. Norm wrote all of the quantitative test items for the two paper-and-pencil and two computer-based practice tests.


Gerri Budd, Ph.D., is a GRE rater for Educational Testing Service and a consultant for Sun Education Services. Previously, she worked as the Manager of Graduate Studies Support Services for Seton Hall University, where she created support services for grad students and managed graduate student admissions/recruitment. Gerri shares her knowledge of the grad school application process in our appendix entitled “A Quick Reference Guide to Graduate School.”

The book’s lead author (core review and strategies), Doug Tarnopol, M.A., brings a unique mix of talents and experience to test-prep teaching, tutoring, and instructional design. Doug has fifteen years of varied experience in test preparation. He has taught and tutored students of all backgrounds and advised both students and parents; he has also developed instructional print materials, designed online tests and courses, and run online academic support. Doug combines over a decade of test-preparation experience in teaching, instructional design, and front-line customer and academic support with an academically rigorous education.

Doug graduated magna cum laude from Cornell University in 1992, earning an A.B. (Cornellese for “B.A.”) in History and writing a senior honors thesis on twentieth century evolutionary theory. He continued his work in the history and sociology of science at the University of Pennsylvania, receiving an M.A. in 1996. While in graduate school in the 1990s, Doug began teaching SAT classes for Kaplan Test Prep. After completing his graduate work, Doug moved to New York City and continued teaching for Kaplan, adding PSAT, SCI HI, SAT II: Writing, SAT II: Math, GMAT, GRE, and other courses to his repertoire. In 1999, after serving as Pre-College Student Advisor at Kaplan’s flagship Manhattan center, Doug became a curriculum developer in what was then called the Kaplan Learning Services division, designing instructional material for state proficiency exams. He was soon promoted to Assistant Editor.

In 2000, after serving briefly as Manager of Pre-College Curriculum for Kaplan Test Prep, Doug joined the brand-new Kaplan Test Prep Online division, becoming Manager of Academic Services. Later promoted to Associate Director, Doug helped to create, coordinate, and maintain website, product, technical, and academic support activities, including management of admission and GMAT/GRE essay review services and the design of online course homepages and assets.

In November of 2002, Doug joined Peterson’s new Test Prep division as Associate Program Manager, designing and gathering content for online tests for SAT, ACT, GMAT, GRE, and several CLEPs, as well as doing market research on various SAT online courses. He also worked on Peterson’s adaptive online course for the SAT, which won Brandon Hall’s Gold Excellence in E-Learning Award for 2003. Promoted to Program Manager in early 2003, Doug designed and edited Peterson’s adaptive PSAT online course.

In October of 2003, Doug launched Tarnopol Learning Services, LLC, a tutoring and instructional design company. In addition to private tutoring, Doug authored six titles in SparkNotes’ 2005 SAT Power Tactics series— Test-taking Strategies, Critical Reading: Sentence Completions, Critical Reading: Reading Passages, Writing: Multiple-Choice Questions, The Essay, and Vocabulary Builder, all of which are available, complete with pre- and post-tests authored by Doug, online.

Doug has also edited scholarly books and articles in the history of science; designed Flash simulations and diagnostic skills assessments for corporate training courses; expert-reviewed test-prep books, such as Peterson’s current ARCO AP Biology book; written and edited learning objects for adaptive online courses for the Texas high-stakes exit exam; and developed instructor-led training materials for both California’s high-stakes exit exam and a thirteen-lesson basic writing skills course.

Since moving to Rhode Island in 2005, Doug has been tutoring students for the SAT and ACT, as well as admissions-essay review, GRE, and GMAT. He has also tutored high school students in American history, English literature, biology, and writing, as well as college students in history, writing skills, and algebra.

Currently, when not tutoring students for the SAT, ACT or GRE, Doug is working on a book for the new AP Biology exam. Doug also writes fiction an