INVESTING IN GRE

SO JUST HOW MUCH MONEY should you "invest" in your GRE education? In short, the law of diminishing returns applies here:
My Website tutorials and practice questions, along with a two or three carefully selected books, will provide more than 90% of the potential benefit of GRE prep.

Taking practice tests with GRE simulation software might provide a slight additional boost to your performance. Simulated testing can help you

become comfortable with the CAT interface
become accustomed to switching back and forth between a computer screen and scratch paper
find your proper pace (which will be somewhat slower than on the old paper-based GRE)
But many GRE prep books include test-taking software at little additional cost. (For example, my Teach Yourself the GRE in 24 Hours book/CD-ROM package costs only $10.00 more than the book-only version.)

The bottom line: You don't need to spend more than $40-$50 to be fully prepared for the GRE.
What about test-prep courses? Well, here are their advantages:

The dynamics of a live classroom setting can help you learn difficult concepts (especially when it comes to math) by affording different perspectives. (But why not start your own study group? You're just as likely to gain useful insights from your peers as from a GRE instructor.)
Having made a substantial financial investment, you'll probably be motivated to "get your money's worth" out of that investment. (But this is an expensive head game, isn't it? And if you can't afford the course it doesn't matter anyway.)
You're less likely to procrastinate with a set class schedule. (But if you're disciplined enough this is no advantage.)
All the materials are provided, so you don't need to decide which books and/or software to buy. (Query: Is this really a significant benefit?)
You can commiserate and compare notes with your classmates. In fact, GRE prep classes typical morph into de facto support groups. (But why not start your own support group?)
Here are some drawbacks and caveats to keep in mind if you're thinking about taking a GRE prep course:
They're expensive; you can easily spend $1000.
Despite their claims, private test-prep companies pass along no "secrets" to you--nothing at all that you can't find for yourself in test prep books.
Your instructor will have scored high on the GRE (probably above the 90th percentile) but will not necessarily be an effective teacher.
During peak times of the year, you might have difficulty scheduling out-of-class time in the computer lab, at least during reasonable hours.
If you're not located in a major urban area or near a large college or university, the class location might be too remote for you.
If you decide to enroll in a GRE prep course, keep in mind the following points of advice:
Ask about the policy for repeating the course. Insist on an option to repeat the course at least once without charge at any time (not just within the next year).
Ask about merit-based or financial-based "scholarships" (fee reductions).
If you repeat the course, be sure to arrange for a different instructor; just as with GRE books, each GRE instructor has his or her own pedagogical and communication style.
The most significant benefit from a GRE course is the live classroom; so be sure to attend as many classes as you can.
Take full advantage of the chance to meet other students and set up out-of-class study sessions. As I've already noted, you can learn just as much from your peers as from an instructor (or a book).