Studying for the Physics GRE

Recently I was asked for recommendations on books for studying for the GRE Physics Test. First of all, one needs a broad-based calculus based physics (for scientists & engineers) textbook. There are many out there, but I'd recommend one of the following:

• Physics for Scientists and Engineers by Raymond A. Serway (now w/ J.W. Jewett)
  
• Fundamentals of Physics by David Halliday & Robert Resnick (now with Jearl Walker)
  
• University Physics by H.D. Young & R.A. Freedman (formerly Sears & Zemansky)
  
• Physics for Scientists and Engineers Paul A. Tipler (now w/ Gene Mosca)

These are all more or less equivalent to Halliday & Resnick (the classic of the genre). What's especially nice is that there are many used/older editions of these books that come very cheap online. Each of them have versions which come with chapters on "modern physics" that cover basic atomic, solid state, nuclear, & particle physics. As a subject by subject supplement to the above, I would recommend:

1. Classical Mechanics
   Classical Dynamics of Particles and Systems by Jerry B. Marion (now w/ S.T. Thornton)
   
2. Electricity & Magnetism
   Introduction to Electrodynamics by David J. Griffiths
   Electricity and Magnetism by Edward M. Purcell
   
3. Optics & Waves
   Waves by Frank S. Crawford
   Vibrations and Waves by Anthony P. French
   
4. Thermodynamics/Statistical Mechanics
   Thermal Physics by Charles Kittel
   
5. Quantum Mechanics
   Introduction to Quantum Mechanics by David J. Griffiths
   
6. Atomic Physics
   Concepts of Modern Physics by Arthur Beiser
   Quantum Physics of Atoms, Molecules, Solids, Nuclei, and Particles by R.M. Eisberg & R. Resnick
   Elementary Atomic Structure by Gordon K. Woodgate
   
7. Special Relativity
   Special Relativity by Anthony P. French
   Spacetime Physics by Edwin F. Taylor & John A. Wheeler
   
8. Lab Methods
   An Introduction to Error Analysis by John R. Taylor
   Data Reduction and Error Analysis for the Physical Sciences by P.R. Bevington & D.K. Robinson
   Techniques for Nuclear and Particle Physics Experiments by William R. Leo
   
9. Specialized Topics (Nuclear, Particle, Condensed Matter)
   Concepts of Modern Physics by Arthur Beiser
   Quantum Physics of Atoms, Molecules, Solids, Nuclei, and Particles by R.M. Eisberg & R. Resnick
   Introduction to Elementary Particles by David J. Griffiths
   Introduction to High Energy Physics by Donald H. Perkins
   
   

Some of these books are more advanced than necessary for the Physics GRE, but they do a good job of presenting the relevant material. I would in particular point out Griffiths' books. Examples and problems from his books have an uncanny ability to show up as questions on the GRE.

I would not recommend Tribble's Princeton Guide to Advanced Physics or GRE Physics by REA. They both present a list of equations and formulas with little context. This might be useful if the both books weren't full of mistakes. The REA book also contains 4 practice tests which are unrepresentative of the real test and therefore useless.

Finally there are books published by the ETS that contain actual past exams. The most recent one is available online here. The rest are available at the bottom of the Ohio State SPS GRE webpage. This website claims to have worked solutions for every question on all four exams.

UPDATE (Jan. 09, 2009)

An American Physics Student in England gives some very useful advice here.

• summary: study the positronium "atom"
  section 5.14 & 4.2.1 in Perkins, 3rd & 4th ed., respectively
  section 5.6 in Griffiths, 1st ed. (probably in the same place for 2nd ed.)
  

The very revealing story of a W&M student who scored a 990 on the Physics GRE is here.

• summary: spend some time thinking about/practicing "strategy and test-taking techniques"