GMAT Prep Books Self Study: How to make the best use of the GMAT Official Guides

[score]

Hi Hadad.

I would like to thank you for your kind words and I greatly appreciate it.

It feels good to be able to help others.

The answer to your question is not straight as it depends on what you want.

I’ll try my best to address your concern here and hopefully it will be useful to you.

If you don’t have enough time, like most busy students, and wish to get a mediocre score, I’d recommend you get the Kaplan and or Princeton Review book, along with the Official Guides – this will be enough for you to get a decent score without too much pain.

On the other hand, if you are willing to spend the time, make the efforts, take the pain, read and practice a lot, sacrifice your favorite tv shows, and wish to get a good score, I would recommend that you get the EZ Solutions GMAT series of books for math and verbal and the set of Official Guides – this will take you from zero to being an expert and you will have the potential of achieving the highest possible score.

Let me know if you have any further questions and I wish you good luck.

[anish99virgo]

hey!

i want to know what is the average cut off for good B-schools in US like Stanford, Harvard, Wharton,MIT, & top Univ. in europe?

Beside it is their requirement of work experience in these Univ. ??

& what is the approx expenditure in these?


Thanks a lot in advance!

[score]

Hi anish99virgo, I suggest you check out the website of each of these universities for more details. Each business school has their own criterion of selection, thanks.

[score]

I am looking for a few online study partners. Please let me know if anyone would be interested.

[Rachele]

Hi score,

I'd like to thank you for this helpful guide, it's reading your guide that i decide to try and take the gmat(I was actually a bit scared). But let's move on... i'm buying the book you suggested in the first post, is my amazon carrel right?

The Official Guide for GMAT Review
The Official Guide for GMAT Verbal Review
The Official Guide for GMAT Quantitative Review
Barron's GMAT
Kaplan GMAT Verbal Workbook: The staff of Kaplan Test Prep and Admissions
Kaplan GMAT Math Foundations
EZ Solutions: Test Prep Series: Math Practice: Advanced Workbook: GMAT

i've forgotten something? Thank you so much!

[Hash]

Hi Score,
I am sorry if you have already mentioned this in your thread, but which mock would you closely relate to the original GMAT.
I desperately want to know where I stand before I get dead serious in my preparation.

Regards,
Hash

[SamArora]

Hi I see thy post thats good 4 the students who r preparing me the one also . I having the exam on 8th FEB. 2012 ,i completed my Official Guide 12th ed. , KAPLAN 800 , still working on MATHS WORKBOOK & VERBAL WORKBOOK but still having a curosity in my mind that what type of questions will come in the exam u r experienced score good marks i looking 4 thy help so that i also score good marks , suggest me some kind of tips so that will be heplfull b'coz at the of exam 2 much pressure on 2 the students how u tackle it any tips hope so that u will reply soon . i will 4 thy reply.








QUOTE=score;803812]The best approach for using the GMAT Official Guides:

I have noticed that most people don’t know how to make the optimal use of the Official Guide, and which other books to read. The Official Guide is perhaps the best material you can get for practice, but only if you use it the right way. Reading the right book at the right time can make a world of difference. This is why it is so important to have a pre-planned strategy in mind. I have gone through many reviews and comments on different sites and following is my assessment. Review my suggestions and feel free to add or ask me any questions.

Remember, the GMAT Official Guide is a "must have" for everyone who intend to take the GMAT, so make sure to use it the right way.

-First:
--Skim through this book at the very beginning when you first start preparing for the test.
--This will give you a good understanding of what you should expect to see when you take the actual test.

-Next:
--If you feel you are truly comfortable with all the concepts involved - go ahead and crack every question in this book and you'll be good to go.
--If you feel you lack some if not all of the concepts involved - keep this book aside, go through some of the other study guides, and then at the end come back to this book and answer every question.

-Next:
--Buy the recommended books listed below.
--Take the free official practice tests.

-Finally:
--To get additional practice - consider browsing the internet to find any free questions you can lay your hands on.
--To get a final reinforcement - once again take the free official practice tests before your real test.

-Official Guide Positives:
--Indisputably one of the best GMAT books if you want to know what types of questions can potentially pop up on the test.
--Excellent source for practicing real GMAT test questions for all difficulty levels.

-Official Guide Negatives:
--No conceptual knowledge of any topic whatsoever.
--Answer explanations are fine but not that methodical.

-GMAT Books: If you are serious about getting a high score, I'd recommend doing the following:
--Get the latest edition of Official Guide.
--Get Barron's book as this is one of the best all-in-one review book (except the CD).
--For Verbal Review - consider Kaplan/Arco, and Manhattan for SC.
--For Verbal Practice - consider Kaplan/Princeton Review Workbooks, and Dummies book.
--For Math Review - consider Kaplan/Nova if you need a basic refresher, or EZ GMAT Review Books if you want a more in-depth coverage of each and every math concept.
--For Math Practice - consider Kaplan/Princeton Review Workbooks, or EZ GMAT Basic WB for medium-difficulty problems and Advanced WB for most-difficult problems.

I am certain that if you follow the above steps, you'll be well prepared for the GMAT without the need to take any expensive prep course or private tutoring. I did a lot of struggle preparing for the GMAT, and that's why I know how painful it can be if one doesn't have the right guidance.

You can consider me as someone who has been studying for the GMAT off and on for quite sometime and is very familiar with all the different available tools. If you have any questions or doubts about anything related to the GMAT, please feel free to ask me.

I really hope that I was able to help at least some of you who are still trying to figure out the best approach to prepare for the GMAT.

Thanks for reading and good luck with your preparation for the GMAT.

I am always ready to learn although I do not always like being taught. ~Winston Churchill[/QUOTE]

[score]

The best source for practicing questions that are most closely related to the actual GMAT is the Official Guide and the full-length practice test on the GMAT website.
I am not able to completely understand your question so please be clear and I will sure reply promptly.

[score]

I am still waiting for your feedback to know if I answered your question.
Please let me know if I can be of any help.

[izzai]

Thanks! That was really helpful.