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

[score]

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 OG 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 OG 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.

 

-OG 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.

 

-OG 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 OG.

--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/PR 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/PR 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

[vanity]

Very useful post for the GMAT, I’ll be surely coming back with a few questions.

[score]

I am glad that you found my post to be useful, thanks.

[vanity]

What you said about the official guide is very true. I have seen that most students straight away jump into the official guide without thinking. This can be good for more seasoned students. Not a very good idea for most other students who need some kind of foundation. I have been studying for a while and I feel that I am fine with the verbal part. Since you have suggested quite a few books, it would be nice if you can tell me which books to get just for the math portion of the GMAT.

[score]

It would depend on what kind of math help you are looking for, but here is something to consider.

If you want to get a very comprehensive math review – get the EZ Solutions series of review books as it has specialized books that covers all topics.

If you just want to get a lot of math practice – get the EZ Solutions basic/advance workbooks and the Kaplan/PR workbooks and you’ll get ample practice.

It should be enough to just get the above math books, depending on what best fits your situation.

[rofrir]

The best approach for using the GMAT Official Guides:

 

 

--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.

 

 

Hi, what are those other gmat books that you recommend for beginners?

 

thanx

[score]

Assuming that you are a beginner and don’t have much of a background of the test content, here are some suggestions:

 

For complete fundamental knowledge in math, get the complete EZ Solutions GMAT series plus Kaplan math workbook

 

For complete fundamental knowledge in verbal, get the Manhattan SC plus Kaplan verbal workbook

 

Also get try to get Barrons, which will give you a very good overall overview at a very low price.

 

I am not a very big fan of Princeton Review teaching methods, but it’s not a bad deal for just practice questions.

 

Next, knock down every question in the Official Guides.

 

Finally, take the two free downloadable Computer Adaptive Tests.

 

I think if you follow the above steps, you’ll find yourself transformed from a “beginner” to an “expert” student.

 

Please let me know if you have any other questions, and I’ll try to be prompt in my response.

[rofrir]

Dear Score,

 

Thank you so much for the infromaton you offered I so appreciate it.

I am going to start studying GMAT from this week. I have good math background but it's been long since I've worked on math.

 

Meanwhile I am studying for TOEFL exam which is about in late August or September 2010, to be able to apply for Masters for Fall 2011.

Do you think I can study GMAT alongside with TOEFL? ( I also work 8 am-4 pm/5 days a week)

Do you think it will be possible to be ready for GMAT exam in Sep? or I just start studying it considering having the exam in October and apply for those universities that the application deadlines are due to Feb or later?

 

Approximately, how long do you estimate a person in my situation needs to get prepared for GMAT exam? as for some masters (innovation management) I wanna apply in September, GMAT is not compulsory but gives credit to the CV.

 

Thank you so much.

[score]

Hello Rofrir, thanks for your response and here are the answers/suggestions to your questions:

 

Good to hear from you, it’s nice to know that you have decided to get serious with your prep – there is no other way but to study hard and on a regular basis.

 

Like many other students, you may have a myth that you are good in math – please note that you may have forgotten parts of it and a refresher would be a good idea.

 

Even though you are good at math, don’t take it lightly – just follow the steps I mentioned before and you’d be able to gain a solid foundation that you can use to your advantage.

 

About you being ready, it all depends on how much time you put into your preparation – it’s better to take the real test only when you feel you are completely ready.

 

There are some overlaps between GMAT Verbal and TOEFL, such as the Reading Comprehension questions – it would be good to study for both in parallel for the common elements.

 

Lastly, I see that you are applying for a course in innovative management – you may wish to check if they accept GRE scores too.

 

Please let me know if you have anymore questions, it would be good if you can post your daily thoughts and progress so that I can follow up with you.

[greatman1234]

First of all many thanxs for starting this brilliant thread....:tup:

 

Well score my journey is also like you have lot of on and off to the GMAT prep.

 

But now I have decided to do it seriously...:sleepy:

 

Well m an engg graduate but its a bit long now ...I have seen m very dusty in quant .

 

had one question you have recommended the barrons is it good for quant basics n what is good about this book...

 

what about your plan for gmat

[score]

Greatman, thanks for your kind words.

 

Like I mentioned earlier, Barrons has the best value for money as it has a decent overview of both GMAT math and verbal.

[score]

GMAT Analytical Writing Assessment Section:

One major thing I missed in my original post is the AWA section.

 

Although this doesn’t affect your overall score, schools do look at it.

 

It’s all the more important when schools are deciding between two candidates, where everything else is equal.

 

Not to mention, it’s an excellent way to demonstrate verbal skills for non-native English speakers.

 

All you have to do is practice writing a few essays every week, which should give you a break from math and verbal sections.

 

So, do not ignore it completely or take it lightly.

 

Please let me know if anyone has any questions about this, thanks.

[sara haleem]

it is great topic but i am from Egypt and i am not very good in English so which is better to get TOEFL or IELTS to be good in English so in gmate exam ,i want to work in a bank in credit department and can i get the book which you are talking about here in Egypt? because i don't know any thing about GMATE Official Guides book,THANK YOU

[score]

Hello Sara, you can get all the books I mentioned from amazon.com, but you can shop around for the best price by searching on Google.

 

Please let me know if you have any other concern or question related to anything about the GMAT or TOEFL.

[gradschool]

That was a very informative post. Thank You. I do agree that OG is very important book. However, like you have mentioned, all concepts are not given clearly in the OG and this requires us to refer to other books like kaplan and Princeton. Manhattan verbal book is good too as it has a lot of practise problems.

 

I have one question though: I took a gMAT prep test (software that comes with mba.com) and got a 470.I know I am seriosuly stumped, but was wondering how accurate this scores could be on the real test day considering that I have 3 more weeks to go?

[score]

Hi gradschool. Since the GMAT prep free practice tests are designed by GMAC, they are perhaps as good as it can get. Their scoring algorithm is a lot more precise than anyone else. They use the same scoring system as the actual tests. Even the test questions are very close to what you may expect to see on the real test. Most questions are actually drawn from retired tests.

[score]

Hi gradschool. I think you have enough time to do some hard work and at least get another hundred points. If you follow the guidelines I provided in my original post, you should be fine. Please let me know if you have any further questions. I wish you very best for the test.

[score]

It is best not to take the two free official practice tests before you completely prepare yourself.

[score]

It is easier to get another hundred points if you are scoring below average.

[gradschool]

Hi gradschool. I think you have enough time to do some hard work and at least get another hundred points. If you follow the guidelines I provided in my original post, you should be fine. Please let me know if you have any further questions. I wish you very best for the test.

Thank you,score for the post. Since my scores are below average , I think I do have enough oppurtunity to improve,isn't it?.

I am going to solve OG again. But, also plan to do some more practice problems in quant and verbal from Kaplan. Do you think this should be enough?

another question that I had is how are the accuracy of Princeton review CATs? I took one this morning and got a terrible 450!! I think I am doomed :-(

[score]

Since you are scoring so low, you do have enough opportunity to increase your score. Most students make the mistake of taking numerable practice questions and tests. They don’t realize that the problem may be somewhere else. Of course, the more you practice, the better it is going to be for you. However, before you focus on practicing, you need to make sure that your fundamentals are clear. If your basics are not clear, merely practicing questions is not going to get you too far. Hence, I strongly suggest that you brush up your fundamentals and then do the practice tests. I’d suggest you get the EZ Solutions series of math books to gain a solid grip on all math concepts. You can also get the Manhattan sentence correction book for verbal. After this you can use the Kaplan workbooks. Then use the Official Guides. In my honest opinion, if you follow this plan, you’ll definitely see an improvement in your scores. Let me know what you think and if you have any further questions.

[vanity]

I completely agree with whatever you said. I have been following exactly what you suggested and I can already see a big change in my performance. Just knowing that I am on the right track helps me boost my confidence. Please keep posting as I am sure this is helping many people who are in my position. I was clueless in the beginning but now I am finding a direction. Thank you so much for your valuable advice.

[score]

I am glad my suggestions were helpful to some of you. You are not the only one in this situation. Many students are clueless about how to prepare. Most of them get wrong advices which are often misleading.

[vanity]

Very helpful advice for the GMAT, I hope you keep the good work going by posting frequently.

[gradschool]

Since you are scoring so low, you do have enough opportunity to increase your score. Most students make the mistake of taking numerable practice questions and tests. They don’t realize that the problem may be somewhere else. Of course, the more you practice, the better it is going to be for you. However, before you focus on practicing, you need to make sure that your fundamentals are clear. If your basics are not clear, merely practicing questions is not going to get you too far. Hence, I strongly suggest that you brush up your fundamentals and then do the practice tests. I’d suggest you get the EZ Solutions series of math books to gain a solid grip on all math concepts. You can also get the Manhattan sentence correction book for verbal. After this you can use the Kaplan workbooks. Then use the Official Guides. In my honest opinion, if you follow this plan, you’ll definitely see an improvement in your scores. Let me know what you think and if you have any further questions.

I actually just bought the Manhattan SC and CR guide. Both books look very useful!!! I also have Kaplan Math work book( I have finished more than half of it). Now, I only need to solve all the problems on the verbal OG.