Beat The GMAT

smartguy · Fri Sep 22, 2006 7:03 am

I am taking my gmat in 1 month. I have few questions to ask:-
a) Everyone says get OG guide (how can I make best use of it)
b) My math and verbal skills are kind of rusty (Get PR book to review those skills, I am not reading good reviews of this book for quantative, its good for verbal)
c) Now leaves me to get books to practice for reading and quantative (any good books for these, Kaplan)
I also dont want to have too many books and find out that I am not using my time effectively
d)good way to start studying is to take one of the powerprep practice tests and then go from there.
e)how are mgmat books (need to buy all of them or just the good ones)

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GMATTaker · Fri Sep 22, 2006 8:32 am

I would buy the Official Guide book and download the software that you get when you register for the exam from PearsonVue/GMAC. Focus on understanding the content, but also timing yourself. Timing is crucial!

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smartguy · Fri Sep 22, 2006 9:07 am

My quantative and verbal skills kind of rusty. What books are good for that in addtion to the OG as I read that OG doesn't tell any tips/tricks for the questions.

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GMATTaker · Fri Sep 22, 2006 9:28 am

The Official Guide has a section in the beginning of the book that review basic math concepts - read through this section to understand the kinds of topics you will need to know for the GMAT. It's a good baseline.

To build your math and verbal skills, Kaplan has a verbal and math review book that is useful. It is sold either online at www.kaptest.com or through a local bookstore. Since you have a month before the exam, it might be too late to enroll in a course (perhaps an intensive review), but you can certainly try an online program, either Kaplan or another provider.

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beatthegmat · Fri Sep 22, 2006 12:36 pm

Hi smartguy:

Check out my blog: http://beatthegmat.blogspot.com
as well as this post: http://www.beatthegmat.com/viewtopic.php?t=13

These two resources are a good place to start thinking about your prep.

Best of luck!

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smartguy · Fri Sep 22, 2006 6:52 pm

I already have PR Cracking 02 edition is it worthwhile buying a new one.
Whats the best way to use OG , study Kaplan . Not sure if I can do all the questions in OG.

PR lookes like good book for Verbal but not for quantative, for quantative I guess Kaplan is better

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beatthegmat · Sat Sep 23, 2006 2:12 pm

Hi smartguy:

Take a look at this post--it has some helpful information about approaching OG (or any GMAT reference) for practice: http://www.beatthegmat.com/viewtopic.php?t=68

The PR book is a great book for a general introduction to the test. But yes, you are correct--PR doesn't have very rigorous questions; Kaplan has better (tougher) questions for practice.

If you want a good reference for GMAT math fundamentals, I recommend checking out the Kaplan GRE & GMAT Math Workbook

Best of luck!

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smartguy · Sun Sep 24, 2006 10:36 am

I have these books so far:-
OG Guide
ARCO GRE/GMAT Math Review 6th Edition . I only have 1.5 months to study for the exam as I am taking my exam in first week of dec.

I think those two books should be good enough for quantative and verbal. Another problem I have seen is in the word problems , its hard for me to make a equation and find out whats being asked.
In PR I dont understand from where they are picking up random numbers to solve questions.

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sangharsh · Thu Oct 26, 2006 10:20 am

Dear Eric and all members of beatthegmat forum ,
I congratulate and highly appreciate your kind efforts to help 1000's of students like me to crack the G stuff...BTG is a gr8 resource for dummies...you are simply angels for our saviour. Keep it up...one fine day in near future I fancy to be in a position like you are, to spread the good around...I would like to introduce myself in details, me a B.E. civil with average academics, 2003 passout, working in International business since last 2 years, in Europe.
I have a desire to move ahead in my carrier, thus an MBA is what all I need to update my alma matter, I want to crack the GMAT next year and would like to get into a top ranked B-school in India/Abroad by 2008 spring, though my job is very demanding and I frequently travel places, I try to stick to my schedule but truely speaking its been hard to maintain my regularity At present I am preparing with Kaplan, Princeton and O.G. 10th Edition, and I am horrible at D.S. and R.C; I tired the tips given in the courseware still not upto the mark in scoring...can you please advice what is the best way to make friends with my nightmares? kindly advice how can I plan my studies in most effective way, what is the appropriate span I must devote for my preparation and when should I appear for the exam to reach my desired goal.
I feel disoriented with all the mess around, please do me a favor to show me the right path leading to success...Looking forward to hear from you soon.
Many thanks for your time.
Best regards
Sang

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beatthegmat · Thu Oct 26, 2006 11:45 am

Hi Sang:

Welcome to the forum! We're glad to have you on board.

If you wish to commit to self study, the first thing you need to do is create a study plan. If you want an example of what one effective study strategy can look like, please review my blog: http://beatthegmat.blogspot.com. For a condensed version of my study strategy, please refer to this thread: http://www.beatthegmat.com/viewtopic.php?t=13

Best of luck, and I look forward to seeing more of your posts here.

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