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What are the best GMAT books?

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What are the best GMAT books?

by AndreaV424 » Fri Jul 10, 2009 5:03 pm
I recently took the Princeton Review Classroom course and found that I need extra time studying before taking the exam. I've already gone through Princeton Review books, but am interested in Kaplan. I've heard they are very helpful, different, and detailed.

Should I get both the Kaplan Premier Package and Kaplan 800? What are some of the pros and cons?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated! Thank you!
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by Bara » Fri Jul 10, 2009 7:05 pm
The benefit of using more material, online or paper, is that you'll be more exposed to material. The downside to using another philsophy-based course (that is one-size-fits-all) is that you might find solutions to the questions that run counter to the way you've just trained - - if you get enough contridictions, I think that you run the risk of your efforts potentially backfiring.

An effective strategy would be to focus on the official guides, paper tests, hard questions (like kaplan 800 without using their explanations) and frankly, getting yourself a detailed evaluation of where you are NOW, to see why your timing isn't up to snuff: do you need to get back to the basics of the material itself (ie. grammar, math, etc.)? Or do you need to find shortcuts, strategy, ways of thinking, and hone your ability to respond to the 'GMAT writers' voice.' I think to launch into the basics all over again via a big-company approach might be annoying, boring and redundant, and ultimately, busy work. really the most important thing is to make sure that whatever you do is not contradictory to what you've done up to now.

Hone your skills, and if you can, consider working with a private tutor/specialist on the areas you need to improve. It's more efficient and would in all lilkihood have a greater ROI at this stage of the game.

Good Luck!
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Thanks Bara!

by AndreaV424 » Sat Jul 11, 2009 12:15 pm
Hi Bara,

Thank you very much for your advice! I completely agree with the classroom course. It was beneficial in the sense that it gave me a great first overview of the gmat material; however there came a point where every student was learning at different paces and different areas and I began to lack the feeling of my own personal knowledge compared to others. Most of the students in the course were either not working, or still in school. I actually work 50 hours week so studying an average 15-20 hours a week was challenging.

I'm pretty good with time management, however I've struggled coming up with a study plan for the GMAT because I'm about brain dead at the end of a work day. I don't like studying half-fast. Do you have any suggestions for a study plan (taking 50 work hours into account)? I know every student is different, but have you seen any effective strategies work for others in my position?

Thank you again, for the taking time to respond :)
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by rangerguy2000 » Sat Jul 11, 2009 2:51 pm
i would not suggest buying both the kap 800 and the pre program .. just get the pre program .. it'll give u access to online tools too and tests as well. i think kap 800 is a waste of money ... well thats my belief ... ive both ... fyi
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