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Help needed in Selecting Books

by balaji_s » Mon Jul 28, 2008 9:25 am
Hi all,

I need some help in selecting the books for preparations. I started with Barron's guide...which many have said a complete waste :( ...I didn't know that when I started....I have registered for exam...date is on 18th November...SO I have a solid 3 to 4 months of preparations...

Having going through Baron's I am quite familiar with the type of Questions...

But I consider myself, a bit weak in both Maths and Verbal :( ...thats because its really long since I touched books for studies... :(

So can you guys help in selecting the books and from where I need to start...exactly which book to start with...or precisely a strategy for 3 months to get a good score.... :D

Thanks in advance,

Balaji S
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by bilko » Mon Jul 28, 2008 4:20 pm
Cracking the GMAT is a much better book. I'd switch to that, and use the official materials as well.
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by VP_Jim » Mon Jul 28, 2008 4:24 pm
Yes, definitely get the Official Guide(s). There are three of them - one is orange (contains math and verbal), and the other two are green and purple (contains only math and only verbal). The questions in all three guides are different, so you'll get about 1,500 practice problems between them!

Combine this with a book from one of the reputable test prep companies and you're good to go!
Jim S. | GMAT Instructor | Veritas Prep
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by lunarpower » Tue Jul 29, 2008 12:06 pm
jim's advice above is good: go with the official guides first and foremost, because they're the official guides. they are "the native speaker", so to speak, and so their idiosyncrasies, preferences, and rules will be 100% reflective of those on the real exam. when you buy materials from other companies - especially mass-production outfits such as arco and rea, which produce books for everything from military flight tests to nurses' training - you run the risk of internalizing rules, preferences, or material that are irrelevant to (or, in the worst cases, in contravention of) the official ones.

if you find yourself wanting to buy a huge quantity of books, then you may well have the wrong perspective on how to study for the test: specifically, you may be wrongly emphasizing quantity over quality.
good studying should be focused on quality, not quantity. the goal is not to get through as many problems as possible; the goal is to treat problems thoroughly. to that end, you should study not only the particular solutions to the problems, but also the connections between those problems and any other, similar problems you've already studied.

here are some issues you should be considering, at least in passing, on every problem with which you have difficulty:

A. Foundational Knowledge:
1. Did I COMPREHEND the symbols, text, questions, statements, and answer choices?
2. Did I understand the CONTENT being tested?

B. Recognition:
3. Was I able to CATEGORIZE this question by topic and subtopic?
4. Did I make a CONNECTION to previous experience?

C. Execution of Primary Strategy:
5. Did I choose the best APPROACH?
6. Did I have the SKILLS to follow through?

D. Secondary Strategies:
7. Am I comfortable with OTHER STRATEGIES that would have worked, at least partially?

E. Traps & Tricks:
8. Do I understand every TRAP & TRICK that the writer built into the question, including wrong answers?

F. Assessment & Retention:
9. Have I MASTERED this problem?
10. Will I REMEMBER?


if you consider all these issues, you'll find that the official guides + perhaps one other company's materials is more than enough for your preparation.
Ron has been teaching various standardized tests for 20 years.

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