Best GMAT Book for Strategy?

Expert replies

Mister_Fox: Newbie | Next Rank: 10 Posts; Posts: 8; Joined: Thu Sep 18, 2014 7:19 pm; GMAT Score:730

by Mister_Fox » Mon Oct 06, 2014 7:17 pm

Hello,

Can anyone recommend a book that goes over high level strategy for the exam before I start digging into specific problem sets and questions?

Per the book recommendations on this site, I just bought the official "GMAT Review". However, it seems to be heavily focused on practice questions and less so on strategy. I'm definitely glad I bought it and will finish it, but I'm looking for a book that delves deeper into strategy.

Last edited by Mister_Fox on Mon May 25, 2015 7:16 am, edited 1 time in total.

Like this post

Source: Beat The GMAT — GMAT Strategy | Mon Oct 06, 2014 7:17 pm

GMAT/MBA Expert

[email protected]: Elite Legendary Member; Posts: 10392; Joined: Sun Jun 23, 2013 6:38 pmFollowed by: 511 members; Location: Palo Alto, CA; Thanked: 2867 times; GMAT Score:800

by [email protected] » Mon Oct 06, 2014 8:30 pm

Hi Fox,

While there are certainly books that can help you learn content (math skills, grammar) that you'll need for Test Day, GMAT strategy is best learned by doing. It's akin to trying to find a book about how to ride a bicycle vs. actually getting on a bicycle and having someone help you to learn (so that you're building up "muscle memory" as you're taught).

Since the GMAT is a standardized Exam, you can learn all of the necessary content, patterns and tactics/strategy before you take the Official GMAT. You'll benefit far more from a practical "hands on" approach than a theory-based one. Enrolling in a GMAT Course might be what you need (since a Course will be able to delve deeper into everything than a book can).

What type of studying have you done so far?
Have you taken the Official GMAT or any FULL-length practice CAT tests?

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich

Contact Rich at [email protected]

Like this post

BestGMATEliza: Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts; Posts: 103; Joined: Mon Jun 23, 2014 11:31 pmFollowed by: 12 members; Thanked: 25 times; GMAT Score:770

by BestGMATEliza » Wed Oct 08, 2014 10:40 am

I agree with Rich that the best way to learn strategy is by practicing. You will need to learn a lot of content, especially for SC and Quant. Once you have an understanding of the basic content, you could look into books like Kaplan 800 or MGMAT Advanced quant which do discuss strategies for the more difficult questions, but these aren't really helpful until you have you have a good grasp of all the content.

Hope this helps!

Eliza Chute
Best GMAT Prep Courses
GMAT course comparison and reviews
Your one stop for all your GMAT studying needs!

Like this post

Mister_Fox: Newbie | Next Rank: 10 Posts; Posts: 8; Joined: Thu Sep 18, 2014 7:19 pm; GMAT Score:730

by Mister_Fox » Wed Oct 08, 2014 6:49 pm

Thanks guys, this makes sense to me. I have not started studying yet.

I assumed it would be like a college course, where taking a bunch of practice exams wouldn't be as helpful as having a excellent professor teach you the material, but I guess this is a different ball game.

Appreciate the help, I'll start on some questions!

Like this post

GMAT/MBA Expert

[email protected]: Elite Legendary Member; Posts: 10392; Joined: Sun Jun 23, 2013 6:38 pmFollowed by: 511 members; Location: Palo Alto, CA; Thanked: 2867 times; GMAT Score:800

by [email protected] » Wed Oct 08, 2014 9:21 pm

Hi Fox,

If you can answer a few questions about your goals and plans, I can offer some suggestions to help you put together a Study Plan.

1) What is your goal score?
2) When are you planning to apply to Business School?
3) Are you thinking about any specific schools/programs?

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich

Contact Rich at [email protected]

Like this post

Post new topic Post Reply

• Page 1 of 1

GMAT Course Reviews

559 reviews

1168 reviews

431 reviews

359 reviews

147 reviews

5/5

5 Star (560 Reviews)

"Target Test Prep is the closest to the official version of the GMAT exam, about 99% accuracy in terms of the quality and quantity of information. The course has excellently created singular sets of focused lessons and tests for every possible topic that one could come across in the official GMAT exam."

"The TTP course maximizes the efficiency of the time you spend studying. It will take time and effort but I could almost guarantee that if you complete the course exactly as it is laid out you will get an amazing score. They also have a very responsive team willing to help with any questions you might have."

"TTP has two things that I think no other test prep company offers: A teaching approach that reinforces understanding and an attitude that will give you the mental preparedness needed to succeed on the test. TTP gives you a deep understanding of the concept you need to know while teaching you how to think."

Write a Review