Books to purchase for the GMAT??

This topic has expert replies
Newbie | Next Rank: 10 Posts
Posts: 2
Joined: Wed Jun 25, 2008 9:24 pm

Books to purchase for the GMAT??

by livinthedream » Wed Jun 25, 2008 9:47 pm
Hello to all!

Let me start out by thanking the founders and the wonderful people that are all apart of this site! I cant tell you how much I appreciate this helpful and insightful community.

I decided to go to business school after some good experience I have had the last several years.

I would like to start studying for the exam, but I am overwhelmed with the amount of resources available.

I would greatly appreciate if a former seasoned GMAT taker would give me insight on the all the books I should study from?? I just want to start out on the right path and need someone like you seasoned professionals to point me in the right direction.

Thank you very much!!

GMAT/MBA Expert

User avatar
Site Admin
Posts: 6773
Joined: Mon Feb 13, 2006 8:30 am
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Thanked: 1249 times
Followed by:994 members

by beatthegmat » Wed Jun 25, 2008 10:42 pm
Welcome to the Beat The GMAT community! I think you'll find this place to be a great place to study and find help (from lots of friendly members and experts).

Sounds like you should start here: https://www.beatthegmat.com/books.html
Beat The GMAT | The MBA Social Network
Community Management Team

Research Top GMAT Prep Courses:
https://www.beatthegmat.com/gmat-prep-courses

Research The World's Top MBA Programs:
https://www.beatthegmat.com/mba/school

Senior | Next Rank: 100 Posts
Posts: 30
Joined: Wed Jun 04, 2008 11:20 am
Thanked: 3 times

by lastday » Thu Jun 26, 2008 12:57 pm
I would suggest Official Guide, 11th edition; GMATPrep tests (www.mba.com) and Cracking the GMAT from Princeton Review. Best way to start your prep.

Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts
Posts: 124
Joined: Mon Jun 16, 2008 11:07 am
Thanked: 21 times
Followed by:14 members
GMAT Score:750

by CappyAA » Thu Jun 26, 2008 1:14 pm
Yeah definitely the 11th Edition OG as well as the Verbal/Math supplements. Those are the 3 must haves. I also have the Manhattan SC Guide (super highly recommend) and the Kaplan 800 book.

Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts
Posts: 198
Joined: Tue Feb 12, 2008 10:16 am
Location: San Francisco
Thanked: 14 times

by mbadrew » Thu Jun 26, 2008 3:14 pm
Hello,

I'm using the OG 11, OG quant, OG verbal and the Manhattan booklets. I'm also using the princeton guide for strategies. If you need a refresher, then I can recommend gmax online.

Newbie | Next Rank: 10 Posts
Posts: 2
Joined: Wed Jun 25, 2008 9:24 pm

by livinthedream » Fri Jun 27, 2008 9:29 am
Thank you all for your responses!

OK, I will be buying the OG-11 along with the math/verbal supplements, manhattan SC,cracking the gmat PR, and Kap 800.

What about the 7 Manhattan prep books? are those useful? and the kaplan math work book??

Also in what order should I attack these books??

I really appreciate all your help. Thank you.

Senior | Next Rank: 100 Posts
Posts: 30
Joined: Wed Jun 04, 2008 11:20 am
Thanked: 3 times

by lastday » Sat Jun 28, 2008 10:12 am
You will have plenty of books with what you're planning to order, so don't worry about those other books yet. You might not need them.

Start with Cracking the GMAT for the overview. Then begin working with the OG for practice questions. Don't take a test until you've done a good 20 or so practice questions for each question type. You want to be able to compare how you do on timed vs. untimed questions, to help you figure out how much you need to focus on fundamentals vs. test-taking skills.

Work with the math/verbal guides and SC guide as you need to. Plan to take a timed test every 2 weeks or so. Save the 800 book until you're ready for harder questions, but don't let it psyche you out. Kaplan's questions and tests are notorious for not being overly representative of the real test. Use the PR and GMATPrep tests for your practice CATs.

HTH...