The best practise books for GMAT

[shyamprabhu90]

Hi ,
Please suggest me the best best practise books for the below sections. Or only the offcial guide is required,

Data Sufficiency (Advanced questions)
Problem solving (Advanced)
Sentence correction (normal to advanced)

Thanks,
Shyam

[[email protected]]

Hi Shyam,

Arguably, the best all-in-one book for CONTENT is the GMAC Official Guide, so I'd recommend that you purchase that book regardless of the other purchases you make.

Knowing the content is only part of the challenge though; you have to learn tactics and approaches that will allow you to answer questions in the most efficient way possible. Since most GMAT questions can be approached in more than one way, you'll have to learn multiple ways to "do things." THAT issue is more a matter of what GMAT training materials you opt for.

You made a reference to "advanced' materials, but you haven't mentioned how well you're currently performing. Have you taken any full-length practice CATs yet? If so, then what were your scores (including the Quant and Verbal Scaled Scores)?

Also, when are you planning to take the GMAT?

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

[VivianKerr]

The GMAT OG 13 is non-negotiable. If you want a 700+ score, you have to know what official GMAT questions look like. DOWN COLD.

For Quant, I think MGMAT Number Properties is a great book to start since this is not usually an area many students are familiar with -- beyond that it depends on your personal weakenesses: Algebra? Geometry? Word Problems? I usually suggest my students supplement with a combo of books from sources such as MGMAT or Veritas Prep and online resources such as GMATClub, BTG, Grockit, etc. It really depends on the student. GMATPrep is NOT one size fits all.

For SC, drop everything and get MGMAT Sentence Correction. That book used in conjunction with the OG13 and GMATPrep questions are ROCK SOLID. Just be sure you're approaching SC with solid strategy. That, combined with the content knowledge you'll learn from this books, will really set you up well for Verbal.

For RC and CR, it's tougher because you can't just memorize concepts. You know to recognize all the individual question-types, and learn how to break down a passage on your scratch pad and know what each specific question requires of you. You gotta build this thing from the ground up. Books will only take you so far. That said, I'm partial to the Veritas Prep RC book and Powerscore CR.

Here's 10 more general tips to help you prep for the GMAT in the right way: https://gmatrockstar.com/2014/06/17/10-w ... this-year/

Hope it helps, Shyam! Rock on!

[shyamprabhu90]

Hi Shyam,

Arguably, the best all-in-one book for CONTENT is the GMAC Official Guide, so I'd recommend that you purchase that book regardless of the other purchases you make.

Knowing the content is only part of the challenge though; you have to learn tactics and approaches that will allow you to answer questions in the most efficient way possible. Since most GMAT questions can be approached in more than one way, you'll have to learn multiple ways to "do things." THAT issue is more a matter of what GMAT training materials you opt for.

You made a reference to "advanced' materials, but you have mentioned how well you're currently performing. Have you taken any full-length practice CATs yet? If so, then what were your scores (including the Quant and Verbal Scaled Scores)?

Also, when are you planning to take the GMAT?

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

Hi Rich,
Thank you for your response.

I have taken a couple of CAts, and my scores were
47Quant- 23 Verbal (Test available in GMAT website)
48Quant -28 Verbal
47Quant - 25 Verbal

I am planing to take my GMAT in mid September 2015.
Section wise this is what i think of my performance

Problem solving- I guess i am doing pretty okay( contribues only 10% of error in quant)
Data Sufficieny - Always gets confues btn the options (needs more practise)

CR - Pretty okay ( contributes most of the verbal performance)
SC - Very bad with the concepts/performance ( Need to improve basics)
RC- Not a strong section ( not as bad as my SC though)

Thanks again for your response.

Regards,
Shyam

[shyamprabhu90]

The GMAT OG 13 is non-negotiable. If you want a 700+ score, you have to know what official GMAT questions look like. DOWN COLD.

For Quant, I think MGMAT Number Properties is a great book to start since this is not usually an area many students are familiar with -- beyond that it depends on your personal weakenesses: Algebra? Geometry? Word Problems? I usually suggest my students supplement with a combo of books from sources such as MGMAT or Veritas Prep and online resources such as GMATClub, BTG, Grockit, etc. It really depends on the student. GMATPrep is NOT one size fits all.

For RC and CR, it's tougher because you can't just memorize concepts. You know to recognize all the individual question-types, and learn how to break down a passage on your scratch pad and know what each specific question requires of you. You gotta build this thing from the ground up. Books will only take you so far. That said, I'm partial to the Veritas Prep RC book and Powerscore CR.

Hope it helps, Shyam! Rock on!

Hi Vivien,

Thank you for your response.

For the quant section, i am pretty okay with the concepts but i need to practise. So pllease suggest some books for the same. Is the Official GMAT Quant Review good enough to boost the scores from 45-47--> 50-51.

ALso which book should i purchase for RC?

Thanks Again!
Shyam

[[email protected]]

Hi Shyam,

Assuming that you didn't mis-type, and your planned Test Date isn't until NEXT September, what do you think your overall study plan is going to be?

You should expect to put in a consistent 3 months (or more) of study time. You can't be sporadic with your studies though; they should be concentrated so that you can retain information, learn from your mistakes, improve, etc.

Since your Quant scores are relatively high, you could very well put in 2 months of solid study time (with an emphasis on Verbal material) and take the GMAT this August or September.

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

[shyamprabhu90]

Hi Shyam,

Assuming that you didn't mis-type, and your planned Test Date isn't until NEXT September, what do you think your overall study plan is going to be?

You should expect to put in a consistent 3 months (or more) of study time. You can't be sporadic with your studies though; they should be concentrated so that you can retain information, learn from your mistakes, improve, etc.

Since your Quant scores are relatively high, you could very well put in 2 months of solid study time (with an emphasis on Verbal material) and take the GMAT this August or September.

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

Hi Rich,

My plan is to focus mainly on the Verbal part, as my concepts are very shaky. I am currently working on the basic grammar required for the sentence correction. and then later i will start working on the SC section. I will do the same for RC as well.
Along with this, a little bit of PS, DS questions on alternate days/ gap of 2-3 days.
I will try to finish all the basics and OG by mid august and then start taking tests and advanced questions.

Please let me know if this approach is wrong or any change is required.

Thanks!
Shyam

[VivianKerr]

Hey Shyam,

I'd say the OG13 and Veritas RC would be great for RC passage practice, coupled with all the GMATPrep passages (don't go through these attachments until you've finished the GMATPreps!).

The main thing with RC is the strategy. Here's what I recommend: https://gmatrockstar.com/2014/01/17/gmat ... y-purpose/

Find the Topic, Scope, Function of every paragraph, Author's point of view, and Purpose for every single passage you read. Try to ignore the confusing details, and dig deep -- ask yourself: is this mostly an INFORMATIONAL passage or a PERSUASIVE passage? And how do all of the component paragraphs function to make the whole?

If you start actively reading now, you'll be in great shape by the time your test rolls around!

Rock on!
-Vivian