Apart from the official guide, there isn't much to choose from out there so Kaplan provides a needed resource.


* Questions don't reflect the same degree of difficulty as the real test but at least there is an attempt to present new material as opposed to the "real" questions that you will come across in other resources.

* The coaching style Kaplan adopts in offering advice on strategies is useful. Timing is always an issue so a good tip I would offer is apply the strategies to your weak areas first and test them out.

* Still on timing but from another perspective, whilst everyone is different, Kaplan should recommend a specific prep time and not sit on the fence. Realistically, prepping for the real test requires more than a month - and before you shout you did it in less (!) I'm talking about the least stressful approach.

* Neither the official guide nor Kaplan tackle the complexity of the math tests - I would recommend additional resources if you are weak in this area - possibly EZ.

If you are only just embarking on this path, I suggest that you take your first practice test "cold", i.e. without referring to any guide whatsoever. THEN start your coaching program. You will find the measurable improvement as you continue to take practice tests (and you should take as many as you can)will motivate you and give you the confidence you need to keep going!

In conclusion, could you pass the test without this book - perhaps, but why take a chance? It's not perfect but it's very good. Is there a better one out there? I haven't come across it yet so if someone else has, would be glad to hear of it.

I hope this helps someone out there.

This is a helpful guide to studying for the GMAT, but not an exhaustive one. I recommend using it at the start of your GMAT studies to get a good introduction to the test's mechanics and a general sense of each section. For practice questions and more in-depth, area-specific review, look elsewhere.

The book provides a succinct, easy-to-understand summary of each section and the key takeaways, but if you have any area-specific weaknesses or knowledge gaps, this book will not be enough. For example, there's a great section in the back that provides a review of almost all the basic math knowledge you'll need to have down cold, but the explanations given are short and sometimes represent only one way (and not always the fastest or simplest way) of doing a particular type of problem. Knowing all the basic math is not enough; you have to know how to apply it in many different ways under time-constrained conditions. The Kaplan guide is not going to fill that need for you, and in fact, if you use some of Kaplan's strategies (e.g., plugging in numbers) without a good grasp of the underlying principles, you could be worse off because the GMAT is designed precisely to trip you up on such mental shortcuts.

The practice questions skew toward the difficult side and answer explanations vary from decent to good, but as other reviewers have mentioned, some of the questions are not representative of the actual types of questions you will see on the GMAT. I also noticed a few typos and question errors sprinkled throughout the book and the CD, which seemed sloppy for a guide book to a test where attention to detail is key, and one that has already gone through multiple editions.

In short, if I could do it all over again, this is how I would use the book: at the start of my prepping, read over the strategy sections to get a basic understanding of the GMAT, and later on in my studies, do the practice questions once I've exhausted all Official Guide practice material and have those down cold.

This is my first GMAT guide so far but I have found it very helpful. Every section reviews standard test taking as if you have never taken one before. Also, it goes into deep enough details that you feel comfortable when taking all of the sample tests. This book may not be the only book that one should purchase before taking the GMAT, but it is a helpful tool towards doing well.

I highly recommend this book to anyone trying to prep for the GMAT. I had previously purchased a Kaplan book in prep to take the PCAT- and it was a great preparation for that test, so I had no hesitation in going to Kaplan a second time for GMAT prep. The format for GMAT was unlike any other test I had taken, but this Kaplan book was right on with explaining how to tackle the different types of questions they throw at you.
I didn't have much time to prepare for the test, so I focused mainly on my weak areas (in math!) - and ended up getting a 600 , enough to get into my intended program.

I think this is a very good review product for the GMAT exam, especially for the ones who work full-time and try to prepare for the exam. The information is very helpful and the explanation is detailed. I am glad that I chose this book to help me to prepare for the GMAT exam.

I have been studying for GMAT for a few weeks now and I think the OG is a great source for a good practice on real GMAT questions. But having said that, use the OG only once you grasp all the basics and when you are almost ready to take the GMAT. The OG does not contain any math conceptual content, so use it only for practice towards the end.

In order to get a real GMAT prep - I would recommend you buy the set of 9 books of "EZ Solutions," or whichever book(s) you think you need most help with. These books are very detailed oriented and cover everything on the GMAT math. First use the review modules to get the concepts and then use the workbooks for practice. Some of the most challenging topics in GMAT math, such as permutation/combination, probability, geometry problems, complex word problems, etc., are brilliantly explained in these books. Also, the EZ Advanced Workbook is a "must have" if you are aiming for a high score. It may be a good idea to buy Barron's without the CD (don't waste money on the CD version for any book). After doing all this, use the OG and you will see a dramatic difference in your scores. If you still need more practice, you may consider buying the Kaplan book (but really not needed). Save your money by not buying anything else. You don't even have to take any of those pricy courses. I followed this process and my scores have jumped from the 500-range to the 700-range. Good luck!

Complaint #1: The book and the CD (and probably Kaplan itself) are mainly concerned with helping you get through the exam efficiently. This is a noble cause, of course, and the reason you've bought the material. But when they could be giving you a complete understanding of how each question should be answered, they too often opt simply to show you the shortcut instead. Shortcuts are fine, but if you want a full, thorough understanding of how to solve these problems, you'll need to look elsewhere. Surely the folks at GMAC read Kaplan books, too. I won't be surprised if on test day I find that they've engineered questions to trip up those of us who have only studied Kaplan's "exclusive" tricks for gaming the exam.

Complaint #2: There are tons of typos and mistakes both in this book and on the CD. It amazes me that a book / CD that is put out year after year could be so full of mistakes. The most annoying thing of all is that on the CD -- which is supposed to act like the CAT itself -- the scroll bars flash rapidly. This is highly, highly distracting when you're trying to simulate a test atmosphere, and on the real CAT the scroll bars do not flash. The only way to stop the flashing is to click somewhere on the screen. But each time you scroll, it starts flashing again.

Of course, neither of these complaints are to suggest that you shouldn't buy the book and CD -- you don't have many options anyway -- but it certainly does lower one's confidence level in Kaplan. I'm definitely going to look for alternatives before signing up for one of their expensive prep classes.

Buy this book instead of the official guide! The guide provides educational material and some practice, but very little information to guide you on how to approach the test to maximize your score.

The online material works on either a Mac or PC, but the CD ROM exercises are PC only. One downside to the CD ROM exercises - when reviewing the explanations, they frequently refer back to an earlier question, which makes it inconvenient to compare and it feels like they expect you to remember what the previous question asked. I also noticed that once a practice is selected, a box comes up on the screen asking you to click on it to start timing the practice. I left to grab a bite and when I came back to click on the box, it said that time had expired. It required going and resetting the practice so that I could take it.

The test taking strategies make a lot of sense (the kind that make you go "why didn't I think of that?") and I feel should definitely help me raise my score. The book talks about where to spend more time and how to logically approach answering a question. There is no substitute for doing the practice tests.

If you've been out of school for more than a couple of years, allow more than three weeks to prepare for the test. I'm out of time and wish I had at least another month to prepare.

Amazing book .Takes u from 0 to 800 in less than a month.
On the whole i am pretty satisfied with it.

THE BOOK REALLY IS VERY HELPFUL AND IS ACCORDING TO WHAT IT WAS DESCRIBED. THE DELIVERY WAS SPOTLESS AND I RECOMMEND THIS BOOK.

Save yourself some cash, meaning this is almost the same book as its previous edition! Great resource though whether it is 2008 or older. Ok so I loved this book, I worked through the top 5 resources out there and I found this book very very helpful! I liked that it had a mountain of exercises to work through and that it had a decent "overview" section. My only down is the Quantitative section. I felt the solution explanations were horrible. Just use this section for practice but do not count on learning how to effectively solve math problems based on their solutions. Especially in the DS section. I swear one answer said something along the line of "well that is just the answer, ok!" I did think the explanations for CR were great though! Good resource, I would include in your prep portfolio along w/ OG 11th edition, its supplements, Crackin the Gmat, and EZ Solutions(Due to cost only the specific modules you feel you need deep detail on). Lastly If you need SC help the GMAT SC bible is a great tool!

This GMAT review reads well and uses straightforward explanations that are logical, clear, and easy to grasp and remember. This is an ideal review tool for those who may have done well in high school math, but have since forgotten basic formulas (I'm in my 30's). Succinct explanations also make this a user-friendly tool that I am finding more approachable than other well-known review books.

Product arrived in exact condition advertised, shipping turned out to be a few days faster than I was expecting! Great vendor!

After going through all the GMAT books, here is my honest opinion about some of the most popular GMAT books:

Official Guide:
Pros - Excellent source of GMAT questions. Very well organized with real test like questions.
Cons - No review of any math content or test-taking strategies. Not enough explanations of practice questions.
Overall, the Official Guide is a must have for all test-takers. It will give you a good idea about the type of questions to expect on the GMAT; however, if you need more than just a bank of questions, you need to look at some other source.

Kaplan:
Pros - Good for additional practice questions as a supplement
Cons - Review of math content is not thorough but just the very basics. Not enough explanation of test taking strategies. Full of guessing techniques with no real mathematical solutions. Not good enough explanations of practice questions. Unrealistic questions.

Princeton:
Pros - Good for additional practice questions as a supplement
Cons - Review of math content is not thorough but just the very basics. Not enough explanation of test taking strategies. Full of guessing techniques with no real mathematical solutions. Not good enough explanations of practice questions. Weird sense of humor.

Barrons:
Pros - Good math review. Big list of questions. Good test taking strategies. Very well organized. This is by far the best of the all-in-one kinds of books.
Cons - Although the book has a good math review, it doesn't go deep enough into each concept. Not enough explanations to practice questions. Does not have a good section for logical reasoning (permutation, combination, probability, etc) questions, which is one of the most important question-type. Does not break down the concepts/questions step by step.

EZ Solutions:
Pros - Thorough math review from A to Z. Effective test taking strategies. Abundant solved examples. Numerous practice exercises. Great practice question bank in basic and advanced workbooks.
As with most books, you are expected to already have a good knowledge about the various match concepts, but with these books, you can literally start from scratch and reach the most advanced level of the GMAT.
Cons - To get the best result from these books, you have to invest in buying several books (set of 9 books), but if you compare the cost and benefits, the benefits outweigh the cost, or you can buy a few not all. Missing the verbal section. This is not a good option if you are looking for a mediocre score or just looking for a very basic brush-up. Recommended for serious test takers only.

Some of the popular books (wont take any names here): Not even sure what is in these books. They have nothing, no content, no concepts, no strategies, no real questions, just a guide to refer you to the OG.
Others - There are some other not so popular GMAT books but I haven't yet had an opportunity to review them, may be some of them are good supplementary aids.

I hope my review will help some of you in making the right decision.

After going through all the GMAT books, here is my honest opinion about some of the most popular GMAT books:

Official Guide:
Pros - Excellent source of GMAT questions. Very well organized with real test like questions.
Cons - No review of any math content or test-taking strategies. Not enough explanations of practice questions.
Overall, the Official Guide is a must have for all test-takers. It will give you a good idea about the type of questions to expect on the GMAT; however, if you need more than just a bank of questions, you need to look at some other source.

Kaplan:
Pros - Good for additional practice questions as a supplement
Cons - Review of math content is not thorough but just the very basics. Not enough explanation of test taking strategies. Full of guessing techniques with no real mathematical solutions. Not good enough explanations of practice questions. Unrealistic questions.

Princeton:
Pros - Good for additional practice questions as a supplement
Cons - Review of math content is not thorough but just the very basics. Not enough explanation of test taking strategies. Full of guessing techniques with no real mathematical solutions. Not good enough explanations of practice questions. Weird sense of humor.

Barrons:
Pros - Good math review. Big list of questions. Good test taking strategies. Very well organized. This is by far the best of the all-in-one kinds of books.
Cons - Although the book has a good math review, it doesn't go deep enough into each concept. Not enough explanations to practice questions. Does not have a good section for logical reasoning (permutation, combination, probability, etc) questions, which is one of the most important question-type. Does not break down the concepts/questions step by step.

Manhattan - Not even sure what is in these books. It has nothing, no content, no concepts, no strategies, no real questions, just a guide to refer you to the OG.

EZ Solutions:
Pros - Thorough math review from A to Z. Effective test taking strategies. Abundant solved examples. Numerous practice exercises. Great practice question bank in basic and advanced workbooks.
As with most books, you are expected to already have a good knowledge about the various match concepts, but with these books, you can literally start from scratch and reach the most advanced level of the GMAT.
Cons - To get the best result from these books, you have to invest in buying several books, but if you compare the cost and benefits, the benefits outweigh the cost, or you can buy a few not all. Missing the verbal section. This is not a good option if you are looking for a mediocre score or just looking for a very basic brush-up. Recommended for serious test takers only.

Others - There are some other GMAT books but I haven't yet had an opportunity to review them, may be some of them are good supplementary aids.

I hope my review will help some of you in making the right decision.

I decided to take the GMAT on pretty short notice and ordered this book when I registered for the test. I spent about a month with this book and went through the practices from start to finish. It provides some good tips and tricks for various sections, but to make it even better it could provide a summary of the tips and tricks. I was really satisfied with the book because I got a 740 and a 6 on the writing. For $30, I couldn't have asked for more.

I found the verbal section of this book (and the accompanying CD) to be a bit harder than the GMAT. I found the math section to be a bit easier. However, it gave a really good, comprehensive review. One thing the CD really helps with is test timing. I was able to finish the verbal section on the real GMAT with 10 minutes to spare thanks to this book. Your scores on the CD tests will likely be disappointing, but the actual score you receive on the GMAT from this review should be higher than the review CD scores.

I am only on the second chapter but I like the layout. It is easy to read and study.

I have not finished going through the book - but so far so good! The explanations of the different pieces of the test are very useful, and the sample tests and example projects are wonderful. You are really able to identify your stregnths and weaknesses to better prepare for the GMAT.

This book provides a good start for reviewing for the GMAT. There are A LOT of problems between the book, the CD, and the website. Practice makes perfect when studying for the GMAT. My only complaint is with the math section. Kaplan spends more time teaching you strategies for picking the right answer in the math section, rather than just showing you how to do the math. That said, the Math Reference section at the back of the book is VERY good. It provides several of the formulas needed for the quantitative portion of the GMAT.

To start your GMAT preparation, you should and must have this book. You might get horrible scores in its practice exams like 600, 560 or even 540 which should and must not discourage you. They do not mean anything but get you into actual exam mode that is good for your psyche.

Other books you must have is the OG and any supplementary OG in the area that you are weak.

The reading comprehension strategy described is excellent and CR strategy must be supplemented with GMAT 800 from Kaplan. The sentence correction is best in GMAT 800, but I suggest you do not touch GMAT 800 from Kaplan before completing this book and 2 practice tests.

I returned this book because it was exactly like the past edition, same exercises, just another cover.
It should be clear when you buy a "new" edition.

I bought this book, studied for two weeks, did nearly every single question in the book, and took its diagnostic test at the end and got a 640. Given the grading system Kaplan used for their diagnostic test, I was appalled to find that I could only miss 8 questions total on the exam in order to score above a 700 on their fake GMAT. I went into the actual GMAT the next day dismayed and expecting to score in the mid 600s.

Then two totally unpredictable things happened:

One, I realized the questions I was getting on the actual GMAT test were a heck of a lot harder than the ones I studied for.

Two, I ended up scoring a 720.

So in retrospect, there are two important things you should know about this book.

1. if you're planning or expecting to score 700+, expect the questions in this book to look nothing like the actual questions on the GMAT. Because of the adaptive quality of the CAT, your GMAT questions will be a lot harder as you continue to answer correctly, and you should prepare accordingly (perhaps with a book like Kaplan's GMAT 800).

2. Don't be discouraged by the scores you get on the diagnostic tests in this book. I later researched and found out that Kaplan is notorious for grading strictly on their diagnostic tests and you should expect your actual GMAT score to far exceed the diagnostic score.

All in all, I found their strategies for Data Sufficiency, Critical Reasoning, and Sentence Correction to be invaluable (though not ENTIRELY comprehensive). However, being more efficient in the quantitative side than most, I found their numbers picking strategy for problem solving to be a complete waste of time. My own methods of just brute force solving the problem proved to be faster than picking numbers and plugging them back in.

Good book to improve upon if you are scoring in the 600's. Bad book if you are already in the 700's looking to score higher.

I bought this book, studied for two weeks, did nearly every single question in the book, and took its diagnostic test at the end and got a 640. Given the grading system Kaplan used for their diagnostic test, I was appalled to find that I could only miss 8 questions total on the exam in order to score above a 700 on their fake GMAT. I went into the actual GMAT the next day dismayed and expecting to score in the mid 600s.

Then two totally unpredictable things happened:

One, I realized the questions I was getting on the actual GMAT test were a heck of a lot harder than the ones I studied for.

Two, I ended up scoring a 720.

So in retrospect, there are two important things you should know about this book.

1. if you're planning or expecting to score 700+, expect the questions in this book to look nothing like the actual questions on the GMAT. Because of the adaptive quality of the CAT, your GMAT questions will be a lot harder as you continue to answer correctly, and you should prepare accordingly (perhaps with a book like Kaplan's GMAT 800).

2. Don't be discouraged by the scores you get on the diagnostic tests in this book. I later researched and found out that Kaplan is notorious for grading strictly on their diagnostic tests and you should expect your actual GMAT score to far exceed the diagnostic score.

All in all, I found their strategies for Data Sufficiency, Critical Reasoning, and Sentence Correction to be invaluable (though not ENTIRELY comprehensive). However, being more efficient in the quantitative side than most, I found their numbers picking strategy for problem solving to be a complete waste of time. My own methods of just brute force solving the problem proved to be faster than picking numbers and plugging them back in.

Good book to improve upon if you are scoring in the 600's. Bad book if you are already in the 700's looking to score higher.

Now that the GMAT has issued a revised 11th edition of the Official Guide for GMAT Review, plus new supplementary official guides for both the verbal and quantitative sections of the test, the case for spending additional hard-earned money and scarce study time on the Kaplan review prep book is not as strong as it used to be. On the other hand, a case can be made. While the questions in the official GMAT books have the advantage of being actual test questions rather than Kaplan attempts to emulate the well vetted questions written by ETS (and recently Pearson Vue), most of the official guides' questions have already appeared in the 10th edition of the official GMAT guide, which means that if you have the previous edition, you won't get much additional questions by buying the newer official GMAT books. Although the new GMAT books offer what the publisher calls "improved" explanations, many of the explanations for the reading passages and analytic reasoning sections are still useless and circular -- like answer D is correct because answer D is, uhm, correct. (I find the math explanations to be adequate, however.) In addition, because the computer administered test is adaptive, offering harder questions as you continue to get right answers, the Official Guide GMAT book questions won't be representative of the actual mix you will get when you actually take the test, particularly if you are likely to be a high scorer, in which case the hardest 20% in the GMAT book will be more likely to represent the actual questions you will be answering.

Kaplan, on the other hand, makes more of an attempt to offer insightful explanations to test questions, even if their answers are at times deficient. Kaplan also offers advice on test strategy with regard to timing, using process of elimination, and ways of coping with particularly difficult questions or reading passages, which GMAT seems to be reluctant to do. In other words, the Kaplan approach is more like true coaching, as opposed to offering just a bunch of practice test questions. In summary, I would say that this is a useful addition to the preparation arsenal, although the main focus should still be on the official GMAT preparation materials.