I think that the Official Guide is a faily good book to start studying for the exam, specially for the verbal section which is better in general than other books like Kaplan for example.

The book did not come for over a month and when it did arrive it was ripped and torn

The Official Guide for GMAT Review, 12th Edition

I like the book and have received it by the time, and in excellent conditions

I've gone through about 200 questions so far. The answer explanations are excellent for math and good for verbal. Sentence correction explanations could use more detail and I found an error, but sentence correction may be the hardest part to thoroughly explain in a book. I haven't attempted the GMAT exam yet, so I can't comment on how well it prepared me.

I recently took my GMAT (first and only one) and had a score which exceeded my expectation. I purchased this book and the Kaplan guide. Between these two, we have a pretty good coverage. I used Kaplan for test strategy and this OG for actual problems. One thing I found useful was I would take 10-20 problems at a time and timed myself to see if I can average under 90 secs per problem. It's been 20 years since I finished high school (ha it's been that long!) so I rented a math review book from local library and it was a good refresh but Kaplan book also has a decent review section. Having said that it would help if you had a strong education background in math.
Regarding the sample computer tests (two of them) that you get from [...], as the other reviewer said, please do not waste them. My two scores were 20 points apart and my actual score was right in the middle!
Finally on AWA, if you care, there are some templates out there on some web sites and this is a good starting point, you don't have to copy it exactly but it will give you a good idea on how to structure your essays.
Now that I am done, I have to figure out how to get rid of these books :-)

Good book, with many questions, very useful for GMAT exam preparation. Most important book to be ready for GMAT. Questions from different levels and variety, organized in good order. very recommended.

I only used this book and the verbal review in the 2 weeks prior to taking my exam. They definitely prepared me for the REAL exam as they provided more accurate questions. I suggest buying this book, the verbal or the math part (depending on which you are weaker in) and a Princeton, Kaplan, Barrons (Pick one) book for overall review. Take the online practice tests to get a feel for the software and you should be GOOD TO GO!

I self studied and scored a 770 on the GMAT. Here are my thoughts on Official Guide 12:

===== OVERVIEW =====

The most important piece of information that you need to know about the Official Guide (often called the OG on forums) is that it contains real, retired GMAT questions. As such, material released by the GMAC (the creator of the test) is utterly priceless, since replicating the exact structure and "feel" of real GMAT questions is something that test prep companies have yet to accomplish.

The book is not exactly "travel size", but this should be regarded as a plus, since it stems from the fact that the book features 907 questions and quite generous answer explanations (particularly in verbal). The problems are structured as follows:

* 48 Quantitative and 52 Verbal in the Diagnostics Test
* 230 Problem Solving
* 174 Data Sufficiency
* 139 Reading Comprehension
* 124 Critical Reasoning
* 140 Sentence Correction

===== PROS =====

* A great, all-in-one resource for official questions, excellent for training your eye to spot commonly-tested patterns. This is the reason why I believe that it's worth investing some energy even in lower difficulty questions (unless pressed for time)

* Detailed explanations in verbal: this is something that I have not seen mentioned often, but I believe is of crucial importance. In all three sections, explanations follow a similar style: an overview of the question and a solid analysis of ALL the answers, not just the correct one. Understanding why your answer is wrong is sometimes even more important than getting it right

* Questions are arranged in order of difficulty, so if you have little time at hand and feel sufficiently confident about your knowledge, you can just focus on the last questions of each section

* Good value for your money: at just over 20 dollars on Amazon.com, getting over 900 retired questions is a bargain

===== CONS =====

* The OG is not a strategy guide, it's a "workout list". Each section contains a review of the subject, but this is not nearly enough to get you through the test, especially if your math skills are a bit rusty. You will need to rely on other resources for this!

* While verbal explanations are generally high quality, quantitative explanations are not as great. Some test takers (particularly advanced ones) will often find themselves opting for a quicker or easier way to solve the given problems. I will however note that more often than not, the OG explanations do not feature number picking. While this is sometimes a faster way to solve a problem, its use is confusing for some GMAT hopefuls

* This book is intended to be a guide for the general test taker, so be prepared to see mostly easy and medium difficulty problems. If aiming for a top score, you'll need to supplement your prep with harder material (such as LSAT sets for critical reasoning). As mentioned before though, do not neglect the easy stuff, since it gets you in the right mindset for the official style of questions. Besides, it's usually the very easy questions that throw off advanced students!

===== BOTTOM LINE =====

Official Guide for Review, 12th Edition is a must have, no matter your level. Even though you will have to spend some extra money on a good strategy book, getting the OG is crucial for your prep. As you go through various GMAT-related material, you will begin to notice the difference between an official question (clear-cut answers, great structure) and an unofficial question (structure is sometimes lacking, answers not as well defined). Because the "feel" of official questions is markedly different from that of test prep developed questions, I recommend saving/carefully reviewing some problems for the very last days before your test.

IMPORTANT NOTE: The 12th edition was released in the sprig of 2009 and contains roughly 300 new questions as compared to the previous, orange-color 11th edition of the OG. As such, if you already have the older version, it is not necessary to spend the extra money on the newer one. If you do have a choice between the two, go for the most recent edition; if not, the 11th is just as good.

Good luck on your GMAT prep!

About me: Dana Jinaru, 770 GMAT scorer, expert at Beat The GMAT - a community serving 100K+ GMAT students/month

The product was shipped in a timely fasion and also was packaged to protect the book. Great service.

This book, as it promises, is loaded with GMAT questions. I like the answers, they are well organized and very detailed. I only wish that the book included couple of real GMAT tests.

Exceeded my expectations. Great Questions and Answers throughout help me review what has been put in storage. Well worth the money folks!

This book is good for practicing on actual GMAT questions, which I have found to be more difficult than those in either the Princeton or Kaplan books. However, the Princeton and Kaplan books have provided more helpful strategy.

This book gets 4 stars if only because it is the only way to get access to actual GMAT questions. Therefore, for anyone taking the GMAT this book is a must.

The GMAT OG is a "must have" for everyone who intend to take the GMAT, but only if you use it the right way.

The best approach for using this book:
-First:
--Go through this book at the very beginning when you first start preparing for the GMAT.
--This will give you a good understanding of what you should expect to see when you take the actual test.
Next:
--If you feel you are 100% comfortable with all the concepts involved - go ahead and crack every question in this book and you'll be good to go.
--If you feel you lack some if not all of the concepts involved - keep this book aside, go through some of the other study guides, and then at the end come back to this book and answer every question.
-Next:
--Buy the recommended books listed below.
--Go to [...] and take the practice GMAT.
-Finally:
--If you feel, you still need more practice, consider browsing the internet to find any free questions you can lay your hands on.
--Once again take the free practice test on [...] before your real test.

Positives:
-Indisputably, one of the best GMAT books - if you want to know what types of questions can potentially pop up on the GMAT.
-Excellent source for practicing real test questions for all difficulty levels.

Negatives:
-No conceptual knowledge of any concept whatsoever.
-Answer explanations are fine, but not that methodical.

GMAT Books: If you are serious about getting a high score, I'd recommend doing the following:
-Buy the latest edition of OG.
-Buy Barron's book as this is one of the best all-in-one review book (except the CD).
-For Verbal Practice - Verbal OG.
-For Verbal Review - consider Kaplan/PR/Barron's.
-For Math Practice - consider Kaplan/PR Math Workbook or EZ GMAT Basic and Advanced Workbooks plus the Quant OG.
-For Math Review - consider Kaplan/PR/Barron's if you need a basic refresher or EZ GMAT review books if you want in-depth coverage.
Of course, amazon is a great place to get all these books at one place and at the best price.

I am certain that if you follow the above steps, you'll be well prepared for the GMAT without the need to take any prep course or expensive private tutoring. I did a lot of struggle while preparing for the GMAT and that's why I know how painful it can be if one doesn't have the right guidance. I took my GMAT and got a satisfactory score. I really hope that I was able to help at least some of you who are still trying to figure out the best approach to prepare for the GMAT.

Thanks for reading and good luck.

Product is very helpful for studying for the GMAT. It has a pre-test and walks you through a review and provides a large number of review questions.

Slightly higher Math std than the 11th edition.

SC/CR are representative of the GMAT today. RC in the book is a joke.

Overall, Pearson needs to do a better job, didn't they hear that most schools are going to be accepting the GRE?

Has lot of problem similar to the GMAT exam.If you go through this book you will do well on your exams. Very helpful.

A must for everyone studing the GMAT. It has lots of real past questions with their explanations. The "cons" are a) the "theory part" is very poor and they just repeat what you should really now and don't provide with useful formulas for the "difficult questions" b) the answers are explained too short and only one way in most of the cases, while there are many other ways, some of them simpler and more understandable.

I received this book in Great Condition for being listed as a Used copy. It took close to a week to receive it which is pretty good for standard shipping.

This book has some new questions that definitly help improve ur practice. Go for it because even a single official question can improve your understanding of the subject matter and is always worth more than the price of the book.

Numan

Perfect status of the item I booked.
Delivering times really surprised me, as always. (ABOUT 15working days).

I love amazon

I don't know if this is a right place to post this, but it's driving me crazy...

I think there's an error in this book, but I can't be sure.
On pg.26, problem #39, I think the answer is B. However, the answer states that it's E. Even the explanation says so, but I don't agree. Does anyone have comment about this problem?

As far as the book review goes, I'm pretty satisfied with the book. Tons of problems and detailed explanation. I would give this book five stars, but this one issue is bugging me. I would appreciate your inputs. Thanks.

Excellent!!!! Amazon is at its best as usual.......Book is a brand new one...arrived before estimated delivery date...Customer service is simply awesome...Thanks

My GMAT review instructor recommended this book, as it is... well... the Official Guide published by the test makers. It was a great companion for the class, as it has a TON of practice and the questions get significantly harder as you work your way through each section. I agree with the other reviewers, there is no test strategy here, but once you know the strategy (from a class or from a book like Princeton Review, which I also have), this is a great practice resource. My one qualm is that the book is quite heavy (significantly heavier than Princeton Review)... carrying it to class was annoying, but definitely worth it.

If you are looking for hundreds of practice problems from real (retired) GMATS, this is the book for you. If you are looking for test taking strategies, look elsewhere.

This is a great study resource. Lots of great tips and information on how to prepare for the exam, as well as tons of practice questions ordered by difficulty. I would definitely recommend this book to anybody preparing for the GMAT.

This has been helpful as I prepare for the GMAT test required for my MBA. There are a lot of specific examples and detailed answers for the questions. I have not completed my studies, but I have found the book to be a nice refresher course for all the things I have forgotten since my last math class!

if you already have 11th edition material don't go for 12th as its the same . strangely no extra interactive test "beside the 2 free exams" are available although a big part of getting a high score is related to timing and understanding the pointing system

The OG GMAT book is generally regarded as the must-have study guide for GMAT studiers. While the explanations aren't the easiest to follow, the book offers over 800 actual test questions - and THAT is unbeatable. Work through the problems and read all the answers. I'm over 1/3 complete with the book, and it's provided great perspective about what to expect on test day. Good luck!

Very nice book for preparing GMAT. Really helpful.
Thanx to GMAT team for coming up with this.

Crammed for the GMAT in 4 weeks and got a decent score - 720. Disclaimer: these are my opinions and impressions of the study guides and CATs that I took. Other people may have different experiences.

Reviews on the study guides I used:
- Official Guide (OG):
5 stars. My advice is to go with the original. Other study guides strive to have a similar look/feel to the GMAT. The questions in the OG don't just have a similar look/feel, they have EXACTLY the same look/feel as the GMAT because they are written by the same people who administer the GMAT.
- Kaplan (Premier Program):
4 stars. Excellent math and verbal review, a lot of supporting online material. I bought this after finding out that the Barron's math review didn't cover some of the types of math problems that I encountered. I read that there were a lot of mistakes in the math section but I didn't see any issues that you couldn't easily decipher. I understand and agree that proof readers should catch these errors before publishing but for review and practice, it serves its purpose. Bonus for the amount of online support material that comes with the purchase of the book.
- Barron's:
2.5 stars. Decent overall study guide. I used it for the math review which covered about 95% of the math material I encountered in the GMAT. I didn't even glance at the verbal review sections based on other reviews I read prior to studying. The AWA tips are irrelevant, at best.

Reviews on the practice CATs that I took:
- Official GMAT practice CATs:
5 stars. These are what you should gauge your pace and performance on. There are no other tests that have the pace and feel of the original. The only problem is that you only have access to the two tests from MBA.com. The good thing is that you can take each one more than once and get mostly different questions the second time around.
- Kaplan's:
4 stars. This is the only test that came close in feel to the official practice CATs from MBA.com. However, the math section is still much faster than the real GMAT, for me at least. I finished the math section with over 10min to spare but was short on time on all practice and real GMAT CATs. My score was about 80pts lower than the average I was getting on the official CATs; I've read that Kaplan CATs typically score 100pts low. Unlike the official GMAT CATs, the Kaplan CATs give you the exact same questions the second time around. Not a big deal though because you have access to 5 CATs (4 on the CD-ROM and 1 online).
- Barron's:
2.5 stars. This CAT was awful. I made the mistake of taking this CAT first to determine my study plan. The math section is significantly easier than the real GMAT so don't trust your pace or score if you crush this.
- Princeton Review:
2 stars. Another awful CAT. The math section was also far too easy compared to the real GMAT. Math questions have a completely different feel to them. I spent 5 minutes on an accounting question that asked for the % of a fraction of a % of a portion of a % of a fraction; you will never get a question like this in the real GMAT, as far as my experience goes, at least. Same goes for verbal; some questions seemed to test my limerick skills rather than typical verbal questions.

I just took the GMAT and found that the math questions in this review book were NOTHING like the level of difficulty on the actual exam. I studied using two different Kaplan books and took a review course. I bought this book for extra practice and did every math problem listed. I swear, the actual exam was nothing like the book problems. [...]. If you are looking to save money, I would def. skip this book!

Good Luck! The exam sucks!

This is the new released version of the GMAT preparation book. Just essencial if you want to prepare the test.

I was supposed to get it just a couple days after I purchased it online, but the USPS messed up so the package was lost somewhere. I contacted them, and they immediately sent me another one. The customer service was very responsive and quick. 5 stars!

This book does an excellent job at teaching and testing on the ideas one will find in the GMAT.

This book is a "must have" for everyone who intend to take the GMAT, but only if you use it the right way.

The best approach for using this book:
First:
-Go through this book at the very beginning when you first start preparing for the GMAT.
-This will give you a good understanding of what you should expect to see when you take the actual test.
Next:
-If you feel you are 100% comfortable with all the concepts involved - go ahead and crack every question in this book and you'll be good to go.
-If you feel you lack some if not all of the concepts involved - keep this book aside, go through some of the other study guides (such as the Kaplan, PR, or if you want more in-depth insight, consider EZ Solutions series of books), and then at the end come back to this books and answer every question.
Next:
-Go to mba.com and take the practice GMAT.
Finally:
-If you feel, you still need more practice, consider browsing the internet to find any free questions you can lay your hands on.

I am certain that if you follow the above steps, you'll be well prepared for the GMAT without the need to take any prep course or expensive private tutoring.

Positives:
-Indisputably, one of the best GMAT books - if you want to know what types of questions can potentially pop up on the GMAT.
-Excellent source for practicing real test questions for all difficulty levels.

Negatives:
-No conceptual knowledge of any concept whatsoever.
-No test taking strategies or suggestions.
-Answer explanations are fine, but not that methodical.
-Some typos here n there.

If you need supplemental help, you may want to refer to your old school textbooks, that is, if you still have them!

I bought the GMAT Official Guide along with some of the EZ Solutions GMAT books and so far they have proved to be a perfect combination.

Following is the method I adopted and it has been working very well for me:
First, I try to understand the concept from the EZ books; then, I solve the related problems from their workbooks; and then at last, I solve the same types of problems from the OG. The only problem I faced is that even though the problems are nicely segregated in the EZ books for each topic, I have to cherry pick the related problem from the OG because they are all mixed up.

By applying the above method I feel I am mastering each topic from the EZ books and then solving the related problems in the OG to make sure I fully understand the concepts. For certain trivial topics, such as, permutation/combination and probability, I have to refer back to the EZ books, but I'm sure that with practice I will get better with them.

I really hope that I was able to help at least some of you who are still trying to figure out the best approach to prepare for the GMAT.

I started GMAT Club - online MBA community; my GMAT score is 750 (49, 42), and here are my thoughts about this book:

Strengths:
1. 907 real GMAT questions retired from past tests
2. Practice questions are organized by level of difficulty
3. Practice questions follow actual GMAT test patterns (it's great to have one's ear trained, esp. in verbal)
4. Contains a 100-question diagnostic test

Weaknesses:
1. Does not include any test-taking strategies
2. Though it has a few short review sections for each area, they are weak and very unfriendly
3. Questions are predominantly low to medium in difficulty which is often not representative of questions one encounters on the test
4. There is a 66% overlap with the previous version (11th edition)

Contents (number of questions per section):
1. Diagnostic Test - 100 questions
2. Problem Solving - 230 questions
3. Data Sufficiency - 174 questions
4. Reading Comprehension - 139 questions
5. Critical Reasoning - 124 questions
6. Sentence Correction - 140 questions

* Why is this book valuable/must-have?
The Official Guide is published by the creators of the GMAT and therefore it is the only source of actual GMAT questions representative of what you will see on the test.

* Why is the book not sufficient by itself?
This Guide contains only questions and lacks insightful information about the test, a math/verbal concept review section, or any test-taking strategies. To get up to speed, you will need to get a study guide such as Kaplan Premier Program or Princeton Review's Cracking the GMAT Cat.

* How should this book be used?
This book should NOT be used as a study-guide. It is a collection of questions - think of it as a way to practice your test-taking strategies but not a way to learn them.

* What if I own a previous edition of this book?
If you have the 11th edition, the only difference between the two is 300 new questions, or about 30%. Most test-takers agree that 300 new questions is not a compelling enough reason to own both editions, as the 11th edition offers enough practice. If you do need additional practice questions, get the Math or Verbal workbooks instead as they each have 300 questions.

* What is a recommended study plan using The Official Guide?
There are a number of approaches that work - here is one that most find reasonable:

Step 1: Buy a GMAT Guide from Kaplan or Princeton Review. Get familiar with the test and brush up on fundamentals (math and grammar); also these books will give you a good base for test-taking and timing strategies.

Step 2: Take a GMAT Prep (2 free tests downloadable from MBA.com) - but don't waste these; these are free but very valuable tests. Take 1 after you go through the Guidebooks and save the second one for later. These tests will be representative of your GMAT score (plus/minus 40 points).

Step 3: (Optional - if you want a 650+ score) Get a specialized Math and/or Verbal workbook from Kaplan, Manhattan GMAT or EZ and do a deep dive into the fundamentals - this is what will help you crack the test - solid knowledge of Math and Grammar.

Step 4: By now you should have a good understanding of question patterns, strategies, and timing. Start working on the Official Guide and honing your skills - this is especially important for Critical Reasoning questions that have certain unspoken patterns and rules that only the Official Guide offers - work through the questions to train your ear. Keep in mind that these questions are on the easier side if you are aiming for 650+.

I have tried a different book prior to this one and I have to admit that this guide is superior to the one I used before. It has extensive number of sample tests, explanations and reviews. It's down to the point, without all the extra fluff and wasted paper. I find it very helpful to have very clear explanations to each question and I seem to catch on, learn and figure out the logic of the test creators. I would definitely recommend starting with this book as you prepare for your test.

Official Guide for GMAT Review

A must book which should be solved before taking GMAT. Recent year's questions are placed in the book. Every GMAT taker should solve it. Perfect book to increase your GMAT score.

[...]

The Classic Edition Scam!

I have thoroughly researched many test-prep books that were published over the last ten years and I thought it would be interesting to tell everyone what I found out. As per my study, the majority of books (including the OG, Barron's, etc) come up with a new edition almost every year.

Surprisingly, the test prep industry is pretty much following the footprints of the auto industry, where they come up with a new edition/model every year. In fact some of the test prep books have already released the 2010 edition, and I won't be surprised to see 2011 somewhere.

Let me be very clear, all this is nothing more than the old classic marketing gimmick. About 95% or more of these books has the same text as they had ten years ago. Don't believe me - fine - go to a library and try to locate any 2000 and 2009 edition - you will see that both have exactly the same text, same concepts, same questions, same explanations - all in the same words. They have even been carrying forward most of their typos/errors in their books year after year. Yes, however, they do try to change the color or font style of their covers every year - that's the most creative they can get.

Hence, my advice to you is not to fall for this trap, if you have an older edition, there is absolutely no need to buy the new one. Of course, if you are out to buy a test prep book for the first time, it may make sense to buy the latest edition, but be aware that even the older edition would give you the same stuff.

I sincerely hope that these test prep companies write a small disclosure, which says: This is the same book we have been publishing for the last tens of years with 95% or more of the text exactly same, but we do like to experiment with new colors every year. I think this would be very helpful to people like us.

If you are serious about getting a high score, I'd recommend doing the following:
-Buy the latest edition of OG.
-Buy Barron's book as this is a good all-in-one review book (except the CD).
-Do the free practice test on mba.com (highly recommended).
-Solve any free practice problems you can find on the internet.
-Lastly - If you are aiming for a high score and if you are weak in your content areas and need more practice with a variety of questions of different difficulty level - buy the EZ Solutions series. This by far the most thorough review/practice material I've laid my hands on - just wish they had the verbal books too!

Thanks for reading this post and good luck in your test!

This is the review for the The GMAT Review 12th Edition (2009) (A lot of reviews are for older versions of this book). I have the 11th Edition (Orange Cover), and bought this new edition hoping for brand new practice questions, but most of the questions are the same. The diagnostic test is even the same.

This is a great book to prepare for the GMAT, but if you already own the 11th Edition (orange cover), then don't bother. There's really nothing in here that isn't in that version

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 (set of 9 books):
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 other books has no real content; whereas, there are some other books that I haven't yet had an opportunity to review, but may be some of them are good supplementary aids.

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

Book was an old addition - 2000. No indication that I was being shipped an old addition.