Customer Reviews

Crash Course for the GMAT, 2nd Edition (Graduate School Test Preparation)

5 star:		(1)
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3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

After many years in the workforce, I decided to pursue a graduate degree. The most significant hurdle was the GMAT. Writing and language are strengths for me, but for the past 18 years, I've let computers take care of quantitative issues. So, in short order I had to become reacquainted with math concepts long forgotten, and learn how to take a CAT exam and score reasonably well. All of my research led me to one conclusion: it takes more than one study guide to adequately prepare for the GMAT. The course I followed, with an evaluation of each guide, is outlined in the following paragraphs.

For my math review, I selected Peterson's Math Review for GRE, GMAT, and MCAT, 2nd edition. There have been some comments about errors in previous editions, but I found this guide quite helpful, and an excellent refresher on math topics I have not seen in years, but need to know for the GMAT. 4 out of 5.

The GMAT Advantage with Professor Dave was selected because of its readability and the questions. The material is challenging, and the more difficult questions in each category provide a good idea of the difficult questions faced on the GMAT. The verbal chapters are very strong and have excellent examples. The math problems are also very good, but the text assumes that the reader already is familiar with most math topics. This is why I recommend Peterson's MAth Review to compliment this guide. Overall 4 out of 5, with a solid 5 for the verbal sections.

The Official Guide for GMAT is the best resource for practice questions. 1400 questions are in this guide, and the last 1/3 in each section represent some difficult concepts that will be tested. This book gets the reader prepared for the real questions that will be seen on the exam. In addition, the question writers provide excellent explanations for the solutions, and reveal some elegantly simple ways to solve math problems that at first appear to be very labor intensive. 4 out of 5. (Also, be sure to take the 2 free CAT tests available online from GMAC. These prepare the user well for the GMAT experience.)

Finally, I also used the Princeton Review Crash Course for GMAT. I used this as a final review and to gain some additional pointers and time savers. While brief, this book does provide excellent quick reference tips for all question types that will be seen on the test. The idiom list and formulas are worth the price alone. 4 out of 5.

I prepared over an 8 week period, with at least 1 hour of review per day, and more often it was 2 to 4 hours. Regular, consistent preparation, using different references that fit your style of learning will prepare you for this rigorous test. Prepare thoroughly with relentless repetition, and take the test. After 18 years out of school, I scored a 690.

Good luck.

I ordered a handbook to help with the GRE - amazing guidelines and assistance. I knew that there was no way for me to go wrong with Princeton.

After reviewing this book for a few days, I feel that I am receiving a great "crash course" for the GMAT. The book is also small and easy to carry anywhere.

But I agree with a previous reviewer that there are a few obvious mistakes in the Math Sections:

1) As stated by another reviewer, the Permutations formula is wrong (corrects itself in the example.)

2) Again as stated by the same reviewer, 100 fish are mentioned in the solution but not the problem.

3) I also found an example regarding addition of square roots to be incorrect.

I believe most people will really benefit from this book, but again watch out for errors; they should be obvious if you think it out.

The book accomplishes what it sets itself forth to. It is a great panic management tool as it helps you understand the logic behind the test. It is also extremely valuable when it comes to the proposed elimination process.

I used this book to study for about 2 weeks after 9 years out of college and scored 700 points using some of the techniques they suggest. One have to consider that I have a strong statistical basis due to my work experience, so the mistakes the book contains in the math section were no concern to me.

Not wanting to sound cocky, I have to confess my belief that if you do not catch those errors on your own, there is no book on earth that will help you score well in the GMAT within a week. If you need more than an orientation on how to get through the test, you need more time and other books. The simulated test available for free at gmat.com is a good basis to determine what is it that you need.

In two sentences: great book if you have some statistical and analytical background, but little time to study. If you need to develop some disciplines, you need more time, and there is no book that can help you in less than a week.

I purchased this book because I found myself having to take the GMAT with only about two weeks to prepare. Reading the book gives you a false sense of confidence as the questions on the GMAT are much more difficult than the examples. In addition, there were many errors in the book with formulas and answers which makes it difficult to study if you are starting from square one.

It is a good book to get your feet wet if you have not studied GMAT material in a while but follow it up with the Official GMAT guide. The book also had some good ideas (like the process of elimination method).

Worth the cheap price, but don't expect much.

This book is a good crash course with a lot of helpful tips and rules to remember, BUT when it comes to examples or practice test, author makes a lot of mistakes. What's more, author does not explain well why this answers better over others. And most of the time, when she tries to explain, she basically says "it's right - just because it is right!" Does it make sense? No? Well, get used to this kind of explanations because this is author's tactic.