Customer Reviews

Kaplan GMAT 2010-2011 Premier with CD-ROM (Kaplan GMAT Premier Program (w/CD))

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

This is exactly the same book as not only the previous edition, but also few more previous editions for the last few years. The only difference you'll find will be the cover page and some miniscule changes of a few words. 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 still don't understand why they have to come up with a new edition when there are no changes in the book.

Anyhow, this is a nice book as it has everything packed in one book. You'll find all sections covered and also practice tests, which are not exactly like the real ones. It will give you a very good overall idea about each and every part of the GMAT, but it doesn't go below the surface of any topic. So, if you want more detailed knowledge about any specific area, you may have to refer to some other sources. This book also has a few typos in math, which is common in all math test prep books; however, what's shocking is that some of these typos have been carried forward edition after edition. If the editors can't change the content of the book, they should at least get rid of the misleading errors.

If you are serious about getting a high score, I'd recommend doing the following:
-Get the latest edition of OG, including quant/verbal.
-Get the latest version of Kaplan and/or Barron's book as these are one of the best all-in-one review books.
-For Verbal - Kaplan/PR Verbal Workbook, and Manhattan SC/RC if you want more practice with specific questions types.
-For Quant - Kaplan/PR Math Workbook, and EZ Solutions GMAT math series if you want in-depth and thorough exposure to each match topic.
With this, you will have all the tools you'll need to get a score without any additional help.

If you simply want a general refresher in all areas, then the Kaplan book is more than sufficient, but if you want a more thorough review, consider the EZ Solutions GMAT math series as your ultimate standalone series of books.

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

I know a bit about GMAT - I scored 750 on the GMAT and started GMAT Club online community.
Actually prepared using an older edition of this book myself and recommend it to everyone as a good starting point: The book gives a good introduction to the GMAT (how scoring works, what sections cover, etc), comes with 6 adaptive tests (4 on a CD and 2 online), and provides a number of valuable test-taking strategies (general but real and valuable). However, it is hard to score 700+ relying just on this book; you will need to get some other materials, and I will cover more of that below.

THE GOOD:
* Solid material with great Math and Verbal strategies as well as background
* Good (not great) structure and layout
* 6 Full Interactive GMAT Tests
* One Full Paper GMAT Test (in the book)
* (new) Monthly Quizes (every month Kaplan will add a quiz). Right now 15 are already available - it would be impressive if Kaplan can keep adding those. Each Quiz has about 20 questions
* One online session with an instructor conducted in an online-classroom setting
* Much of general info on gmat has been moved into online video format, called Fast Fact Videos
* Great value for the money with 6 Full GMAT tests, practice questions on the CD, and many online Quizzes

THE BAD:
* Same as Kaplan GMAT Premier Program, 2009 and GMAT Premier Live Online 2010 (4 changes have been made on pages 377, 416, 426, 441) - would expect a bit more revision from a new edition (Keep in mind though that this edition was published only half a year after Live Online went for sale)
* Since it is an all-in-one book, does not have the depth and width a 700+ score requires
* 650 Pages and 4 LBS! - not a travel size book

Frequently Asked Questions
* What is a good study plan using Kaplan Premier?
My recommendation would be to start with this book, finish it in about a month or so (by this time you will learn all the basics about the test, how it works, what is tested, and general strategies for answering questions). Then, you an figure out what's the best use of your time - you may have reached your target score and can stop or perhaps you are really lacking in Quant or Verbal and need a lot more serious practice.

* Will this book give me 700+ score?
For the majority of applicants, No. It is not deep enough for most people out of college to refresh the math and verbal fundamentals. You will most likely need other books to help you get there.

* How do I get 700 then?
There are several options:
1. Review each section separately using the Kaplan GMAT Math Workbook and Kaplan GMAT Verbal Workbook
2. Thorough/Methodical review of each area - get the Manhattan GMAT Set of 8 Strategy Guides. If you dont need/want the entire collection, see my review for what stand-alone books to get. This plan is likely to get you a higher score with this section but it will also take up more time (about a month more). Decide on the approach based on your starting position, target score, time you have, and willingness to study math and grammar for months without a break.

* Any other books I need to know about?
YES. There is one - The Official Guide for GMAT Review, 12th Edition. This book is published by the creators of GMAT and contains real GMAT questions. You should also download the free GMAT Prep software.

* What if I have trouble getting through this book? Where can I find help?
There are several books that can help you get up to speed:
1. For Quantitative section: Kaplan GMAT Math Foundations and Foundations of GMAT Math
2. For Verbal Section: Kaplan GMAT Verbal Foundations (grammar only)

If any other questions - please use the comment tool.
Good Luck,
BB, Founder of GMAT Club


P.S. Note, that this book is almost identical to the Kaplan GMAT 2010 Premier Live Online, which in turn is identical to Kaplan GMAT Premier Program, 2009 (Book & CD-ROM). If you are new to GMAT, this is a great guidebook - get it; it's worth it for the materials and tests that come with it, but if you own a previous edition, not much value in upgrading.

Preparing for a graduate Exam needs good coverage of fundamental aspects and step by step guidance of each area of topic. If the book of 1000 pages cant have even 10 pages of worthwhile explanation,what good is it.

Only due to lack of other publications, in the same price range students have no choice but buy KAPLAN( coz its under 50 bucks). The book has good questions overall but it does not really teach you the fundamentals. Its just a add-on practice(mostly you don't need it).

Definitely NOT A BOOK TO START learning for GMAT.

If you have 6 months time, read and understand Manhattan-GMAT or EZ-Solutions books. They have some decent coverage of maths fundamentals and Verbal exercises.(I am not advertising.But these books cover all aspects step by step.And it takes about 5 months to cover all topics.)

Moreover the CD does not work in Windows 7 due to old version of driver used by the software.

Advise is, (Manhattan GMAT OR EZSolutions) + Official GMAT(which has only questions-for practice).Don't expect the same questions as THE Official guide, but the level of complexity is around the same.

All the Best.

The CD will work only on XP, if you use VISTA OS and look forward to use the CD that comes with this book, do not buy.

I wish Kaplan will specify the OS the CD will work, the CD contains only tests, there is no reading material (do not expect PDF or ebook).

The book seems to be good, i have not yet started in full swing yet.

This is a key book for anyone studying the GMAT but as others have said, it doesn't provide everything you need. The presentation, formatting and materials are well designed but don't buy this if you expect it to be the single book you need.

Preparing for the GMAT isn't fun by any stretch of the imagination, but for me this books helps make it a little more enjoyable, particularly the practice tests included on the CD-ROM. I'm what I like to refer to as a big-time nerd (I just completed my MS in Computer Science, if that's any indication) and I enjoy data-driven texts. This text is very by the numbers and tells you exactly what to expect from the GMAT, with step-by-step instructions for each type of question you can expect. Since I have very little business experience, this was a very helpful guide, letting me know exactly what I needed to focus on and what questions I already had a pretty firm grasp on. Anything that I felt I didn't understand, the book offered plenty of guidance in that area.

But the CD-ROM is the most helpful thing included here. Being able to take a few practice tests is the best indicator of what you will need to study more of and what you are okay with. Taking the practice tests let me see where I was struggling and where I should direct my studies. I definitely don't think I would have made as good a score without this study guide. I highly recommend it. I saw that another reviewer said this is basically the same as the last edition of the review guide, but since I never had that edition I can't compare the two. All I can say is that for me this text (and the practice tests) fully prepared me for the GMAT and helped me make a better score than I otherwise would have.

I've just begun running through this kit and appreciate it's layout and the way it teaches you about the test, the patterns of questions and expectations of contant. I was dismayed that a GMAT 2010-2011 doesn't support Windows 7, since it is ubiquitous of almost every computer purchased today. I'll follow up after I take the GMAT, but it's a decent tool, to be used amoung other online reference tools.

Same old Kaplan book. However, I was very unhappy to discover that the CD-ROM is not compatible with Windows 7. Also, Kaplan does not mention this except in the small print on the yellow insert pages at the front of the book. That may be fine if you are buying it in the store, but having bought it from Amazon I was incredibly disappointed. Also, if you truly want to understand the content of the exams buy the official books from GMAC. They actually treat you like you are a smart, competent adult instead of a high schooler who needs tricks to improve his SAT score.

The online tests from the Kaplan book are nice to have, but they need to upgrade their CD-ROM immediately - after all, most people who are serious about business school are typically technologically savvy and have updated their computers in the last 2 years. Also, stop with the false advertising Kaplan. Everyone knows who you are - you don't need to lie about the contents of your book (such as having "4 tests in the book" - there is one test in the book and 5 online.) This happens to be more convenient for me, but is still false advertising. Ethics is currently prominent in business school, so maybe Kaplan should jump on board with that trend if they want to continue to attract prospective b-school students to their products.

I grab this book immediately after I decided to take GMAT test. I have to say that this book helped me highly. This GMAT book is a good collection of the toughest questions that can be found. Moreover, it gives some guidance on how to get through the questions, but the real value is simply going through them all and figuring out the patterns yourself. Furthermore, this book has very detailed reviews for each question that help you to understand the systematic of the test questions.

However, it is pierced with noteworthy errors in content. I'm not talking about grammatical type but errors in the information it provides as background to help you prepare to take the exam. The major dilemma with this is that I only have expertise enough to identify these errors in the biology section how then can I trust the information in chemistry and physics Kaplan needs to sincerely edit this book otherwise it's just a series of practice exams which are helpful at this point. I am back to using old textbooks rather than the content that I paid for in this book.

Aside from that I do recommend Kaplan GMAT 2010-2011 for prep reasonings.

One of the problems you run into when you rehash the same material over and over is Windows will eventually catch up with you. Like others, I was unable to get the CD working on my Win 7 computer even after trying the various compatibility modes. I noticed Kaplan quickly rushed out a 2011 version with CD but I don't know whether it works properly. I recommend you skip this book.