49 of 50 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Decent GMAT Math practice, but not enough difficult questions, November 4, 2009
This review is from: The Official Guide for GMAT Quantitative Review, 2nd Edition (Paperback)
I self studied and scored a 770 on the GMAT. Here are my thoughts on the Official Guide Quant book:
===== OVERVIEW =====
The Official Guide for GMAT Quantitative Review is the math supplement for the Official Guide series published by GMAC, the creators of the GMAT. As is the case with
The Official Guide for GMAT Review, 12th Edition and
The Official Guide for GMAT Verbal Review, 2nd Edition, this book contains retired GMAT questions and as such is a great source of practice problems.
However, the concepts section of the quant supplement is not worth your time. It is virtually a copy-paste of the equivalent section in
The Official Guide for GMAT Review, 12th Edition, in itself undoubtedly insufficient for anyone looking to get a high score in quant. Although "the math skills tested [typo in the supplement - the authors wrote "test" instead of "tested"] on the GMAT test are quite basic" as the book suggests in one of its "Myth vs. Fact" information boxes, basic math can and will be tricky on the GMAT. The book contains:
* 176 Problem Solving
* 124 Data Sufficiency
===== PROS =====
* Retired GMAT questions will familiarize the test taker with commonly-tested question patterns on the GMAT. Unofficial questions sometimes lack the structure of actual questions; this is because test prep companies have not succeeded in replicating the GMAT official "style" in their own practice problems
* At a little over $10 on amazon.com, it's great value for your money - particularly useful for GMAT hopefuls having trouble with Data Sufficiency, since 124 extra practice questions of this GMAT-specific type of problem will be valuable
* Questions are ordered in increasing level of difficulty, so if you are interested in a particular level (say advanced), you can just focus on the corresponding part of the book
===== CONS =====
* Does not provide many advanced practice problems, so if you feel you have a solid quant background, it's sufficient to go through the regular Official Guide for GMAT Review book
* Tips/strategies section is below average, so expect to spend some money on a guidebook or two that provides better GMAT concept overview
* Explanations are not as high quality as those found on
The Official Guide for GMAT Verbal Review, 2nd Edition. You might notice that there are easier or faster ways to solve some of the problems presented
===== BOTTOM LINE =====
The Official Guide for GMAT Quantitative Review is a great resource for practicing easy/medium difficulty questions, but not much else. If you're shooting for a high score and/or have little time to prepare, this is not the book for you; you will be better off investing some time in other material or the primary Official Guide for GMAT Review book. However, if you've been out of school for a few years and believe that you need to practice the basic stuff, go for a general strategy guide or a quant specific guide and then use this quant supplement as a practice question resource.
IMPORTANT NOTE: The second edition of the Quantitative Review was released in the summer of 2009, but there are few significant differences between this book and its older version: only 74 new questions, or close to a quarter of total. The only notable difference between the two editions is a greater emphasis on geometry in Problem Solving and word problems in Data Sufficiency. Do not fret if you have the first edition already! It's just as good and costs mush less. A complete list of new problems:
* Problem Solving: 1, 2, 7, 13, 41, 60, 61, 62, 64, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 76, 78, 80, 81, 83, 86, 102, 103, 108, 112, 117, 131, 135, 142, 145, 146, 147, 149, 150, 151, 152, 153, 154, 155, 156, 157, 158, 160, 162, 173
* Data Sufficiency: 1, 6, 7, 9, 11, 13, 14, 16, 21, 22, 24, 33, 43, 48, 51, 66, 70, 73, 79, 82, 85, 96, 102, 104, 107, 111, 116, 117, 122
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
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20 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Review for GMAT OG Quant, September 18, 2009
This review is from: The Official Guide for GMAT Quantitative Review, 2nd Edition (Paperback)
The GMAT OG Quantitative book should be an essential book for anyone preparing for the GMAT.
The Good:
You'll get hands on experience with real GMAT quant questions that have been previously administered on actual tests, but have now been retired. Since the questions in this book were once part of the actual test, you'll know exactly what type of questions to expect when you take your test.
How to Turn the Good to Work:
To make the best use of this book, use it after you undergo a thorough review of all the math concepts. The best source for doing so would be the Kaplan book if you need a quick refresher, or the EZ Solutions GMAT series if you need a thorough review of each and every math concept imaginable.
The Bad:
Although this book has real test questions, the level of difficulty doesn't go too high. If you are specifically aiming for 700+ score, you ought to do a lot more practice question than what you can find in this book. The answer explanations are not that great because of two main reasons. First, the explanations are not clear. Second, sometimes you can find an easier/shorter way to reach the answer. Moreover, don't expect to get any review of any math content in this book.
How to Overcome the Bad:
Like mentioned above, use the EZ Solutions GMAT series for in-depth math review and practicing problems of all level, from basic to advanced. Another great resource would be the Kaplan math workbook to get some additional practice problems.
The Bottom Line:
In spite of the "bad's," the "good's" makes this book a must-have for all GMAT takers. For under $15, you'll get to see real math questions published by the test makers. Before you turn to any other book for practice, this should be your first choice. Of course, like I mentioned earlier, you'll need to seek additional sources for reviewing math concepts and practicing math question.
Final Note:
Whatever your case may be, do not skip this book. I can't stress enough, but if you are preparing for the GMAT, get this book, along with the main Official Guide.
In my opinion, the above is exactly what you will get from this book, not an inch more, not an inch less. I hope my review would help at least a few of you, if not everyone. Thanks for reading. Good luck.
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