The Official Guide for GMAT Verbal Review, 2nd Edition [Paperback]

Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC) (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0470449756 | ISBN-13: 978-0470449752 | Publication Date: August 17, 2009 | Edition: 2

The only official verbal review for the GMAT from the creators of the test.  Anyone preparing for the Graduate Management Admission Test® (GMAT) knows it's important to study with the experts. With The Official GMAT Verbal Review, 2nd Edition, you'll get questions, answers, and explanations straight from the source. The only official verbal review for the GMAT Exam, this book targets your study and helps you improve your verbal skills by focusing on your ability to read and comprehend written material, to reason and evaluate arguments, and to correct written material to conform to standard English. Inside, you'll find

• 300 actual questions from past GMAT tests, including 75 questions new to this edition
• Sections on Reading Comprehension, Critical Reasoning, Sentence Correction, and Analytical Writing Assessment
• Questions organized in order of difficulty to save study time

The Graduate Management Admission Council certifies all content so you can trust that you're getting expert guidance as you prepare for the GMAT Exam.

The Graduate Management Admission Council® (GMAC) is the association of leading graduate business schools around the world. GMAC's mission is to meet the needs of business schools and students through a wide array of products, services, and programs. It is the owner and administrator of the Graduate Management Admissions Test® (GMAT), the first and only standardized test specifically designed for graduate business and management programs. Available in nearly 100 countries, it is the global standard for entry to the MBA degree course.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Product Description

The only official verbal review for the GMAT from the creators of the test.  Anyone preparing for the Graduate Management Admission Test® (GMAT) knows it's important to study with the experts. With The Official GMAT Verbal Review, 2nd Edition, you'll get questions, answers, and explanations straight from the source. The only official verbal review for the GMAT Exam, this book targets your study and helps you improve your verbal skills by focusing on your ability to read and comprehend written material, to reason and evaluate arguments, and to correct written material to conform to standard English. Inside, you'll find

• 300 actual questions from past GMAT tests, including 75 questions new to this edition
• Sections on Reading Comprehension, Critical Reasoning, Sentence Correction, and Analytical Writing Assessment
• Questions organized in order of difficulty to save study time

The Graduate Management Admission Council certifies all content so you can trust that you're getting expert guidance as you prepare for the GMAT Exam.

The Graduate Management Admission Council® (GMAC) is the association of leading graduate business schools around the world. GMAC's mission is to meet the needs of business schools and students through a wide array of products, services, and programs. It is the owner and administrator of the Graduate Management Admissions Test® (GMAT), the first and only standardized test specifically designed for graduate business and management programs. Available in nearly 100 countries, it is the global standard for entry to the MBA degree course.

Top Myths About the GMAT®

Myth – If I don’t score in the 90th percentile, I won’t get into any school I choose.

Fact – Very few people get very high scores.

Fewer than 50 of the more than 200,000 people taking the GMAT test each year get a perfect score of 800. Thus, while you may be exceptionally capable, the odds are against your achieving a perfect score. Also, the GMAT test is just one piece of your application packet. Admissions officers use GMAT scores in conjunction with undergraduate records, application essays, interviews, letters of recommendation, and other information when deciding whom to accept into their programs.

Myth – Getting an easier question means I answered the last one wrong.

Fact – Getting an easier question does not necessarily mean you got the previous question wrong.

To ensure that everyone receives the same content, the test selects a specific number of questions of each type. The test may call for your next question to be a relatively hard problem-solving item involving arithmetic operations. But, if there are no more relatively difficult problem-solving items involving arithmetic, you might be given an easier item.

Most people are not skilled at estimating item difficulty, so don’t worry when taking the test or waste valuable time trying to determine the difficulty of the questions you are answering.

Myth – You need very advanced math skills to get a high GMAT score.

Fact – The math skills questions on the GMAT test are quite basic.

The GMAT test only requires basic quantitative analytic skills. You should review the math skills (algebra, geometry, basic arithmetic) presented in both The Official Guide for GMAT® Quantitative Review, 2nd Edition, and in The Official Guide for GMAT® Review, 12th Edition, but the required skill level is low. The difficulty of GMAT Quantitative questions stems from the logic and analysis used to solve the problems and not the underlying math skills.

Myth – It is more important to respond correctly to the test questions than it is to finish the test.

Fact – There is a severe penalty for not completing the GMAT test.

If you are stumped by a question, give it your best guess and move on. If you guess incorrectly, the computer program will likely give you an easier question, which you are likely to answer correctly, and the computer will rapidly return to giving you questions matched to your ability. If you don’t finish the test, your score will be reduced greatly. Failing to answer five verbal questions, for example, could reduce your score from the 91st percentile to the 77th percentile. Pacing is important.

Myth –The first 10 questions are critical and you should invest the most time on those.

Fact – All questions count.

It is true that the computer-adaptive testing algorithm uses the first 10 questions to obtain an initial estimate of your ability; however, that is only an initial estimate. As you continue to answer questions, the algorithm self-corrects by computing an updated estimate on the basis of all the questions you have answered, and then administers items that are closely matched to this new estimate of your ability. Your final score is based on all your responses and considers the difficulty of all the questions you answered. Taking additional time on the first 10 questions will not game the system and can hurt your ability to finish the test.

Myth – I need to speak US English in order to do well on the GMAT.

Fact- Essay grading is not affected by dialect of English. Questions on the GMAT are evaluated to ensure they are fair for all examinees, whether in the US or around the world.

From the Back Cover

The Official GUIDE FOR GMAT verbal review, 2nd EDITION

Anyone preparing for the GMAT knows it's important to study with the experts. With The Official Guide for GMAT Verbal Review, 2nd Edition, you'll get questions, answers, and explanations straight from the source. An excellent supplement to The Official Guide for GMAT Review, 12th Edition, this book helps you target your study and further hone your written and verbal skills. Inside you'll find:

• 300 actual questions from past GMAT tests—including more than 75 questions new to this edition

• Sections on Reading Comprehension, Critical Reasoning, and Sentence Correction

• Questions organized in order of difficulty to save study time

Visit www.mba.com to:

• Get 2 free downloadable tests and practice questions

• Sign up for the GMAT Teasers, a weekly practice question

• Register to take the GMAT exam

GMAT and THE OFFICIAL GUIDE FOR GMAT verbal REVIEW are products of

• Graduate

• Management

• Admission

• Council

• Creating Access to Graduate Business Education

Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 2 edition (August 17, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0470449756
• ISBN-13: 978-0470449752
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 8.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #940 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #3 in Books > Business & Investing > Job Hunting & Careers > GMAT
  • #11 in Books > Education & Reference > Education > Test Guides - Graduate & Professional
  • #18 in Books > Education & Reference > Test Prep Central

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

39 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars You may not need this book... questions are easy!, August 20, 2009

By 

GMATClub.com (USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: The Official Guide for GMAT Verbal Review, 2nd Edition (Paperback)

Note that questions in this book are on average somewhat easier than ones found in The Official Guide for GMAT Review, 12th Edition. If you are looking for 700+ Verbal practice - look elsewhere.

BUY THIS BOOK IF:
1. You are studying using Manhattan GMAT books (there are only a few practice questions in the books and for additional practice,they refer to questions in the OG 12 and this book)
2. You need more practice with average and low difficulty verbal questions


DO NOT BUY THIS BOOK IF:
- You have OG 10 (there is quite a bit of overlap)
- You have used or were planning to use power prep (previous version of the GMAT prep software has quite a bit of overlap too)
- You have purchased paper GMAT tests from GMAC (overlap again)
- You have not gone through OG 12 yet


Yes, this book is a cheap source of Real retired GMAT questions; (first being the Free GMATPrep software, second, The Official Guide), but the questions are easy and quite a bit dated. Bet the Main Official Guide first, go through 900 questions, and then decided if you really need more questions - most people don't. Also, it's not practicing thousands of questions that get your high score, rather it is a strong knowledge of basics, strategies, and control of the test.

In terms of difference between 1st and 2nd editions - there are 75 new questions and it seems all sections got a bit of a refresh, so you will find about 25 new questions in CR, RC, and SC sections. No other changes have been made. If you own the first edition of this book - don't bother.

Top 6 Mistakes People Make on the GMAT:
1: Rushing to take tests before learning basics
2: Starting with the Official Guide instead of a guidebook/textbook
3: Giving GMAT the worst quality time of the day - studying after a long day
4: Skipping basics and rushing to advanced topics
5: Starting to prepare with poor English proficiency
6: Not following strategies exactly or cutting corners




BB - Founder of GMAT Club
GMAT Score 750 (49, 42)
Let me know if you have any questions about GMAT books - I have read and reviewed all of them.

32 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent GMAT Verbal practice makes this book worthwhile, November 4, 2009

By 

BeatTheGMAT.com (San Francisco, CA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Official Guide for GMAT Verbal Review, 2nd Edition (Paperback)

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

===== OVERVIEW =====

The Official Guide for GMAT Verbal Review, 2nd edition, is a welcomed addition to the Official GMAT Review "family" of books. Since most test takers score lower in the verbal section than in the quantitative section, you should not be surprised to learn that this is one of the most popular resources available for GMAT preparation.

As compared with other books with 100% verbal focus, the verbal supplement has the unequaled advantage of bringing you 300 official, retired questions. I cannot stress enough the importance of having real GMAT materials to practice: their quality and style is unmatched in the test prep industry! In terms of number of problems, the book contains:

* 104 Reading Comprehension
* 83 Critical Reasoning
* 113 Sentence Correction

===== PROS =====

* The verbal review offers 300 additional official questions at a decent price, so if you're having trouble with verbal you should definitely consider investing in this book

* As is the case with the Official Guide, explanations are neatly and clearly formulated. Each question is amply analyzed, with proper space given to the correct answer, the incorrect options and the reasoning behind the choice

* Questions are arranged in order of difficulty should you wish to focus on harder material

===== CONS =====

* One would expect a supplement to be centered around harder questions, but this is not the case. The overall level of difficulty is comparable to that of the Official Guide (largely easy and medium difficulty questions)

* The strategy/tips section of each chapter is subpar, meaning that you will need an extra book or two for concepts. Consider the Sentence Correction section - its strategy section is only 7 pages long, while the GMAT tests for enough English language grammar rules to fill a whole volume!

* If short on time, it is wise to go through The Official Guide for GMAT Review, 12th Edition, rather than to buy this book

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

If you've finished The Official Guide for GMAT Review, 12th Edition and still feel the need for more practice, or have taken a diagnostic test and feel you're still having trouble with verbal, then this is the book for you. Note however that you should not simply go through official questions without a guidebook at hand, since this would mean using up valuable material without building a solid foundation of knowledge of common patterns and structures. Consider the Official Guide for GMAT Verbal Review as an extra opportunity to strengthen your verbal muscle!

IMPORTANT NOTE: If you already have the first edition of this book, there's no point in buying the second edition. The second edition contains 81 new problems (less than a third of total). It's not worth paying more money just to see these problems. Here's a complete list of new problems:

* Reading Comprehension: 1 - 6, 18 - 23, 45 - 49, 64 - 70, 91 - 97 (5 new passages and 31 new questions)
* Critical Reasoning: 1, 3, 6, 9, 13, 17, 21, 25, 29, 33, 37, 40, 45, 48, 51, 54, 59, 62, 65, 70, 74, 78, 81 (23 new questions)
* Sentence Correction: 1, 5, 8, 11, 14, 17, 22, 27, 31, 36, 42, 45, 53, 57, 61, 65, 69, 73, 79, 84, 88, 92, 96, 100, 104, 108, 112 (27 new questions)

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

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars barely improved from the 1st edition, August 13, 2009

By 

GMATNinja.com (NYC) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Official Guide for GMAT Verbal Review, 2nd Edition (Paperback)

If you're new to the GMAT and you're trying to figure out what book to purchase, the GMAT Verbal Review is absolutely indispensable. The first three books you should purchase are the Official Guide (preferably the 12th edition), and the official GMAT quant and verbal reviews. The GMAT is a bizarrely nuanced test, and it's tough for even the best test-prep companies to mimic the style of the actual test. Other books can definitely be useful, but you'll want to start with the official guides.

The bad news is that the 2nd edition doesn't really break much new ground. There are 82 new questions in this edition (31 RC, 23 CR, 28 SC--some weirdo at a website called GMAT Ninja counted all of them), and they aren't all that dissimilar to the ones they replaced. It's arguably worthwhile to pay $13 for 82 "real" GMAT questions, but only if you really feel like you need all the help you can get. Otherwise, you'll be fine with the 1st edition if you already have it, especially if you're pretty confident on the verbal section.