Customer Reviews

Sentence Correction GMAT Preparation Guide, 4th Edition (Manhattan GMAT Preparation Guides) (Manhattan GMAT Preparation Guide: Sentence Correction)

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Huge point - I did not see this mentioned anywhere: this book comes with access to 6 online Manhattan GMAT CAT Tests, which are very good quality - they are yours just for buying this book, which makes it a VERY good value!

Another important part to note right away that the book has VERY FEW practice questions. There is 1 or 2 that are used to carry the point across and then there are "In Action" collection of 10-25 sentences at the end of each chapter (plus some online practice) but the book assumes that you will be using the Official Guide or the Verbal supplement for the official Guide. You should get those books anyway, but beware that they are required for practice. If you have already gone through OG's, get The PowerScore Sentence Correction Bible - it is almost as good but comes with practice questions.

This is the best book on the market today as voted by many gmatclub members.

Strengths:
* Only the relevant information and grammar points. Saves a tremendous amount of time
* Indepth overview of each error type to notice the patterns
* Good structure and gradual progression from basic to more advanced topics
* Includes advanced strategies for advanced test takers (650/700+ level)
* Finally, it provides approaches and strategies that work
* Excellent layout - very conducive to learning - especially helpful for visual learners (I am one). The book is actually so well laid out and published that it is enjoyable to read.
*** Access to 6 online GMAT Tests online

Weaknesses:
* Few practice questions included (mentioned above)
* Poor "style" coverage, which usually are the hardest GMAT questions

Let me know if you have any questions about this book - I answer comments on Amazon.
Good Luck on your GMAT,
Best Regards,
BB, Founder of GMAT Club GMAT 750

I can't believe it! I did not attend any prep courses and just by merely studying these books, I got a 780! And on a separate note, I got a 5 on AWA.
Do not get me wrong, I was never a fantastic undergraduate. My GPA was only about 3.4.
Thanks to the Manhattan GMAT books which saved me alot of money(I repeat I did not spend on prep courses), I can now apply for the top MBA programs with confidence!

*I bought all 8 books but am only writing it here because I do not want to duplicate.

I self studied and scored a 770 on the GMAT. Here is my analysis of MGMAT's Sentence Correction Guide:

===== OVERVIEW =====

The Manhattan GMAT Sentence Correction (SC) Guide, is one of the most popular resources on the market for mastering GMAT grammar. This is because many non-native test takers do not have access to prep courses and, in their effort to get a high score with self prep, they will often be brought down by the cruel English grammar tested on the GMAT.

As a company, Manhattan GMAT has built a very strong reputation in the test prep industry. For most of its history, the company focused exclusively on the GMAT and no other standardized test (the company began serving the LSAT market in 2008). In this respect, it has published a set of 8 GMAT guides which should cover not only the basic GMAT topics, but also the advanced issues that the GMAT test taker will face. The SC guide is by far their most popular product, often described as a "must have" in online study forums.

The book is structured in two parts: General (10 chapters) and Advanced (3 chapters). It also includes a handy Official Guide List and Matrix, where you will find a breakdown of topics tested in each of the questions found on The Official Guide for GMAT Review, 12th Edition (OG) and Verbal Review 1st Edition. Note that Manhattan GMAT published this 4th edition shortly after the release of the OG 12th, in spring, before the 2nd edition of the Verbal Review was released later that summer. This is important because the current Manhattan GMAT SC edition references the OG 12th edition and OG Verbal 1st edition, so you should plan your GMAT shopping list accordingly.

===== PROS =====

* Good analysis of common error types, excellent for non-native speakers of English interested in taking the test. The book covers the Sentence Correction concepts with amazing depth

* Comes with a one-year access to 6 online computer-adaptive practice tests (CATs), which I consider to be pretty decent estimators of your score, second only to the GMATprep software from [...]. The CATs are sold at $39 on their official site, so you'd be getting these tests and the book at a fraction of the cost.

* Structured according to error types, so if you feel you're having trouble with a certain question type, you can hone in on your weak spot by reading through the corresponding section

* Even if you're an advanced test taker, this book is still worth your time. Unlike some general strategy guides, it does not neglect this advanced test taking demographic. This is one of the advantages of having a targeted book at hand

* While the book's focus is Sentence Correction, the grammar lessons will also help you in the Analytical Writing Assessment section of the GMAT. Even though the score for the AWA does not count towards your general GMAT score, feeling confident about grammar will help ease the stress of writing your essays on the test

===== CONS =====

* HUGE MINUS: not enough practice questions. Each chapter has "In Action" problem sets and you also get access to 25 questions online, but that is not nearly enough GMAT practice. You will however find an Official Guide for GMAT Review reference list at the end of each chapter as well as the matrix described above

* The book's structure could be improved, in my opinion. The writing does not "flow" as easily as in The PowerScore GMAT Critical Reasoning Bible, for example.

* You need to allocate significant time to review this book. The multitude of rules and tips it presents will likely form a dark cloud in your head unless you take the time to properly digest the material

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

If GMAT sentence correction is causing you nightmares, this book will surely help you get rid of some of those bad dreams. Besides the grammar improvement, access to the CATs means that you'll have decent tools to assess your progress.

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

I have never written a review for a product before, but I have only had this book for a day. I have read through Chapter 5, and the strategies explained in the first chapter along with the review on key elements to look for has already helped me. Sentence Correction was my biggest weakness in the Verbal Section. Today, I went back and answered the ones I missed on the mba practice test, using the new strategies, and I got all but one right this time. It made it so easy to focus and eliminate choices. I strongly recommend this book.

I must say I purchased this book partially on a whim. I had about a week before my GMAT, and I still felt unprepared for the verbal section. From my previous practice tests (GMATPrep tests), I realized I was getting a pretty high number of sentence correction questions wrong.

From reading various posts on different forums, I decided that purchasing this MGMAT book would be a good way to address this weakness I had. Furthermore, it would give me access to 5 more full length practice exams (+ the one free CAT exam on their website).

I took the free practice test on the same day I ordered from Amazon. Since I only had about a week left before my test, I paid for expedited shipping and received the book promptly. I quickly read through the first few chapters, and made mental notes on topics that were unfamiliar to me. The book is laid out exceptionally well, and has a good set of practice questions that I also worked on.

With access to the full length practice exams, I took a couple more during the last few days before my exam. I have to say, the MGMAT practice exams were awesome. The Quant section was noticeably harder than the GMATPrep tests (and also the actual GMAT), but the breakdowns and analysis they offer as you're going through the questions you got wrong are invaluable.

This book really helped me go over the edge. I went from a V39 during my first MGMAT practice test to a V51 on the actual GMAT. I'd highly recommend this book to anyone struggling with the SC section of the GMAT. 5 out of 5 stars

I was targeting a top MBA school and knew that I would need a pretty decent GMAT score. Sentence correction was by far my weakest area so I picked up this book (Make sure you also pickup the Official Guide and the OG Verbal Review because this book references both books). The book helped me in two ways. First, it provided an overview of the major types of sentence correction questions you'll encounter on the GMAT. Second it helped formulate strategies to identify and then solve the SC questions. I really recommend this book for people struggling with the SC portion. It significantly helped me and allowed me to hit my target score.

I didn't take a class, but I have alot of friends who have and have used the Kaplan book and practice tests in addition to the Manhattan. Manhattan prep material and tests are head and shoulders above Kaplan. My only wish is that I had started with the Manhattan series and not even worried about Kaplan. Kaplan may have the brand name, but the fact that Manhattan focuses only on the GMAT shines through. The material goes wayyy more in depth, and it really leverages the other best source of practice material you have, the Official Guide (it has a great feature called rephrasing that references the OG problems directly to give data sufficiency help. It almost makes so much sense that it seems obvious but ingenious at the same time. Why not use the actual old test problems provided by the GMAC as much as you can?).

I wasn't going to buy the whole series but was so impressed by the first book I used (Sentence Correction), that I bought a couple of the quantitative prep books. I was so impressed by those, that I ended up buying all the rest of them. I can not stress enough how much more focused and useful this material is than Kaplan. When used in conjunction with the Official Guide, you have everything you need to break 700.

The things these books provide make so much sense as the best way to prepare, that it makes you wonder why everyone else doesn't do it. My guess is that Manhattan benefits from a focused business model of limiting itself to the GMAT. If you're not looking to score that well and only need to practice some and get used to the questions, the Official Guide is enough. But the Manhattan series is also nice in that it allows you to pick and choose the certain topics you need extra help with. Also, by only buying one book, you get access to six practice tests that are very difficult and provide invaluable information in its readouts of your performance (much more detailed and useful than Kaplan's. Hate to keep hating on Kaplan, but it's the only thing I have to compare to. It's not horrible really, it just pales in comparison to Manhattan. I think of the Kaplan material like I think of McDonald's, very well-known but pretty junky. It'll fill you up, but you won't feel great afterward...)

I've never taken the time to review any items on Amazon.com before, but I have been so impressed with this product that I felt compelled to let others know about it.

Don't waste your money on a class, get the Manhattan series instead. You'll save over a thousand dollars and be better prepared as well!

Good luck!

I already used the Princeton review and some of the Kaplan's guides, but the MGAMT SC, is by far the best product.
The book emphasized all the trap holes and guide you through the different levels of questions from the verbal GMAT. One of the best advantages is that it used the 12ed official guide as the question bank...

After using this book and the six free practice tests that came with it, I improved my score overall by 90 points!!! 7 points in Verbal and 7 points in Quan. I highly recommend this book and the Manhattan Website. Thanks.

This book helped me enormously. I am pretty sure that it was the reason my grammar on the English section was as good as it was (I scored a 750 with a Q44 verbal). During the exam my confidence was solid on every grammar question except the last one, for which I had only about a minute (and which was difficult).

The book will require every ounce of your attention and will require you to spend many days reading it and going through the practice problems. If you are looking for an easy read, this is NOT it.

Also, this book grants you access to MGMAT's online CATs--by far the best CATs I have encountered (I think that they are held as the next best thing to the official GMAT Prep exams). The question explanations on the MGMAT CATs are simply superb.

Buy the book. I honestly would recommend the entire MGMAT prep set, but if you have to/want to only get one English book, this IS it.