Kaplan GMAT 2005 with CD-ROM (Kaplan GMAT (Book & CD-Rom)) (Paperback)

by Kaplan Publishing (Author) "Let's start with the basics: The GMAT is, among other things, an endurance test..." (more)
Key Phrases: distinct formal repertoire, general curiosity about extraterrestrial life, requiring more data, Critical Reasoning, Kaplan Rules, Teacher Tip (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Are you ready for the GMAT? You will be.

Kaplan's GMAT with CD-ROM 2005 Edition comes complete with a comprehensive review of all the material on the exam, plus Kaplan's proven test-taking strategies to help maximize your score. This powerful combination is a highly effective way for you to score higher on the GMAT and make yourself competitive for business school admissions.

Succeed on the Analytical Writing Assessment with Kaplan's expert strategies for approaching the computerized essay grader.

Prepare with quizzes for Problem Solving, Critical Reasoning, Data Sufficiency, Reading Comprehension, Sentence Correction, and a new, expanded GMAT Math Reference section.

Practice with 5 full-length practice tests, including 4 computer-adaptive ones -- all with complete explanations for every answer.

Score Higher with effective strategies and advice from Kaplan's expert instructors.

Even more practice online!

Special CD-ROM

Features Include:
• 4 computer-adaptive practice GMAT exams
• Personalized analysis of your test performance
• Over 200 grammar and math flashcards
• 9 verbal practice tests
• 9 math practice tests
• 15 math review lessons

For Windows®: Windows® 98, 98SE, NT 4.0, 2000, ME, XP, Pentium® 266 MHz, 15 MB hard disk space, 640 x 480 thousands of colors (millions recommended), 4x CD-ROM. Note: An Internet connection is required for the Web features of the program.

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Kaplan Test Prep and Admissions has helped more than 3 million students achieve their educational and career goals. With 185 centers and over 1,200 classroom locations throughout the U.S. and abroad, Kaplan provides a full range of services, including test prep courses, admissions consulting, programs for international students, professional licensing preparation, and more.

About the Author
Kaplan is the educational division of The Washington Post Company, which also publishes Newsweek. Kaplan offers courses in London and at 185 centres throughout the world.

Product Details

• Paperback: 448 pages
• Publisher: Kaplan Publishing; Bk&CD-Rom edition (June 29, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0743251687
• ISBN-13: 978-0743251686
• Product Dimensions: 10.6 x 8.2 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (41 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #353,173 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

73 of 75 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Kaplan GMAT book is a MUST-HAVE!, September 18, 2004

By	Vineeth Subramanyam "Author, Everyday Cooking... (Chicago, IL, USA) - See all my reviews

My review refers to an earlier edition of the Kaplan book, but should give you a good idea for what you'll get when you buy this book. The Kaplan GMAT book and the Official Guide for GMAT Review are two books you absolutely must get to be well prepared for the test.

The lessons & tips included in the Kaplan book are a good way to get familiarized with the test. I also like the approach described in the book to attack CR questions in Verbal and the idioms and other tips for SC. The diagonistic test gives the much needed jolt by highlighting areas that you must concentrate on. The real value of this book is in the 4 CAT tests and practice sections included in the CD-ROM. The tests are much harder than the actual GMAT. Your actual GMAT score will likely be up to 100 points higher than your Kaplan score.

My recommendation is to use the OG to practice questions a day before attempting a practice test from Kaplan or the ETS Powerprep tests. You'll be amazed at how your score will actually improve on a test when you do some prep work with the OG the night before.

Here are my scores from various tests:
Kaplan - 670, 620, 640, 610
Powerprep - 770, 720
Princeton Review - 700, 690 (took only 2 tests, the CD was defective)
Actual GMAT - 720/97% (Q49/90%, V39/89%)

The Quant sections of the Kaplan tests are not exactly easy - so it was a good introduction to GMAT Quant. On the Verbal side, I definitely owe my score to OG - the explanations really helped me understand where I was going wrong, and I did not commit those mistakes again. I neglected Quant since this was more of a strength in my case, but I could have obviously done better than 90% in the actual test. Nevertheless, I'm happy with my score.

Finally, the most important thing to remember is to stay calm on test day. A good test center makes a big difference - e.g., my test center gave us complementary noise-canceling headsets that helped immensely during the test.

Good luck!

54 of 55 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Kaplan GMAT, February 5, 2005

By	P. Egerton (Sonoma County, CA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Before deciding whether or not to sign up for one of the $1K prep classes, I read the previous reviews for GMAT prep products. These tests were described as the most difficult available so I decided to try to save the thousand bucks and buy this book instead.

I prepped for about 2 weeks with Kaplan (for an hour each week night) and took the full length CAT tests on the weekends in between. The final week took the two PowerPrep tests since they were rumored to be more reflective of the tester's score on the actual GMAT (and they were). Below are my scores in order.

660 (Princeton Review -cold turkey before deciding if I wanted to apply to business school)

600 (Kaplan CAT 1)
600 (Kaplan CAT 2)
640 (Kaplan CAT 3)

720 (PowerPrep 1)
720 (PowerPrep 2 -I never previewed any of the PowerPrep material since the same questions are used on the tests so -you'll probably score falsely high if you do)

720 (Actual GMAT)

I was skeptical (and a little apprehensive) that the Kaplan tests were actually that much harder than the real GMAT tests as the reviews have suggested, but it looks as if they really are. I would recommend this book as long as your ego can take the scores you'll get on the Kaplan CATs. I'm glad I spent $25 and not $1,000.

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars If you are aiming for 700+, buy this book, November 5, 2004

By	Vandana Bharvani (Sunnyvale, CA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I just came back from the GMAT with a good score and could not have done it without this book.

I started my GMAT preparation with the Official Guide. If you're only going to buy one book then get the OG. It has far more practise questions than any other book in the market. The explanations after each section are pretty detailed. Also, in each section the questions get harder towards the end. So be sure to do the last 50 questions in each section (probably the last 100 for Problem Solving).

Try to take the 2 Powerprep tests before you start the OG book though, since they use the same questions. I would recommend taking a Powerprep test before any study at all, so you can get a good idea of your strengths and weaknesses, and focus your study plan accordingly. Unfortunately GMAT has gotten harder over the years but OG/Powerprep do not reflect that.

That's why people looking to get 700+ need something more. And this is where Kaplan enters the picture. The Kaplan tests and practise sections on the CD are harder than the GMAT but make for necessary practise. These tests can be demoralizing when you start (specially if you did real well on Powerprep :-)). Overall, the Critical Reasoning and Sentence Correction questions are representative of the test. I wouldn't say the same for the Reading Comprehension passages....some of those are way too long.

In the Math sections, they squeeze in more questions (and lengthier ones), so it is good practise for speed. Finally, I really liked the test taking tips and strategies for the Verbal sections in Kaplan too.

To give you an idea of how close the sample tests are, here is how I scored:

Powerprep 1 - 780
Princeton Review (free online test) - 740
Kaplan 1 - 620 (definitely demoralizing)
Kaplan 2 - 700
Kaplan 2 - 670
Actual GMAT - 750

Good Luck!