GMAT test 10 December - Haven't studied yet, which books should I buy?

Question

Hey all,

got my GMAT test on the 10th of December. I haven't studied yet and want to order the most efficient books today. I am primarily concerned with acing my GMAT Quant section.

I already found a book set which has all of the GMAT sections covered, which is the "Complete GMATstrategy Guide Set" by "Manhattan Prep", which is aligned to the 2015 official GMAC guide. Is this set still relevant and useful to me?

I thank you for any help! Kinda clueless about the best GMAT study books still.

DutchDude555 · Answer

2 friends who scored 700 and 740 told me the official guides of 2019 would be enough with thoughtful reviewing and doing tests. Is this true?

ErikLewe · Answer

You can read debriefs here on gmatclub for inspiration. 
First of all:
What score are you looking for? It's said that books usually work well up to a point, for instance a score of 600-650, until you hit a plateau. At this point it is recommended to look for internet based prep, such as magoosh, veritas or The economist (look at the reviews here on gmatclub) to reach the 700+ score.

General recommendation is to finish OG practise questions and perhaps even the OG quant + verbal review (OG is made by the creators of GMAT, the GMAC, and the Official guide is full of past exam questions)

If this was helpful, please give kudos!
 Cheers,
Erik

Princ · Answer

DutchDude555 Check below link for quant study book recommendations https://gmatclub.com/forum/best-gmat-ma ... 35162.html

akela · Answer

Hi DutchDude555 , Welcome to gmatclub! You'll need a study plan, so you might find this thread useful: https://gmatclub.com/forum/gmat-study-plan-217827.html It has all info for the beginners. Hope this helps!

CAMANISHPARMAR · Answer

Welcome to GC!

Since you want to focus more on GMAT Quant, it would be nice if you make a note of the following points.
1) GMAT Quant is a reasoning test NOT a math test. Having said that it would be nice that you have the foundation of math basic concepts. You could refer to a book by MGMAT, "foundations of math".

2) You could refer to the individual strategy guide of Quant to develop an understanding of various topics and specially how to approach these questions in less time.

3) Once you have spent enough time laying a foundation & improving your understanding of the various topics then you may do a MGMAT advanced quant book.

4) GMAT OG questions are like gold mine. Try to do sets of 20-30 questions daily from OG under timed conditions. (Kindly note that there is a main OG & a seprate Quant & Verbal OG).

5) You may like to practice more of data sufficiency questions. These questions are specific to GMAT. You may like to refer to the following post for better understanding :-
https://gmatclub.com/forum/data-suffici ... ufficiency

6) Periodically (once a week) take a mock to evaluate your weak areas and keep working on them.

All the best in your prep!

DutchDude555 · Answer

Thank you for the quick responses guys! Really appreciate you

I found a seller nearby selling the 5th edition Manhattan Prep 1 to 9 books in good condition for just 30 dollars. Are these 5th edition books still usable to me?

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi DutchDude555,

Based on what you have posted, I assume that your Score Goal is 700+. That Score is approximately the 90th percentile, meaning that 90% of Test Takers either CAN'T or WON'T do what it takes to earn that type of Score. By extension, there are NO study materials that can 'guarantee' you that type of result. This is meant to say that while you could certainly begin your studies with some books, you will likely need some additional non-book practice materials to earn a 700+ on Test Day.

Since it sounds like you're just beginning your studies, then it would be a good idea to take a FULL-LENGTH practice CAT Test; you can take 2 for free at www.mba.com (and they come with some additional practice materials). If you want to do a little studying first, so that you can familiarize yourself with the basic content and question types, then that's okay - but you shouldn't wait too long to take that initial CAT. That score will give us a good sense of your natural strengths and weaknesses and will help provide a basis for comparison as you continue to study. A FULL CAT takes about 3.5 hours to complete, so make sure that you've set aside enough time to take it in one sitting. Once you have those scores, you should report back here and we can come up with a study plan.

I'd like to know a bit more about your timeline and goals:
1) What is your goal score?
2) When are you planning to apply to Business School?
3) What Schools are you planning to apply to?

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich

AjiteshArun · Answer

Yes. The GMAT exam has not changed substantially in terms of the concepts it tests, so you should be fine studying from good sources.

A few other changes have been introduced, though. You can read about them  here ,  here , and  here .

DutchDude555 · Answer

Thanks for the detailed explanation! I will look up material this week and make my first CAT next week, unfortunately no time to do so throughout the week. 
1) What is your goal score?
 700-740. 700 is truly the lowest score that I want.
 
2) When are you planning to apply to Business School?
 I will apply by the end of December.
 
3) What Schools are you planning to apply to?
 I plan to apply to the LSE (MSc Finance / MSc Finance & Accounting), HEC Paris (MSc Finance / MSc Management (Grande Ecole), St. Gallen (MSc Banking & Finance), Bocconi (MSc Finance), Essec (MSc Finance)

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi DutchDude555,

If you have 3-4 months of potential study time, then you could potentially improve a great deal. Once we have your initial practice CAT Score, we'll be better able to plan out how best to proceed with your studies.

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich

ScottTargetTestPrep · Answer

Hi DutchDude555,

I’m glad you reached out, and I’m happy to help. So, although you could use books for your GMAT prep, I’ve found that my students are more successful when using an online self-study course. Self-study courses typically provide detailed study plans and have granular analytics, so you can easily track your progress as you move through the course. The ability to track your progress will keep you more engaged, and you’ll be able to more accurately forecast when you’re ready to take your real GMAT.

You may want to take a look at the  top-rated quant courses here on GMAT Club . You also may find it helpful to read this article about  How to Increase Your GMAT Quant Score .

Feel free to reach out with any further questions.

	Target Test Prep - Save up to $599 $400 Discount + $99 Bonus GMAT Club Tests
	e-GMAT: 60% Off on GMAT Focus Get to 735+ from any starting point
	Magoosh increases your score, guaranteed - 15% off ALL Magoosh GMAT plans with code GMATCLUB15 + Free GMAT Club Tests.
	Manhattan Prep: $99 Bonus Score Higher on Your GMAT Exam. Guaranteed.
	Experts' Global - ~~$1720~~ $960 End-to-End GMAT Prep + App Support: 150+ Videos, 2000+ Questions, 15 FLTs +
	GMATWhiz - $299 ~~$499~~ Experience the course through a free trial.
	GMAT Club Tests - Free Included with every course purchase of $149+ View all deals

GMAT test 10 December - Haven't studied yet, which books should I buy?

Prep Toolkit

Top 5 GMAT Debrief Videos

615 to 715 in 15 Days (Ria's Strategies)

More than Quant/Verbal Abilities: Speed vs. Accuracy

745 with Only Self-Prep and GMAT Club

From 555 to 765: 210-point Improvement

Perfect 805 Score Debrief by Julia

My Rewards