Which GMAT books should I get?

Question

Hi ,

I have gift card to buy only one of the following books,

Please help me chose the best book for 3 months preparation and also the one that would provide me with many online test.
I am planning to take my exam in nov 09.
McGraw-Hill's GMAT with CD-ROM, 2009 EditionKaplan GMAT with CDROM
Kaplan GMAT 2010 Premier Live Online 
Kaplan GMAT 2010 : Strategies, Practice, and Review
Kaplan GMAT 2009 Premier Program (w/ CD-ROM)
Kaplan GMAT 2009 Comprehensive Program

Kaplan GMAT Advanced 2009-2010 Edition: Intensive Prep for Top Students

Your help in this regard is greatly appreciated.

bb · Answer

These are all the same book - just different editions but their content is identical. I would recommend that if you are picking out of these, to get Kaplan Premiere (w/ CD-ROM) - better than the Live Online one as you will have tests on your PC. It comes with 5 tests. Don't bother with McGraw Hill book. Take a look at this list for the all-in-one GMAT Book recommendations: top-gmat-prep-books-guides-reviews-comments-77703.html You may also want to get more specialized prep once you understand your weaknesses - buy a Manhattan GMAT Book such as Manhattan SC or Manhattan RC, or Manhattan CR - they all come with access to a bank of 6 tests. Don't get the Kaplan Advanced - it is not quite what you think and won't be very valuable - you can see my review of it on Amazon.

tania · Answer

Thnx a lot for your valuable thought on the books.

My weak area is verbal.I found many useful links in this forum.

One confusion that still exists in my mind is,people advice to take test everyday.

As I am working I can only spare 2 hrs everyday for the next 3 months for my exam.

Can you give me some suggestions on how I should divide my time to touch upon both my verbal and quants ?

lahoosaher · Answer

It is not advisable to take the test everyday. At least not for first 60-70 days out of your 90 day plan.
I would suggest you to brush up basics one by one (math then verbal - you may breeze through math and spend some more time on verbal.) At the end of this exercise take a test , maybe on a weekend. Check the scores / week areas and then go ahead with the preparation according to your week areas.

It is more important to practice the selected content than to go for the test more often. You never know whether the content want to get tested is included in the test or not.

The most number of tests anyone has ever taken (among the guys here at gmatclub) is 20 - 25.

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Which GMAT books should I get?

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