GMAT Test Book Reviews

A Note on GMAT Books

We strongly advise all prospective MBA applicants to purchase at least 2 books on the GMAT (Graduate Management Admissions Test). First, we recommend an official guide from ETS (Educational Testing Service), the test's author. There is a difference between the official questions you will be asked on the exam and the practice questions contained in all other books.

Secondly, we recommend an "unofficial" guide since there is indeed a way to study for this test and materially improve your score. The better unofficial guides contain many time-proven test-taking strategies as well as excellent explanations for the correct answers to the practice problems. You will greatly increase your chances of receiving a higher test score if you are armed with GMAT test-taking strategies and actual questions from previous exams.
The GMAT is a Computer Adaptive Test

Since the GMAT test has changed its format, we believe you should also change your testing strategy and practice the test in its computer adaptive test format. We strongly encourage you to download the Powerprep software free from ETS as soon as possible. It is a great compliment to the Official Guide for the GMAT Review described below. Bear in mind that, even with several hundred questions, this free software represents only a small subset of questions due to the many different types of GMAT questions as well as the many different tiers of difficulty for each of the question types.

The Official Guide for GMAT Review (12th Ed)

Official GMAT book Buy this book from Amazon.com (12th edition)

The 12th edition of the Official GMAT Guide presents more than 800 questions taken from retired versions of the test with more detailed explanations of the correct answers. The questions are presented in order of difficulty, giving users a better understanding of what constitutes an easy or hard question. The 12th edition also features two new downloadable tests and practice questions to help users focus their preparation efforts. The Official GMAT Guide remains the only test prep book on the market that presents actual questions from prior tests. This book, along with an "unofficial" GMAT strategy test-taking guide, should be all that you need to prepare yourself for the exam. (See our note above about downloading the Powerprep software free from ETS!)

The Official Guide for GMAT Quantitative Review



The Official Guide for GMAT® Quantitative Review will help you solve equations, interpret data, coordinate geometry, and determine probability with assurance and ease. This targeted review helps you get the most out of your study time and improves your familiarity with the kind of questions found on the GMAT® exam.

The Official Guide for GMAT Verbal Review


The Official Guide for GMAT® Verbal Review focuses on your ability to read and comprehend written material, to reason and evaluate arguments, and to correct written material. This targeted review will help you get the most out of your study time and prepare you for the GMAT® exam.

The Full Potential GMAT Audio Program by Bara Sapir*

gmataudio Buy this 5 CD set from TestPrepNY

The Full Potential program optimizes your test-taking potential by enhancing your mental retention, concentration, and relaxation.
*Mention Z-Code "AC" to receive free shipping*

Magoosh: Test Prep Made Simple

magoosh Sign up for an account on Magoosh.com

Magoosh, a test preparation website created by renowned GMAT experts and MBAs from the Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley, offers hundreds of GMAT questions, detailed explanations written by 99th percentile experts, and statistics to compare your score and pace against other users – all in an easy-to-use online interface, with no software to install or CD to run.
*Mention Discount Code "Petersam" to receive a 10% discount*

GMAT 2010, Premier Live Online by Kaplan

Kaplan GMAT 2010 Premiere Live Online Buy this book and CD-ROM set from Amazon.com

We have received a lot of favorable feedback from our MBA admissions clients on this book's predecessor the past 2 years, and hence we are hoping this newest edition at least matches the expectations set by the previous Kaplan book and CD ROM combination set. The book is helpful and contains many good study tips. The CD-ROM is what makes this a good buy, however, due to the extensive test questions and diagnostic tools. While there is a large group of people who like the Kaplan questions because they claim they are more difficult than the ETS official questions (an interesting argument in its own right since there are different bins of questions on the real GMAT each grouped by level of difficulty), we still prefer the official ETS questions and simply recommend augmenting, not substituting the Kaplan questions for the real GMAT questions in the ETS book described above.

Cracking the GMAT 2010 (CD ROM version) by Geoff Martz

Princeton Review: Cracking the GMAT 2010 Buy this CD-ROM from Amazon.com

We like this CD ROM because it contains 4 full-length practice tests and provides instant scoring. Additionally, the test-taking strategies are very insightful and are designed to help you eliminate the "decoy" answers ETS wants you to incorrectly choose. Process of elimination techniques are also very well explained in this guide. We should warn you, however, that we found the practice questions to be much easier than those administered by ETS for the real test as well as the practice questions contained in the Kaplan guide. As a result, we would like to take this opportunity to reiterate our strong belief that you will be best served by also reviewing an official GMAT guide published by Educational Testing Service. This product has long been a favorite amongst our business school admissions clients.

The GMAT for Dummies by Suzee Vlk

The GMAT for dummies Buy this book from Amazon.com

If you like the for Dummies books, you will not be disappointed. This book is a definite help, but the GMAT test is now computerized and the third edition does not adequately address the test's new format.

Cliffs Computer-Adaptive Graduate Management Admissions Test by Jerry Bobrow, et. al.

Cliffs Computer Adaptive Graduate Management Admissions Test Buy this book from Amazon.com

Good explanations are provided for the questions and answers. Test-taking strategies are discussed. This book is optimal, however, only for those test takers who have one