Cracking the GMAT Premium Edition with 6 Computer-Adaptive Practice Tests, 2015 (Graduate School Test Preparation) Premium Edition

I have used a much earlier edition of this book for my prep and comparing to this edition there are hardly any changes, which is sad.I did not end up using Princeton Review for my GMAT Prep. I spent about a month on this book (on and off) and having seen no improvement, switched to Kaplan guides instead and was able to score 750 with those. I felt the book was OK; it explained how the GMAT works and logic behind the test, etc but after that it started to fall apart. I had a few issues with the strategies and expectations this book set - it gave an impression that GMAT was pretty easy and it was a guessing game rather than a test of skill and knowledge (it is definitely not a game).~~~ POSITIVES: ~~~- Has a good math review section covering even topics such as Statistics and Probability- 6 GMAT tests are included (access online).- Practice questions in the book are structured by difficulty (convenient)- Variety of practice questions and bins but verbal ones are a bit "skewed"~~~ NEGATIVES: ~~~- Approaches GMAT from high level strategies such as POE, getting into the mind of test writer, backsolving, and others, which are all great strategies but they really belong at the very end of the book, not upfront. Basics such as blocking and tackling need to go first; otherwise it works in a controled practice environment but fails on the test. What it does, it makes you feel comfortable wiht the book but then on the test, the questions don't fit the patterns and it does not help at all (probably hurts more than helps). The key to getting a high score on the GMAT is in the basics. You must know math and grammar to get the answres right. Strategies are important, but they are a finishing touch, not the core.- Lack of basics coverage for Verbal (very little review of questions, grammar)- Reading Comprehension strategy needs to be reconsidered. Every other provider such as Kaplan, Manhattan GMAT, Manhattan Review, PowerScore, Veritas, and others suggest to read the passage in its entirety. Which I strongly agree with. Princeton continues to insist on briefly reading the passage and then jumping into the question - the result is the same as above - jumping into hot water unprepared and fumbling through questions. By changing my reading strategy I was able to go from 30% success rate to about 60-70. Literally within 2 days.~~~ Bottom Line: ~~~I felt this book emphasized tricks and tips more than a solid knowledge of Math, Grammar, and Logic, which is Ok if you are looking for a 600 but not enough to get past that.~~~ OTHER THOUGHTS: ~~~* How do I get 700 then?There are several options:1. Review each section separately using other books such as the Kaplan GMAT Math Workbook and Kaplan GMAT Verbal Workbook or digg even deeper with 8 Manhattan GMAT Guides or 15 Veritas Prep Guides2. Thorough/Methodical review of each area - If you have a bit more time, grab the collection of 8 Manhattan Guides. These books are excellent and are actually used in the classroom setting for their classes, so you are defintely get the top books. If you dont need/want the entire collection, see my review for what stand-alone books to get. This plan is likely to get you a higher score with this section but it will also take up more time (about a month more). Decide on the approach based on your starting position, target score, time you have, and willingness to study math and grammar for months without a break.* Any other books I need to know about?YES. There is one - The Official Guide for GMAT Review, 12th Edition. This book is published by the creators of GMAT and contains real GMAT questions. You should also download the Official GMAT Prep software from GMAC's website (Called GMAT Prep) - they offer 2 tests for free. These are great to get a feel for the official GMAT interface, official questions, and also the official score (make sure you don't click past that at the end; if you do, you can't recover it and it will remain a mystery). I would suggest taking one at the very beginning of your prep. Many feel that it's a waste of one practice test but in reality it is not. You can take these multiple times and after a few months, your level will be much higher than when you started (hopefully), and the questions you will encounter on the re-take will be froma differen difficulty level, thus not overlaping and thus not wasting anything :)* What if I have trouble getting through this book? Where can I find help?There are several books that can help you get up to speed with quant and grammar:1. For Quantitative section: Foundations of GMAT Math by Manhattan GMAT2. For Verbal Section: Kaplan GMAT Verbal Foundations (grammar only) or Manhattan GMAT Verbal Foundations* What if I need harder questions? Where can i get 700+ level questions?There are a few books that offer that: Manhattan GMAT Advanced Math is one and Total GMAT Math is another. For verbal there is not a whole lot. I would also recommend Kaplan GMAT 800 as a decent question collection or Princeton Review 1012 questions (it is a question collection only)Let me know if you have any questions about the book - I reply to comments!Good Luck,BB, Founder of GMAT ClubGMAT 750 (q49, v42)

Getting your MBA is kind of a big deal so I bought this book in addition to the official one. They're both very similar, but compared to the one the "cracking the gmat" guide is more about strategy and subject matter. The official GMAT guide has ALOT of practice problems but most of the space in the book (by far) is taken up by the worked out solutions that are included. The se are worth their weight in gold and they're unbelievably awesome to have but they do take up a ton of room.The Cracking the GMAT guide spends more time talking about the GMAT and the different strategies you should use and the different types of questions (including really arcane stuff like "data sufficiency") than the official GMAT Guide does.Honestly if you're serious about getting your MBA you should probably just by both, especially if the GMAT exam is 6 months or more away. If the GMAT exam is 3 months away then two books is probably overkill but if you've got time then seriously, just go nuts. It's a tough exam.

Overall this book is a good resource as it teaches the reader many skills needed to take the test but the example problems have multiple errors and I could not find an errata for the book. In particular, the hardest math questions and hardest verbal questions have answers that do not match the questions. Anyone studying for the GMAT needs to understand that the errors in the book could lead to problems on the actual test. I think this could have been an excellent book if the writers/editors had taken the time to correct all the errors or at least provided a place where we could find the corrections online.

The book is very good, but somehow, being a non native English speaker, I feel the verbal section needs more insight into types of errors to found and how to identify them.The online material is great in order to practice but keep in mind it lasts only for 1 year starting from the time you register the book in the Princenton web page.

Great book, but using the digital version can be troublesome. Moving from page to page can be somewhat difficult and I realize that I would have preferred the paper copy. Overall the book is easy to understand and a great study aid.

This is not a prep book. This is a book that teaches you how to make a better guess out of the options. So if you are looking to actually be prepared for the gmat this is not your book, but if you want to be able to guess your way out of the gmat for a slightly better score then this is your book.

I love that not only does this give a ton of practice questions but it also walks you through how the test is set up, what to expect, how the test is different from previous versions, etc. GREAT study guide.

Excellent source to start preparing or testing your skills. The online adaptive tests are one of the best I have seen.

First thing first, this is not a book that teach you different concepts and learn to break down problems. This book helps you to write a test. Teaches you how to make a better guess at multiple choice. It is highly emphasis at process of elimination. Crossing out the least probable answer from the multiple choice.If this is not the type of 'technique' that you would want to spent time/money on, then skip it. I prep GMAT using only this book for a month. It did help me get a very satisfying result.

basic recommend book for GMAT as first book. The book do not cover much theory but explains the various initial strategies to Crack GMAT. However not sufficient. This book serves as introductory on GMAT most recommended.

Dieses Buch schafft in wenigen Wochen, was sonst vielleicht nur in mehreren Monaten möglich wäre. Der Stoff ist übersichtlich und leicht verständlich aufbereitet und in kurze, motivierende Abschnitte unterteilt. So wird einem Schritt für Schritt die Angst vor dem Monster GMAT genommen.

This is a good book to study for GMAT, if you study each chapter you will probably get a good grade on GMAT

Good book to start GMAT prep. To register the book for free test you need to complete checkout process with an American address on Princeton review.