Best GMAT Preparation Books

The Graduate Management Admission Test, or GMAT, is a standardized test that is conducted by the Graduate Management Admission Council. This test will determine your quantitative and verbal reasoning skills in English for admission to business schools and management programs all across the world. So get ready to get your hands on best GMAT preparation books for the exam.

We have comprised the details related to online-offline preparation and the best GMAT preparation books. Preparing for the GMAT requires a comprehensive study plan and the right resources to achieve success. While there are numerous study materials available, choosing the best books for GMAT preparation can make a significant difference in your performance.

In this blog, we will explore a curated list of the top GMAT books that have proven effective in helping students excel in the exam. These books cover all the essential sections and provide valuable insights, strategies, and practice questions to enhance your preparation journey.

If you are aiming to go abroad for a management or finance degree, this is the one test that you will be required to take to help the admission committee assess your application.
Some basic facts about the GMAT:

• The fees that one needs to pay for taking the test is $250. Since this is an extremely high fee, it is advisable that you prepare for the test well in advance so that you do not have to take it more than once and pay extra.
  The test is offered all year round in dedicated Pearson VUE Centres.
• The scores can take up to 20 calendar days to be processed. Thereby, it is recommended that you plan the timeline well in advance so that there is enough time to send the scores to the universities before the deadline.
• The total duration of the test is approximately 3 hours and 23 minutes with optional breaks of 16 minutes in between sections.
• Due to the adaptive format of the test, you cannot skip a question and then come back to it later. You have to answer a question in order to move on to the next one.

The various sections in the GMAT include the following:

1. Analytical Writing Assessment
2. Integrated reasoning
3. Quantitative
4. Verbal

List of best books for GMAT preparation

If you are a first-time test taker, it is possible to feel lost among the huge number of books, test preparation materials, and GMAT preparation guides available. In this blog, we have made it easier for you to find the best books for GMAT preparation.

1. GMAT Official Advanced Series

The GMAT official advanced series is a set of 300 questions from all categories – easy, medium, and difficult. There are 150 verbal reasoning and 150 quantitative reasoning. It is a mixture of new as well as old questions to help you gain a basic overview of the test.

2. Veritas Prep Complete GMAT Course Set

Veritas consists of 12 dedicated guides for every individual topic that is covered in the GMAT test prep materials. The only major problem with Veritas is its lack of answer explanations after solving a question set.

You will have difficulty in understanding where exactly you went wrong or if your approach to the question was right.

However, questions in Veritas are challenging compared to the actual test, thereby compelling you to think critically. Solving difficult questions will automatically equip you for the easier ones.

3. Kaplan GMAT Prep Plus

The Kaplan series is held in extremely high regard by the actual test takers and reviewers of the GMAT. The best part about the Kaplan books is their detailed answer explanation after every chapter.

The questions in Kaplan are much more difficult compared to the actual questions in the tests. The books come with 6 practice tests and an online quiz bank with more than 500 questions.

You can choose the topics and difficulty levels for practice according to your own convenience. Buying Kaplan will also help you connect with Kaplan faculty for any queries via Facebook.

4. GMAC GMAT Official Guide Bundle 

The Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC) releases an official guide around April every year that includes several unseen questions and flashcards to test your concepts. The OG 2021 includes 92 more questions than the OG 2020, along with 174 extra questions outside of the online question bank.

There are a total of 163 never before seen flashcards as well. These questions are official questions, and hence the format followed here is absolutely the same as the actual exam.

The difficulty levels of the questions vary from easy and medium to hard. However, since these questions are prepared to keep the actual test format in mind, most questions belong to the easy and medium categories of difficulty.

5. Manhattan Prep Complete GMAT Strategy Guide Set

Manhattan Prep is a famous name when it comes to standardized GMAT test preparation. This guide set includes a total of 10 books for every section of the GMAT. The total set costs about $150.

This is undoubtedly the best book to prepare if you want a solid foundation of all the concepts that are covered in the actual test. You can also buy various books separately based on your levels of preparation.

Apart from the books, every buyer gets one-year access to all the practice tests and web material on the website. However, it must be noted that the verbal mock questions in Manhattan Prep are easier than the ones you get in the actual test.

6. Power Score Verbal Trilogy Bible

Powerhouse is only to help you brush up on your Verbal skills for GMAT. It is a set of 3 books, each dedicated to critical reasoning, reading comprehension, and sentence correction respectively.

These books contain detailed explanations to help you clear your basic concepts and understand the reasoning behind the answers. 

However, the only major problem with these books is that they do not contain any practice problems. You should buy the Powerscore Trilogy if your aim is to build a solid foundation for the verbal section of the test.

7. GMAT For Dummies

The ‘For Dummies’ series published by Wiley Publications includes a huge number of books on various topics with the assumption that the people reading them have absolutely no idea what it is, hence the name.

The GMAT for Dummies book is no exception. Due to the basic assumption, this book consists of various test-taking methods and strategies to help you understand the base of the test. It will help you understand how to manage your time during the test, how to process each question and also guess and eliminate options.

If you do not have anyone to guide you through the entire process, this book can be your go-to mentor. Along with the book comes a CD that includes 7 computerized practice sets and a large number of flashcards to help you brush up your concepts. If you purchase the Dummies book, you have to buy another prep material to provide you with an ample number of practice test questions for the application of your concepts.

MBA programs are tough, hence the GMAT score, along with your other supporting documents, will help the admissions committee compare your application with the other applicants. A high GMAT score with the correct supporting documents and a moving statement of purpose will indefinitely higher the chances of your selection to the program of your choice. Make sure you put in the right amount of hard work into your preparation.

Qualities of Best GMAT Preparation Book

Before purchasing GMAT books for preparation, bear the following things in mind:

• It ought to contain these tactics: After reading the book, you ought to be able to formulate a plan of attack for the GMAT. A section’s associated topics should also be addressed so that you have a foundation. Therefore, seek literature that provides you with a thorough explanation.
• Ensure the book is of high calibre. Check Amazon reviews before placing your order.
• Look for books that provide you with up-to-date, high-quality practice questions that aren’t repetitious.
• Verify if the book fits the GMAT pattern.
• Manhattan and PowerScore are two books famed for their Verbal sections, whereas others are known for their Quant sections (Kaplan). Others merely give the strategy, while some only contain practice questions. Choose your GMAT books as per your GMAT syllabus.

Above all, don’t rely just on one resource. Consider additional study resources like online GMAT preparation classes, forums, flashcards, etc.

Preparing for the GMAT – Online Courses

By utilising a variety of GMAT free resources, including books, online courses, forums, etc., you may succeed on the GMAT. The two most popular methods for GMAT preparation are GMAT books and online GMAT courses. After discussing the top GMAT study guides, let’s examine the various online GMAT programmes.

Here is a list of the best GMAT online training programmes. The list is presented in decreasing order of the amount of GMATClub reviews.

• e-GMAT
• Veritas Prep
• Manhattan Prep
• Economist GMAT Tutor
• Magoosh
• EMPOWERgmat

How to Choose Resources and & Books

Finding suitable materials is the first step in GMAT preparation kit. This initial step might be intimidating due to the plethora of test preparation firms promoting their books.

The Magoosh crew has spent hours buying and studying dozens of books for GMAT. Let’s examine the GMAT books in this post and several other resources, such as content from GMAC, Manhattan GMAT, Nova, and Powerscore. With the information above, your preparation begins and ends.  

As you can see from these evaluations, many top GMAT study guides are published by Manhattan, Nova, PowerPrep, GMAC, and other recognised book companies. But there are plenty of other places to find quality GMAT preparation material. You must look for as much the best book for GMAT preparation as you can!

Best Online and Offline GMAT Coaching Centers

The test is a complicated exam with GMAT question paper being challenging for students. It will get you into any management school. Select the finest GMAT online or offline coaching and register for your course. Begin your GMAT preparation online by selecting online classes.

1. Manya Abroad

The Princeton Review’s Indian partner is this organisation. Manya Abroad – The Princeton Review, Delhi, prepare at least 1000 students for the GMAT each year. US-certified educators teach every Princeton Review student. They adhere to a scientific learning and development cycle. Coaching institutes are located in Chandigarh, Dehradun, Delhi, Gurgaon, Jaipur, Lucknow, Ludhiana, and Noida. They also provide Booster sessions for any GMAT applicants who have achieved a score of 600 or above on practice examinations.

2. Jamboree

Jamboree’s GMAT Classroom Training session lasts 60 hours. Classes are offered twice a week for a total of three hours. The training goes through every facet and component of the examinations. New batches begin every two weeks. Fast-track 512-week courses are also offered, with lessons held four days a week. There are locations in Delhi/NCR, Jaipur, Dehradun, and Chandigarh. In addition to in-person lectures, they provide online instruction, live study sessions, personalised coaching, and study programmes.

3. T.I.M.E.

T.I.M.E.’s GMAT classroom curriculum includes 100 hours (52 sessions) of classroom instruction that covers all subjects and test-taking approaches. As part of the online student help, they provide 90 online sectional practice examinations, 12 full-length computer-based assessments, and 5 computer-adaptive tests. Locations are available in Chandigarh, Delhi, and Rohtak. They have locations in Pitampura, Rohini, Rajouri Garden, Connaught Place, Barakhamba Road, Vasant Vihar, East of Kailash, and Noida Sector 15 in Delhi.

4. Career Launcher

The written test comes first, and their 3-month weekend programme works up nicely with most people’s official schedules. Following that are college applications, which require applicants to reply to essays geared to assess their goal clarity. They have offices in both Delhi and Noida. They have locations in Dwarka, Kailash Colony, Rajouri Garden, Preet Vihar, CP Center, and the SDA market in Delhi.

5. Manhattan Review

Manhattan Review is well-known in Delhi and throughout India for providing excellent GMAT preparation. They provide both in-person and online coaching. Manhattan Review also offers GMAT practice exams and personalised instruction to those who want one-on-one attention. Apart from the GMAT, it also provides preparation for other popular studies abroad examinations such as the GRE, SAT, ACT, IELTS, and TOEFL.

6. GMAT Insight

GMAT Insight is a prominent GMAT tutoring school in Delhi that provides personalised GMAT preparation solutions. It is one of India’s most significant online GMAT coaching institutions, having served students for over a decade. It also provides preparation for other examinations such as the SAT, GRE, and IELTS. Six days a week, from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., it is open; Wednesday is the only day it is closed.

7. Comprehensive GMAT Prep

e-GMAT is an online platform that seeks to empower students’ goals and improve their lives through education. They want high-quality education to be available to everyone, so they provide their complete GMAT preparation tools on their website for free. The website includes over ten hours of video tutorials on the GMAT and over 400 practice problems identical to those on the GMAT. The website also has AI-powered features that track your progress and provide a customised GMAT study experience

While this is not an organised course, it may be the most efficient method to prepare for the GMAT. You are preparing your brain for the harsh reality of the test by continually challenging yourself with new, personally-created questions based on what you struggle with. E-GMAT takes pride in efficient and practical learning, claiming that its preparation resources boost students’ engagement and retention, allowing them to absorb the content in 40% less time. If you want to improve your decent GMAT score to a superb GMAT score, the e-GMAT is the best place to start. 

• Cost: Free
• Certificate: No
• Time to finish: varies
• Beginner to advanced courses
• User Experience: Excellent
• Excellent instruction quality

8. Free GMAT Prep Course

GMAT Free claims to provide students with more than they would receive in a commercial programme, and they do so for free. They say their site is excellent for self-disciplined and driven people since they may work at their speed and begin and stop their studies anytime they like.

GMAT Free is fantastic since it gives students reasonable time to study between class sessions or shifts at work without impeding their progress. The practice questions they provide will be identical to those on your exam, and you will have a robust set of tools to tackle the test by the time you arrive.

You will get access to over 800 actual practice problems and over 600 review lecture videos if you can access and use all of the information on their website. The first module of this free online GMAT course will walk students through how to schedule their studies to cover all the ideas they need before taking the exam. While some students may prefer extra resources, GMAT-free is a fantastic place to start if you are unsure how much study time you will require.

• Cost: Free
• Certificate: No
• Time to Complete: Varies
• Curriculum: Beginner to advanced 
• User Experience: Excellent
• Quality of Instruction: Excellent

9. Preparing for the GMAT

Vince Kotchian’s six-hour GMAT prep course will guide students through an in-depth explanation of how the exam is designed and how to attain a high score. The online prep course will go through all sorts of GMAT questions and how to answer them. Vince will also teach you how to study for the test correctly and equip you with a “toolbox” for success. So far, the course has had over 15,000 views and over 500 “thumbs-ups” on LinkedIn Learning.

Vince Kotchian, a Boston-based test prep educator, has been working in San Diego since 2008. He is sure he understands how to assist students to succeed after working with thousands of online students and authoring a few books. While Vince takes an uncompromising approach to teaching, he also uses empathy and compassion to help his pupils succeed. This course (and thousands of others) will be free if you have a LinkedIn premium account. If you don’t, you may work on it during the platform’s free trial.

• Cost: Free
• Certificate: No
• Time to Complete: Approximately 6 hours
• Curriculum: Beginner
• User Experience: Excellent
• Quality of Instruction: Excellent

10. Free GMAT Prep

The Manhattan Review is one of the best places to go for help with GMAT preparation or general MBA admissions queries. To assist future business leaders who pursue an MBA, they provide several free materials to help you prepare for the test.

There are various sections of practice problems at varying degrees of difficulty for each portion of the GMAT to meet the demands of every learner. The questions allow students to practise the nuances of GMAT problems without the stress of the exam. While this isn’t an organised course like others on the list, the materials are of the highest quality.

• Cost: Free
• Certificate: No
• Time to Complete: Varies
• Curriculum: Beginner
• User Experience: Excellent
• Quality of Instruction: Excellent

11. GMAT Prep Course 1

SkillShare is a MOOC (massive open online course) platform that gives users access to hundreds of courses on various topics delivered by credentialed professors. Users of SkillShare can sign up for a free membership that offers them access to many of the site’s courses, or they can pay a premium membership fee to gain access to more features and courses.

While this course by Jeff Kolbly is a premium course, students can complete it with a 7-day free trial of Skillshare Premium. Students may complete the free online GMAT prep course in one sitting because it is just approximately two and a half hours long.

Students will have been directed through the GMAT introduction, how the math problems are arranged, how to answer these math problems, how to make notes on the math part, and going over defined function and number theory at the end of the course. This test component is explained in around 130 videos, with 73 interactive tasks to do throughout the session. Jeff Kolbly has been writing and teaching in the test prep field for over 25 years and is unquestionably equipped to assist you in improving your score.

• Cost: Free
• Certificate: No
• Time to Complete: Approximately 2.5 hours
• Curriculum: Beginner
• User Experience: Excellent
• Quality of Instruction: Excellent

12. Ultimate GMAT Essay - Ace the Essay in 1 Week

While the course in the fifth slot concentrated primarily on the GMAT math part, this course focuses entirely on the GMAT essay section. More than 2,000 people have enrolled in this free online GMAT prep course, and many received flawless marks on the exam’s essay portion.

Udemy is a MOOC platform that provides customers with paid and free courses based on the teacher and material level. This GMAT essay section course is one of the free courses that does not require any prior understanding of the GMAT or its materials. The Analytical Writing Assessment, famous as the GMAT essay part, has a maximum achievable score of 6.0.

The course takes more than three hours to complete and is appropriate for all levels of talent and expertise. This course is particularly beneficial for those wishing to be admitted to an Ivy League university since it teaches you how to write a complete and insightful essay. While the course comprises mainly video lectures, students may also access several downloaded materials to help them with their exam preparation. This course is essential for every GMAT candidate who wants to do well on the essay portion!

• Cost: Free
• Certificate: No
• Time to Complete: Approximately 3 hours 
• Curriculum: Beginner
• User Experience: Excellent
• Quality of Instruction: Excellent

13. Free GMAT Resources

Because Manhattan Prep views test preparation as an investment, they are the ideal website for you to spend your time on. They are one of the few online sites that offer free live GMAT exam prep sessions a few times a month. Instructors spend roughly an hour on the site offering students advice on subjects such as free GMAT study hours, how to draught a specific application, and how to apply for MBA schools at the last minute.

Students may also test out 5 free GMAT prep classes to evaluate if they like them before spending further on the service. Check mba.com if need any specific information on the exam.

In addition, to live GMAT prep workshops, the site provides many complete GMAT practise exams so that you may practise against the actual test. The website has a forum where individuals can get together to ask and answer GMAT questions. Manhattan Prep wants you to get the most out of your test prep. Thus, they believe you should be able to try out a programme before committing to it properly.

• Cost: Free
• Certificate: No
• Time to Complete: Varies
• Curriculum: Beginner to advanced 
• User Experience: Excellent
• Quality of Instruction: Excellent

14. Realistic GMAT Practice

Kaplan is one of the top test prep companies for a wide range of standardised examinations, not only the GMAT. While their preparation programmes are often somewhat pricey, they provide some free materials on their website to assist students in preparing for the GMAT. Students may take a real-time GMAT practice exam whenever they want with their GMAT On-Demand practice test. 

After taking the exams, students will receive not only their expected results but also a realistic analysis of their test strengths and shortcomings. Following the test, students will access instructional videos and other practice resources for two weeks.

The practice test lets students practise each GMAT part using Kaplan’s realistic online interface, which means that what you see online is comparable to what you will experience on test day. You will also receive answers and full explanations for each question, helping you to increase your overall score.

• Cost: Free
• Certificate: No
• Time to Complete: Approximately two weeks 
• Curriculum: Beginner
• User Experience: Excellent
• Quality of Instruction: Excellent

15. Full-Length Adaptive GMAT Practice Test

Even though this isn’t a whole course, Veritas Prep’s full-length practice exam might be the difference between getting into the MBA programme of your choice and the school of your dreams. Veritas Prep wants its students to be as prepared for the GMAT as possible. Thus, they use a computer-adaptive exam. When you take the GMAT exam, it will be on a computer that will modify the test based on how you respond to each question. The more questions you answer correctly or wrong, the more it will test you.

With questions highly similar to those you will see on test day and an accurate score projection provided by computer adaptivity, the Veritas Prep full-length GMAT practice test closely resembles the actual exam. When you finish the exam, you will be given the correct answers and a full explanation of what you did wrong and how to avoid making the same mistakes in the future. After the test, an evaluation report will summarise your performance by question type and how effectively you timed the exam. 

• Cost: Free
• Certificate: No
• Duration: The length of one entire test. 
• Curriculum: Beginner
• User Experience: Excellent
• Quality of Instruction: Excellent

16. GMAT Math – Permutations and Combinations

Many people agree that some of the GMAT’s and GRE’s most challenging math problems are permutations and combinations. These difficulties frequently trip students, which might differ between a decent and an excellent grade. Don’t Memorise’s two-hour and 47-minute course aims to help students master these challenging tasks so they don’t get tripped up or lose their pace on exam day. Students will learn how to answer permutations and combinations issues using logic and verbal reasoning, and they will be able to apply this thinking to nearly any standardised test.

This course is ideal for beginners because it requires only basic arithmetic skills to begin. You can solve permutations and combinations problems by the lesson’s conclusion quickly and easily. The course includes over 30 real-life examples to help you understand how to contextualise these difficulties. 

• Cost: Free
• Certificate: No
• Time to Complete: Approximately 3 hours 
• Curriculum: Beginner
• User Experience: Excellent
• Quality of Instruction: Excellent

Conclusion

Selecting the right study materials is crucial for GMAT success, and these top GMAT books offer a wealth of knowledge, practice, and strategies. The Official Guide for GMAT Review, Manhattan Prep GMAT Strategy Guides, Kaplan GMAT Premier, Veritas Prep GMAT Complete Course, The PowerScore GMAT Critical Reasoning Bible, Manhattan Prep Sentence Correction Guide, and GMAT Advanced Quant are among the best resources available.

By incorporating these books into your study plan, you'll gain the necessary skills, knowledge, and confidence to excel in the GMAT and pave the way for a successful business school journey.