Looking for the best GMAT prep book you can find to help you study for the exam?
The Graduate Management Admissions Test (GMAT) is a standardized test usually required of students applying to a Masters of Business Administration (MBA) program. The GMAT has four sections:
- Analytical Writing Assessment
- Integrated Reasoning
- Quantitative Reasoning (QUANT)
- Verbal Reasoning
The GMAT is scored out of 800, with most test-takers earning a score between 400 and 600. To score above 600, or to substantially improve your current score, you will have to study long and hard using some kind of prep book or online program.
With so many different guides ready for your GMAT studying needs, it can be overwhelming figuring out which are the best GMAT books for self-study.
Read on to learn about:
- How to Tell a Good GMAT Prep Book From a Bad One
- Best GMAT Resources for Critical Reasoning
- Best Books for GMAT Quant
- Best Books for GMAT Verbal
- Best Books for Sentence Correction GMAT
How to Tell a Good GMAT Prep Book From a Bad One
Buying a GMAT prep book is not just a simple purchase: it’s an investment.
Choosing a GMAT prep book that’s right for you will help you get a better score and get into the MBA program that you want. There are a few ways that you can make sure you pick the best study material for your GMAT study plan.
Read Reviews About It
One of the first things that you should do when you start to look into GMAT test books is read the reviews. As you are reading reviews, check to see if people are reporting higher scores.
You will also want to make sure that you are getting a book that fits your needs. If it is not implicitly stated in the description, see what people are saying about the content.
For example, you may prefer a prep book that includes explanations with answers. Reviews are a great place to find this information.
Make Sure It Has Good Quality Unrepeated Practice Questions
When you are using a GMAT practice test book, you don’t want to see the same questions over and over again. For a more authentic testing experience, your test book should include a variety of practice questions.
Try to find examples of the questions that the test book includes to make sure they are at a GMAT level. The last thing you want is to be underprepared for such a challenging test.
Check If It Follows The GMAT Format And Gives Good Strategies For How To Tackle The Exam
Before you buy any GMAT prep book, you should check to make sure that it includes all sections of the test, or the ones you need to work on. Some books also include a score calculator. GMAT scores are not straightforward, so finding a test book with a helpful score sheet will allow you to see a more accurate score when you practice.
It may also be helpful to find a test book that follows the same order as the official GMAT. The original order of the GMAT is analytical writing assessment, integrated reasoning, quantitative, and then verbal.
The GMAT study materials you choose should also include testing strategies. Sometimes, it is not enough just to answer some practice questions. Helpful tips for how to pass the GMAT with the score you want, test-taking strategies, and what to expect on exam day are a great tool to utilize.
The Price Is Reasonable For You
Most importantly, you will want to make sure that the price fits within your budget. Just registering to take the test itself costs a pretty penny, so your prep book shouldn’t have to break the bank.
Once you start reading GMAT book reviews, you’ll notice that there are great test prep books with enormous benefits that can work with all budgets.
Best GMAT Resources for Critical Reasoning
Critical reasoning can be a challenging section of the GMAT because it is completely logic-based. Take a look at some of the best GMAT resources for critical reasoning:
Manhattan Prep GMAT Critical Reasoning Strategy Guide
With four to five stars on many review websites, this prep book is a great way to prepare for critical reasoning questions. It’s part of a series of strategy guides from one of the top GMAT course providers. You can learn more about their programs in our review of Manhattan Prep GMAT.
This book will help you better understand the logic of arguments so that you can feel confident in your critical reasoning answers. It covers argument structure, methodology, structure-based family, assumption family, evidence family, and wrong answer analysis. The content is clear and concise, and uses an effective and focused approach to teaching critical reasoning skills.
Powerscore GMAT Critical Reasoning Bible
This prep book teaches you the process of breaking down GMAT critical reasoning questions and argumentation, and provides practice questions with in-depth explanations.
The book will show you how to spot different question types, strategies for each type, common errors, and how to identify the correct answer. Many reviewers have said they were able to increase their speed significantly (and improve their score) using these strategies.
The purchase of the book comes with access to the Powerscore website where you can stream or download additional material, study plans, and frequently asked questions.
Available on Amazon
Wiley-Aristotle GMAT Critical Reasoning Grail
While no other critical reasoning prep books are quite as well-known as Powerscore and Manhattan Prep’s, Aristotle’s guide is solid. This prep guide is clear and concise, offering high quality explanations and testing strategies. It offers 100 critical reasoning practice questions and step-by-step guides to each question type.
One of the highlights of this prep book is that it uses jargon-free language. For students who struggle with causality and passive assumptions, this book would be a great resource.
Available on Amazon
Best Books for GMAT Quant
Notorious for being the most difficult section of the GMAT, here are some of the best books for GMAT quant.
GMAT Official Guide 2022 Quantitative Review
This is one of the most popular GMAT quant prep books, with good reason. It’s published by GMAC (Graduate Management Admissions Council), which creates and administers the GMAT exam.
The book contains reviews of algebra, geometry, and other essential math concepts so that you are prepared to begin studying. The Quantitative Review also offers detailed explanations for answers and orders questions from easy to difficult. These provisions help to focus your review and streamline your quantitative analysis approach.
The book includes 300 practice questions from official past exams, plus access to the online GMAT question bank, so you will never run out of ways to practice.
Available on Amazon
Manhattan Prep GMAT Advanced Quant Strategy Guide
This prep book is perfect for people who want to score high on their GMAT quant. To be more specific, it was written for those who are aiming to get a perfect score.
Offering 250+ intense practice problems and high quality strategies for approaching the test, this prep book was made to be challenging. It also comes with access to Atlas, Manhattan Prep’s online platform with interactive video lessons, additional questions, adaptive practice exams, and other resources.
Available on Amazon
Kaplan Test Prep GMAT Math Workbook
For people who may be searching to build their math foundation a little more before they dive into more challenging quantitative reasoning, this book is perfect. It begins with the basic math that is crucial to doing well on the GMAT quant.
The reviews are simple and straight to the point and the book includes many practice quizzes. While made for a foundational math review, some find Kaplan’s questions to be difficult. This prep book could be a great opportunity for you to gauge where your math levels are as you begin preparing for the GMAT.
If you need more in-depth quant prep, Kaplan’s GMAT Prep Course is known to be very comprehensive and provides a ton of practice questions.
Available on Amazon
Best Books for GMAT Verbal
If the verbal section of the GMAT is where you need to focus, check out some of the best books for this section.
Manhattan Prep GMAT All the Verbal Strategy Guide
This guide is a little pricier than some of the books on this list. That’s because it’s a consolidation of three strategy guides by 99th percentile earning instructors with detailed explanations, plus access to online content. It includes Manhattan Prep Critical Reasoning, Sentence Correction, and Reading Comprehension strategy guides.
The book also comes with access to Manhattan Prep’s online platform, Atlas. This platform contains an e-book with more intense Verbal questions, a full-length adaptive practice test, interactive video lessons, and more.
GMAT Official Guide Verbal Review 2022
This is considered to be the best book for GMAT verbal, from the official administrators of the GMAT. With over 340 questions taken from past exams and comprehensive reviews, this prep book will give you the confidence you need to achieve a high verbal score.
This book also includes an overview of the GMAT format and structure to prepare you for the real thing. Purchase of this book also comes with access to the official online question bank that includes customizable study sets, performance metrics, exam mode, and a mobile app.
Kaplan Test Prep GMAT Verbal Workbook
The best feature of Kaplan’s Verbal Workbook is its score guarantee. Kaplan claims that if you don’t score higher after using this book, you’ll get your money back.
The guide includes comprehensive reviews in sentence correction, reading comprehension, and critical reasoning. It provides hundreds of practice questions with detailed explanations and test-taking strategies to better prepare you.
Unlike other verbal prep books, this one also prepares you for the analytical writing assessment with sample essays, scoring guides, and ten practice prompts.
Best Books for Sentence Correction GMAT
The sentence correction section of the GMAT can be difficult for a lot of people. Here are some of the best books for sentence correction GMAT.
This book contains comprehensive grammar and spelling lessons to ensure that you are prepared for the sentence correction section. The guide covers a wide range of sentence correction topics so that you feel you have a solid grammar foundation.
With strategies on how to recognize errors, properly correct errors, error determination, and elimination techniques, you will have an understanding of how to approach this section. The book also provides over 200 practice questions and detailed explanations.
Manhattan Prep Sentence Correction Strategy Guide
The Manhattan Prep GMAT courses include the full range of strategy guides, depending on which package you buy. But if you just want to hyper-focus and score high on sentence correction, this is the best GMAT prep book to get.
This guide extensively covers grammar and spelling, with emphasis on GMAT specific wordings. It includes step-by-step instructions for all the essential grammar techniques and ideas you’ll need for this section. The Manhattan Prep Sentence Correction Strategy Guide will give you the confidence that you need to achieve your ideal score, as it comes with access to additional practice questions online.
Wiley-Aristotle Sentence Correction Grail
This prep book is organized into five parts to give you in-depth explanations of sentence correction. These parts are: basic grammar review, sentence correction error types, miscellaneous sentence correction errors, question bank, and quick revision.
This book ranges in difficulty, so that you can study what you need to, no matter what your grammar level is. It includes targeted practice drills and step-by-step instructions. This book also references the Official Guide for GMAT Review so that you can work with both to ensure that you are extra prepared.
Prepare For The GMAT With The Best GMAT Prep Book Options
There are so many GMAT prep books that can help you prepare for the GMAT, and we hope this list helps you narrow down your best options. Since they range in difficulty, guidance level, and practice opportunities, it’s best to choose based on where you are in your current skills.
Although the books listed in the sections above are the most popular, picking a prep book truly depends on your learning style and needs. Everyone has different goals when studying for the GMAT, so make sure that your prep book matches those.
Overall, just remember to study hard, stay calm, and be confident in your skills so that you can earn your ideal GMAT score. If you find you want more of a comprehensive program, rather than self-studying, we have reviewed several great options on the blog, including the affordable Magoosh GMAT, and the quant-focused Target Test Prep.