Once you’ve decided to pursue higher education, the next logical step is to understand how to prepare for competitive exams. Talking about competitive exams, The Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) is a global level examination that can open your way to various top business schools in the world. GMAT is one such exam that can help you prepare for the upcoming challenges in the business world. In order to unleash better possibilities, flipping through the best books for GMAT would be a great starting point. However, students often get confused while searching for good books and study material. If you are someone who is preparing for the GMAT and is looking for a helpful book for GMAT, here’s an insightful blog to give you a list of popular books which can be your “go-to resource” for the GMAT preparation.
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List of Best Books for GMAT
Pursuing a business degree is a rewarding experience and GMAT the most important part of the process. To help you prepare effectively, we have listed down some of the best choices of books for GMAT.
Here are the top 6 books for GMAT:
- Complete GMAT Strategy Guide Set – Manhattan Prep
- The Official Guide for GMAT Review – GMAC (Graduate Management Admission Council)
- Ace the GMAT: Master The GMAT in 40 Days – Brandon Royal
- GMAT For Dummies – Lisa Zimmer Hatch and Scott A. Hatch
- Kaplan GMAT Prep Plus
- Veritas Prep Complete GMAT Course
Complete GMAT Strategy Guide Set – Manhattan Prep
If you’re starting with your preparation for GMAT, this book will be your guide to success. Complete GMAT Strategy Guide Set is one of the best books for GMAT. The large bundle consists of 10 guides of 1,900 pages which will cover every area you need to learn for scoring 500+ in the GMAT. The guide emphasis on strategic tools and resources essential for your success. This book has been consistently recommended by several students offering the opportunity for dramatic improvement. Each book delves into a single area of exam providing detailed and specialized instruction.
Buy Complete GMAT Strategy Guide Set on Amazon here.
The Official Guide for GMAT Review – GMAC (Graduate Management Admission Council)
The Official Guide for GMAT Review is designed and written by the staff of Educational Testing Services which prepares the GMAT paper. This complete GMAT guide has been used by teachers and trainers of the exam. Its bundle has everything you need to study for the test. One of the interesting features include is the pattern of questions that you find on the exam. The major sections include time and distance questions, percentage questions, probability questions, etc. The book is curated and prepared mainly for beginners, consisting of 1500+ sample questions which helps in effective preparation.
Buy The Official Guide for GMAT Review on Amazon here.
Ace the GMAT: Master The GMAT in 40 Days – Brandon Royal
This GMAT preparation book is unique and is considered to be one of the best books for GMAT. Based on simple but powerful observations, there are some books which concentrate on study areas while others focus on strategies. Ace the GMAT in 40 Days is your complete guide to prepare for the GMAT exam thoroughly. The book consists of practice samples and tricky questions along with their complete study plan which helps you prepare effectively. This book is a good addition to your study material if you’re interested in problem-solving, data sufficiency, strategies and approach.
Buy Ace the GMAT in 40 Days on Amazon here.
GMAT For Dummies – Lisa Zimmer Hatch and Scott A. Hatch
GMAT for Dummies provides you with a combination of text plus strategy to ace your GMAT exam. This friendly guide will provide you with complete Maths and Grammar studies all at once. The book comprises of plenty of updated practice questions that are derived from the latest GMAT exam. The book also consists of a comprehensive math review of everything from number types to standard deviation and expanded coverage of statistics and probability. Each section ends up with a practice session to help you prepare effectively.
Buy GMAT For Dummies on Amazon here.
Kaplan GMAT Prep Plus
Kaplan GMAT Prep Plus is one of the best books for GMAT and is highly rated by the GMAT professionals and test-takers to provide authentic test preparation. The book comprises of 5 sets of test copies with detailed answers and explanations, integrated reasoning strategies paired with answers. The book has around 1,200 pages with ample tips and tricks to crack the GMAT. The guide is available online with proven answers and video samples which helps make studies interesting for students.
Buy Kaplan GMAT Prep Plus on Amazon here.
Veritas Prep Complete GMAT Course
The Veritas Prep Complete GMAT Course is a comprehensive study kit. You get more than 1000 practice questions and an online portal of resources. More than 50,000 students have used the Veritas Prep GMAT course. The guide focuses on foundations of GMAT and provides comprehensive solutions to practice questions, free access to Veritas Question Bank.
Buy Veritas Prep Complete GMAT Course on Amazon here.
Comparison Chart for Best Books for GMAT
Book | Cost | Pros | Cons |
Complete GMAT Strategy Guide Set | INR 8,500 | Ten guides of 1912 pages + one-year access to online computer-adaptive question banks Include a strategy guide for all the sections of the GMAT. The sentence correction strategy guide is favourite among Indian and International students. | Fewer Practice questions. |
The Official Guide for GMAT Review | INR 3,765 | 3 Books + Online Questions bank. Over 1700 questions from past GMAT exams. Detailed answer Explanation. Questions indexed and organized in order of difficulty. Follows the actual GMAT test Pattern. | It does not contain any strategies. Mostly low and medium difficulty questions. |
Ace the GMAT: Master The GMAT in 40 Days | INR 999 | Includes a detailed 40 day GMAT Plan It categorizes GMAT questions Insightful advice on analysis of argument essay | Does not cover much Especially for Beginner Test Takers |
GMAT For Dummies | INR 2055 | Text + Strategy (360 pages) Covers Verbal section, critical reasoning, mathematize, and analytical writing Provides information on how to prepare for GMAT, what areas to focus on, timing strategies, etc. | It is used as a reference book. More strategies that practice questions. |
Kaplan GMAT Prep Plus | INR 1195 | 2000+ Practice questions with explanation One-on-one support from Kaplan faculty via Facebook | Updates are lacking. |
Veritas Prep Complete GMAT Course | INR 12,800 | Twelve dedicated guides and an in-depth overview of GMAT subjects. More practice questions than Manhattan. Includes difficult and unique practice questions. | Only one online adaptive test. Expensive |
[Bonus] GMAT Exam Pattern
List of Other Books
Here are some other important books for the GMAT exam.
Name of the book | Authored | Buy here |
GMAT Math Prep Course | Nova | Buy here |
The PowerScore GMAT Critical Reasoning Bible | PowerScore | Buy here |
Cracking the GMAT Premium | The Princeton Review | Buy here |
30 Day GMAT Success | Brandon Wu | Buy here |
Prep Complete GMAT Course Set | Veritas | Buy here |
GMAT Books FREE PDF
Here are some of the free PDFs by Manhattan Review that can help you kickstart your GMAT preparation:
FAQs
The GMAT preparation demands a serious commitment from the candidates and can span over two to three months or even more. Formulate a study schedule based on your strengths and weaknesses and then allocate specific hours for each section.
For those who couldn’t crack this exam in the first attempt, the best part is that a candidate can retake the exam up to 5 times in a year. To reappear for the exam, candidates have to submit a written request to the GMAC. Candidates have to keep in mind that you have to wait for a minimum of 16 days before reappearing for the test.
Predicting the actual GMAT score is no easy feat. However, you can take the free tests offered by the GMAC or the practice materials available online as well as offline to gauge through your performance. Since variation in practice test scores are normal and expected, It is advised that the practice tests should only be a part of simulating the test and not as a way of predicting one’s GMAT score.
No, GMAT is much easier in comparison to CAT. While CAT is majorly accepted by Indian Universities, GMAT opens the doors to top business schools across the world as well as in India. The Quantitative section of CAT is much more complex than GMAT.
With self study and moderate level of preparation, it can be difficult to score a 700+ in the GMAT exam. One needs expert guidance and mentorship to fetch an above average score.
We hope that you’re now familiar with some of the best books for GMAT. Preparing for the GMAT can be stressful, but with the help of our experts at Leverage Edu, you can ace your GMAT exam and find your way into the hallways of your dream college. Get in touch with us to secure a bright future.