Graduating with your undergraduate degree is a notable achievement and should be recognized. In the current economy, however, many career paths require a graduate degree to advance at a faster pace to higher positions. This alone is the reason that many students choose to pursue a graduate degree in business, otherwise known as an MBA, a very prestigious and well-rounded degree choice that has been proven to accelerate the career trajectory for 7 out of 10 graduates who acquired a job they would not have otherwise been considered qualified for.
Applying to graduate programs is a stressful process and requires several pre-requisites, one of them is taking the GMAT. The Graduate Management Admissions Test, commonly known by its acronym GMAT, is a graduate school admission exam that the majority of business programs around the country use to determine candidate readiness for admission into such a rigorous program. While business school acceptance does not rely exclusively on GMAT scores, it is heavily influenced by them and candidates must prepare extensively for their exam.
To aid in the preparations for the GMAT, we compiled a list of the best GMAT prep books to use in preparations for your upcoming exam.
1. GMAT Official Guide 2021 Bundle ($81.95)
Created by the Graduate Management Admissions Council, the organization that administers the GMAT exam, this prep book has a very unique edge over other prep books, it is created with an insider’s perspective. Combined, the GMAT Official Guide Bundle provides students with over 1850 practice questions, both verbal and quantitative. It also includes an online question bank and access to a mobile application. It is the best prep book to use when trying to gauge the style of questions as well as the topics that often occur on the GMAT.
2. GMAT Sentence Correction Strategy Guide ($60.33)
Sentence correction and English grammar make up a large portion of the GMAT. You must use a guide designed specifically for that section of the exam. This prep book has the reputation of being the best on the market for sentence correction and it breaks down all grammar concepts that frequently appear on the exam.
3. GMAT Critical Reasoning Bible ($34.99)
Critical reasoning questions are known for being extremely tricky and easily misunderstood. Critical Reasoning Bible focuses extensively on identifying common mistakes students make when answering critical reasoning questions and helping them identify strategies that will reduce the number of mistakes made.
4. GMAT Foundations of Math $24.99
While the math portion of the GMAT exam may not require in-depth calculus knowledge or any course-specific concepts, it is designed to be tricky. Even the seemingly easy questions are designed to confuse the test taker. You do not need to be a math genius, however, to gain the knowledge necessary to achieve a high score on the math section of the exam. This prep book uses 900 practice problems and easy-to-follow explanations of the most used math concepts to prepare you for the exam.
5. All the GMAT $140.99
A Manhattan Prep bestseller, All the GMAT serves as the ideal supplementary prep book to the GMAT Official Guide. Similarly, it is also written by actual GMAT instructors who scored in the 99th percentile. Consisting of 3 books, the prep books cover each section of the GMAT in a well-detailed and explained manner. It teaches students the strategies to be able to recognize the type of question being asked as well as how to answer it. It is the only prep book to offer upwards of 6 practice exams!
6. GMAT 2021 for Dummies $25.99
Famous for its easy-to-understand explanations, this prep book is ideal for a total beginner. It offers insight into what the GMAT may ask, however, it is not a prep book you should solely rely on to prepare you for the exam. It is great as a supplement to a more in-depth book such as the ones listed above. Nevertheless, it does help in grasping the basic concepts of the questions being asked on the exam and it does include flashcards.
7. The Princeton Review’s GMAT Premium Prep 2021 $35.99
This prep book is ideal for a student looking to refresh concepts they are already familiar with and focus entirely on practice problems. Not a beginner-friendly book, but it does fulfill a great role in reiterating concepts needed to ace the exam. A great supplemental workbook.
Whether you are currently preparing to take the GMAT or are planning for the future, the books above offer extensive knowledge necessary to achieve a high score and secure your spot in the business graduate program of your choice.
If you prefer to learn online – you can review and compare the best GMAT Test Prep courses.
