The Official Guide for GMAT Review 13th Edition

I started GMAT Club - online MBA community; my GMAT score is 750 (49, 42), and here are my thoughts about this book:~~~ Strengths ~~~1. 907 real GMAT questions retired from past tests (158 new questions in this edition). The total has not changed2. Practice questions are organized by level of difficulty3. Practice questions follow actual GMAT test patterns (it's great to have one's ear trained, esp. in verbal)4. Contains a 100-question diagnostic test5. Overview of the Integrated Reasoning section (50 questions)~~~ Weaknesses ~~~1. Does not include any test-taking strategies2. Though it has a few short review sections for each area, they are weak and very unfriendly3. Questions are predominantly low to medium in difficulty which is often not representative of questions one encounters on the test4. There is an 83% overlap with the previous edition (12th edition). Compared to 66% overlap between OG 12 and OG 11~~~ Contents (number of questions per section)~~~1. Diagnostic Test - 100 questions2. Problem Solving - 230 questions3. Data Sufficiency - 174 questions4. Reading Comprehension - 139 questions5. Critical Reasoning - 124 questions6. Sentence Correction - 140 questions7. Integrated Reasoning - 50 questions (not included in the 907 count)~~~ What Questions Are New? ~~~* Problem Solving12, 13, 14, 15, 37, 49, 56, 57, 60, 61, 69, 71, 75, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 91, 92, 108, 110, 112, 113, 114, 117, 118, 119, 127, 128, 129, 137, 158, 163, 166, 170, 177, 178, 182, 183, 196, 198, 199, 218, 229.* Data Sufficiency11, 15, 18, 20, 23, 24, 25, 29, 32, 33, 34, 37, 39, 41, 42, 52, 57, 65, 70, 74, 75, 79, 80, 83, 85, 92, 96, 97, 99, 102, 109, 123, 131, 133, 141.* Critical Reasoning1, 3, 6, 8, 9, 11, 12, 17, 19, 22, 29, 33, 39, 49, 59, 65, 69, 74, 81, 86, 94, 100, 106, 114, 124* Reading ComprehensionPassage 1 (Questions 1-4), Passages 4&5 (Questions 11-17), Passage 9 (Questions 37-41), Passage 12 (Questions 52-55), Passage 17 (Questions 84-86), Passage 22 (Questions 111-114)* Sentence Correction1, 2, 4, 7, 9, 15, 19, 26, 35, 38, 40, 48, 56, 65, 68, 71, 74, 79, 87, 97, 107, 111, 114, 132, 138*** Why is this book valuable/must-have?The Official Guide is published by the creators of the GMAT and therefore it is the only source of actual GMAT questions representative of what you will see on the test.*** Why is the book not sufficient by itself?This Guide contains only questions and lacks insightful information about the test, a math/verbal concept review section, or any test-taking strategies. To get up to speed, you will need to get a study guide such as Kaplan Premier Program or Manhattan GMAT's 8 guides.*** How should this book be used?This book should NOT be used as a study-guide. It is a collection of questions - think of it as a way to practice your test-taking strategies but not a way to learn them.*** What if I own a previous edition of this book?If you have the 12th edition, the only differences between the two are 157 new questions and IR section overview (there is an online companion for IR). Most test-takers agree that 157 new questions is not a compelling enough reason to own both editions, as the 12th edition offers enough practice. However, if you are taking the test after June 5th, you do want this book for the IR section.*** What is a recommended study plan using The Official Guide?There are a number of approaches that work - here is one that most find reasonable:Step 1: Buy a GMAT Guide from Kaplan (will take about a month to cover it). Get familiar with the test and brush up on fundamentals (math and grammar); also these books will give you a good base for test-taking and timing strategies. This is enough for a 600-level score. I would also recommend to everyone to get GMAT Roadmap by MGMAT. It is a great book packed with common sense and student wisdom on how to best approach the GMAT.Step 2: Take a GMAT Prep (2 free tests downloadable from MBA.com) - but don't waste these; these are free but very valuable tests. Take 1 after you go through the Guidebooks and save the second one for later. These tests will be representative of your GMAT score (plus/minus 40 points).Step 3: (Optional - if you want a 650+ score) Get a specialized Math and/or Verbal workbook from Kaplan, the 8-book set form Manhattan GMAT, or Veritas Prep Guides and do a deep dive into the fundamentals - this is what will help you crack the test - solid knowledge of Math and Grammar. You should also look into the MGMAT Foundations of GMAT Verbal and MGMAT Foundations of GMAT Math.Step 4: By now you should have a good understanding of question patterns, strategies, and timing. Start working on the Official Guide and honing your skills - this is especially important for Critical Reasoning questions that have certain unspoken patterns and rules that only the Official Guide offers - work through the questions to train your ear. Keep in mind that these questions are on the easier side if you are aiming for 650+.*** What are some of the good study suggestions?- Start with a practice test (diagnostic test)- You need quality time. It is really the quality time (morning for some and evening for others) that provides the most retention and results- Don't skip or move past a section until you're able to solve 90% of the questions correctly (timed of course). That is if you want 700+- Never solve questions without timing yourself (unless it is quick drills)- Don't jump into the hardest areas first - build confidence instead with what you know and can demonstrate progress at- Start every new day with the review of what you have learned the day before- Make notes for everything you cover - it helps tremendously to retain what you have learned even though you may never read them. The process of making notes is a very helpful learning experience. If nothing else works - use it- Finally, your practice tests are a usually a very good indicator of your performance. If you are getting 600 on your practice tests, there is about a 2% chance that you will get a 700 score. Do not be surprised when you score on real test a 600Any questions, please ask away - I reply to comments!Good luck on your test,BB, GMAT 750 (49, 42)

I graduated college in 2008 and now, finally, plan to attend Business school and pursue my MBA. I scoured the web and bookstores for the best GMAT prep material and settled on this book.The Official guide to the GMAT (henceforth referred to as 'OG') is made by the folks that produce, proctor and develop this coveted exam. It covers all areas of the test, provides countless practice questions and answers AND (my personal favorite) it walks you through the right and wrong answers and how you may have slipped up. (ie: why the wrong answer was put in there to throw you off).The math is pretty straight forward. Question, answer, explanation, study suggestion... repeat. I am the WORST at math, so I plan to supplement this material not because it's lacking... because IM lacking. :)The verbal is where this book really shines. The thorough explanations and grammar walkthoughs really hone your understanding of the language you thought you knew how to read and write.Overall, give yourself plenty of study time (this book is HUGE) and don't be afraid to quiz yourself... more than once. It's a great buy, a great guide and you can trust it'll prepare you correctly as it's from the makers themselves. Five Stars!

I have this recurring dream that - some day, GMAC will publish an Official Guide that will cater to the entire spectrum of students taking the GMAT (from those aiming a score in the low 500s to those aiming in the high 700s). Alas, if you aim to be in 96 percentile or above, then nothing has changed. I'd stick my head out and venture that the book's still not good enough to get you into the 700s. Unless you are one of those 'GMAT pingers' - keep taking (pinging) the GMAT every few months and hope that you miraculously cross that magic number. FWIW, my review of this book is strictly addressed to the crowd that aspires to get 700+.Problem Solving: The publishers have tried to up the game in this edition but it's still not good enough. Don't be thrown off by marketing terms like '20% new material', etc. Remember it's quality over quantity. Most of the problems are still very easy and straight forward. Don't expect to encounter the same level of questions in the exam (especially, if you are tracking higher).For e.g; problem #s 28 and 61 are deceptively simple. You would be tracking a score in the 400s if you'd ever see one of these problems in the exam! Unless I somehow missed it, I didn't a single Permutation and Combination question in this section.Data Sufficiency: GMAC ups the game in this section and you can see discernibly harder problems. But the jury's still out whether the caliber of questions is good enough to prepare for the actual exam. Even the GMAT Prep software has much harder problems than these.Verbal: A lot of new passages in the Critical Reasoning section. I see a new emphasis on the question type - 'Which of the following...'. Sentence Correction remains the same, albeit with some newer questions. But the explanations still s()ck and everyone's invariably going to gravitate toward the MGMAT SC book. Dude, where are the subjunctives?Integrated Reasoning: This is the new section. The format of the exam changes this June. The book has an overview of the concept but there are no questions here. The back of the Guide has instructions on to access these questions from the GMAC website.On a silly note, I noticed that the publishers of this book switched the printing from black ink (OG 12th Ed.) to a darker shade of gray ink in this edition. Which genius at Wiley decided that this was a cool idea we will never know. Maybe, it's meant to deter piracy (scanner unfriendly), save cost on the ink, etc. The conspiracy theorist in me says that it was a deliberate move - probably, the ink starts fading faster, thereby, killing the re-sale value of the book. All in all, I'm not a big fan of this move.Verdict: Irrespective of what most reviewers say, everyone is going to purchase this book (and GMAC knows that). I only wish that the book had questions of the level that you'd typically encounter in the exam.