If you are interested in learning at one of the top business schools and are about to write your Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT), then read this article about the best GMAT prep books and where to find them. These fantastic paid and free GMAT prep books and resources will help you prepare for and ace the test.
In this guide, you will see the best GMAT prep books and details about all the different test sections in the GMAT. Continue reading to answer all your questions and learn more about the critical GMAT prep sections.
Should I Take the GMAT?
You should take the GMAT if you are interested in studying management at one of the top business schools. Taking the GMAT indicates that you are dedicated and motivated. GMAT success shows schools that you are serious about attending a Master of Business Administration (MBA) program. If you take the GMAT, you will increase your chances of getting into a business school.
Earning an MBA will open many job opportunities, including marketing manager, management analyst, and financial advisor. Once you have written this exam, you will be one step closer to starting your career with a high salary. The Bureau of Labor Statistics states that the average salary of a management analyst is $87,660.
Common GMAT Sections You Need to Prepare For
- The Analytical Writing Assessment. This section evaluates your ability to analyze an argument, use critical thinking, and express ideas through an essay written in English. You don’t need to know about the topic being discussed but you need the ability to write analytically.
- The Integrated Reasoning section. This test area assesses your ability to analyze massive data sets and make decisions to solve specific problems. The integrated reasoning section has 12 questions divided into four parts.
- The Quantitative Reasoning section. This section tests your ability to understand graphic data, do mathematical reasoning and find solutions to quantitative problems. The quantitative reasoning section has 31 multiple choice questions made up of problem-solving and data sufficiency questions.
- The Verbal Reasoning section. The verbal reasoning part of the GMAT evaluates your ability to understand and read written material, correct English, and evaluate arguments. The critical reasoning, sentence correction, and reading comprehension questions test specific verbal skills.
The 10 Best GMAT Prep Books to Help You Get Ready
1. GMAT Official Guide Bundle 2022: ebook & Online Question Bank
- Best for: Learning exam structure and mastering foundational concepts.
The GMAT Official Guide Bundle is a fantastic digital prep book and an online question bank that will help you from start to finish with preparing for the GMAT. You can use these fantastic preparation books offline once you have downloaded them. This prep bundle has an online evaluation that will help you decide your weak areas that need improvement.
Practice answering common GMAT questions using the question bank and correct your answers using the detailed answer explanations. The question bank does not include any full-length practice tests essential when studying for the GMAT. The study material in this guide provides a review of essential foundational concepts.
2. All the GMAT set by Manhattan Prep
- Best for: Strategies to reach a high score and practice challenging content to help you prepare.
The Manhattan Prep All the GMAT set is a fantastic resource to help students with their studies. It provides a study schedule, online access to the online learning platform Atlas, and access to additional practice questions. This guide has six computer adaptive tests that contain real GMAT questions.
This bundle includes GMAT All the Quant guide, GMAT Integrated Reasoning & Essay guide, and GMAT All the Verbal guide books to help you answer Quantum analysis and verbal questions. You can buy this in-depth review prep book set on Amazon.
3. The PowerScore GMAT Critical Reasoning Bible
- Best for: Learning how to answer questions and maximize performance.
The PowerScore GMAT Critical Reasoning Bible is considered fantastic study material that helps students maximize their performance by using critical thinking to answer questions correctly in a speedy manner. This guide covers common mistakes for specific questions and enables them to identify the correct answers to each question.
This is an excellent study material, but it does not have many practice questions, and there are no online resources available. You can purchase the PowerScore GMAT Critical Reasoning Bible from the official PowerScore website or Amazon.
4. Veritas Prep Complete GMAT Course Set
- Best for: Learning foundational concepts and practice questions.
The Veritas Prep Complete GMAT Course Set is a great in-depth guide that includes 12 books, including Data Sufficiency, Advanced Word Problems, and Advanced Verbal Strategy. This kit comes with 14 guides about the world’s top business schools. The online question bank is beneficial and covers various topics, such as sentence correction questions.
The Veritas Prep Complete GMAT Course Set is quite expensive and includes only one full-length practice test. While this is beneficial, you may need more than one full-length test to fully prepare. You can purchase these Veritas Prep books through Amazon.
5. Kaplan GMAT Verbal Workbook
- Best for: Reviewing important concepts and accurate practice questions.
The Kaplan GMAT Verbal Workbook is a study guide that helps students review essential skills to answer every question type in the verbal section of the GMAT. It includes hundreds of practice questions and detailed answer explanations to help you achieve the highest score possible. Its efficient test-taking strategies will help you feel confident about your test.
The Kaplan GMAT Verbal Workbook is a great resource, but if you have already purchased another Kaplan GMAT preparation book, you will have to reuse questions because the Kaplan prep books have the same questions. You can buy this GMAT study resource on Amazon.
6. Kaplan GMAT Prep Plus 2022-2023
- Best for: Practice questions and practice tests.
Kaplan GMAT Prep Plus is a great study guide with more than 1,000 practice questions covering all four sections, including analytical writing and integrated reasoning. This comprehensive overview also includes online practice tests, and students have access to video tutorials from top faculty at Kaplan. You can purchase this excellent guide from Amazon.
7. GMAT Advanced Quant by Manhattan Prep
- Best for: Achieving a high score in the quant sections of the GMAT.
The GMAT Advanced Quant by Manhattan Prep helps students prepare to achieve a perfect score of 51 for the quantitative analysis section of the GMAT and is an excellent resource. This book is meant for students who have already achieved a score of 47 for the quant section. Use other resources if you don’t know much and need to learn quantitative methods as a beginner.
Manhattan Prep’s GMAT Advanced Quant gives you access to time management strategies, the Atlas online learning platform, and interactive video lessons. It is the perfect guide for you if you want to do exceptionally well with the quant section and want to learn the more difficult concepts. You can buy this resource from Amazon.
8. The GMAT Roadmap by Manhattan Prep
- Best for: Making a study strategy and helpful GMAT test-prep advice.
The Manhattan Prep GMAT Roadmap is a planning guide to help students map out their study strategies. It helps them stay on track and feel confident on exam day to earn an above-average GMAT score. With this guide, you have access to six online tests and many useful tips and strategies for success. This guide is not content focused and is best for beginners. The GMAT Roadmap is available for purchase on Amazon.
9. GMAT for Dummies 2021
- Best for: Practice tests and flashcards.
The GMAT for Dummies guide will help students prepare for the GMAT by breaking down the four parts of the learning material into smaller sections. The pre-assessment test provides essential details about your strengths and what you need to focus on.
Follow this guide for a comprehensive review of grammar and reading comprehension. There are seven online tests for practice and 500 flashcards to make the learning process more interesting. Go to Amazon if you would like to purchase this GMAT prep book.
10. Princeton Review GMAT Premium Prep 2022
- Best for: Reviewing essential concepts and online practice exams with helpful feedback.
The Princeton Review GMAT Premium Prep is a helpful preparation material that provides students with a review of verbal, math, integrated reasoning, and analytical writing skills to ensure a high score. It includes online videos with expert advice, more than 180 realistic practice questions, and six online practice tests with detailed explanations.
In the guide, you will find step-by-step problem-solving strategies to help you answer questions with a high difficulty level. You can purchase this fantastic Princeton Review prep book with wonderful online resources on Amazon.
Free GMAT Books and Resources to Help You Get Ready
- GMAT Official Starter Kit + Practice Exams 1 & 2 on MBA.com
- Complete Guide to the GMAT from Magoosh
- The Free GMAT Starter Kit from Manhattan Prep
- Veritas Prep Question Bank and Free Practice Test
- Free GMAT Prep from Manhattan Review
- Free GMAT Prep Course from GMAT Free
Best GMAT Prep Books FAQ
According to Indeed, the highest-paying job you can get after completing an MBA is a chief financial officer. Chief financial officers earn an average yearly salary of $139,501.
You should start preparing three to six months before the test to succeed on your GMAT. It is best to pace yourself instead of rushing the preparation in just a few weeks. The more time you spend preparing for the exam, the higher your score will likely be.
The test takes three-and-a-half hours to complete. You can take two breaks during your test, although they are optional.
Yes, you can get into some business schools without taking a GMAT, but most MBA degree programs require applicants to submit a GMAT score for admission.
About us: Career Karma is a platform designed to help job seekers find, research, and connect with job training programs to advance their careers. Learn about the CK publication.
"Career Karma entered my life when I needed it most and quickly helped me match with a bootcamp. Two months after graduating, I found my dream job that aligned with my values and goals in life!"
Venus, Software Engineer at Rockbot
