Graduate Preparation Books - Page 3

Kaplan GMAT Verbal Workbook

Kaplan

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 20 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

I feel cheated. Repeated questions. Do not buy. 1 out of 5 stars.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful.

DO NOT BUY! All the questions are from the CD-ROM/DVD of their Premier book. I feel cheated.

Honest Review of GMAT Books! 4 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

After going through all the GMAT books, here is my honest opinion about some of the most popular GMAT books:

Official Guide:
Pros - Excellent source of GMAT questions. Very well organized with real test like questions.
Cons - No review of any math content or test-taking strategies. Not enough explanations of practice questions.
Overall, the Official Guide is a must have for all test-takers. It will give you a good idea about the type of questions to expect on the GMAT; however, if you need more than just a bank of questions, you need to look at some other source.

Kaplan:
Pros - Good for additional practice questions as a supplement
Cons - Review of math content is not thorough but just the very basics. Not enough explanation of test taking strategies. Full of guessing techniques with no real mathematical solutions. Not good enough explanations of practice questions. Unrealistic questions.

Princeton:
Pros - Good for additional practice questions as a supplement
Cons - Review of math content is not thorough but just the very basics. Not enough explanation of test taking strategies. Full of guessing techniques with no real mathematical solutions. Not good enough explanations of practice questions. Weird sense of humor.

Barrons:
Pros - Good math review. Big list of questions. Good test taking strategies. Very well organized. This is by far the best of the all-in-one kinds of books.
Cons - Although the book has a good math review, it doesn't go deep enough into each concept. Not enough explanations to practice questions. Does not have a good section for logical reasoning (permutation, combination, probability, etc) questions, which is one of the most important question-type. Does not break down the concepts/questions step by step.

EZ Solutions (set of 9 books):
Pros - Thorough math review from A to Z. Effective test taking strategies. Abundant solved examples. Numerous practice exercises. Great practice question bank in basic and advanced workbooks.
As with most books, you are expected to already have a good knowledge about the various match concepts, but with these books, you can literally start from scratch and reach the most advanced level of the GMAT.
Cons - To get the best result from these books, you have to invest in buying several books (set of 9 books), but if you compare the cost and benefits, the benefits outweigh the cost, or you can buy a few not all. Missing the verbal section. This is not a good option if you are looking for a mediocre score or just looking for a very basic brush-up. Recommended for serious test takers only.

Some of the other books has no real content; whereas, there are some other books that I haven't yet had an opportunity to review, but may be some of them are good supplementary aids.

I hope my review will help some of you in making the right decision.

Editorial Review:

-- Kaplan-exclusive strategies for all question types

 

-- Powerful vocabulary-building methods

 

-- Hundreds of practice questions 

 

-- Detailed answer explanations 

 

-- Complete chapter dedicated to the Analytical Writing Assessment

Kaplan USMLE Step 1 Qbook (Kaplan Medical)

Kaplan

Amazon Price: $29.67 List Price: $44.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Kaplan Publishing Amazon Marketplace: 54 new & used starting at $24.49

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Editorial Review:

Features:

• Over 850 exam-style questions in USMLE vignette format
• Comprehensive and detailed explanations of the correct and incorrect answer choices
• Coverage of the most exam-relevant subjects to help students prepare efficiently
• Test-taking and study strategies guides with expert perspectives on how to prepare for the exams
• An additional online companion with a sample customizable Qbank of questions

Constitutional Law (Emanuel Law Outlines)

Steven Emanuel

List Price: $25.95 By: Emanuel Pub Corp Amazon Marketplace: 12 new & used starting at $1.09

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 4 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

BUY THIS BOOK IF YOU WANNA PASS CON LAW NOW!!! 5 out of 5 stars.
15 of 15 people found this review helpful.

Emanuel once again proves to be the savior for law students. This outline takes otherwise convolted ideas (i.e. the equal protection clause, freedom of speech, and justiciability to name a few) and presents them in a very readable bullet-point fashion, pinpoint accuracy and with crystal clear clarity. This outline will become a surrogate for your text, classes and even your professor. (I know it was for me). This is a "must-buy" for all law students. Buy this book NOW!!!

Concise, thorough, accurate 5 out of 5 stars.
15 of 15 people found this review helpful.

I bought the Emanuel for property and liked it so much I got this one and the one for substantive criminal law. While I didn't use the crim law one so much (terrific prof), this was absolutely indispensable. We had so much reading in that class that there was no way I could have (a) understood it all on my own or (b) had time to read Tribe or any other hornbook, helpful as they may be.

As with all the Emanuels, this one is organized very well, packing a lot of info in and still making it readable. I recommend periodically surveying the summarized outline at the beginning; then look up your assigned cases in the index and read enough to give you a feel for the issues before you read the cases. Unless your prof is going for breadth and not depth, you won't get through half of this bad boy, but what you do cover will be in here.

Best of all, this supp is very accurate. I regularly brought it to class to refer to, and I thought I had stolen my prof's lecture notes. It clarifies ambiguous doctrines, while appropriately throwing up its hands when commenting on the Court's stance would be guesswork.

I hear all sorts of great things about Tribe, but this was the bomb for me, a lot cheaper and more versatile.

Editorial Review:

Law in a Flash Cards Study anytime, anywhere! Law in a Flash comprehensive flash cards are ideal for reviewing legal topics point by point. Each card has a concise question on one side and an accurate answer on the reverse side. These cards are the only product of their kind.

Kaplan USMLE Step 2 CK Qbook

Kaplan

Amazon Price: $29.67 List Price: $44.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Kaplan Publishing Amazon Marketplace: 51 new & used starting at $24.99

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Editorial Review:

Features:

• Over 850 exam-style questions in USMLE vignette format
• Comprehensive and detailed explanations of the correct and incorrect answer choices
• Coverage of the most exam-relevant subjects to help students prepare efficiently
• Test-taking and study strategies guides with expert perspectives on how to prepare for the exams
• An additional online companion sample of Kaplan Medical's customizable Qbank feature

Kaplan LSAT 2009 Comprehensive Program (Kaplan Lsat)

Kaplan

Amazon Price: $15.64 List Price: $23.00 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Kaplan Publishing Amazon Marketplace: 45 new & used starting at $12.85

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 3 Average rating: 2.5 of 5

Kaplan prepares you for failure 2 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

I am taking the LSAT in less than 2 weeks. As you can imagine, I have been studying hard for the last month. I have completed two programs so far, the one offered by Kaplan and the one offered by Princeton Review.

I did the Kaplan one first, and though I did not find the "tips" useful (such as, "use scratch work", "slow down to speed up"), I thought it was a fair preparation course and was pleased with my results on the practice tests included.

Then I got to the Princeton book and was blown away by the difference. Less fluff, more serious analysis, more detailed break down and strategies. It is really beyond compare. And, the drill questions in the Princeton book were MUCH harder. This is to your benefit.

You can compare the books yourself.

Princeton spends 98 pages on analysis of logical reasoning, Kaplan spends 17 pages.

(I am only counting advice, analysis and tips, not practice questions.)

Games, 96 pages in Princeton, 21 in Kaplan.

Reading Comprehension, 33 Princeton, 15 in Kaplan.

The difference really is that dramatic.

Kaplan has a "better score guarantee" -- well I guarantee, you will not be prepared if you use Kaplan's program.

It would almost be impossible to not increase your score at least marginally by the time your next test rolls around because you will at least be aware that scratch paper is not allowed (mentioned in Princeton, not Kaplan) and other reality checks that will come from actually taking the test.

I do not work for any of these companies, I am just a student. I feel like Kaplan's program is borderline sabotage and will only give a false sense of security. Kaplan gets 2 stars from me because I am giving them the benefit of the doubt, regarding malicious intent.

If you are preparing for the LSATs, buy the Princeton book. Buy 10 actual previously administered tests from LSAC (this is the most accurate way to assess your progress). Give yourself at least 4 weeks to study. Set a calendar and stick to it, and also take advantage of all online resources available for additional practice.

You should also buy a digital kitchen timer to help with pacing.

Editorial Review:

Kaplan LSAT 2009: Comprehensive Program offers the most up-to-date content review, including strategies and practice for the new Comparative Reading passage set.

This invaluable guide also presents Kaplan's proven test-taking strategies for achieving a higher score, as well as an online diagnostic test to target areas for score improvement.

• NEW!Strategies and practice for the new Comparative Reading passage set
• 3 full-length practice tests
• Hundreds of additional practice questions
• Detailed answer explanations
• Personalized online syllabus and progress report that adapts to a student's goals and schedule

The Pre-Dental Guide: A Guide for Successfully Getting into Dental School

Joseph S. Kim

Amazon Price: $12.55 List Price: $13.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Writers Club Press Amazon Marketplace: 27 new & used starting at $8.68

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 12 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

good to get the idea 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

It was helpful in terms of it has pretty much everything that you should know before you apply to dental school. Just use this book as a guide to plan and get some idea when you have no clue. It won't give more than that. It gives some strategies for DAT but it's not enough for sure to improve your DAT score. As I said earlier...just use this book as a guide.

Editorial Review:

WANTED: DENTAL SCHOOL APPLICANTS. The Pre-dental Guide is a comprehensive resource for those who wish to enter the field of dentistry. The purpose of this book is to provide pre-dental students with pertinent information about the various factors to consider when choosing and applying to dental school. Also, the major elements of the Dental Admission Test (DAT), and advice on how to take it, are explained in some detail. In addition, this book makes recommendations regarding the pre-dental resources which are currently on the market. The author, Dr. Joseph Kim, is a former DAT instructor who understands the fears and concerns that dental school applicants face. In this book, he provides answers to many of the questions that pre-dental students have. This is the only book that dental school applicants must have.

Essays That Will Get You into Medical School (Barron's Essays That Will Get You Into Medical School)

Daniel Kaufman, Dan Kaufman, Amy Burnham, Chris Dowhan

List Price: $10.95 By: Barron's Educational Series Amazon Marketplace: 22 new & used starting at $3.97

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 11 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Just write a thoughtful and sincere essay! 5 out of 5 stars.
23 of 23 people found this review helpful.

The best lesson from this book is actually the step-by-step process described in the beginning. The essays are just there for you to get an idea of how unique you can get. By following their process and getting the most of what I have learned from my own life experiences, I ended up with a great essay - something that I am proud of submitting. How did I do it? Just read and completed all of their practical exercises. Otherwise, some of the essays are inspiring and they give you some ideas that may be relevant to your application. Don't listen to the post about this book being all for Ivies. I came from a state school and I still ended up interviewing at the very top schools. What gets past the admissions is your true character and sincere expression of why you want to be a doctor.

Editorial Review:

The definitive guide to writing application essays, written with the help and advice of top-school admissions officers. Includes a step-by-step writing program plus 40 successful essays, complete with advice from the writers - what they did right, how many rewrites they needed, and where they looked for outside help. Your personal statement is the one part of the application totally under your control - make the most of it and increase your chances of getting into the medical school of your choice!

Kaplan GRE Exam Subject Test: Biology 2009-2010 Edition (Kaplan Gre Biology)

Kaplan

Amazon Price: $13.60 List Price: $20.00 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Kaplan Publishing Amazon Marketplace: 31 new & used starting at $12.27

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 6 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Needs a revision 3 out of 5 stars.
11 of 11 people found this review helpful.

After taking the exam in December 2006, you would be better off buying and reviewing the latest version of Campbell Reece 'Biology' textbook to study for the GRE Biology Exam. This Kaplan book needs a revision as it is misrepresenting a lot of the information that was presented on the exam.

I would say that this book is good reference for a high school biology teacher.

One Of The Best GRE Subject Books For Biology Majors Who Want To Score High 5 out of 5 stars.
3 of 5 people found this review helpful.

This is one of the best GRE subject books for any person trying to score high on the GRE exam in Biology. It covers everything you need to know in detail. The illustrations, the diagrams, the graphs, the charts, are all very helpful too. They even show you some basic math to help you understand everything better and for it to make sense for you. It has three sections Cellular and Molecular Biology, Organismal Biology, and Ecology and Evolution. I could not put it down it was so helpful and I understood everything that they wrote down. This book is very specific and as mentioned above and thorougly explains everything without you saying this is too much. There are about 14-15 practice questions at the end of each section and the answers are explained fully. The end of the book there are 200 questions that cover everything that you read in the book and the answers are again fully explained at the end. I am not a good multiple choice test taker but after reading about 10 pages on a certain topic I answered the question correctly at the end. I highly recommend this book you will definately score higher on the GRE subject. Even if you are not a good test taker you will most likely get a higher score! The book might I add is interesting to read too and is very thought provoking.

Editorial Review:

-- Intensive content review of all the topic areas

-- Key strategies for scoring higher on the test

-- Full-length practice test

Kaplan GMAT 2008 Premier Program (w/ CD-ROM) (Kaplan Gmat (Book & CD-Rom))

Kaplan

List Price: $39.00 By: Kaplan Publishing Amazon Marketplace: 29 new & used starting at $17.80

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 23 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Great Intro to the GMAT and Supplementary Source for Problem Questions 4 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

This is a helpful guide to studying for the GMAT, but not an exhaustive one. I recommend using it at the start of your GMAT studies to get a good introduction to the test's mechanics and a general sense of each section. For practice questions and more in-depth, area-specific review, look elsewhere.

The book provides a succinct, easy-to-understand summary of each section and the key takeaways, but if you have any area-specific weaknesses or knowledge gaps, this book will not be enough. For example, there's a great section in the back that provides a review of almost all the basic math knowledge you'll need to have down cold, but the explanations given are short and sometimes represent only one way (and not always the fastest or simplest way) of doing a particular type of problem. Knowing all the basic math is not enough; you have to know how to apply it in many different ways under time-constrained conditions. The Kaplan guide is not going to fill that need for you, and in fact, if you use some of Kaplan's strategies (e.g., plugging in numbers) without a good grasp of the underlying principles, you could be worse off because the GMAT is designed precisely to trip you up on such mental shortcuts.

The practice questions skew toward the difficult side and answer explanations vary from decent to good, but as other reviewers have mentioned, some of the questions are not representative of the actual types of questions you will see on the GMAT. I also noticed a few typos and question errors sprinkled throughout the book and the CD, which seemed sloppy for a guide book to a test where attention to detail is key, and one that has already gone through multiple editions.

In short, if I could do it all over again, this is how I would use the book: at the start of my prepping, read over the strategy sections to get a basic understanding of the GMAT, and later on in my studies, do the practice questions once I've exhausted all Official Guide practice material and have those down cold.

Kaplan OAT, 2009-2010 Edition (Kaplan OAT)

Kaplan

Amazon Price: $22.44 List Price: $34.00 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Kaplan Publishing Amazon Marketplace: 37 new & used starting at $20.67

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 2 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Good for practice questions 4 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

This book contains practice question sets and 2 full-length practice exams. It does not include any comprehensive subject review material. The review sections would make this book much better but obviously a lot more expensive. Kaplan does not make a review book for the OAT that includes subject review because they would prefer that you take their OAT prep course that costs over $1000. If you have other sources to use for review, this book gives you good practice questions to use to gauge your knowledge and preparation for the OAT. Overall, decent book for the money.

kaplan oat 09-10 review 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

This book was useful with many practice questions and 2 full length tests. BUT it was the exact same questions as the 08-09 edition!! Had only a few typos. The only difference were some answer explanations, but I didn't notice.

Editorial Review:

This guide features:

*Two full-length practice exams

*Specific strategies for the computer-based exam

*Hundreds of practice questions with detailed answer explanations

*Two practice sets for every OAT question type: Natural Sciences, Reading Comprehension, Physics, Quantitative Reasoning