Test Prep Central Books

The Official Guide for GMAT Review, 11th Edition

Graduate Management Admission Council

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 149 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

No longer useful as it once was 3 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

GMAT has changed a lot over the last 3 years and the materials in this book are no longer as useful as they once was. Most of the questions in this book are over 10 years old and they share approximately 90% of the questions with the 10th edition.

The result is the difficulty level and types of questions contained in this book are no longer fully reflective of the questions one will receive in the real GMAT. If you need proof, download GMAT Prep (just google it) from the providers of the GMAT and you will see the GMAT Prep questions are substantially different and more difficult than the questions from these guides.

The 1400 questions contained in these guides, however, are still somewhat useful, particularly if you are shooting for a lower end (450-620) score range.

If anything, GMAT Prep, which is provided free by the makers of GMAT, is a far better reflection of the real GMAT. Although GMAT Prep does not provide solutions (only answers) to the problems, it contains hundreds of questions in its data bank which will help you prepare for the tougher GMAT problems.

Kaplan GRE Exam 2009 Premier Program (w/ CD-ROM) (Kaplan Gre Exam (Book & CD-Rom))

Kaplan

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 25 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

The Education Testing Service continues to make gradual changes to the content of the GRE. But with this unique multi-format preparation program, students will receive the most accurate, timely details on the GRE test change.

 

With features such as updates and useful resources on test changes posted directly to your online syllabus, test takers can depend on Kaplan for the most complete and up-to-the-minute information.

 

This customized study program includes:

 

-- The latest information on the November 2007 updates, including samples of the two new question types with detailed answer explanations.

-- Up-to-the-minute GRE updates online

-- 5 full-length practice tests (1 in the book, 1 online, and 3 on CD-ROM) 

-- Hundreds of additional practice questions

-- Detailed answer explanations

-- Interactive online study plan and progress report that adapts to your goals and schedule

-- Diagnostic test to target areas for score improvement

-- Kaplan-exclusive score-raising strategies

-- Essential tactics for the computer-adaptive test (CAT) format

The Official SAT Study Guide

The College Board

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 113 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Good, solid study guide 4 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

I bought this book for my daughter. It is easy to navigate, well laid-out, and fairly clear and precise in its presentation.

No explanations!?? 2 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

This book comes in handy because it has great tips and sources coming right from the creator of the SAT's and also tells you what to expect on test day. The only problem is that it gives no explanations for the answers.There are explanations on the sample questions only, but there are none on the practice tests(there are eight practice tests). It is so frustrating, especially in the math section, don't just tell me the answer is "B", explain to me WHY it is "B" and HOW to solve the problem. If you want an effective and easy to understand study guide, I recommend "11 Practice tests for the SAT's and PSAT's" by the princeton review. That one actually explains the answers for every single question(both math and English) in the book. You can buy the college board's if you want great tips but don't rely on it for your practice tests because its not going to help.

Editorial Review:

The Official SAT Study Guide is the only book that features official SAT practice tests created by the test maker.  It's packed with the information students need to get ready for the exam.  They’ll gain valuable experience by taking eight practice tests and receiving estimated scores.  With 900 pages and 21 chapters, the book helps students raise their confidence by reviewing concepts, test-taking approaches, and focused sets of practice questions.

Spark Notes The Fountainhead

Ayn Rand, SparkNotes Editors

List Price: $5.95 By: SparkNotes Amazon Marketplace: 15 new & used starting at $0.48

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 967 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Get your "A" in gear!

They're today's most popular study guides-with everything you need to succeed in school. Written by Harvard students for students, since its inception SparkNotes™ has developed a loyal community of dedicated users and become a major education brand. Consumer demand has been so strong that the guides have expanded to over 150 titles. SparkNotes'™ motto is Smarter, Better, Faster because:

· They feature the most current ideas and themes, written by experts.
· They're easier to understand, because the same people who use them have also written them.
· The clear writing style and edited content enables students to read through the material quickly, saving valuable time.

And with everything covered--context; plot overview; character lists; themes, motifs, and symbols; summary and analysis, key facts; study questions and essay topics; and reviews and resources--you don't have to go anywhere else!

Kaplan GRE Vocabulary Exam in a Box

Kaplan

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 22 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Great idea but poor definitions 3 out of 5 stars.
13 of 13 people found this review helpful.

As others have written in, while the cards cover most of the frequently used GRE vocab words and are an extremely helpful way to study, be wary of the some of the definitions. Kaplan doesn't always provide the best definitions or example sentences. They often define the word as a verb and then use it as an adjective in a sentence, for example. In addition, they often don't provide all of the possible definitions, and it's the secondary definitions that get you on the GRE. The card design is extremely helpful, but I had to relearn many words from other vocab sources.

Good words, but TERRIBLE definitions 1 out of 5 stars.
6 of 6 people found this review helpful.

Embarrassing quality from Kaplan. The words they have chosen may be appropriate and certainly seem like "GRE Words", however, the word choice, sentence examples, and even the definitions are terrible. Did they even have an English instructor take a look at them?

The example sentences often use an obscure or not-intuitive usage of the vocab word. For example, "inimical":

"Even though a cease-fire had been in place for months, the two sides were still inimical to each other."

The point being: You would NEVER see this sentence in a newspaper or book...why didn't they use a more common usage of the word as an example? Like "...inimical to good health...".

More examples abound. This terrible work and an embarrassment from Kaplan.

Editorial Review:

-500 flashcards covering the most-tested GRE vocabulary words

-Sample sentences provide the words in context

-Also includes synonyms and a pronunciation key

PMP Exam Prep

Rita Mulcahy

List Price: $89.00 By: Beavers Pond Pr Amazon Marketplace: 1 new & used starting at $119.00

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 318 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Excellent Methods for Preparing for the Exam 4 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

Rita's book helped me prepare for, and pass, the exam by getting me into the mindset of the types of questions I would face on the exam. The book also goes well beyond what you would cover solely with the PMBOK and provides useful exercises to force you to understand the material. There are also dozens of useful 'nuggets' in the book that, not surprisingly, popped up on the exam for which I was prepared.
As has been noted by other reviews, the tone of the book can often be a little caustic and derogatory but I believe that that is the author's teaching style and it can be effective most times. However, reading the book more than once makes the style less abrasive ...
Overall, an excellent guide to getting ready and passing the exam on the first try.

Editorial Review:

PMP Exam Prep is a comprehensive guide to preparing to pass the Project Management Institute's PMP Exam. This book has explanations of the topics on the PMP Exam, exercizes to test your knowledge, practice exams and tips on what to study, how to study and how to take the exam.

The PMP Exam Prep is a compliment to the PMBOK Guide 2000 and is current with the 2002 PMP Exam.

Cracking the GRE with DVD, 2009 Edition (Graduate Test Prep)

Princeton Review

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 9 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Cracking the GRE offers major features on DVD, including engaging video tutorials from The Princeton Review’s top instructors. The 2008 edition includes over 300 practice questions in the book and exclusive free access to 4 practice exams and expert advice online.

Of course, you’ll also get all the test-prep techniques you expect from The Princeton Review. In Cracking the GRE we’ll teach you how to think like the test writers and

·Solve analogies even when you don’t know the meanings of all the words in the problem
·Crack even the most complex algebra problems by plugging in numbers in place of variables
·Master even the toughest problems in the Verbal and Quantitative sections
·Learn directly from our teachers in a GRE strategy session on DVD

We give you plenty of practice problems to help you master our proven techniques. Our practice questions are just like those you’ll see on the real GRE—but with detailed answers and explanations for every question.

The Real ACT Prep Guide: The Only Official Prep Guide From The Makers Of The ACT (Real Act Prep Guide)

ACT Inc.

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

Great practice tests, -1 star for lack of review material 4 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

This is the best book for ACT practice tests. for starters this book actually contains 3 "retired" Act tests from the past. For EVERY question it has: The right answer + explanation, and the wrong answers + explanation on why they are wrong.

for those of you looking for more review material i suggest Kaplan ACT 2008 Comprehensive Program (Kaplan Act) or Kaplan ACT 2008 Premier Program (w/ CD-ROM) (Kaplan Act (Book & CD-Rom)) . Not only does it have a ton of review, it has practice tests that are very similar to this book(which means they are also very similar to the real thing)

btw with the help of this book + kaplan i got a 28 composite score on the June ACT (93 percentile)

It helped me - maybe you too 4 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

I think that this book did a pretty good job helping me prepare for this test. The practice tests are the best part. The rest is okay, but the practice tests seemed pretty similar to the actual test. By using this book, I made a 33 composite on the ACT.

If you would like some pointers or interesting ways to remember hints, try The ACT For Dummies in addition to this book, but not alone!

Editorial Review:

The Real ACT Prep Guide is the only book with insider test-taking tips and strategy, practice, and insight from the makers of the ACT.

Spark Notes Fahrenheit 451

Ray Bradbury, SparkNotes Editors

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 1269 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Get your "A" in gear!

They're today's most popular study guides-with everything you need to succeed in school. Written by Harvard students for students, since its inception SparkNotes™ has developed a loyal community of dedicated users and become a major education brand. Consumer demand has been so strong that the guides have expanded to over 150 titles. SparkNotes'™ motto is Smarter, Better, Faster because:

· They feature the most current ideas and themes, written by experts.
· They're easier to understand, because the same people who use them have also written them.
· The clear writing style and edited content enables students to read through the material quickly, saving valuable time.

And with everything covered--context; plot overview; character lists; themes, motifs, and symbols; summary and analysis, key facts; study questions and essay topics; and reviews and resources--you don't have to go anywhere else!

The Official Guide for GMAT Quantitative Review

Amazon Price: $11.53 List Price: $16.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Graduate Management Admission Amazon Marketplace: 74 new & used starting at $7.95

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 24 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

GMAT Books you must have! 4 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

I have been studying for GMAT for a few weeks now and I think the OG is a great source for a good practice on real GMAT questions. But having said that, use the OG only once you grasp all the basics and when you are almost ready to take the GMAT. The OG does not contain any math conceptual content, so use it only for practice towards the end.

In order to get a real GMAT prep - I would recommend you buy the set of 9 books of "EZ Solutions," or whichever book(s) you think you need most help with. These books are very detailed oriented and cover everything on the GMAT math. First use the review modules to get the concepts and then use the workbooks for practice. Some of the most challenging topics in GMAT math, such as permutation/combination, probability, geometry problems, complex word problems, etc., are brilliantly explained in these books. Also, the EZ Advanced Workbook is a "must have" if you are aiming for a high score. It may be a good idea to buy Barron's without the CD (don't waste money on the CD version for any book). After doing all this, use the OG and you will see a dramatic difference in your scores. If you still need more practice, you may consider buying the Kaplan book (but really not needed). Save your money by not buying anything else. You don't even have to take any of those pricy courses. I followed this process and my scores have jumped from the 500-range to the 700-range. Good luck!