Cracking the GMAT with DVD, 2011 Edition (Graduate School Test Preparation)

This book does a nice job of introducing the format of the GMAT, what it is, etc. If you are completely ignorant about what the GMAT is, then it may be worth your time to drive over to the local bookstore and thumb through the first couple of chapters. Beyond that there is very little useful information to be found in this book. In fact, I think that the strategies outlined for the quantitative section are simply misleading and wrong.

For example, early on the book describes a guy named "Joe Bloggs," who is essentially a complete idiot who did not prepare at all for the exam. Most every math problem explanation shows one or two answer choices that Joe would have selected because either they are intermediate solutions (solutions that are found during necessary, but preliminary steps on the way to the final solution), or they are just "too obvious." That's real cute, and perhaps makes people more comfortable with the test, but let me tell you that it will not help you on...Read more

The DVD is very low budget and does not give very useful information. The DVD is short, with only 2 or 3 example questions from each the verbal and quantitative sections. Not a good effort. This is the first book review I have ever written and I only wrote it because I felt so incredibly ripped off by the DVD. Get the book, but not the DVD.

I bought this book as my first GMAT prep guide because I had heard a lot about Princeton Review series. From the very beginning I felt that writers of this book hate ETS. They kept talking about how ETS doesn't care about real intelligence or capabilities but only about money.
That said, the book was helpful, even though a little inconsistent at times. Here are all the positives and negatives:

Positives:
1) Great Quantitative section. You will learn all high school math quickly and efficiently.
2) The tricks and tips described in this book really work. The POE and Joe Bloggs become part of your problem solving strategy.
3) Covers all aspects of preparation, from the day you buy the book, to the application strategy

Negatives:
1) Seriously flawed AWA section. Everything they said about writing a great essay goes contrary to what ETS suggests. I would rather trust ETS than Princeton.
2) Inconsistencies confuse the reader:...Read more