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Kaplan GMAT 2008 Premier Program (w/ CD-ROM) (Kaplan Gmat (Book & CD-Rom))
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32 new or used available from $11.16
Average customer review:
Product Description
*Fully integrated book, CD-ROM, and online program
*A rich online study plan that guides students through all of the integrated assets of the comprehensive program, including the book, online, and software
*Guidance throughout the program, directing students to additional resources within the program if they need it
*A diagnostic experience to help students concentrate on the areas in which they need the most help
*A progress report, so students can keep track of and analyze their performance as they make their way through the program
*Email communication at key points during the program, providing extra tips and guidance, as well as motivation to keep improving
*Monthly online additions to ensure that the student has the latest content and information about the exam
*Remedial content to ensure students are up-to-speed on the basic concepts before attacking higher-level content
*Downloadable strategy and reference guides for easy prep on the go
*Realistic practice experiences
*Online question banks
*6 full-length practice tests with detailed answer explanations
Product Details
- Amazon Sales Rank: #125778 in Books
- Published on: 2007-06-05
- Original language: English
- Number of items: 1
- Binding: Paperback
- 576 pages
Editorial Reviews
About the Author
Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
Customer Reviews
what a joke. 
This is the exact same book as the 2006 edition, right down to the typos. All they did was put a new cover on it...not kidding! I'm in the process of studying for my GMAT, and I already had the 2006 edition when I noticed this one come out. Great, I thought! More practice! I was DISGUSTED to see that not a thing was different...not the sample questions at the end of chapters, not the practice tests...nothing. Just the cover.
Save your money. Get 2006 version if it's at all cheaper!
Effective. But not for those scoring 700+ already
I bought this book, studied for two weeks, did nearly every single question in the book, and took its diagnostic test at the end and got a 640. Given the grading system Kaplan used for their diagnostic test, I was appalled to find that I could only miss 8 questions total on the exam in order to score above a 700 on their fake GMAT. I went into the actual GMAT the next day dismayed and expecting to score in the mid 600s.
Then two totally unpredictable things happened:
One, I realized the questions I was getting on the actual GMAT test were a heck of a lot harder than the ones I studied for.
Two, I ended up scoring a 720.
So in retrospect, there are two important things you should know about this book.
1. if you're planning or expecting to score 700+, expect the questions in this book to look nothing like the actual questions on the GMAT. Because of the adaptive quality of the CAT, your GMAT questions will be a lot harder as you continue to answer correctly, and you should prepare accordingly (perhaps with a book like Kaplan's GMAT 800).
2. Don't be discouraged by the scores you get on the diagnostic tests in this book. I later researched and found out that Kaplan is notorious for grading strictly on their diagnostic tests and you should expect your actual GMAT score to far exceed the diagnostic score.
All in all, I found their strategies for Data Sufficiency, Critical Reasoning, and Sentence Correction to be invaluable (though not ENTIRELY comprehensive). However, being more efficient in the quantitative side than most, I found their numbers picking strategy for problem solving to be a complete waste of time. My own methods of just brute force solving the problem proved to be faster than picking numbers and plugging them back in.
Good book to improve upon if you are scoring in the 600's. Bad book if you are already in the 700's looking to score higher.
Decent Test Prep
I used this book along with the most recent Princeton publication and the three books put out by GMAC. I took the test yesterday morning and scored 750 -- 99th percentile, exceeding my expectations.
I actually did not study this book in much depth, though I found some of the sections to be helpful. In general, I do not recommend relying solely on any one resource, and I appreciated the advice in the Princeton book to purchase the GMAC books. (This is because GMAC is unwilling to license other publishers to use real GMAT questions, so the GMAC books give you a taste for what will really be on the test.) It seems that the Princeton folks actually want to help students do well instead of simply selling more books and applications to their training programs.
Now, to the book under discussion: The KAPLAN publication. As almost all other reviewers have observed, the Kaplan practice tests are ridiculously difficult. Be aware, however, that you will still face a lot of hard questions on the GMAT; I almost started to panic on the Quantitative section, but I managed to keep my composure and conquer the test instead of letting it conquer me. That is the key -- approach the GMAT with the proper frame of mind. This comes through practice and preparation. I actually had fun with it, believe it or not, and now I look forward to seeing where it gets me with a graduate program.
Do not let a 560 on a Kaplan practice test overcome your will to conquer the GMAT. Use it as motivation to study more and improve your skills. The highest score I received on any practice test was on the second official practice test -- a 700, far below my actual score. I recommend the KAPLAN resource, but use it with caution. I think Kaplan has a reputation for making their practice tests hard, as I found their Analyzing and Interpreting Literature CLEP practice tests to be quite difficult.
