Best GMAT Books for Preparation 2023 - Choose Best GMAT Books & Study Materials

How to Select GMAT Books for Preparation in 2023?

Before discussing some of the best tips to decide or select the best book for GMAT preparation, aspirants must keep in mind and plan on studying for the GMAT for an average of 120 hours over 2 to 3 months. The best GMAT books offer students effective test-taking tactics, frequent question types they may encounter on test day, and best practices for maximising their preparation time which will further boost their confidence.

Those who plan to commit a large amount of time to enhance their GMAT scores may find the below-mentioned tips to select the best GMAT books quite useful. Knowing where you need to improve allows you to select the best books and resources to help you prepare for GMAT 2023:

• Candidates must select the best GMAT books and study materials for their GMAT preparation, carefully. Before buying any book, candidates should check the year of publication and the edition of the book. Purchasing GMAT books of the latest edition and recent publications will guide them through the updated version of the syllabus. 

• Candidates are recommended to buy books by renowned authors or of known publication houses. This helps candidates to study the right explanation with theories correctly applied. A matter of reputation and authentication is also attached to a reputed author or publication house. 

• Candidates who are enrolled on coaching centres or exam preparation centres can choose to study from the GMAT study material suggested by them. 

• Books for GMAT preparation consisting of sample papers and previous years’ question papers are also good sources and reference materials for the aspirants of GMAT. 

• It is always good to compare two GMAT books or theories of two books. This helps in extracting the correct and authentic explanation of important subjects or tricky topics. This should be practised by the candidates in case they are not sure of the content of the books or if the book is not by a renowned author or publication house.

Common GMAT Preparation Books

Listed below are some of the most reliable and best GMAT books for overall preparation for the GMAT exam 2023:

• GMAT Official Guide Verbal Review: Book by GMAC - With over 340 questions to attempt from previous GMAT tests, readers can gain a comprehensive overview of a GMAT test including the format and structure followed for the test. The book also helps students review the different sections such as Sentence Correction, Critical Reasoning and Reading Comprehension.

• Kaplan GMAT Prep Plus: As one of the best GMAT study materials available, Kaplan GMAT Prep Plus provides ambitious MBA students with lots of exam practice. This GMAT preparation book includes six online practice exams as well as videos to assist you in improving your test-taking methods. This GMAT study guide provides internet access to video sessions and web resources created particularly for GMAT students.

• Manhattan Prep All the GMAT: The Manhattan Prep All the GMAT is a comprehensive GMAT study guide that combines 10 GMAT exam materials into three GMAT prep books. All GMAT packages offer access to online supplementary materials as well as a study syllabus to help you plan your GMAT study strategy and score higher on the GMAT. This GMAT exam book has two special e-books covering more challenging subjects and topics, as well as six full-length adaptive practice exams.

• The Princeton Review GMAT Premium Prep: A comprehensive GMAT study guide, free online GMAT resources, extensive subject reviews, and six computer-adaptive GMAT practice exams are all included in the Princeton Review GMAT Premium Prep. This thorough GMAT prep book covers all GMAT topics in-depth, including integrated reasoning skills, verbal reasoning, AWA section, and quantitative reasoning. This GMAT official guide includes six full-length GMAT practice exams with extensive explanations for each GMAT question and a score report to track your progress.

• Mometrix Test Preparation GMAT Prep Book: This best book for GMAT preparation covers all GMAT exam areas, including verbal, analytical writing, integrated reasoning, and quantitative. In this prep guide, Mometrix provides crucial guidance and recommendations on time management, goal planning, and tactics for answering all types of GMAT problems. The GMAT book includes a vocabulary section as well as sections on processes and principles. With the online tools, there are step-by-step video lessons as well as a question bank function that gives extensive explanations for each question.

• GMAT Official Guide Quantitative Review, Book by GMAC: The book contains 370 quantitative practice questions that have not been mentioned in the GMAT Official Guide, offering students the opportunity to sharpen their skills. Students will also receive an overview of the entire GMAT exam to be familiar with the content and format of the exam. The book also contains detailed answer explanations providing insight into the reasoning behind a test-maker for each question.

• GMAT Advanced Quant: 250+ Practice Problems & Bonus Online Resources: This book focuses on helping students crack the toughest quantitative reasoning questions by offering essential techniques and extensive practice through 250+ questions, of which 20% are brand new. The book is specifically designed for those test-takers aiming for an 800 on the test.

• GMAT Sentence Correction by Manhattan Prep: The guide has been designed by active instructors with 99th percentile scores, to create a book for the students. The book contains exactly what the student requires for GMAT sentence correction from idioms and pronouns to parallelism and idioms.

• The Complete GMAT Strategy Guide Set by Manhattan Prep: With over 200 free practice test papers and 6 full-length, computer-adaptive practice exams, students will be able to find the solution to their preparation strategy through this preparation guide set.

Best GMAT Books for Verbal Reasoning Section

Listed below are some of the top-rated and highly recommended GMAT books for aspirants to prepare for the Verbal Reasoning section:

• Veritas Prep Complete GMAT Course Set: You can not go wrong with this bundle if you know you're going to self-study for the GMAT. This bundle includes three verbal books: Sentence Correction, Reading Comprehension, and Advanced Verbal Strategy. These three GMAT books provide unparalleled coverage of the verbal part, and you will not need anything else. Furthermore, each book starts with the fundamentals and progresses to the more complex sections.

• Magoosh Verbal + AWA GMAT Online Course: Magoosh's GMAT Verbal + AWA GMAT study material is one of the most affordable and finest value-for-money options available. Over 75 thorough video lessons covering every nook and crevice of the GMAT verbal section are available. The course also includes over 350 practice problems and a money-back guarantee if your score improves.

• PowerScore GMAT Verbal Guides: If you have been looking for books for GMAT Verbal preparation, PowerScore books are your greatest buddies. These publications are easily the most popular GMAT manuals, behind only the official guides in popularity. PowerScore GMAT books, suitably titled GMAT bibles, are available in three types: Critical Reasoning bible, Sentence Correction bible, and Reading Comprehension bible. Each GMAT book, as the name implies, focuses on a specific GMAT verbal topic. If you purchase these three books for GMAT preparation of the verbal reasoning section, you will have complete coverage of the test's verbal component. 

• GMAT Official Verbal Review: GMAT’s official verbal guide is written by the same experts that create the test, making it the most genuine preparation guide available. This is your greatest bet for practising the most real GMAT questions. Each chapter of the book is dedicated to a different form of verbal question and thoroughly covers all aspects of the question variations. Its questions are all taken from previous examinations. This may be quite beneficial since it will acquaint you with GMAT questions so there are no shocks on test day. The GMAT official guide includes around 340 verbal reasoning questions grouped by difficulty level.

• GMAT Verbal Review - Being the official guide to GMAT preparations, you will have access to official questions from previous GMAT tests as well as offer a comprehensive overview of the GMAT exam, which includes the format and structure of the test and more along with offering a review of the different topics under the Verbal section of GMAT.

• Manhattan Prep's GMAT - All the Verbal - A combination of the three former GMAT Verbal Strategy Guide Set, 6th ed, Manhattan Prep's GMAT - All the Verbal takes 'Sentence Correction, Critical Reasoning and Reading Comprehension" and put them into one book. Manhattan Prep's GMAT - All the Verbal is an expanded and updated book, containing the strategies and content to help students get a higher score.

• Aristotle Series - A set of six books, the Aristotle series for GMAT tests acts like a "one-stop shop" to offer aspiring test-takers the ability to gain the necessary skills and strategies to get a high score in this year's tests.

Best GMAT Books for Quantitative Reasoning Section

After looking at the checklist of some of the best GMAT books for the Verbal Reasoning section, here are some outstanding books for GMAT preparation for the Quantitative Reasoning section for the aspirants: 

• GMAT Official Guide Quantitative Review: This is the official GMAT prep book from GMAC. It is one of the most trusted and best GMAT books for candidates, with practice questions that are 100% genuine and drawn from previous GMAT examinations. This provides a realistic picture of what to expect from the actual test. There are 370 official practice questions with thorough answer explanations in the book. It is well-organized, and the language is simple to understand, with several hints and guidance scattered throughout.

• GMAT Official Advanced Questions: GMAC's answer to Manhattan Prep's Advanced Quant is GMAT Official Advanced Questions. While it is not as thorough as the Manhattan book, it has some of the most difficult official questions ever produced. The book contains 150 verbal practice questions and 150 quantitative practice questions, for a total of 300 questions that are not available anywhere else.

• Manhattan Prep's GMAT - Foundations of Math: Perfect for those looking for a refresher on basic math concepts, Manhattan Pre's GMAT - Foundations of Math is a user-friendly review that can act crucial for your success in GMAT. The guide provides more than 700 practice problems for a realistic review, as well as easy-to-follow explanations of fundamental math concepts and more.

• Manhattan Prep's GMAT - All the Quant: An expanded and updated edition of the 5-book GMAT Quant Strategy Guide Set (6th edition), Manhattan Prep's GMAT - All the Quant offers students online bonus materials such as a full-length practice test, additional practice questions and an exclusive e-book that contains tougher questions.

• GMAT Advanced Quant by Manhattan Prep: As the name implies, advanced quant is intended for students who wish to push their quant prep beyond the standard. Please keep in mind that this is not a book for beginners. It is assumed that you have read earlier Manhattan prep GMAT books that begin at a lesser level. This GMAT book has a total of 250 challenging practice problems that are not found in any other Manhattan book. In addition, 55 new questions have been included in this edition of the book.

• Princeton Review GMAT Premium Prep: The Princeton Review's GMAT Premium Prep is another of the best GMAT exam books. It promises to boost GMAT scores by providing descriptive subject coverage, a review of quant concepts, bulleted summaries for reference, and multiple video lessons for explanations. It features diagnostic tests, 180+ practice questions and 6 full-length practice tests with score reports and answers keys for practice. It contains several ways of dealing with the GMAT quant portion.

• Kaplan GMAT Math Workbook: The Kaplan GMAT Math book is one of the best books for GMAT preparation renowned for developing fundamentals and establishing the groundwork for all concepts utilised in the quant part. It contains all of the problems from both sections, as well as the word problem and data sufficiency questions. Furthermore, the book provides a reasonably thorough review of the essential mathematical principles required for the exam. The book's structure is intended so that it begins with the fundamentals and progresses to the more complicated challenges.

• Total GMAT Math by Jeff Seckmaan: The Total GMAT study material book is developed just for the GMAT Quantitative section. The book includes lessons for each question on the GMAT Quant section. The book’s 40 chapters consist of various question kinds, followed by a drill segment with exercises to ensure that you can apply what you've just learned. The book contains over 500 exercises and over 300 GMAT practice problems.

Best GMAT Books for Integrated Reasoning Section

Here is a list of the best books for GMAT preparation of the Integrated Reasoning section: 

• Manhattan Prep GMAT Integrated Reasoning & Essay Strategy Guide: This 144-page Manhattan GMAT integrated reasoning book includes breakdowns and examples of each IR question type, as well as practice questions and answer explanations. There's also an IR strategy section that shows how to approach each question type and obstacle in integrated reasoning. You will also receive one year of access to an accompanying website with additional IR practice questions, exercises, and answer explanations with the purchase of this Manhattan prep GMAT book.

• Manhattan Review GMAT Integrated Reasoning Guide: This GMAT Integrated Reasoning Guide from Manhattan Review emphasises both strategies and practice, walking readers through an overview and examples of each IR question type before diving into a series of IR practice quizzes. The Manhattan integrated reasoning book contains 50 integrated reasoning practice questions, each of which is accompanied by an answer explanation. Furthermore, the book's strategies are frequently based on logical deduction, which may or may not be the best way for you to approach the IR questions.

• Peterson’s Mastering the GMAT–Part IV, Integrated Reasoning: Among the best GMAT books for IR preparation, this book provides readers with an overview of the integrated reasoning section, followed by a three-step approach that test takers are encouraged to use for each IR question type. There are examples and explanations for each question type.

• McGraw-Hill’s Conquering the GMAT Math and Integrated Reasoning: This GMAT book by McGraw-Hill is a comprehensive guide to both the GMAT quant and integrated reasoning sections. While the book is over 300 pages long in total, only about a third or slightly less of it is devoted to Integrated Reasoning. It contains IR strategies, tips, and practice questions, as well as two full-length IR practice tests and answers explanations.

• McGraw-Hill’s 500 GMAT Math and Integrated Reasoning Questions to Know By Test Day: A sister book to the above GMAT exam book, the 500 GMAT Math and Integrated Reasoning Questions to Know By Test Day is entirely devoted to practice questions and answer explanations. There are over 500 practice questions in total, divided by question type: 300 quantitative questions and 200 integrated reasoning questions. If you want in-depth strategy guides as well as a wide variety of practice questions for both the quant and integrated reasoning sections of the GMAT, you should consider purchasing both of these books as companions.

• Vibrant Publishers’ GMAT Integrated Reasoning Practice Questions: This is one of the best GMAT books for integrated reasoning sections, with 150 integrated reasoning practice questions divided by question type and answer explanations. The book begins with a general overview of the GMAT and a brief description of each integrated reasoning question type. The most significant benefit of this book is the extensive number of practice questions and answer explanations. Because the practice questions are divided by question type, you can concentrate on the ones that you find the most difficult.

• GMAT Official Integrated Reasoning Prep Tool: The GMAT Official Integrated Reasoning Prep Tool is a web-based tool that contains 48 integrated reasoning practice questions as well as detailed answer explanations. At the end of each customizable practice session, you will also receive a progress report that will show how you performed on the practice questions in comparison to others who answered the same ones. The most obvious benefit of this GMAT study material is that it is one of the only sources of official integrated reasoning GMAT practice questions, making it a reliable way to track your progress as you prepare for the IR section.

Know how to prepare well for the GMAT exam with the help of the below-mentioned articles:

Best GMAT Books for Analytical Writing Assessment Section

Listed below are the best GMAT books for the Analytical Writing Assessment Section:

• Manhattan Prep's GMAT Integrated Reasoning & Essay, 7th Edition: You may have noticed that there are hardly any books for GMAT preparation that particularly address the Analytical Writing Assessment (AWA) section of the exam. Fortunately, Manhattan Prep has produced an in-depth guide that covers all of the important aspects concerning these two parts. Test takers will discover critical time-management and problem-solving skills for the GMAT's essay portions in this book. The online practice is also available to students.

• Manhattan Review's GMAT Analytical Writing Guide, 6th Edition: Among the best GMAT books for test-takers in the market, this book is one of the only complete GMAT exam books available that focuses just on the Analytical Writing section of the exam. It covers all you need to know to write an effective and interesting essay on test day. You'll learn about the numerous argument types that occur in the exam as well as effective tactics for writing a convincing answer.

• Analytical Writing Assessment (Veritas Prep GMAT) by Chad Troutwine (Author), Markus Moberg (Author), Brian Galvin (Author): Understanding the importance of the Analytical Writing Assessment section of the GMAT, this book is specifically designed for GMAT aspirants, helping them to critically think and write persuasively in the test. The book also includes a list of possible essay topics for the Analytical Writing Assessment section of GMAT, giving aspirants a chance to develop their thoughts before the test itself.

• GMAT Analytical Writing: Solutions to the Real Argument Topics (Test Prep Series) by Vibrant Publishers: Featuring 50 solved argument topics with different strategies, expert strategies and simplified methods aimed to generate focused responses, GMAT guidelines abiding scoring guides that can help you complete the argument tasks, the book is one of best options for GMAT aspirants to develop their factually correct argument skills.