Considerall of the books a way to help you understand what could be covered on the exam including terminology. In theory, no study materials should be needed at all if you are a true season professional. However, given the amount of terms and acronyms alone, there is little chance even a pro could pass the exam without some amount of studying. Likewise, if you only have book experience, you are less likely to fail the exam. Both of these are just my opinion but consider the questions you will be asked may not be simply terms and definition questions and require you to answer with best/most/least type of estimates. Knowing the terms is important too but may not be enough for most of the types of questions you could get on the exam.
In many study groups including this one, you will notice that there are variations on what each person that took the exam claims to have used and may be slightly to greatly different from one person to the next. Some people hate reading (...raises hand..) and some people get the most out of reading. For most, having more than one study source is recommended including books, online courses, audio sources, flash cards, practice tests, study groups, etc.
My suggestion to you is to start with what you know you will read from cover to cover and then supplement with other testing sources including practice tests. If you need more books to help you then go from there.
The official CBK and study guide are the two books I would make sure you have in your toolkit no matter what. The practice tests are the same as what is on the official CISSP study app. So if you are planning on getting the app, consider the book only if you like that format. I have both and the book is nice to get away from screens and more real estate for some of the bigger questions with diagrams.
All ISEE registrants have access to a free preparation option from Test Innovators which includes an online practice test and personalized feedback. Students with fee waivers for the ISEE will also have free access to all of the Test Innovators resources available. Please find below a variety of ISEE resources to help your student prepare for their exam including tips for test day and dealing with test anxiety.
The new GMAT Focus edition Syllabus introduces several significant changes to the exam. These include the elimination of the Analytical Writing Assessment (AWA) section, improvements to both the Verbal Reasoning and Quantitative sections, and the addition of a new section called Data Insights.
The DI section introduces five types of questions: Data Sufficiency (both math and non-math), Graphics Interpretation, Table Analysis, Two-Part Analysis, and Multi-Source Reasoning. This new section presents a unique challenge for test-takers, especially given the limited preparatory materials available
An additional challenge with regards to the DI section is the lack of resources and the need for online tools to effectively prepare for this section. Given the use of graphs and tables that can be modified and manipulated by students while solving certain types of DI questions, a complete and thorough preparation for this section necessitates the use of online tools.
Strengths and weaknesses can be categorized into sections or sub-sections or concepts. Sections refer to Quant, Verbal or Data Insights, while sub-sections include CR/RC in Verbal, Arithmetic/Algebra in Quant and MSR/TPA/GITA/DS in Data Insights. Concepts can be assumptions, probability, and so on. You can learn more about the Data Insights of the GMAT Focus Edition from this article. The more granular data you have, the better. It will help you maintain your strengths and work on your weaknesses.
This step helps you understand the kind of effort you need to put in to get to your target score in the required time. Needless to say, you cannot create this plan without knowing your current abilities, your target score, and the time that you have for preparation.
A student who is currently at the 645 level and aims to get to 695 in a month does not need to do everything that a student who is preparing to improve from 585 to 665 in 4 months does. Creating an effective study plan optimizes your preparation.
This step will help you build your foundation. Hence, you need to be as thorough as possible. Know what is tested on the GMAT and study that. Knowing your strengths and weaknesses (from Step 1) will be very helpful here.
Since GMAT is a computer-based adaptive test, you cannot score well just by solving questions correctly- you need to work on your timing, your ability to solve questions from multiple sub-sections, and your ability to take a 2-hour long test. To do this, you need to take GMAT Focus Mocks.
Please take note of these steps as we will keep referring to them in the rest of the article. More importantly, take note of which of the above preparation steps you are at currently and which steps that you need help with.
Some of the books explain concepts in complete detail and thus are helpful for students who want to start learning from scratch. Other books are good for students who just need to revise their concepts. It is an important criterion that will help you shortlist the books.
While books provide you with all the study material, you may need some guidance or support at times. This guidance/ support may be related to the concepts or related to the preparation strategy. If you are a person who believes in resolving your queries yourself after doing research, you may not need such support. However, if that is not the case, you should select a book that offers customer support.
Various options are available in each of these formats. However, since the GMAT is a computer-based adaptive test, you need to get used to taking tests on the computer eventually. So, the options that you have are-
While you will definitely consider the first-time purchase cost, make sure you consider the chances of having to re-purchase a new course. For example, you may opt for a resource that seems cheaper to you. But, in case it does not work, you will have to re-purchase the same course/ different course and re-take the exam too. Hence, the final cost will end up being much more than the first-time cost. Also, make sure you try the free version of the course, if available, in order to understand your comfort level with it.
In the rapidly evolving landscape of GMAT preparation, the scarcity of resources for the new GMAT Focus Edition is a direct result of its novelty and extensive changes. Currently, the official guide stands as the primary, comprehensively updated book resource specifically tailored for this updated version of the exam. This situation highlights the transitional phase in GMAT prep, where the adaptation of resources to the new format is still underway.
This guide is also available in the online format and mobile app. Since an updated version is released every year, it is preferable to buy the latest version (GMAT Official Guide 2023). Irrespective of which other book you purchase, you should definitely purchase the Official Guide. You can go through this article to know more about how to use Official Guide.
The Classical GMAT offered a wealth of resources, catering to a wide spectrum of learning needs. They were designed to offer in-depth learning opportunities, ideal for those who sought thorough preparation across all GMAT sections. Here is a brief on some of the most popular books and additional guides other than the OG
While classical GMAT resources are still useful for building foundational knowledge for certain GFE topics, they fall short in covering the specific elements of the GMAT Focus Edition, such as the Data Insights section.
Since GMAT is a computer-based adaptive test, you need to take a similar test to understand where you falter. However, most of the books provide paper-based diagnostic quizzes with very few questions. These quizzes can, at best, give you an idea of the kind of questions that you will get on the GMAT. These are not designed to give you an idea of your strengths and weaknesses, your performance in a timed quiz, or your performance in a mixed adaptive quiz. Hence, this is one of the steps where you would need an additional resource.
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While many books provide you with a study plan, none of them provides a personalized study plan. So, if you and your friend want to get to 695 from 645 in a month, the study plan that you will get will be similar, irrespective of your strengths and weaknesses or the kind of effort that you can put in.
Books provide general test-taking strategies, but they cannot help you with the specific issues that you will face during your preparation. For example, what if you have a doubt in a question or in its solution, what if you are not improving in CR even after doing the course multiple times, or what to do if the timing seems to be your only issue? You would need an additional resource to get these queries resolved. Below is an example of a query and personalized strategic suggestion that was shared with one of our students who then scored 730.
To get an idea of the above parameters and track your performance, take a FREE SIGma-X mock. With its personalized analysis and detailed evaluation of your performance, the mock test will provide you with valuable insights into your strengths and weaknesses. This will help you identify the areas where you need to focus your attention and improve your score.
If you are studying from books, you will have to track your progress yourself. How much course you have completed, are you on track with respect to schedule, is your performance improving- these are some of the questions that you should keep a track of. Such tracking helps you understand whether you are on the right track, or whether you need corrective actions. Below is a screenshot showing how we, at e-GMAT, track your accuracy. It is one of the aspects that we track.
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