To target GMAT exam's preparation prospective applicants must buy a few GMAT books for study. As numerous books are available in the market, it becomes difficult to understand which book or resource is correct for GMAT preparation. This post will discuss various GMAT preparation books and other resources that are best for scoring well on the GMAT exam. We have provided a comprehensive list of the best GMAT books and resources to give you an edge over other aspirants. There are both paid and free GMAT books mentioned choose based on your need and prep level. We have also been given a six-month study plan for the GMAT exam as well for reference.
Yes, more or less the GMAT books are same for preparing for Focus edition with older versions. Applicants can just selectively choose the topics that are relevant for the current GMAT edition and can easily prepare for the exam. However, there are options to buy official guides or prep material from MBA.com website for GMAT Focus Edition.
Some of the trending GMAT books for preparation are as follos:
- Manhattan Prep All the GMAT
- Powerscore Critical Reasoning
- Kaplan GMAT Prep Plus
- GMAT for Dummies
- GMAC GMAT Official Guide
- GMAT Advanced Quant
GMAT books are essential for preparation because they are designed in a way that applicants can:
- Prepare based on current GMAT syllabus.
- Prepare and get practice
- Understand what kind of questions can be tested
- Look at the pattern of the paper and time themselves
- Finally, get enough material to be able to crack the exam in one go.
- GMAT Books and Resources 2025: Important Factors
- GMAT Prep Books and Online Resources 2025
- Free vs Paid GMAT Books for Prep
- GMAT Preparation Books 2025 FAQs
GMAT Books and Resources 2025: Important Factors
Students should not refer too many GMAT books. It is always advisable to follow a limited number of resources with major focus on regular revisions and practice. Below key points will help you determine the right GMAT prep books and resources to ace GMAT exam:
- Before buying any book, ensure you are thorough with the syllabus and the pattern of the GMAT 2025 exam. Once you go through a book, make sure that this book is in line with the exam syllabus and pattern. Do not buy books just because they look attractive.
- It is about solving complex questions and forming a GMAT preparation strategy to help you score well on all exam sections. It can be identifying the priority section that you will be solving first or related to time management.
- The GMAT exam follows a pattern of testing, so pick up books which follow the same pattern as per the current version for prep or practice.
- The GMAT preparation material and GMAT books must offer answer keys to help students understand the correct method to solve different questions.
Commonly asked questions
Candidates need to understand that purchasing many GMAT books will not fetch them a higher GMAT score. In fact, if they start referring to multiple GMAT books and resources for a single topic, they will only get confused and end up leaving all the study material. The best starting point is always the official GMAT exam material. The official GMAT prep material should be at the base of your preparation. Make sure to cover the entire official study material at least twice. Once you are done with it, you can study other resources such as the Manhattan Guides, Veritas study material, GMAT club, Beat the GMAT, Thursdays with Ron, etc. Stick to selected GMAT books and resources, prepare notes, and appear for as many GMAT mock tests as possible.
The best GMAT books for preparation are:
- GMAT Official Guide to be THE best GMAT book
- Manhattan GMAT Strategy Guides (8 Books)
- Kaplan GMAT 800
- If you want subject specific guides, then you may consider: The Official Guide for GMAT Verbal Review
- Kaplan GMAT Verbal Workbook
- Kaplan GMAT Math Workbook
- The Official Guide for GMAT Quantitative Review
GMAT Prep Books and Online Resources 2025
To help you with your exam prep and cover the GMAT syllabus end-to-end a few GMAT books have been suggested. Moreover, it is extremely important to analyse your performance on these GMAT practice tests.
- GMAT Official Guide: Popularly called GMAT OG, it is the most important book for your GMAT preparation. This book must form the base of your preparation. Do not leave a single page of this book. GMAT OG contains nearly 1000 questions from past GMAT exams. Ensure you complete this book at least twice during your GMAT preparation. You can get the GMAT Official Guide Bundle ebook and online question band at $81.99.
- Manhattan Prep Complete GMAT Strategy Guide Set: The Manhattan GMAT books cover every aspect of the GMAT exam. You have the option of buying these books in a bundle or individually. Apart from the books, one also gets one-year access to practice tests and web material. These GMAT books will help you strengthen your skill set to perform excellently. The study materials and guides offered by Manhattan are considered the best GMAT preparation materials by reviewers.
- GMAT Official Advanced Questions: Once you have completed the GMAT Official Guide and Manhattan GMAT books, you should move on to the GMAT Official Advanced Questions. It has hard GMAT questions from past GMAT exams. This book will help you familiarise yourself with the tough GMAT questions. Note that if you keep on answering the questions correctly, the level of questions gets tougher on the GMAT (with an obvious increase in the score). Hence, a candidate needs to practice hard GMAT questions. You can get the GMAT official advanced questions ebook and online question bank at $29.99.
- Kaplan GMAT Prep Plus: This book provides a helping hand to those struggling with quant. Furthermore, the practice questions in the books are not unique but also challenging. One of the drawbacks of this set is that it comes with only one online full-length practice test, whereas other publishers offer many more practice tests. Veritas offers hundreds of practice questions online, which can help the aspirants increase their scores.
Popular GMAT Online Resources for Preparation
Apart from the prep books, you can also download GMAT preparation materials free of charge from various reputable online forums. Otherwise, you can join various forums, such as the official GMAT forum, and post your query there; experts will answer it. There are numerous (free and paid) online GMAT tests that you can take to enhance your skills. With little effort, you can get free GMAT prep material that can also be useful. We recommend that you take help from the following online resources:
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- Beat The GMAT
- GMAT Club Forum
- Thursday with Ron
- Magoosh YouTube channel
No amount of books or GMAT prep material will be fruitful until you adopt an extensive study plan, rigorous training sessions, and discipline, which are key to achieving a high GMAT score.
Commonly asked questions
Yes, why not! You can get hold of some of the best and also popular e-books for GMAT and prepare from them. Ensure that they are authentically sources and are up to date with the latest GMAT exam syllabus. Also try to get those e-books which will give you access to some sample papers as well. Lastly, read the reviews and then make a choice.
Yes, there are ample resources available for applicants to prepare for GMAT exam and one of the best resources is using the official GMAT books. The GMAT books give detailed answer explanation and directly target the topics that are tested on the exam. Plus they also give practice questions along with full length GMAT exam sample papers.
Free vs Paid GMAT Books for Prep
When choosing GMAT books for preparation you may want to buy more resource books or look for lucrative options. Here is when free vs paid discussion comes into picture. Both types of material are available in the market and online. It is up to you what you want to choose. To get the hang of it, check out which GMAT books are paid and which are not.
Paid GMAT Books
- GMAT Official Guide by GMAC
- Manhattan Prep Book
- Nova
- Powerscore
These are some of the paid GMAT books which can be used for preparation. These include not just explanations but also practice tests. Some online prep material is also available.
Free GMAT Books
- Magoosh
- Beat the GMAT
- GMAT Club
These are some of the free study materials that can be considered for GMAT prep.
GMAT Preparation Books 2025 FAQs
To know more about GMAT books and other resources, please visit more FAQs.
Commonly asked questions
There are various sources available online where one can get useful study material to prepare for the GMAT test. Following are the sources where one can study and prepare for the GMAT for free:
- Official GMAC site (mba.com): Here, you can get tips to prepare for the exam and free GMAT practice tests as well
- Manhattan Prep: It offers free GMAT online prep tools that are very useful for the candidates preparing for the GMAT exam
- Veritas Prep: It offers free GMAT lessons and free tools that will come in handy while preparing for the exam
Yes, GMAT books are helpful resources to get hands on preparation, practice and work on strenghths and weaknesses closely. You can refer to 1-2 books for GMAT preparation and then look at solving some sample papers as well to get some additional practice.
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The current version of the GMAT exam "will continue to be available until early next year". There is no specific date for the same. After MCom, you may opt for an MBA as it will enhance your profile. You might as well venture into a new field (e.g. supply chain management) if you find it interestin
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Hello. Now that you have completed your graduation, you can very well appear for the GMAT exam. Please make sure to check the eligibility criteria for MBA abroad as certain B-schools demand prior work experience. You may also apply for MIM programmes as they are also rewarding. You may check the to