Many people think of GMAT as the very first step towards business school. However, I’d say that choosing the right prep material comes before anything else. While GMAT is a somewhat tricky test, it is also true that virtually anyone can ace it with the right resources and ample practice.
The test’s verbal section is notorious for its crafty use of the language and includes reading comprehension, reasoning, and grammar. To crack the verbal section of the test, it is important to know how GMAT designs its questions and what to look out for. Thankfully, all of this can be learnt thanks to the many reputable books and courses out there.
Therefore, I have curated a list of the 7 best GMAT books and resources geared towards the test’s verbal section.
In this Article
7. Veritas Prep Complete GMAT Course Set
If you want the most comprehensive coverage of GMAT topics in book form, Veritas is your best bet. Veritas is the only company to offer a 12 piece bookset, in which each book is dedicated to a separate GMAT topic.
If you know you are going to self-study for GMAT, you cannot go wrong with this set. Not only does it have seven distinct quant books, but it also includes three whole books dedicated to the verbal portion. You can also buy just the verbal books in case you don’t need the quant ones.
The three verbal books are – Sentence correction, reading comprehension and advanced verbal strategy.
These three books combined offer unprecedented coverage of the verbal section, and you won’t want for anything more. Moreover, each book begins by teaching you the basics and gradually takes you through the more complicated portions. No matter if you are a beginner or advanced learner, these books will suffice for any individual looking to ace the test.
Furthermore, each book has around 100 high-quality practice questions that are carefully curated to represent the more GMAT-like practice questions. Not to mention that you also get seven other books for your quant prep which are as good as the verbal ones.
You will need at least 1-2 months of regular study to get through the whole verbal set, so this is by no means a last-minute solution.
Get it from here.
6. Manhattan Prep’s GMAT All the Verbal
If you want the best to-the-point coverage of GMAT verbal, then this is just the book for you. Manhattan Prep is a leading test-prep company that is known for its high-quality prep guides. “GMAT All the Verbal” is Manhattan’s premier verbal book that offers extensive coverage of all GMAT verbal topics in an easy-to-digest way.
Instead of multiple books, “All the verbal” is a single book some 500 pages long that doesn’t leave any stone unturned. The book has dedicated units for each question type and plenty of chapters exploring the various nuances of the test, including grammar and punctuation.
As for the practice material, you get one full-length practice test and hundreds of practice questions and access to Manhattan’s excellent online platform.
Get it from here.
5. Kaplan GMAT Complete
Kaplan’s GMAT complete is a stellar set of books that contains a math workbook, verbal workbook and a general GMAT guide. Kaplan is known for its engaging and highly effective test prep guides and this set is no different.
The general guide covers all the various verbal and quant topics, whereas the workbooks are dedicated solely to practice problems. However, I am recommending the whole set because the verbal portion is one of the best I have seen.
You will find an extensive coverage of all the verbal question types and numerous strategies and tricks to help you crack those difficult questions. Moreover, Kaplan’s answer explanations are some of the best at explaining the nuances that separates a correct answer choice from an incorrect one.
As for the practice material, you get more than 2000 high-quality practice questions and six-full length mock tests delivered on Kaplan’s excellent online platform.
Get it from here.
4. Magoosh Verbal + AWA GMAT Online Course
Magoosh is one of the leading test prep companies known primarily for its GRE and GMAT courses. As opposed to the industry’s big fish, Magoosh offers high-quality courses for an affordable price, which makes it the first choice for many people.
Magoosh’s GMAT Verbal + AWA course is one of the cheapest and the best bang-for-buck offerings you can find. Firstly, their online learning platform is incredibly neat, easy to use and well-organized. Moreover, the interface is intuitive and easy to use, with plenty of additional tools to help you learn better.
Secondly, you will find over 75 detailed video lessons that cover every nook and cranny of the GMAT verbal section. The course also offers more than 350 practice questions and a score improvement money-back guarantee.
Next, unlike other verbal resources, Magoosh has also included AWA prep along with its verbal course, which means you will also learn the ins and outs of the essay portion of the test. Moreover, you get to use the course for a complete year from the day of purchase.
Having said that, I do have a couple of reservations about the course. There aren’t any full-length practice tests included in the course. While detailed and numerous, the videos aren’t the most high-quality in terms of production. You will have to bear the slide-by-slide presentation of the instructor, which can become a little mundane.
However, these criticisms may not hold when you consider that it is the cheapest high-quality recourse compared to the competitors.
You can get it from here.
3. E-GMAT
Founded in 2011, E-GMAT has risen to popularity amongst non-native test-takers due to the course’s excellent verbal section. Don’t get me wrong, E-GMAT offers a high-quality overall experience, including quant, but their verbal portion is particularly awesome as it is created by non-native English speakers who know what challenges are faced in the verbal section by non-native English users.
Sadly, you cannot buy a verbal-only course, but I can assure you, your money will be well spent if you go for the whole thing. E-GMAT has an immaculate user interface which makes it extremely easy to use and navigate.
The lessons are delivered through HD quality videos that seem engaging and don’t have the PowerPoint feel. Each lesson explores the topic from scratch and breaks down problems bit by bit. Overall, I love the video lessons because they look and feel very professional and doesn’t bore you.
Moreover, you also get access to some 2500 verbal practice questions and five full-length practice tests. Also, E-GMAT has plenty of additional resources, such as its Scholaranium service that let’s lets you take 20 or more “ability” quizzes to help you pinpoint your strengths and weaknesses to optimize your study plan better.
Furthermore, the online platform is driven by AI, which constantly monitors your progress and customizes the learning experience based on your stats.
Get it from here.
2. PowerScore GMAT Verbal Guides
If you have looked around for GMAT prep books, I am sure you have already come across the PowerScore books. These books are easily the most popular GMAT guides, second only to the official guides.
PowerScore books, which are aptly named GMAT bibles, come in three different forms: Critical reasoning bible, Sentence correction bible and Reading comprehension bible. Each book, as the name suggests, is dedicated to a single GMAT verbal topic.
If you get these three books for your GMAT verbal prep, you will receive all the coverage for the test’s verbal section.
What I love the most about these books is the straightforward and friendly tone and the meticulous lessons that start from scratch and take you through the various topics and sub-topics with ease. Moreover, you will also find detailed discussion of the various traps and tricks GMAT uses to get you to answer incorrectly.
Overall, I’d say these are some of the best third-party GMAT prep books on the market. However, my only gripe is that they don’t include any practice problems and you’ll have to purchase a separate workbook for that. Nevertheless, if you were to buy these books, then I would recommend you to use them along with the GMAT official books for verbal practice questions.
Get the sentence correction bible from here.
Get the reading comprehension bible from here.
Get the critical reasoning bible from here.
1. GMAT Official Verbal Review
GMAT’s official verbal guide is written by the same people who design the test, making it the most authentic practice guide you can get. If you want to practice the most authentic GMAT questions, this is your best bet. This is NOT a lesson guide or a book that you can use to learn grammar or techniques to solve various GMAT verbal question types. It is just pure practice.
Each chapter of the book is dedicated to a separate verbal question type and covers all aspects of the question varieties in detail. Moreover, the initial chapters contain information regarding the test and the format and advice on how to prepare.
All of its questions are taken from past exams. This can be incredibly advantageous as it will familiarize you with GMAT questions with no surprises on test day.
The book contains more than 340 verbal questions that are organized by difficulty level. You can also practice online by creating custom quizzes on the online platform.
Get it from here.