Overall Score: 90/100
Manhattan Prep is a well-regarded name in the test prep industry. They have been around for two decades, and their test prep material covers a host of standardized tests like GRE, GMAT, and LSAT. They have made quite a name for themselves with their extensive catalog of prep books, and rightfully so.
Over the years, I have personally come across hundreds of different test prep books from various companies, and Manhattan always seems to be a sought-after name amongst students.
Today, I will be reviewing the Manhattan Prep GMAT All the GMAT Strategy Guides. This set contains a total of 10 guides consolidated into 3 books that go deep into the nitty-gritty of the GMAT test.
Manhattan Prep All the GMAT Strategy Guides are, without a doubt, the most comprehensive GMAT prep books available in the market.
However, before we dive into the review, we must establish what makes a useful GMAT Prep Guide and what doesn’t.
In this Article
What makes a high-quality GMAT prep guide?
Students who are new to test prep books fall for shady advertisements and claims. Remember, no matter what a company claims, they are a business and are selling you a product. Please don’t fall for the too good to be true promises that they make; instead, always look up independent reviews or join forums where people discuss these books and ask them their take on them.
Following are some of the questions you should consider asking when purchasing a GMAT book or any test prep book, for that matter.
Is the book easy to understand?
There are tons of prep books out there that needlessly use difficult language and sentence structures to explain a question. Nobody needs that. The very first thing that makes me set aside a book is if it contains complicated explanations.
When learning for any test, the stress is already high enough. You don’t need to be inundated with a wall of text that makes no sense and leaves you scratching your head.
Always briefly go through a book before buying it and see if you are comfortable with the language. Granted, not everyone has the same comprehension skills, and this point may be of little concern to you, but an articulate book is always a good idea.
Does it contain high-quality practice questions?
I have personally read several GRE and GMAT books, and one significant thing is the quality of the practice questions.
Tests like GRE and GMAT employ the use of intricate subtleties in their questions. These are little nuances and details that are meant to throw you off your game, and any test prep that can effectively replicate that in its practice questions is considered high quality.
Most books fall short in this area. The questions are either too easy or needlessly hard, which defeats the purpose of test prep. It would help if you had a prep book that can strike the perfect balance and comes close to the real test. This will enable you to acquire the skills necessary to ace the test.
Don’t be lured in by the sheer amount of practice questions. You could solve thousands of low-quality practice questions and still do poorly on your test. For me, it is always quality over quantity when it comes to practice questions.
Does it provide full-length practice tests?
Knowing where you stand after studying for a test is crucial. You need to know your strengths and weaknesses. Which section of the test requires more study time? What sort of questions you are having difficulty solving?
It would help if you replicated the actual test conditions to get an accurate idea of your standing. Therefore, a good GMAT book should provide high-quality, full-length practice tests that closely resemble the real test.
Does it offer an effective study plan?
Studying for a test like GMAT is no walk in the park. It would help if you had a study regimen that carves out a plan for you. You need to know how to manage your time and how long to study each day. A good prep book will include such a study plan and layout an organized week by week system for you to follow.
What do Manhattan GMAT books offer?
First and foremost, this set of Manhattan books is extremely thorough. It is the most comprehensive and all-encompassing prep guide that I have come across.
Each guide explores a specific section of the GMAT test. The explanations are incredibly detailed. The one thing that stood out the most is how clearly everything is explained. Moreover, Manhattan takes a conceptual-learning approach instead of the cheap hit-or-miss approach of other books that rely on “strategies” and tricks to solve a question.
If you want to learn all the GMAT concepts from scratch, then without a doubt Manhattan Prep GMAT is fit for the job. Anything that has to do with the GMAT test is briefly explained, and the language is unambiguous and articulate.
What books make up the Manhattan Prep GMAT Strategy Guides?
Following are the 10 guides (combined into 3 books) that make up the Manhattan Prep All the GMAT books.
GMAT Roadmap
Consider this book to be an introduction to the GMAT Test. The first chapter starts with a detailed description of the GMAT test itself. You will find details about the format, structure, registration process, and some other general stuff here.
You will also find helpful chapters on how to manage test stress regarding GMAT Quant and Verbal.
Fractions, Decimals, and Percentages
This book, as the name suggests, is a deep dive into numbers. You will learn all about fractions, decimals, percentages, strategies for data sufficiency, etc. There are a total of 7 chapters, and each chapter is dedicated to a sub-topic such as Digits & Decimals, Fractions, Percents, Ratios, FDPs, FDP Strategies, and Extra FDPs.
Algebra
The book on Algebra starts with the bare essentials and take you through the pace to the more advanced stuff. The explanations are incredibly brief. This is an excellent resource for learning algebra from the ground up. There are a total of 13 detailed chapters. Each chapter is dedicated to a specific Algebra topic such as PEMDAS, Linear Equations, Strategy: Choose Smart Numbers, Exponents, Roots, Quadratic Equations, Strategy: Combos, Formulas, Inequalities, Strategy: Test Cases, Extra Equations Strategies, Extra Formula Strategies, and Extra Inequalities Strategies.
Word Problems
This book analyzes GMAT’s complex word problems and offers structured frameworks for solving each question type. There are 10 chapters, and each chapter is dedicated to a specific topic like Translations, Rates and Works, Overlapping sets, etc.
Geometry
This Geometry book explores all the geometry topics that are found on the GMAT. It illustrates every geometric principle, formula, and problem type that is tested on GMAT. There are a total of 7 chapters, with each chapter exploring a certain sub-topic, for example, polygons, triangles and diagonals, Circles and Cylinders, Lines and Angles, Coordinate Plane, and Geometry Strategies.
Number Properties
The book on Number properties offers a comprehensive analysis of the properties and rules of integers tested on the GMAT. The seven chapters explore Divisibility & Primes, Odds, Evens, Positives and Negatives, Combinatorics, Probability, Number Properties Strategies, Extra Divisibility & Primes, and Extra Combinatorics and Probability.
Critical Reasoning
The book on Critical Reasoning explores methods of deconstructing arguments using a four-step process. The eight chapters are dedicated to the following topics, Argument Structure, Methodology, Structure-Based Family, Assumptions, Strengthen and Weaken, Evidence Family, Complete the Argument, and Wrong Answer Analysis.
Reading Comprehension
This book is an incredibly detailed dive into GMAT’s reading comprehension. You will learn how to solve complex reading passages by toolkit different techniques. Each chapter explores a specific topic related to reading comprehension. There are a total of 7 chapters, i.e., Introduction to principles, Components of Passages, Short Passages, Long Passages, The Seven Strategies, Question Analysis, and Passages & Problem sets.
Sentence Correction
This book deals with all things grammar that is known to be tested on GMAT. You will major grammatical principles and some minor points to help you solve any sentence correction question with ease. Everything is explained clearly, and it is elementary to follow along even for someone whose first language is not English. Twelve in-depth chapters explore particular topics like The SC Process, Grammar & Meaning, Sentence Structure, Modifiers, Parallelism, Comparisons, Pronouns, Verbs, Idioms, Meaning, Structure, & Modifiers, Parallelism & Comparisons, and Pronouns & Verbs: Extra.
Integrated Reasoning and Essay
This book details all the question types you will find in this section on GMAT. You will learn strategies for optimizing performance on the essay. There are five chapters, i.e., Introduction to Integrated Reasoning, IR Quant, IR Verbal, IR Preparation and Review, and The Argument Essay.
Biggest takeaways from Manhattan Prep GMAT books
Like I said before, if you are looking for an all-encompassing GMAT test package, then GET THIS set with no questions asked. No matter if you are a beginner or an advanced learner, the Manhattan GMAT books included in the set cover all aspects of the GMAT, from the very basics to the advanced.
The level of detail, in my opinion, is unsurpassed by anything else on the market. I found the contents of the books to be very reader-friendly. There are no gimmicks or shortcuts. You are taught the concepts first and foremost and then some strategies to help you get stuck on a problem.
Every chapter is followed by a series of practice questions that are very close to the actual test. This is something where most test prep books fall short. Manhattan, however, has done well in replicating the GMAT questions.
Between these books, there should be no topic that you cannot learn from this set. Throughout each chapter of any book, the content focuses on building a strong foundation. Once you have learned the topic at hand, you will find useful strategies to conserve time and solve generic questions that don’t need much consideration. You will learn how to identify such problems and move onto the more time-consuming ones.
Moreover, when you purchase this set, you will be provided with online access to SIX CAT tests that closely resemble the actual GMAT content and structure. This is extremely useful because solving a full-length practice test gives you a good idea of where you stand in your journey.
However, be advised that the algorithm Manhattan used for their tests is not identical to GMAT’s, but it does come very close. When you solve the full-length practice tests, I would suggest that you replicate the actual testing environment to get an accurate result.
PROS:
Comprehensive study guide
Since each section of the GMAT is assigned a separate book, you will learn everything from a basic level. There is a particular emphasis on foundational learning, which I highly appreciate. From decimals, number properties, and word problems to critical reasoning and essay, everything is laid out in a way that is both detailed and easy to understand.
The explanations are well put together. It tells you what to do and what not to do. You will learn about common traps and other trickery that GMAT employs in its test. Overall, this is the most comprehensive prep guide for GMAT.
High-quality practice questions
I have been around several different test prep books, and the one thing is the quality of the practice questions. Some books lose the plot and makeup questions that you will never encounter on the actual test. Others tend to make the questions needlessly challenging to stand out amongst the competition, which hurts student scores.
I found the practice questions on Manhattan to be close to the real deal. However, this is not to say that the questions are perfect. There were some odd cases where the quality could be improved, but those are few.
Well-organized and easy to follow
Manhattan GMAT is a well-organized ensemble of books. Nothing seems out of place, and there is no clutter. The layout of the text and format of the pages is easier for the eyes. The language is clear and concise, and no unnecessary jargon can be found anywhere.
Written by 99th-percentile scorers
The team at Manhattan is a group of very talented individuals. They have all scored in the 99th percentile of test-takers, and you can see their expertise shining through the pages. Every little detail and tip are accurate and useful. Since the authors are highly familiar with the actual GMAT, you have the peace of mind knowing that you are studying from the best in the industry.
6 full-length practice tests
With the purchase of this set, you will get access to 6 full-length computer-adaptive tests. Since GMAT, like the GRE, is an adaptive test, it is essential that the practice tests you take mirror the digital format.
Books that include paper versions of full-length practice tests never represent the actual GMAT since the exam adapts to your answers for each question and then, based on how you performed, changes the difficulty of the subsequent questions.
This is achieved via unique algorithms that are trained to adapt to a student’s performance. While Manhattan’s algorithm is not identical to the GMAT’s official one, it does come very close and will give you an accurate assessment of your abilities.
CONS:
Expensive
While it is true that Manhattan Prep GMAT books are the most comprehensive guides out there, it does, however, come at a cost. You will be spending a few hundred dollars depending on where you buy it from. This is sure quite a hefty price tag, and not every student will afford it.
Manhattan’s online subscription is valid for one year
The six full-length practice tests that are provided via an online access are only good for one year after the date of registration. This means that you will have to renew your subscription each year if you are looking to take more than a year to study for the test.
So, in the long run, this is not cost-effective at all. Moreover, there isn’t much else besides the six full-length practice tests—no added features like additional video lessons, etc.
Lack of tips and strategies
Although I prefer conceptual learning and appreciate the no-nonsense approach Manhattan has taken with their books, I wish that there were more tips and general strategies as a bonus.
Since not everyone learns the same way and some people prefer a more direct approach, for the price, I think Manhattan should have included more strategies on how to get out of difficult situations when you don’t know what the right answer is. Things like the process of elimination, guesswork, etc.
Should you buy Manhattan Prep GMAT Books?
That depends on what you are looking for what you want to achieve. Ask yourself the following questions.
How much time do I have?
Take it from me; going through the complete guide is no easy feat. It requires extraordinary commitment and a LOT of time. If you are looking to prepare in a month or two, this is not the guide for you.
Each book is hefty and extremely detailed. Even if you could go through 2 topics a month, you are still looking at five months, not to mention taking the full-length practice tests. And let’s be honest, many of us won’t be able to complete more than one book each month, especially if you have other obligations like a job.
So be advised, if you are going to spend the money on this set, you better have the time to study it to the fullest or else you won’t be getting your Money’s worth.
What is my target score?
Manhattan Prep GMAT books are meant for those who want to score in the middle to high range of the spectrum. If you are not that serious about scoring above the 85th percentile, don’t waste your money and buy something else. Moreover, if you want to cut at the absolute top end of the spectrum, you will most likely have to supplement this guide with something like the GMAT official guide.
Do I want to learn concepts or test-taking strategies?
Manhattan books rely heavily on foundational learning. You will be taught everything from a barebone level and up to the more complex stuff. If you don’t want to invest your time in such a learning system, this may not be the book. The focus here is not on strategies, and while the first book, GMAT Roadmap, does provide some more comprehensive, overarching strategy for the test, you will have to look elsewhere for a strategy-based guide.
Is money concern for me?
As mentioned in the cons, this guide does come with a hefty price tag. You may not want to pay the premium; in which case you have to look elsewhere.
You can also look for used books online or check various GMAT forums and see if someone is selling theirs.
Bottom Line
In conclusion, if you are looking for an all-in-one solution for your GMAT preparation and are willing to put in the time and effort to go through all the 10 guides (compressed into 3 books) and have the money to spare, then yes, this is an excellent GMAT guide, and you must get it.
Manhattan Prep GMAT books leave nothing to be desired. All the topics are explained at length with good practice questions and six full-length CAT’s. If you are looking to complete your GMAT study in 4-5 months, then these books are perfect.