2007 vs. 2008 MGMAT study guide

[bag]

I've heard you guys are going to roll out a 2008 edition of your study guides sometime this summer. I want to buy the full set, but should I hold off until this edition becomes available (i.e. will the new books be substantively different/better or just a repackaging of the more or less same material)?

I don't plan on taking the GMAT till fall, so I can afford to wait if these new books will mark a significant update in some area. Thx!

[christiancryan]

We’re working away on the third edition right now, which won’t be ready until mid- to late summer. I hate to be coy, but we’re still unclear on what will make the cut. There will certainly be some substantive upgrades, but a great deal of the current material will be either left alone or simply repackaged. We think the current guides do a very good job, and the GMAT evolves relatively slowly. So, my advice would be not to hold back on your own preparation. If you have time now to get started, go ahead and do so.

Hope that's helpful!

[bag]

Hi there,

Okay, I saw this page on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Geometry-Preparat ... 25&sr=8-20

It says "September 2008" as the arrival date. I really would like to get these new editions of the guide before I take my GMAT this fall. Any chance you guys can let us know the date of arrival? Will it be available on this website before Amazon? Thx,

Bag

[mdinerstein]

Hi Bag,

You found the product listings for our new Strategy Guide editions! We're keeping this under wraps for now, but we are planning to release new versions of our guides at some point this fall, most likely mid-September. While I can't comment on this for sure, I will say that it might pay off to check back to our forums closer to the launch date for updates. :-)

Best,

Michael Dinerstein
Marketing & Student Services Associate
michael@manhattangmat.com
800-576-4628
212-721-7400

[bag]

Thanks for the response, Michael. Well-played!

As a friendly suggestion for how to be a good corporate Samaritan, I hope you guys put something out as soon as you know you're under a month from the sales date. It would not be fun to buy the 2007 guide only a week or two before the 08 guides come out...

[StaceyKoprince]

I'll forward that suggestion to our curriculum director. :)

Oh, and we're working our hardest to get those strategy guides done; our internal deadlines have ranged from the past week to the next week. But then they still need to be typeset, and proofed, and edited, and proofed again, and sent to the publisher... you get the idea.

[bag]

Alright guys. Labor day is done and we're in September. I'm taking the GMAT in early November and it's time to rock and roll--so how about letting us know when these latest greatest strategy guides are coming out? Also, will the format/pricing for the online tests be changing at all? I was planning on buying the whole package.

Thx,

Tim

[Brie Truesdell]

Hi Bag-

Right now the best estimate I can give you on the new books is mid-October. I know that's not the news you were looking for, but in our determination to check, recheck and make sure that we cover everything in these new editions that we'd set out to cover, time lines have had to be pushed back.

At this point my advice to you would be not to wait for the new editions. It's never been the issue where we've found fault with the 2007 editions of the books, and we still stand 100% behind those books. But because you're coming up on a deadline, I really wouldn't recommend waiting any longer.

Let me know if you have any other questions!

Brie Truesdell
Student Services Associate
ManhattanGMAT Corporate Headquarters
138 W. 25th. Street 7th Floor
New York, NY 10001
212-721-7400
800-576-4628
studentservices@manhattangmat.com
www.manhattangmat.com

[wengmina]

Hey guys! I'm from Asia and I'm taking my GMAT in March 2009. I got my MGMAT 2007 strategy guides (all 8 of them) last Aug08 and was thinking I should still buy the 2008 edition? Is there a substantial difference? I will have this shipped internationally and will definitely cost me. I wanted to know if it's worth the expense. You think the 2007 edition can get me by?
Appreciate your thoughts....thanks!

[StaceyKoprince]

Check with the office. For a while, you could get the books for free (but you have to pay for shipping) by proving that you'd bought the 2007 books. I'm not sure whether the promotion is still going on, but if you still have your receipt and can send that in, then maybe you can get the new ones for only the shipping cost. Send an email to studentservices@manhattangmat.com to ask.

There are some decent changes in each of the books, but there are also large portions that are very similar. In general, base your decision on where you're struggling. If you're already doing very well with SC, don't bother getting the new book. If you're really struggling with CR, it may be worth getting the new book. That sort of thing.

The math books have more practice problems in them (the in-action problems at the ends of the chapters). They also contain more material for advanced test-takers - things that people would see at the 700+ level. If either of those things is relevant to you, you may want to consider those. If you only want to get some, number properties is most important, followed by equations, inequalities, and VICs. ("Important" means a combination of the magnitude of the changes and the frequency with which these things are tested on the exam.)

There are some more substantial changes in the verbal books than the quant (in terms of the fundamental techniques and grammar explanations). In SC, there's a lot more detail (though some people have told me they think there's too much detail now!), and in RC and CR, the techniques have been revised / refined fairly extensively.