Admissions Books

This book is straight to the point///easy to follow//clearly written. The author used this method and received a 4 year football scholarship from the University of Massachusetts.The listing of many different sports as well as their schools make it easy to use this book as a quick reference.

I used this reference book to help my daughter find the correct schools which specialized in her quest for a sports scholarship..

When I took my first practice LSAT I received a 145. My weakest section was the logic games, but after reading this book it became my easiest section. I recently took the June 2008 LSAT and received a 153- not bad if you are looking for mediocre schools, and received 21 of 23 on the Logic Games section. I know a lot of fellow LSAT takers who have problem with this portion of the LSAT and the books they read have all of these wacky, difficult to understand diagrams.
This prep book gives you clear, and easy instructions that become like second nature with enough practice. I probably studied for less than a month with the Logic Games bible. Oh, and I do plan on taking the upcoming October LSAT and using the Logical Reasoning Bible(same company, must be good right?) along with anything I can find on reading comprehension!

This book is extremely helpful for anyone preparing for the LSAT, no matter what level you're at. I am currently taking a prep course from KAPLAN and I feel that this book is really helping me maximize my scoring potential. A MUST BUY!

The PowerScore LSAT Logic Games BIble (LGB) has been an invaluable resource as I prepare for the LSAT. Although I am attending a prep course, I also use the LGB for additional assistance. The Games Logic Bible contains problems and thorough explanations to right AND wrong answers. Once you get into the groove of tackling the questions, it's sometimes difficult to put down the book. Coupled with the class, I feel confident that this additional resource will help me excel on the upcoming exam.

this seller is awesome! the product arrived in impeccable condition! i am extremely satisfied!

Like their Logical Reasoning Bible, what I liked about this book is that it is like having a tutor sitting next to you explaining how to go about things. I've gone through many other logic games books and this one still ranks to me as #1 because of that.

The book is great for breadth of material as well as depth. Definitely comprehensive.

The book tells you the typical kinds of inferences you should be looking for immediately after processing the rules. Lots of tips and tricks to be found in this book. All taught using real LSAT questions. I found their selection of games to be quite representative as well.

If you are only going to get one logic games book, this is the one.

The author calims if you read each lecture 3 times you are fine for the MCAT. That was a totaly misleading and a waste of time for me.

These books aren't that bad...a bit of dry read...but it is studying for the MCATs. Gives a good idea of what should be on the exam, but I have yet to take it so I cannot tell how helpful it will as far as scoring is concerned. Good overall price too.

These books are a great way for me to study. They break everything down so everything is easy to digest. These books are by far the best I have come across.

The package of books was delivered promptly. I worried about where it would be dropped off, but it was safely tucked away on the porch, in the event of rain. The packaging was tidy and secure.
I was super pleased with the set of books. Crease-free and shiny. The presentation of the information made me feel like these books would really be all I need to prepare for the MCAT, thus saving me a couple thousand dollars on a course.

...because they are a SCAM. I bought this set based on the positive reviews, largely ignoring the cautionary negative reviews scattered throughout. The truth is, these books are nowhere near as good as the reviews say. Lemme tell you right now -- the negative ones are the real ones.

In a nutshell: I found the books to be very poorly written and organized. First off, they spend a ton of time talking down to you and bashing other exam companies. If they were really as good as they say, they wouldn't need to do that. Then they go on to explain why their SINGLE AUTHOR is "uniquely qualified". Their reason? He's a history major who never even went to medical school, who "sat for three MCATs while considering medical school" over a span of about EIGHT YEARS back in the late 80's/early 90's, and finally "scored in the ninetieth percentile in all three sections". Um. Excuse me. Isn't 90th percentile about a 33-34? The first time I took the MCAT, and all I did was read haphazardly through my books and do 3 practice tests. I didn't even understand optics going in. I got a 37. If all he could manage was a 33-34 (and that's assuming his 90th percentile in all three subjects was even on a single test) after three tests and eight years, what the hell makes him think he's qualified to write a book teaching ME how to take the MCAT?

But let's just ignore all that and discuss the meat of the books themselves: the science.

On that count, I have to say that the explanations are oftentimes really convoluted and confusing. The information on the MCAT test structure itself is flat-out wrong in a number of places. There are typos all over the place, and they have the audacity to charge you a forums registration fee on their website to look at the errata for the books. The "MCAT tips" from their "Salty the Kracker" mascot were useless and extremely irritating. And probably worst of all, the practice problems are horrible. They look like they were copied off some generic textbook -- totally off the scope of the MCAT (either too easy or too hard), and sometimes downright illogical/wrong.

The one good thing I have to say about their books is that they draw out all the electron-pushing diagrams in o-chem, which few other review books do. For everything else, they were crap. I finally fled to Kaplan, which I found to be leaps and bounds better. Which isn't to say everyone should go get a Kaplan book, because I haven't had a chance to look through Gold Standard, Princeton Review, Columbia Review, or any of the others -- but it is to say that you should, AT ALL COSTS, avoid exam krackers.

Horrible!!

I have just finished reading the KAPLAN GMAT prep book. Previously I have read a few books on this topic already including princeton review. The value of this book in comparison to other GMAT test prep books is numerous times greater. Sections are explained in order of appearance during the real test and each section is followed by a set of exam questions on the relevant topic. Each section of exam questions is followed by the test result explanation. I prefer this approach over princeton approach and I can warmly recommend this book to any perspective GMAT applicant.

this study guide is well written and includes all the necessary math and English review notes needed to "study" for the GMAT. The notes are helpful and worth the read before tackling the practice questions.

If you have time to spare, I would recommend using this book in combination with the GMAT official guide published by ETS (it comes with 1400 practice questions).

I used thi book to prepre my GMAT and I scored 760.
There are few tests on the book in itself but the software on the CD rom is very useful.
I suggest to get also the Official guide to GMAT with the official powerprep software.

Kaplan has done a great job with this book. The techniques to solve various verbal and math problems are very helpful and one can improve his/her score if one takes this book seriously and uses it properly. You have to spend time with the book and do all the excercises if you want to get the max out of it.
I would like to see more excercises in future editions though.

Kaplan provides a good series of hard questions. Therefore, if you don't mind working from the book, you won't be disappointed. However, a "glitch" is that most Kaplan CD's do not work on Windows 2000 or NT systems!! You can call the Kaplan Technical Support line and they will tell you that many many users have this complaint, they will add your complaint to the list, and then advise that you find an older computer or sign up for a Kaplan course if you would like on-line or CD access. (They will apologize too if that makes you feel better.) Therefore, yes good questions if you can get to them!!

I purchased this about 3 weeks ago and have seen my interest in the LSAT grow. Being somewhat hesitant to purchase any particular guide without consultation, I took a chance in NOVA'S Master the LSAT. The results thus far have been very positive. The games are presented in a very comfortable format, with reviews and warm-ups before the actual comprehensive coverage of material. I cannot speak for the rest of the book, but from what i've covered so far, the book is very engaging and straightforward. Great Buy.

I bought this title expecting to see something different, but I got the same thing as Master the LSAT (with Software and Online Course). Waste of my money, and badly labeled for someone wanting to buy the best study books for the first time.

This book is immediately more effective in teaching you about the LSAT question types. It goes into a LOT of detail on the basics of formal logic which is a tremendous boon when it comes to attacking the accursed logic games and the arguments sections.

I recommend this book over the Kaplan book and the Princeton book.

I bought this book based on the positive user reviews. I have spent seven hours working through it already. The language and instructions are easy to understand, and I appreciate that. However, I worked through the introduction to the logic games section and found a mistake. They use an example where there is a condition listed and then they give a "correct" answer to a question although that answer directly violates the prior condition. It makes me nervous that a book that is supposed to help me do well on the test has a mistake that I found, and I haven't been doing this for very long. I'm buying a different study aid!

Most LSAT courses don't even touch reading. Nova gives it a big chunk of space. Aside from reading, I strongly recommend this if you wish to plug in the holes of your prep course. It's wonderfully written and the best LSAT book.

I just took the DAT this morning and this is not the product to get to prepare for actual test questions. The orgo and genchem sections are pretty accurate to the test, but everything else is not. The bio section is much harder and specific on the real test. The reading section on the actual test has tone and inference questions, whereas these practice tests only ask specific passage questions. The actual DAT has a lot of rate, chance, and algebra questions, whereas these practice tests do not. The actual pat section is harder than the software pat section. The actual exam is sort of formatted badly. It takes up the whole computer screen and the words are big, so it takes more time to read. This software has a small window for a screen, which is convenient but not true to the test. This software is good for timing, but beware of content!

These tests were similar to the actual DAT in complexity and material covered. The PAT section was a little harder on the real test. The only thing I didn't
like was that they don't explain why the wrong choices were wrong. The explanations are just direct quotes from books

I thought it was good format practice for the actual DAT but I found the science questions weren't similar at all. The PAT was excellent practice though.

TopScore was definitely good practice since it was a computer test. Just remember not to load it into your computer until you're ready to take the tests. It was slightly easier than the real thing, but if you focus on the types of questions that might be asked, then it's very helpful. For the first two TopScore tests, I did slightly below 20 for natural science, but in the end, I scored way above that on the real test (by knowing the problems inside and out). The biology is unpredictable, so you're better off just studying Schaum's Outline of Biology or better yet, taking upper division biology classes. I actually did better on the biology on the real DAT than I did on any practices I've ever had.

People say that the TopScore PAT doesn't compare to DAT Achiever's because it is much easier, and that is true. At the same time, though, I think TopScore's PAT hit closer to home when it came to the real test. The quantitative reasoning on the real test was brutal, much harder than TopScore; there were things I had probably never seen in my life. As for reading comprehension, I have nothing to say, because I will always do badly on that.

Good luck studying!

This is an important product to have when preparing for the DAT. There were only a few mistakes, and the simulation of the test was the most accurate out of all the other materials I used. Here are my average scores compared to test day:
Topscore: Bio-18, G chem-19, O chem-19, Reading-21, QR-17, PAT-23
Real thing: Bio-21, G chem-17, O chem-26, Reading-17, QR-16, PAT-23

I know other people said these practice tests were harder than the real thing but I got the exact same overall scores on the test day (AA 19, PAT 23) I basically suck at math and reading and I didn't spend a lot of time on those areas so I'm not surprised about those low scores. But I do want to mention that the reading section for Topscore is pretty much ALL direct questions about the text. You just had to look back at the reading and its right there. But on the real DAT there's a lot more questions about the feeling of the passage, or the tone, and which sentence could be used to end the passage? and what not. So overall, don't be like me and make the mistake of thinking the real test is easier than these.

Wow, this book is awesome. I am already trying to study like 1000 subjects with the GMAT, but this book breaks it down. First it test you on your problem areas, then gives you a page number to reference if you missed a question, then you just fix the problem areas and move on. Great book!

This book is perfect for those who have a) not had a math class in a while or b) little confidence in their math skills. As one of the mathematically crippled myself, I felt I needed a brush up on my skills. This is a great entry-level book with wonderful step-by-step instructions, both of methodology and practice problems.

This is a "leg up" book, though. You definitely need to couple this book with more advanced practice to be successful on the GRE. Try the Barron's comprehensive study aid.

I think this is a good book to go through before you jump into the official exam books. I really liked the Geometry section since that was where I was feeling the pinch when I started looking at the GMAT books. However I think you would get away by not doing the Algebra & Arithmetic since they were pretty simple.

I bought this book based on amazon reviewers comments and I was wrong. This book is so simple it's not even funny. Just skimming through it, I can not even say that it will help with the GMAT in the slightest way.

For a far better math review guide for gmat preparation, I would reccommend the Arco Gmat/GRE Math review book. This book assumes you know how to add and multiply (unlike the "Ultimate" refresher) and goes through topics in great detail. I am almost done with the entire Arco book and love how it introduces new topis and gives you problems that range in difficulty - from easy to hard. This is how you build up a mathematical skillset.

Not to mention, the Arco book covers the bredth of math-related topics which are likely to appear on the GMAT.

Anyone looking to get a serious score, steer clear of this waste of $. Your $ is better spent on the Arco book.

It gives an okay overview of the basics, but it is not challenging enough for the GRE.

This was a really enjoyable read during a violent tropical storm that kept a lot of us indoors this holiday. Lately I have read some really bad examples of the genre known as chik lit. This book is different. Not only is the story fun, but there is a point to it beyond watching the super rich go shopping and get invitations to cocktail parties. The total insanity surrounding getting kids into the "right" schools today, at least in the New York area, is very much a reality and the author's satire is right on target. The stress and the hassles are unbelievable, and affect the middle and upper middle classes as well as the very rich. I know lots of people who have been in, or are anticipating being in, the position of Helen and Michael. It starts in preschool and goes on through graduate school. I read straight through this book and got a lot of laughs, but also recognized a lot of types. The school auction at the end is really funny. If you enjoyed The Devil Wears Prada, you'll like this book.

While the book itself is funny and satirical, the author fails to recall her own characters. For example: page 184 describing Max, Zoe's Public School choral mate "With curly brown hair, pale-green eyes, and unblemished skin, his looks were as close to cherubic as was possible in a fourteen-year old verging on puberty." Now, describing that same male character (Max) on page 258 "her response was triggered not so much by the song as by Max, whose pale skin, dark eyes, and bee-stung lips reminded her of photographs she had seen of Michael at that age".
I was nestled in my couch, with my cat, thoroughly enjoying this woman's book when I stumbled upon this faux pas. Don't these people keep notes on their own characters? I had an image in my mind of Max since page 184... PALE EYES not DARK EYES. Please, Ms. Lieberman, do not take your readers for granted. You have been caught in a blunder. Your readers are not stupid!

Promising topic for a comic novel; lousy book.

Parents trying to get their beloved and perfect offspring into the best schools are more than ripe for satiric portrayal. But the satire in this novel is dull and predictable, and the characters are all simpering stereotypes. The schools are even given names like "The Bucolic Campus School," "The Very Brainy Girls' School," and "The Safety School." Well, at least it's easy to keep track! Nancy Lieberman definitely does not tax her reader too much.

The villainess, the grasping and pretentious embezzler Pamela Rothschild, headmistress of "The School," possesses not a single good quality and is a criminal to boot. In not quite enough contrast, the heroine, the slim and glamorous art critic Helen Drager, is shallow, unsympathetic, and not above crassly manipulating her husband's position as a producer for the Cooking Channel for personal gain. Her doting husband Michael is such a complete pushover (except for once when he screws his courage to the sticking point and *gasp* withdraws one of his daughter's high school applications) that the reader wishes Helen would just consummate her affair with the wealthy and recently widowed art collector Philip, who talks like this: '"I find you incredibly attractive." His gaze held hers.' Instead, the two neck on a sofa one afternoon.

Who is the audience for this dreck? Given that the novelist Judy Blume (authoress of "Tale of a Fourth-Grade Nothing" and "Frecklejuice") wrote the blurb, one suspects it is the students portrayed here (or their younger siblings) rather than their parents. At least one hopes that there aren't enough adults who like this book to have taken it into paperback. I'm embarrassed that I finished reading it.

It's a real snoozer. The subject matter sounded very interesting to me (I'm a public school teacher), but this book just didn't deliver. I found the main character annoying and lacking in just about any redeeming qualities. I really wasn't rooting for her at all. The author seems to have thrown in an affair to add to the plot, but I found that those sections left me feeling uncomfortable (and not in a thought provoking way; more like an "eewwww" way). I had hoped this story would be funny or a bit scathing. I found it to be lukewarm. Save your money unless you need a book to help you fall asleep; even then, I'd buy some Tylenol PM...it's cheaper.

So, I joined a book club because I read a lot anyway. I am the poster child for the Summer Reading Program. The book club has all these super interesting girls that I really like, but the book they chose to read was "Admissions". I was very suspicious because the cover said something like, "If you loved Devil Wears Prada or Nanny Diaries." I laughed out loud when I saw this and said to my friend, "Ha! Are they trying to turn me OFF from this book?!" But she didn't laugh. She apparently likes those books.

Admissions obeyed the following chick lit rules:

1) The Heroine must have a super interesting and accomplished job, but there must not be too much time spent on this job. Mainly the job will consist of running errands or dog sitting the boss' dog. Even if she's an art critic, her job must not take up much more than 10-12 hours a week of her life.
2) The conflict in the story must not be life threatening - no AIDS, cancer, etc. Or too serious, like terrorism or stock market crashes.
3) One character in the story must hate the heroine for no particular reason, but it must come out in the end that she was secretly jealous the whole time.
4) The Heroine must love shoes and buy shoes and think about her shoes.
5) The Heroine must have a best guy friend who turns out to be in love with her at the end, which is obvious to everybody but the heroine. (This rule stretches a little for this book. The affair was so beyond lame.)
6) Another character has to be tall and thin to help point out how not tall, thin and blonde* she is. (not blonde but the rule still fits)
7) Most of all, the heroine must never have any sort of strong political, religious or social views or think about any subject that might cause her to think more on any of these three subjects.

This book goes beyond the mold to have a couple of story lines going on all at once. But then at the end, just drops them all except one. And the one she keeps was the most annoying of all of them. Does Julian get to go to the artsy school? Does the girl with anorexia die? Does the stupid English lady go to jail? Dumb dumb dumb. And the pop culture references are SO far off. A 14 year old rebel with a Kurt Cobain shirt at one of the schools? What average 14 year old even knows who Kurt Cobain is? Pick up a Billboard magazine and update that reference. And Julian, the gay kid, loves Judy Garland? Is he a 50 year old gay man? Did Nancy Lieberman learn everything she knows about gay men from late Roseanne reruns?

I hate books like this because they read like they're just waiting to be picked up for a Hollywood movie, "Heroine, who is a dead ringer for Kate Bosworth, but if she's busy doing Superman sequels could look a lot like Anne Hathaway, if she's available... Exits right." Write a screen play if you want a Hollywood movie.

I might have to find a new book club.

Richard Mountauk's guide on "How to Get Into the Top Law Schools" is a thorough, comprehensive, candid, and convenient must have for anyone considering law school. It takes you from the very initial process of thinking about law school to dealing with acceptances, waitlists, denials, transferring options, and to first-year law school experience. It gives you the tools you need on how to market yourself effectively and strategize your application packet to put you in the best light possible, and thus possibly improving your chances to your top choices. With cited quotes and excerpts on various subjects and topics from admissions officers themselves, that are heavily inserted throughout the entire book, one knows they are getting first-hand knowledge. This is an organized, effective, and excellent resource for one to have for a behind the scenes look at a process that few are privy too. Definitely a must read!

This is the only book you will need to help you apply to law school. The author covers everything from personal statements to Loan repayment programs at top schools. The author focus on top twenty schools but the information should be helpful to anyone. The best part is hundreds of quotes on all subjects directly from the deans of admissions at top schools. It includes quotes from the deans at every school in the top 15 in the U.S. News and world report rankings and a number of other institutions including Boston College, George Washington, USC, UCLA, and Boston University. This is particularly helpful if you are targeting one of these top schools. There are executive summaries at the end of the chapters if you don't have time to read the entire book. This work will help anyone taking the application process seriously to maximize their chances of getting into the best school they can.

Oh thanksgiving day, I am thankful for this book and the great help it was for me during the past year.
If you are applying to law school or even thinking about it, get this book, it is very helpful. It has examples of essays to help you figure out how to write your personal essays, it also has a time line, so you can schedule the year accordingly until the time you are planning to get into that law school of your choice.well that is just couple of examples, but it is great.
Good Luck

As other reviewers mentioned, Montauk's book is the most complete tome on the subject of law school admissions to date. It's also very honest. It is hard to get into a top 20 law school and he makes sure the reader understands this fact. He also lets the reader know that for many people, law is the wrong choice and will only lead to lots of debt and unhappieness in the future.

The negative reviews on Amazon seem to come from people who were taken aback that Montauk might suggest that law isn't right for everyone, but he is really doing potential applicants a favor. If a brief diatribe on the pitfalls of law scares you away, you probably weren't that committed to it anyway. The dark secrets that law schools/law firms don't want you to know:

1. If you don't go to a top law school (at least top 25), you will not have a good chance of getting a Biglaw job, i.e. the highest paying most coveted jobs in the industry. If you pay full price at a school outside of the top 25 and expect to make big bucks upon graduation, you might find out, as so many other students have, that you cannot find a job that pays well enough to justify the $150k in loans you just took out for law school.

Note--If you have alternative career plans or receive substantial scholarship money, then this changes the equation.

2. Most lawyers are unhappy with their jobs (regardless of salary). A recent survey showed that 75% of lawyers would not go to law school if they could do it all over again.

Moral of the story: Forget the "you can do whatever you put your mind to!" crowds and take a realistic look at your talents, situation, and the legal profession. Some people aren't well-suited for law and many people will hate the profession--even those who are good at it. Just realize this before spending 3 years of your life and $150k-$180k to go to law school.

If you decide that law is for you, Montauk's book is the best for increasing your chances of admission.

This book has served as a valuable guide through my undergraduate years. I purchased the first book before my sophomore year of college, and I believe the knowledge I gained has helped me to make the right choices in my endeavor toward law school. If you are an undergraduate student, and you aspire to law school, buy this book now. The longer you have it, the more helpful it will be during your preparation. If you are ready to apply, you will learn how avoid mistakes and put forth the best possible application you have to offer. The quotes from admissions people helped me to understand which schools I was best suited for and which ones to avoid. The path of law is a very important choice, and I appreciate that Mr. Montauk takes a prospective student from that decision process all the way through to tips for study success after the acceptance letter. As a side note, I had an urgent question about my law school application, and Mr. Montauk was kind enough to return my call (his phone number is in this book) on a Sunday. I wholeheartedly recommend this book!

Great practice set for a more comprehensive study of the LSAT. Goes great with any study guide. The best way to ace the LSAT is to do as many tests as you can, time yourself, and review your mistakes.

if you are going to take the lsat, you need lots of practice and that is just what this book will give you. the answer sheet is identical to the real thing, and all of the answers and scoring are included so you will know just how you did on any test.

For all the people out there that look forward to taking the LSAT (note sarcasm). This is the official test in all its glory. While I have yet to take the Lsat I am ready and waiting to take it in October. I think these tests have helped me get a better understanding of the beast. A must purchase to understand the Lsat's. Best way to take them. Timed. Good luck.

Good book, and a good resource for extra practice. However, the tests are ten years old and a newer version of this book may be helpful as well.

This book gives you old LSAT tests to practice on, but not much else. So defiantly recommended, but get other books to read to prep your self before trying the practice test. Books such as "Logic Games Bible" and "Logic Reasoning Bible" should be read before taking on the practice tests.