Surveying the GMAT App Landscape: 13 of the Best

Platforms: iOS, Android

Cost: For iOS there are two different versions: a free version with in-app purchases and a full version for US$20.99.

Average rating: 4.1 (443 ratings) on Google Play, 5 Stars (88 ratings for all versions) in the iOS app store.

GMAT ToolKit features content from five test prep companies: Kaplan, Princeton Review, Manhattan GMAT, Knewton and Manhattan Review.  There are also over 3,000 questions from the GMAT Club Forum, math and idiom flashcards as well as tips from people who have scored over 700 on the GMAT. The drawing tool allows you to use your finger or stylus to write on screen as you might scrawl on a piece of scrap paper during the real test.

A new version of the iOS app, GMAT ToolKit 2, has been released and is now the only one you can find in Apple’s app store. The Android app, however, is still called GMAT ToolKit. The makers of the app are responsive to negative feedback posted in the Google Play Store, responding to bad reviews with comments and promises to fix problematic issues.

Positive feedback: Reviewers praise how the app makes it easy to study for the GMAT from any location. One reviewer with the moniker, ‘a grateful app guy’, says that GMAT ToolKit is the “best app I could find to help prepare!”

Negative feedback: One reviewer for the Android version reported a “fail on the math flashcards” and two reviewers feel the app could be more user friendly. Some reviewers say that the Android version isn’t as good as the iOS version and lacks some of the features.

Platforms: iOS, Android

Cost:  Free.

Average rating: 4 stars in Google Play (157 ratings) and the iOS app store (12 ratings for current version).

The GMAT Pill HD/HD+ app aims to bring the online course, GMAT Pill, to your mobile phone. Created by a Stanford MBA graduate, GMAT Pill is designed to help you prepare for the GMAT in less than a month. App content includes over 1,200 GMAT videos, much of which is available even without a Wi-Fi connection, plus flashcard-based questions and drills.

Positive feedback: Multiple Android users report that the GMAT Pill app has great content and is a good in-flight study option. One reviewer even used it to get some GMAT prep in during his 33-hour trip to Burma.

Negative feedback: Some reviewers were not happy about having to write a review in order to gain access to more videos. One stated that there’s a download limit of 30 videos. A few reviewers in the Google Play Store also mentioned that the app has some bugs, but not so much that they can’t use it to prepare for the GMAT.

Cost: US$4.99.

Platforms: Android, iOS

Average rating: 4 stars (44 reviews) in the Google Play Store, 1.5 stars in the iOS app store (seven reviews for current version released October 15, 2015).

The Official Guide for GMAT Review 2016 app is produced by GMAC (Graduate Management Admission Council) the same people who make and operate the GMAT. Its app provides tips, math and grammar reviews, practice tests and the same GMAT exam questions featured in the GMAT Official Guide. Like the GMAT Pill app, this app works even when you don’t have a Wi-Fi connection.

Positive feedback: Reviewers in the Google Play Store said the app is “easy to use” and “actually fun to study with” while “[giving] you solid feedback with real questions.”

Negative feedback: You may have noticed that there’s a huge difference between the average ratings for the Android iOS apps. Most of the negative ratings in the app store are not supported by reviews, but one two-star reviewer complains that the app doesn’t provide enough value for the money. Similarly, a few people using the Android app have complained that the app is very thin on content.

Cost: Free.

Platform: iOS

Average rating: 4.5 stars (14 ratings) in iOS app store for current version released on December 11, 2013.

Exam Proctor by TextMax aims to simulate the test-day experience for eight tests including the GMAT, GRE and TOEFL.

Positive feedback: Reviewers praise Exam Proctor for its authentic reproduction of the test-taking experience, down to the random coughing and writing noises you usually hear in the test room.

Negative feedback: There is no way to change the amount of time displayed for each exam, which doesn’t reflect the experience of test takers receiving extra time accommodations.

Platform: iOS and Android

Cost: Free.

Average rating: 4.5 stars (eight ratings for current version released on August 3, 2015) in the iOS app store, but no reviews were visible on the Google Play page for the current version of the Android app.

The GMAT Prep app from Varsity Tutors features practice tests and flashcards. The practice tests are designed to assess your ability to evaluate, analyze and draw conclusions from data. You can also focus on individual concepts like understanding content of mixed passages or analyzing argumentative claims and bias.

Positive feedback: One reviewer expressed their appreciation of the fact that the free tools didn’t come with hidden fees or ads. Another praised the question-a-day tool for its user experience.

Negative feedback: No negative reviews could be found.

Platform: iOS

Cost: Free with in-app purchases ranging from US$0.99 to US$9.99.

Average rating: 4.5 stars (seven ratings) in the iOS app store for current version released on November 12, 2014.

GMAT+ is the app for Arcadia Prep’s GMAT course. The app’s study tools include modular problem sets for all five sections of the GMAT, workspace and pen tools, step-by-step solutions to each problem and free help through the discussion board.

Positive feedback: iTunes app store reviewers call the app “great”, “easy to use” and a “must-download.”

Negative feedback: One reviewer wishes the app had a different user interface, since the current one is “too complicated.”

Platform: iOS

Cost: Free with in-app purchases ranging from US$2.99 to US$4.99.

Average rating: 4.5 (seven ratings) in iOS app store for current version released April 1, 2014.

This app features quizzes, flashcards and word jumbles.

Positive feedback: One reviewer said this app includes word roots that you won’t find anywhere else.

Negative feedback: No negative feedback could be found in the app store for the current version of this app.

Platform: iOS

Cost: Free with in-app purchases ranging from US$2.99 to US$4.99.

Average rating: 4.5 (seven ratings) in iOS app store for its current version as released April 5, 2014.

This app covers basic math concepts.

Positive feedback: One reviewer said the app does a good job of explaining “those dreaded algebra word problems.”

Negative feedback: No negative feedback could be found in the app store for the current version of this app.

Platform: iOS

Cost: Free.

Average rating: 5 stars (five ratings) for current version which was released in January 2016 in the iOS app store.

Veritas Prep’s Complete GMAT Video Course app includes all 12 of the GMAT prep company’s video lessons. That’s 20 hours of GMAT instruction you can watch either by streaming or downloading video content.

Positive feedback: Reviewers say this video is a good complement to Veritas’ GMAT courses. A 2011 reviewer praised the amount of content available on the app.

Negative feedback: There haven’t been any negative reviews for the current version of the app.