I had done no preparation and went into this class completely blind. I feel that was a good decision because the GMAT is all about strategy. You can study certain topics until you have them memorized, but without the Kaplan quick tricks you will waste time during the test and be generally inefficient in your efforts. This class was wonderful and helped me get to a place where I could do independent study/practice to boost my score those last couple points I needed to reach my goal.

I have experience using Kaplan, Manhattan GMAT, and Knewton.

As far as Kaplan, I think it does a decent job at giving you broad skills needed to succeed on the GMAT, but it lacks detail on the more difficult subjects. If you need a significant score improvement or want to break well above 700, there are better courses available.

Also, the Kaplan CAT algorithm was seriously flawed when I was enrolled. I was consistently scoring mid-500s on the CATs, and on the actual GMAT I scored nearly 100 points higher. (though I have heard that they corrected this in the past year)

Newton Jennings was an excellent instructor because he's a full time math teacher. My problem area is math, so this was a perfect match. Kaplan offers a lot of practice material so you can become comfortable and consistent with the material before taking the official test. I was reasonably satisfied with how I scored on the GMAT, but I do plan to take it a second time. I would recommend this course; it's worth the time and money.

After starting my course in Houston and transferring to Cambridge, I can say that Kaplan delivers a consistent and advantageous product: that of instilling confidence in their students through strategies and simulations of the actual test day.

Although the teaching styles that I encountered in both Houston and Cambridge differed, both were able to arm me with strategies and give me a sense of what test day would be like. In Houston, my teacher explained each problem's solution thoroughly, which proved beneficial for initially learning the strategy. In Cambridge, where I spent the majority of my Kaplan course, my instructor created an environment that encouraged learning but more importantly caused me to implement those strategies more efficiently. Eli randomly selected individuals to solve problems in front of the class and utilized the various Kaplan strategies in order to demonstrate their correct uses and the time allotment for each step. My main concern for every test I take is maintaining good time management because I can lose significant points if I don't finish the GMAT. But, with the challenges encountered in class, I am able to feel more confident in myself on test day.