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GMAT PREP COMPANY

The Princeton Review

3.9 stars
48 reviews
Joined: Mar 2013
Purchased Course: Jan 2013
College: University of California, Irvine
Industry: Consulting
Country: United States
Verified Real Student Review

Curriculum was good, teacher was amazing

4 stars
March 21, 2013
Course: The Princeton Review GMAT LiveOnline Course 6 reviews
Teacher: Becky Robinson
Recommended forVerbal: No   Math: Yes
GMAT ScoresBefore: N/A   After: 700

The Princeton Review curriculum is very good and will help familiarize you with the test and raise your score. The curriculum is very helpful in re-teaching you all those math concepts you forgot from highschool/college and introducing you to the verbal concepts covered on the GMAT. However, I do think that the Princeton Review focuses a little too much on math and should work on building out their verbal curriculum further. They offer tons of math drills that break apart every math concept, but have very few verbal drills which do not isolate concepts at all. I also think that that Princeton Review, while extremely helpful with raising your math score, focuses just a bit too much on strategies such as "plugging in." Yes, this is a helpful strategy, but at the end of the day its not a substitue for learning how the problems and algebra really work. Plugging in is a good strategy but a bit too time consuming if you're really looking for that top tier math score. Also, if you take this course, be sure to take the practice GMAT exams you get when you sign up for your GMAT. Princeton Review practice exam questions are easier than the real GMAT but the curve is very different. Your score on the real GMAT will be close to Princeton Review practice tests, but you'll probably miss a lot more questions than you can on PR tests. You need to get a feel for the real exam too.

On another note, my live online class teacher Becky Robinson was amazing! She was always extremely responsive to any email, responding within hours of sending her a question. She is very patient with her students and never makes a student feel like a question is silly or too easy. She has a very clear and concise way of explaining the answer to any question she receives and she tailors her response to your test taking level. In general she is also full of great suggestions for study techniques and test day techniques, I would highly recommend her if you can ask for her by name.


Joined: Jan 2013
Purchased Course: Feb 2012
College: Santa Clara University
Major: Marketing
Industry: Telecommunications
Country: United States
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GMAT Prep Review - Martin Cinke

5 stars
January 13, 2013
Course: The Princeton Review GMAT Private Tutoring 7 reviews
Location: The Princeton Review - Palo Alto 1 review
Teacher: Martin Cinke
Recommended forVerbal: Yes   Math: Yes
GMAT ScoresBefore: N/A   After: 700

I would recommend Marty to anyone looking to improve their GMAT score and or to get comfortable with the GMAT.

Before taking the course, I scored a 570 on my first practice test. After the course, my GMAT score improved to a 700.

Marty's teaching style and personality made the course actually fun, if you can believe that. I became comfortable with the GMAT questions, and Marty's tips and tricks really helped me to improve my time spent on each question, especially math. Overall Marty made the whole experience easy and I was confident as I took the GMAT.

Thanks to Marty I got the score I was aiming for and will be attending the Ross school of Business this upcoming fall to pursue my MBA.


Joined: Sep 2012
Purchased Course: Dec 2011
College: Dartmouth College
Major: History
Industry: Consulting
Country: United States
Verified Real Student Review

Not absolutely terrible, but better classes are out there

2 stars
November 28, 2012
Recommended forVerbal: No   Math: No
GMAT ScoresBefore: N/A   After: 750

I took the 8 week class in the spring of 2012. My class had 5 students and the instructor was fine, but not good. He read straight out of the manual/Princeton Review GMAT books for 3 hours a week. We skimmed over every topic, without regard to the topics that would be most useful. Additionally, the VERY different skill sets of my classmates made it nearly impossible for the instructor to help the 2 of us who were shooting for a 700+ score (I also think the students at the bottom end of the curve were frustrated as they often fell behind or were confused, and the instructor was unable to help them.)

The online materials were weak at best. In particular, the online practice tests felt VERY different from the official GMAT practice tests and my scores were significantly lower on PR tests. It was disheartening and I almost didn't take the exam as I didn't want a sub-600 (!!) score on my record.

At the suggestion of a co-worker, I purchased the Manhattan GMAT practice tests and used those heavily for the month before the test. The scoring seemed MUCH closer to the GMAT practice tests and the format felt more like the format on the actual test day. I felt like I got more out of the 6 purchased practice tests than 8 weeks in the Princeton review course.

I would suggest not wasting your money on the Princeton Review course, especially if you want a very high score.


Joined: Nov 2012
Purchased Course: Aug 2012
College: louisiana state university
Major: Accounting
Industry: Student
Country: United States
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Very helpful! teaches all the tricks of the gmat!!

5 stars
November 21, 2012
Course: The Princeton Review GMAT Private Tutoring 7 reviews
Location: The Princeton Review - Baton Rouge Office 2 reviews
Teacher: terry stehlik
Recommended forVerbal: Yes   Math: Yes
GMAT ScoresBefore: 550   After: 640

The gmat class was so great. i had no idea there were so many tricks. it also helped me a lot with timing and the verbal section. mr. stehlik was a great teacher, making the class fun and making sure it was tailored to my needs. he also would stay late and give me extra time on topics i had trouble with. i would recommend this course to anyone looking to improve their score!


Joined: Sep 2011
Forum Posts: 1
Purchased Course: Aug 2011
Verified Real Student Review

Great Improvement

4 stars
November 12, 2012
Course: The Princeton Review GMAT Private Tutoring 7 reviews
Location: The Princeton Review - New Orleans 1 review
Teacher: Tony Pumilia
Recommended forVerbal: Yes   Math: Yes
GMAT ScoresBefore: N/A   After: 690

My first practice scores hovered in the 600 range and I ended up with a 690 so I was ecstatic. The great thing about the TPR review materials is the focus on strategy. It isn't just about the skill sets you need, it's about maximizing your time and learning to maneuver around intentionally confusing phrasing.

My private tutor, Tony Pumilia, did a fantastic job. I went the private tutor route because while my verbal was up to snuff, I hadn't touched math since high school. He was a huge help. If I had to do it over with unlimited resources, I would have taken the course and supplemented with tutoring. However, with my time and financial constraints (and the imbalance in my knowledge base), tutoring was the right path for me.

Overall, very encouraging, understanding, and patient.


Joined: Nov 2012
Forum Posts: 1
Purchased Course: Aug 2012
College: Louisiana State University
Major: Fashion
Industry: Retailing/Wholesaling
Country: United States
Verified Real Student Review

Excellent Course. So Worth It. Great Instruction.

5 stars
November 11, 2012
Course: The Princeton Review GMAT Classroom Course 23 reviews
Location: The Princeton Review - Baton Rouge Office 2 reviews
Teacher: Terry Stehlik
Recommended forVerbal: Yes   Math: Yes
GMAT ScoresBefore: N/A   After: N/A

I took this course thinking that it would be a great refresher before I took the GMAT. But after I took the first practice test before the class, I realized I had no clue what I was doing. I'm so thankful that I took the class because I clearly needed help.

I took the classroom course because I knew I would need something to keep me on task and actually force me to sit down and study. I'm not sure I could have accomplished all that I did without the classroom environment.

Mr. Stehlik taught from a very knowledgable standpoint, and was able to effectively teach the strategies. I have gained immense confidence in my abilities to tackle this difficult test because of my instruction during the course.

I would highly recommend taking this course. If you complete the homework, take the practice tests, and stay attentive in class, you will most certainly benefit from the course. My score definitely increased as a direct result of this course, I have no doubt.


Joined: Jul 2012
Purchased Course: Mar 2012
College: UCSB
Major: Philosophy
Country: United States
Verified Real Student Review

Purposeful Prep

5 stars
July 24, 2012
Recommended forVerbal: Yes   Math: Yes
GMAT ScoresBefore: N/A   After: 620

Becky's style of teaching is a highly effective as she covers most every topic and question you might encounter on the GMAT. She manages to quickly understand and assess you as a student to help give the support that is needed to help you achieve and succeed. Her methodical approach to the GMAT allowed me to keep focused and driven during studying. She is patient and wise with tons of little tips that help you go far. Her outstanding knowledge, friendly demeanor, and understanding of the GMAT all combine to give you the best possible prep available.

She is highly effective at not only gearing you with the right tools, but the ability to use them effectively during the test. She gives you helpful hints that steer you clear of trap answers.

As far as the quality of the curriculum and study materials that were given, I was pleasantly surprised at the course provided. They contain everything that is gone over in class with extra material for after class studying.

The facility and classroom was comfortable and easy to find once I knew where to go.

As far as improvement in my GMAT score, I went from a 450 to a 620 (during the actual GMAT), which was my best score. This was accredited to Becky's teaching and influence, which allowed me to make a solid jump in score.


Joined: Jul 2012
Purchased Course: Dec 2011
Major: Engineering
Country: India
Verified Real Student Review

Brilliant experience at TPR

5 stars
July 6, 2012
Course: The Princeton Review GMAT Private Tutoring 7 reviews
Teacher: Merrily Tobin, Rohit Maiya, Vikram Vishwanathan
Recommended forVerbal: Yes   Math: Yes
GMAT ScoresBefore: N/A   After: 730

Having come into Princeton Review with no clue about the GMAT but for the usual version read online, it was great to end up with a score of 730 (Q 50 + V 39) along with a 6.0 in AWA.
A preliminary mock test gave me a score of 620 with Verbal at a meager score of 23. From here, thanks to the excellent guidance by Merrily and Vikram as well the good material provided by Princeton Review, this score rose up by 16 points!
When I chose to take up the GMAT course, I knew that Quant would be fairly simple and would be a breeze considering that my skills with Mathematics were quite good. This was not really the case as a knowledge of mathematics does not mean you can crack the GMAT. Very useful tips from Rohit helped me score 50 in Quant.
AWA saw the best improvement, by far. From writing essays that could get no more than 3, I received a perfect score of 6 on the GMAT. This would not have been possible without Vikram's extremely good guidance.
Overall, Princeton Review was a great experience for me, from the books to the faculty and I would definitely recommend the same for anyone who wants to crack the GMAT.


Joined: Jul 2012
Purchased Course: Nov 2011
College: Swansea University, UK
Major: Marketing
Industry: Advertising/Marketing
Country: India
Verified Real Student Review

Thanks, TPR!!

5 stars
July 4, 2012
Course: The Princeton Review GMAT Private Tutoring 7 reviews
Teacher: Deepti, Harsha, Merrily
Recommended forVerbal: Yes   Math: Yes
GMAT ScoresBefore: N/A   After: 710

I initially enrolled at TPR with the idea that having someone to whom I was answerable - would make me more focused towards my GMAT preparation.
If I remember correctly, my diagnostic GMAT score was 550.
I thought hard work would be enough to get me past 700, but I was wrong.
Immense credit goes to the teachers at TPR who guided me and helped me with issues that were unique to my style. Their guidance was useful, not only for GMAT prep, but also for understanding the nuances of the application process.
I especially found the "booster sessions" provided, very useful as these helped me identify the flaws in my process of approaching and understanding questions.
But more than their technical inputs, the confidence and encouragement that my trainers infused me with helped a great deal.
I still remember my trainer saying that he was willing to pay for my 2nd attempt at the GMAT, after I scored 710 - saying that it was under representative of my abilities.
Their faith in my ability, and their nurturing of the same - is what made my experience with TPR truly memorable.
Really do owe TPR one for this!


Joined: Apr 2012
Forum Posts: 1
Purchased Course: Apr 2012
College: Rice University
Major: Mechanical Engineering
Industry: Energy/Extractive Minerals
Country: United States
Verified Real Student Review

So so instruction, terrible online tests

3 stars
July 3, 2012
Recommended forVerbal: No   Math: No
GMAT ScoresBefore: N/A   After: 730

In the end, I beat the GMAT. However this was in large part due to this website and going though the official guide a couple of times on my weaker sections and not so much Princeton Review. To give him some credit, the instructor did point out a few useful tricks for solving problems. However, he would always ask that we email him questions, but did not respond to the emails.

As for the online tests, I never broke a 700. On many of my tests, encountered at least a couple of questions that were completely unsolvable or took too long to solve because the questions were not proofread. For example, a reading comprehension question would ask, "what conclusion can be drawn from lines xx-xx?" On a few DS questions, there were missing operators in the question stems that would be required based on the explanations given. wtf? I paid over a grand for this crap? It's bad enough to stress out during your studies let alone deal with issues related to the quality of the test questions.

I don't want to rip the instructor since each will have their own strengths and weaknesses. I had one online session with a female instructor for the advanced math section that was great! However, I do want to emphasize the weakness of the website as that affects everyone.