The course was very educational and each week built on the foundation learned in a prior week. It is very important to do the work between classes. If you do the work, it really supplements the lectures well and you will see your score improve!

One thing to be aware of - there are a ton of resources available via Manhattan GMAT, the tricky part is navigating them all and figuring out what to use and what works best for you. I'd suggest sitting down with your instructor at the start of the class to figure out what they all are an what they recommend to use and how.

Good luck!

I finished Manhattan GMAT in November and was overall pleased with the experience. I believe that the class was very helpful in reinforcing what I had learned through my homework and clearing up some deficiencies.

The problem with MGMAT, however is practice testing. The tests are good for timing purposes, but their content is not at all similar to what I found on test day. The verbal was WAY too easy. The Quant was WAY too convoluted and overly difficult. In reality, a high % of questions on test day were focused on number properties (especially DS questions) and MGMAT seemed to go out of their way to make their problems especially wordy. I scored 700, 710, 720 in their practice tests but then got a 670 on test day round 1.

I finally retook this month and with help of other prep materials received a 710. I certainly wouldn't be where I am today without the help of Manhattan GMAT but think that their online system has a ways to go to catch up with Knewton and others.

Manhattan's materials are the best; the online CATs alone are worth the tuition fees. That said, you have to do the work on your own. Don't underestimate the amount of time and effort it takes to increase your score significantly. Everything you need is in Manhattan's materials, but you are ultimately responsible for your own success.

I only have good words for the Manhattan GMAT team. Did they an excellent job in helping me obtaining a good grade. The program may be a little expensive, but it's completely worth it : the instructors are great, the online tools that help you keep track your progression are very useful, and the books are very clear. The "Quest for 750" classes were also very useful.

I gave Manhattan GMAT a shot due to a recommendation from a friend. He told me that it would be a lot of time, a lot of work, and a lot of sacrifice. He was right.

Starting the first day, the instructor said "say bye to all of your friends and loved ones for the next 10 weeks." The classes, homework assignments, online lectures, practice exams, and self preparation definitely took up all of my weekday evenings and virtually all of my weekends. Then again, I am not the brainiac type who can just eat things up in the first review. I'm the "normal" type of person who needs to read things twice (or even 3 times) to fully understand the concepts.

The instructor was very knowledgeable about the actual material (which they give you a LOT of... more than you can actually finish during the 10 week course). What really impressed me was that when he answered questions, he would tell his answer and break down how people usually come to the wrong conclusions. This was true for both the quant and verbal examples. Also, when doing examples in class, he made a point to show us the trickiest ones, or the ones that a majority of people get wrong. By doing this, we are keen on looking out for these ?pitfalls? during the real test.

Side note: This course is NOT for the faint of heart (i.e. the ones who take things personally when they get the wrong answer, or are embarrassed when they say the wrong thing in class). In my opinion, by putting your pride aside, having an open mind, and being a sponge in class, you can more readily grasp the important techniques they are trying to impart. Ok, back to the review.

Manhattan GMAT makes you take a practice exam before starting the course, and then throughout the 9 weeks, you take several practice tests at specific time periods. It was no surprise that my first few practice tests were lower than initial one since I was still adapting to their style. After practicing their methods (a lot), I started to see an increase. At the end of the class, the instructor uses your test results and comes up with a ?self study guide? that is tailored to your time frame (i.e. the time between the last day of class and your actual test), your strengths, and your weaknesses. What I appreciated here was that my instructor was still VERY accessible via phone or email even though the course was over.

One of the downsides about Manhattan GMAT is that after the last class, they give you the aforementioned study guide, but beyond that, you are left to your own devices. The things you study (Word Properties, Sentence Correction, Critical Reasoning, Geometry, etc.), the amount you study for, when you take your left over practice exams? all of that is up to you. If you are the type of person who can set a schedule and stay by it, then you?re OK. If you?re the type who cannot, then you may need extra motivation from somewhere. Things get even less structured when you have to take the test the second time because you must wait an entire month before you can get after it again. My schedule was like this: Last day of class, 2 weeks of study, GMAT #1, 1 month of study, GMAT #2, Have a drink (because you deserve it).

In the end, the course was a LOT of work. I kept an open mind, put in my time, and I squeezed all I could out of the 10 weeks + 1 month? in the end, I got accepted to a Top 5 business school.

I highly recommend Manhattan GMAT if you are gunning for a top tier school and have the time, energy, and motivation to devote to the exam. It?s not cheap, but worth every dime.

Good luck!

Jon Schneider was an awesome instructor. He made the material easy to grasp and classes were always engaging. Materials and prep books were also great. You will get the most out the course if keep up with the schedule and stay on top of your work. Jon was able to answer any questions and explain everything in ways the whole class could understand. They make every attempt to get inside your thought process, especially, if your logic is incorrect. Great course. I heard it was the best going in and I was not disappointed in this course or my score. My verbal score shot up 30 percentage points from start to finish.

Manhattan GMAT - London Summer A 2011

I took the Manhattan GMAT class in London this summer taught by Robert Wilburn. The class was small (about 8 students) which probably lent itself to a great experience because of the focused attention we all received.

Robert was a great instructor and was very patient with all the students (we had a wide range of ability in the class). He took his time and was flexible with student requests about course focus. I would highly recommend taking a course with him if you can.

Pros:

- Great teacher / teaching style: Made sure you understood the concept instead of just making sure you were able to get the question right
- I really liked the way the syllabus was structured for math. Each week was devoted to a different "subject" (e.g. Number Properties, Word Translations, Geometry, etc.)
- If you miss a class you can watch a recording on line or sit in on another live course which started a few weeks after ours
- Class was very engaging and not boring at all. Constant class participation, but again, this may have been a function of class size
- The Math books are great. I really like the way they explain the concepts and they seem cover every concept which appears on the exam. I was even able to identify problems on the exam to specific books immediately (but that also comes from practicing the OG Archer)
- Really liked the seemingly anecdotal bits of advice for verbal which were actually providing a structured way of attacking a fairly unstructured set of problems
- finding proof sentences in RC
- how to think about CR
- different types of grammar errors in SC

Cons:
- Would appreciate more concrete "post course" advice but I understand this process is unique for each person so it is tough to give. Personally, would have liked to have been told "don't take the GMAT until you do all of the OG archer problems"
- I personally would have liked more of a focus on Math as I felt I was already strong in Verbal. Would have signed up for a "Quant Only" course if it was offered
- Would have liked more of a focus on 700+ problems and how to attack these



All in all it was a great course. If you are very disciplined then I think an online course or even self study would suffice. The live class offers the motivation to do homework each week and gives you a live instructor to sit down with and work through problems in concepts you may have. The Manhattan GMAT books are very good so I imagine an online course and practice with the books would yield similar results.

The Manhattan GMAT course is really made for people who are willing to put forth the time and effort to make sure they are achieving to the best of their abilities. They give you tons of information, breaking down each individual component of the test, which can be overwhelming, but really prepares you for what you face in the GMAT.

The practice tests, in combination with timing strategy, are alone worth it because they give you as close an experience to the actual testing environment as you possibly could get prior to the test. However, the other materials are just as good. For not having done math in over five years, it really helped to have the Fundamentals of Math book and course to get up to speed quickly. The verbal section is all about tricks, and Manhattan GMAT definitely knows them!

The other benefit is the specialized attention that is available. The teachers know a ton about the test, so if you are willing to speak up and ask about areas that are troubling you, they will definitely provide targeted advice. They are invested in helping you do better, and want you to understand what you are doing wrong and how you should be thinking about changing your tactics. Office hours too are an opportunity that help you take advantage of the questions you have and give directed feedback. SUPER helpful in areas that are weak and the in-class descriptions are not sufficient.

That said, this course is made for people who really are investing the time, as it is quite expensive. Lots of homework is assigned each week, which is necessary to continue to progress in your individual areas of weakness. If you are thinking about taking this class to get an easy set of pointers to acing the test, look elsewhere. If you put in the effort, though, you can raise your score significantly. My score went up 100 points over the course, and I felt secure in my strategy as I went in to take the test.

All in all, a really strong course, with very strong support materials (especially the flashcards, online recorded webinars), but only if you are really willing to devote a few months to doing well on the GMAT. If so, it definitely pays off.

Manhattan GMAT provided a great framework for me to prepare for the GMAT. The course content was spread over 9 weeks and was really well structured, and allowed me to study independently on my own schedule. My instructor, Kate McKeon, was energetic and really knew the subject matter (e.g. she confidently answered ad-hoc questions and didn't just read from slides). The other resources and materials for the course were also really helpful - instructor office hours, test center for practice exams, etc. - and were a great supplement to the course itself. Overall, I'm really happy with my Manhattan GMAT experience and also with the score that I ended up with. I would highly recommend it!

Manhattan GMAT provides a wide range of excellent resources in preparing for the exam, including their books, online labs, and practice exams. Their math instruction is comprehensive and challenging; their verbal instruction is excellent as well. I needed far more help with math than I did with verbal and Manhattan GMAT really did a great job.

Within 3 months, I went from scoring 650 on my practice exams to 700, and ended up taking the test and getting a 690, a score I am very happy with. Manhattan GMAT was worth the money because I don't have to take the exam again!

I can't say enough about what an excellent teacher Grace Trewartha is. I particularly credit her for keeping students engaged in the material during class. Every class flew by. She taught concepts with clarity but I also appreciated the general advice that she gave on taking the exam, as well as extremely helpful feedback on our test results. She's a fantastic teacher, direct and realistic, positive and supportive, and I highly recommend her instruction to anybody. Positive reviews of her teaching style are why I opted for an in-person class over online, and I am happy to add another positive review.

I am a couple years older than most MBA candidates and it had been over 10 years since I'd done any real math. Manhattan GMAT was a fantastic way to prepare for the exam. The teaching was excellent - the instructors are knowledgeable and try to make the material as interesting as possible. My recommendation would be to supplement your Manhattan GMAT course with practice questions from Beat the GMAT as I felt the practice questions were closer to real questions that appeared on the test. Best of luck!

I did the class and supplemented it with a few hours of tutoring to shore up my weak spots and improve my confidence going into the exam. Both experiences were great and very helpful and I ultimately surpassed my score goal. I think Manhattan GMAT has the best instructors in the business and if you do the work your score will show major improvement.

I wanted to take a moment to recommend Manhattan GMAT to any student looking to conquer the GMAT. I recently completed the 9 week course and am thoroughly satisfied with the service. They provide strategy guides for every subject and question type that the GMAT has to offer. Additionally, they offer 30 minute private tutoring sessions via an internet classroom, which really helped me work through problems and receive specialized attention.

The 6 CATS provided were very reflective of my actual score. Throughout the course, I took 4 CATs and my score gradually increased each time, until I finally achieved my goal of a 700+ GMAT score. When the time came to take the test, MGMAT provided a 1 hour private strategy session with a specialist to identify the best study material.

In my opinion, to conquer the GMAT, you need to really understand the test and learn what it is trying to test in each question. MGMAT provided this and much more. I can confidently give MGMAT credit for achieving my target score, and I strongly urge prospective MBA students to consider enrolling in MGMAT if they wish to conquer the GMAT!

The Manhattan GMAT course is very efficient and thorough. The course is clearly geared for students seeking the types of scores needed to get into top-tier b-schools. The materials and classes are extremely well thought out and taught by talented people. Further, the overall flow of information and teaching style seem to incorporate elements of instructional theory that allows the student to effectively absorb the information; i.e., the instructors seem to know something about teaching in general in addition to the materials being taught. I was able to improve my score by 150 points from the first practice test.

To prepare for the GMAT, I signed up for the 9-week Manhattan GMAT course and am absolutely thrilled with the results. I hadn't done any work prior to this course and knew that I needed a refresher on all the skills required for the exam. After each session I felt more and more comfortable with the material. The homework for this course is pretty extensive but worth the time of putting in the effort. Manhattan GMAT breaks down every subject into different books, allowing each student to focus on what he/she needs to review the most. Not only did I find my course instructor a great teacher, but I also had to switch sections one week and did a private tutoring session and found each instructor to be very knowledgable and helpful. I really felt like Manahattan GMAT had the most resources to help anyone succeed, if they're willing to put in the work.

If you are considering taking a class in order to prepare for the GMAT, most of them are going to cost the same. For the money, I found Manhattan GMAT to be the most thorough, with the best instructors and best reputation. I came into the GMAT process wanting to study for 3 months and get it over with, and with Manhattan GMAT, I succeeded in this goal. You have to be able to put in the time required to study (2 hours per night) but the curriculum and resources make it easy to work through it. The only criticism I would have is that the website is not all that easy to navigate and at times it feels like you are flooded with resources (though it's better to have a surplus than not enough).

Without the Manhattan GMAT course materials and the course instruction, I would not have been able to prepare effectively for the GMAT. I had a very short window in which to study and take the test; the online course gave me the flexibility to attend classes and study, in spite of my busy schedule.

The best part of the program is the weekly one-on-one tutoring included in the course fee. Any personal weaknesses can be addressed immediately and keep you moving through the materials.

I did my research on these review sites before taking the course, and Manhattan GMAT seemed to be the best overall - and boy were they right! They really do hire only elite teachers and put them through rigorous training, so you don't have to be nervous about getting a mediocre teacher. The course itself was excellent - they give you a ton of books/materials on every little subtopic, and keep you regimented with homework and practice exams. Also - the six practice exams they provide for you are VERY similar to the real thing, so I felt very well-prepared for the actual exam. I improved my score by 80 points between the beginning of the course and the real thing, so to that end it was worth every penny. On top of all this, everyone at Manhattan GMAT (instructors, staff) is very friendly, accommodating, and truly wants to help you succeed. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!

If you're serious about a great score, you need to take an in-person course taught by none other than Ron Purewal. I went from a diagnostic score of 530 to an amazing 720! If I can do it, you can too! He really makes sure you're getting good value for the huge dent they put in your wallet.

I also utilized their one-on-one phone sessions and received some of the most useful feedback in the process. "Thursdays with Ron" videos are also a great supplement to your studies too.

The only thing that sucked was that they ran out of supplies (examination booklet, headsets, MBA books, etc) and didn't get them to me until halfway through the course.

If you're not taking Manhattan GMAT, you're going to be at a disadvantage.

I took their 9 week course with Tommy Wallach. I can't say enough good about him - he was fantastic. He was compelling, encouraging, and insanely well versed with the material. He made the material accessible and interesting while maintaining a light, fun environment in the classroom.

Manhattan GMAT takes a comprehensive approach - focusing on the test's content rather than test-taking skills and tricks. I felt a sense of mastery of the material after the 9 weeks. The confidence made test day feel easy.