Overall you get what you expect from Kaplan. They know what they are doing when it comes to tutoring and their online facility is excellent. Generally Kaplan is very professional and very quick and flexible. The staff understand that most of us have very busy schedules and try to make it as easy as possible.

However, the issue I had with them was the fact that the course was a bit unstructured. My instructor was brilliant but at times I would ask her why are we got answer "A" and the answer would be "it is my GMAT instinct"; of course we would sit down and try and find a proof of the concept, but I just felt that for the amount of money I was paying a more structured syllabus would have been great.

My tutor was a maths guru, however when it came to language she was amazing with CR an RC but on the other hand although she could answer all the SC questions correct, sometimes she couldn't explain why. This would have to do with the fact that she was an american, so the sentences would sound right, but nevertheless i was still left scratching my head.

That being said she made me get my RC and CR scores up, and I was virtually flawless; but then again my main weakness was SC and just ended up using Manhattans SC book.

Overall it is a great tutoring company, but I give them 3 stars as foe the price they charge I expected more.

I took my first practice test 6 weeks before my test day and got a 490. I did the homework and took the CATs each week, but it quickly became apparent I wouldn't be able to finish all the homework and the CATs with my work schedule. You really need a solid three months. The week before the test I scored a 600 and felt good about where I was. (I didn't invest hardly any time in the IR because my school told me they didn't use it, so I was getting 2's and 3's on that) Test day came and I followed all the advice and applied what I had learned confidently and calmly. You can imagine my surprise when my score appeared...a 470 (20 points lower than my diagnostic 6 weeks before and 130 points lower than my score just the week before, my IR score ended up being a 6, again with minimal effort). I took another practice test the next week and scored a 560. I still (somehow) got into my dream school, so I'm not retaking the course, but I wish I had finished all the homework and tests just so I could get my money back. I would pick a different company in retrospect...something wasn't right with Kaplan's scoring or methods...for me anyways!

As far as the classes go, I felt like the material was either way too simplistic or way too far above me. I would go from wanting to speed the instructor through a topic I already mastered, to wanting him to slow down so I could process it. I was able to take away a lot of good information especially from the quantitative section, but you sure wouldn't know it from my final scores.

With almost zero preparation two years ago i attempted the GMAT just to experience the test atmosphere and the questions, obviously, i got busted with a 470. Did not care much as it wasn't my immediate goal and started working and was busy for 2 years.

Now, I felt its the right time for me to get an MBA. So, with a preparation of a month and a half I scored a 620. However, i realized my weakness is verbal and just a month a half i scored way better than the first time. My target and determination rose to 700 and now i signed up for the kaplan GMAT Advantage On demand Course.

I was intimidated yet excited by the course as it was designed to be tough. I consistently scored 600- 620 in kaplan practice tests.

But actual test i scored a 540. I do not recommend this course as it is not very comprehensive and answer all your questions. verbal was overly strategized and its strategy to first read the question is a complete disaster.

Kaplan has prepared a well researched nice course "GMAT Advanced - Anywhere". I found the IR section especially helpful. Well researched with lot of examples.

I scored less on IR despite my strong confidence majorly due to silly mistakes.

One advise to people who have already given GMAT is that analyze your weakness before booking any course

Pros
1. IR section is good and well researched
2. Get a feel of actual test center before giving the exam
3. lot of practice questions and 9 CATS

Cons
1. Some question explanations are not good. I researched on Google and found better explanations.


There are lot of people who have improved their score using Kaplan. But i was not among them. Overall a good course for people whose basics are strong and can handle the exam pressure/time well.

I am into the 3rd week of the course and I can see the improvement on my quizzes.

Course comes will lots of online study material and few books to study offline. I liked the books issued by the Kaplan with course. Kaplan Smart Reports are too good to improve your weakness and practice according to one's needs.

Online classes are engaging and teachers assist you in all possible ways. At customer care, I can say, they really care. I get my questions solved within less than 8hours!

There is a question bank, which I am loving, of more than 1200 questions to practice. Hope to see desired score on test day with Kaplan practice tools.

The instructor was highly knowledgeable and attentive. Kaplan also offers a free retake if you're not happy with your score. Besides the face-to-face instruction, the most valuable part of the course was CATs that looked like the real test. Highly recommend the Advanced Class.

Kaplan does an excellent job at putting you in the correct mindset to do well on the GMAT. For many, this is a foreign test and this program hits all the correct fundamentals. Its tough to prepare one for the most advanced portions of the test, but this program does a good job of finding where you are at and pushing you to the next level.

With all the hype about how Kaplan is the apotheosis of test prep, I recently forked out the cash for their classroom based course and have mixed reactions about the effectiveness of such service. Just curious if anybody else shares the same opinion....

Sure their textbooks provide extra practice, and easy to understand explanations, but is it really worth the $1400 for just eight classes??

First of all, my Kaplan teacher did not show up for the first two classes. He simply forgot he was teaching on those nights. So we were asked to agree on a makeup lesson, which really threw a cog in the wheel for those of us who were working and/or had other commitments. To add insult to injury, when the teacher finally did come, (he also happened to be a GRE and LSAT teacher) he frequently confused the subject matter that he was teaching. It was so frustrating getting responses like "let me get back to you on that", which by the way he never did. It was the details that we were interested in, and yet he just flat out froze up when confronted with questions like "Which comes first in the AWA, the Argument or Issue essay?" Or, when asked to explain the negation strategy for CR. Or even how to attack boldfaced questions.

I am not totally dissing Kaplan, but frankly they charge way too much for both a lack of specialization and limited services (no advanced PS or DS). $1400 for eight classes (the first class is a diagnostic paper test) boils down to about $180 per three hour session. One would expect to receive keen insight which can not be simply read in the answer explanations, but instead the instructor did just that- SIMPLY READ THE ANSWER EXPLANATIONS. I have paid a fraction of the price at a community college for much more difficult courses and received far better value for money.

Essentially, IMHO Kaplan is milking off it's research from a decade or so ago, not keeping pace with recent additions and changes to the test. True, the GMAT is standardized but it is and will continue to evolve (hence the experimental questions). Their course uses age old strategies and tips that one can easily obtain by actively reading a $25 textbook. Furthermore, Kaplan seems to prepare students for the 550-650 range, obviously sub-par for the course of the big leagues.

I began my quest to attend a top 5 business school as a 08 New Year Resolution. I started without much information on the GMAT, resulting in 2 months of on and off studying with a Princeton Review book. From the get go I knew my challenge would be math and had to start with the basics (i.e. FOIL, exponents, etc). Knowing my P Review book was as unhelpful as my irregular study habits, I enrolled in a Kaplan Course on 4/20.

GMAT Kaplan Course April: Weekly Sunday
During the first class, I felt lost since my classmates were all strong in math. Moreover, I left overwhelmed with the pre class and home work. I tried to plow through everything just to check the boxes even though I knew I was not learning. Realizing I would not be able to finish the class due to an international work assignment, I stopped studying and checked the boxes, to ensure I could retake the class using the higher score guarantee.

Bottom line: check all the boxes so you can retake the class with the higher score guarantee

GMAT Course July: Weekly Sunday
Having attended classes previously, I felt more confident about retaking the class and actually learning content. I made a conscious decision to make the GMAT my number one priority (see body, soul). Again I was in a class with strong math students and felt overwhelmed. It did not help that my teacher was new and started her part time MBA while working full time and teaching for Kaplan. While she was nice, the teacher often rushed through the lessons without providing thorough explanations. There were also logistics issues, resulting in two missed classes. After completing the class, I was no where near scoring a 700 as my CAT scores ranged from 520 to 580. Providing a real world testing example, the Ultimate practice test was the best part of the course.

Bottom line: report any issues you have about your teacher / logistics to ensure you are getting your moneys worth

GMAT Course October: Weekly Saturday (Math Intensive)
Scoring in the 500s, I realized I desperately needed to understand basic math to improve. I retook the class for the 3rd time using the Alumni Discount ($300) + the added cost of 3 math intensive classes. This time the teacher was strong and I finally understood the material. Having taken the CATs before inflated my scores: ranging from 620 to 660.

Bottom line: having a capable instructor is the most important aspect of the course

Just wanted to share a quick story about my experience with test prep courses. I started studying for the GMAT about a year ago and enrolled in Manhattan GMAT a few months into the studying. I thought that the course was helpful in teaching the math concepts, but did little to really help with the actual test taking strategy. I took the test feeling mildly prepared and got a 640. I was beyond disappointed. I gave it another shot about a month later, thinking that the results of the first test could be attributed more to nerves than to ability, and got a 680. An improvement, but not the score I was looking for.

After being waitlisted at my top choice, I revisited the test one final time. I'm someone who needs a bit more direction and structure with studying, and I wanted to make sure I gave the test my best shot, so I enrolled in Kaplan advanced. From the beginning, the course keyed in on not only the test content, but also the strategies (mostly for quant). I already had a solid knowledge base from prior studying, but the Kaplan course was just what I needed to take it to the next level. I was testing in the mid 700's on their practice exams and ended up with a 740 (48Q/42V) on the real thing. I was beyond thrilled.

I post this to tell people that were in my position to consider the Kaplan course. I realize that it's pricey, but I really think it's worth it if you can swing it. It took over a year, but I finally got the score I wanted.