ManhattanGMAT is excellent! I started my 9-session class in January with Hemanth as my instructor. He was an excellent instructor and went through everything thoroughly.

My quant improved a ton - in my diagnostic exam, I took 10 minutes over the 75 minute time limit to finish the quant sections and only got a 43Q (70th percentile). On test day I got a 49Q (85th percentile)! MGMAT is known for extremely difficult quant problems, especially at the 700+ level.

My verbal did not improve from my diagnostic exam. (I am a native speaker). In my diagnostic exam I got a 41V but on test day I got a 37V. I am not sure why this is as I have scored at least a 38V or higher on all of my practice tests. I do wish that the MGMAT verbal guides had multiple choice questions in the back (to simulate test questions) instead of the short answer questions that they currently have.

In total:
GMAT Diagnostic Exam: 700 (43Q 41V)
Test Day: 710 (49Q 37V)
+10 Points

In addition to the class syllabus, the class provides what is called a "study organizer", which details the exact problems that you need to do for homework for every day of the 9 week class. The study organizer includes what is assigned in the syllabus, as well as additional problems. I would say that I averaged about 25 hours of work a week on this course (3 hrs class + 21 hrs HW). It is a ton of work, but it is great!

The NYC location also provides a testing center that is pretty warm, but good for taking practice exams and studying.

A serious suggestion: The practice exams really need to be improved.
1. At the higher levels (700+), the quant portion of the MGMAT CAT exam will give you 3-4 probability / combinatorics questions. In reality you may see 1-2 of these problems on exam day.
2. The verbal portion of the MGMAT CAT exams will front-load the RC and CR questions, and you will usually finish all of the RC questions at around question 25-30. In reality it is more spread out. This is important for timing. You may find yourself finishing early on the CAT exams because the last 5-6 questions are SC questions, but on test day you may not have enough time if your verbal section ends with 4-5 RC or CR questions.
3. If you are a high scorer (700+), the later CAT exams will give you more 600-700 level questions, since you would have exhausted all of the 700 level questions in MGMAT's question bank. For example, I scored 700+ in my 1st, 3rd, 4th, and 5th CAT exams. In my 6th CAT exam, the last 13 questions in my verbal section were of 600-700 level. I got them all right, and I got an inflated score. In reality, the questions will be about 700+ level difficulty if you are scoring this high.

If MGMAT's CAT Exams are the best on the market (besides GMATPrep), then I really don't want to think about how bad CAT Exams from other providers are.

If you want to score a 700+, look no further. Going through the well explained Manhattan GMAT guides and watching Thursdays with Ron alone will help you score that 700+.

The Manhattan GMAT guides are detailed and explained in a way that is understandable to any beginner with rusty quant or verbal.

The Manhattan GMAT test analysis has the detailed level of analysis that no other test prep company offers. I also loved their OG tracker, which helped me pin point my weak areas and practice OG questions by topic.

Thursdays with Ron is a hidden gem that is absolutely free. Watch these sessions and you will no longer think about quant or verbal in the same way.

MGMAT and Ron Purewal are awesome! My score improved from 650 to a 710 just because of MGMAT and Ron.

I took the class a year ago with Ron Purewal. He is an amazing instructor, drilling down the essential "don'ts" for the GMAT. I had issues with timing, and it was essential that I dont brood over every question and focus on getting everything right. Ron along with the practice tests made me really take a step back and set my approach right.

The course keeps you on track with the self-study and homework sessions. The material is great as well. I actually took the test a year after going for the course so I had to come back to my class notes and the material. I gained ~140 point from when I took my first test before I started and ultimately got a score of 740.

I would highly recommend this course and Ron as an instructor.

MGMAT is fantastic. The material is taught in a very intuitive way. There are clear steps in this course. It is very structured to take you from the lowest levels up to the highest rung. It gives you a clear plan to get you where you need to go (as long as you are fully willing to put in the work.) The practice questions are very similar to the actual GMAT questions. One of the cooler parts of this course is the "OG Archer" which is an online tool you use to record and analyze your strengths and weaknesses. It charts your progress and shows you where you need to focus.

I shopped around before selecting my GMAT course and I am glad I finally selected Manhattan GMAT. If you are disciplined, fairly smart and capable of putting into practice what these guys teach you then you will get a great score. Attending the course doesn't circumvent any of the hard work you must put in (in your own time) but it does mean the work you do will the efficient. The books they provide are great, but attending the course in tandem really helps the key concepts anchor in you mind.
Not cheap, but if you are serious about scoring highly then it's worth it.

I did some research and asked around about other courses and the most positive I kept hearing about was Manhattan, minus the cost. It is expensive, but it was worth it because I had heard many success stories from others and I knew I needed a top score. I have taken the course twice, both in-person and online.

The in-person class was great, the instructor (Liz) was incredibly smart. She explained all nuances of an entire class of problems while explaining the answer choices. Her focus was all about why the wrong answer is wrong and why the right answer is right. She would also go over tips to improve guessing odds and she wouldn't stop there, she would make sure that all different methods of approaching the question have been exhausted and beaten to death.

The books are very good and many will recommend just to buy those whether or not you take the course. If you're tight on money that might not be a bad idea, because you get access to their online tests if you simply purchase a book. The books help give the same unique way of tackling all the different problem types that they discuss in class. The OG Archer explanations are also way better than in the official guide itself.


Overall the course helped force me to push myself, do the practice, come to class, and ultimately know the best way to tackle the whole process. Expert advice every step of the way. In a Nutshell MGMAT is the best period, but opt for the in-person class it because I feel its a million times better than the online version.

By far the best. Even its test series alone can bring about great improvement. I didn't go through the entire material. just did the tests and used parts of the material (a few PDFs). I'll therefore not list the pros and cons but just say that whatever i did from MGMAT was fresh and great. The CAT analyses was absolutely fabulous! very detailed and helped me improve A LOT. It ensured that i never slipped downward. only went upward in my score. I didn't need any support. BTW, they also provide you the option to reset your account to start from scratch if you want to(in case your prep got a break or something). PS: their flashcards were very handy.

The Live Online course was very solid, especially for consultants who never know where they'll be or when they'll be there until.

Pros: Provides an excellent framework for how to approach studying. Breaks it down into manageable weekly segments that require a lot of work, but are thought out and doable if you put in the time. The syllabus and the books are the most invaluable part of this course.

On that note, I cannot recommend the MGMAT books enough. They are the best material out there, especially for those of us who struggle with concepts like number properties. The CAT's are also the best non-Official tests you can take, and give a very accurate representation of your score. I would estimate that the Quant on MGMAT CAT's is more difficult and time consuming than on the real thing, but that prepares you well for time management.

The instructors were very good, especially the lead instructor for our course. Cold calling was definitely appreciated, since it motivates you to do your work.

Also, the best part of Manhattan is that they are a no fluff company. I read a lot of tricks and secrets and other things from certain providers, but Manhattan emphasizes hard work and learning the underlying concepts, which in my opinion, are the key to doing well on the test.

Cons: I thought the class moved a bit too slowly. If you're a higher level test taker and really putting in hours to study, you will probably rise above the course material and find class a little slow. That being said, it was still a good review of things and a good confidence builder.

Overall: Solid 9/10. I would recommend it to anyone, especially if you need the spark to study like I did, and the weekly check points to make sure you do your work. You also get free office hours that I wish I had used, and would have been really valuable for certain sticky areas. The CAT's and the books are an easy 10/10. I was happy with my score.

To prepare for my GMAT, I used a variety of prep materials from GMAC, Manhattan Prep and other prep companies. I like the Manhattan GMAT series a lot for its focus on concepts. The explanations have sufficient substance to help learners grasp the concepts behind the questions. Other companies seem to lean towards elimination tricks, which work well for questions up to the 700 level but not beyond.

I have also found that the Manhattan GMAT series does not contain any serious typological mistakes, while than some books by other companies repeatedly contain frustrating typos. This is a small matter that can cause a lot of confusion to learners, especially in a timed testing environment. Manhattan GMAT's attention to detail makes a difference.

I attended two very workshops in Singapore conducted by Robert Wilburn. Those workshops helped me consolidate and further enhance things I had learned by that point.

My time with Manhattan GMAT was well spent. When I started the course I was completely unprepared, not to mention I hadn't done much math between my senior year of high school and now. Not only did MGMAT prepare me with detailed books and plenty of coursework, but they have a number of resources available to students, and they are very generous with their time/practice center.

My instructor was excellent--he was clear, practical and held my attention for the whole class. In addition to strong instruction, the books were easy to read and kept me very busy.

The practice center was a helpful tool. I get anxious when it comes to test taking. Not only was I able to practice in "test-like" environments, but I was able to use the center for regular practice and homework as well. Having a quiet work space is key, and while I know it wasn't policy to have some classrooms open, every now and then when I needed to do timed drills after work, they let me use an empty classroom.

As someone else in another post mentioned, if you start to test at the top of the range and continue to take the adaptive tests, you start to run into some repeat questions, which does inflate your score. This only happens if you go through all six tests and then reset them (although it looks like they've also added a bunch of new questions along with the integrated reasoning practice.)

Overall, I had a great experience with Manhattan GMAT. I did take it twice, but I am very happy with my score. It is a high quality experience and I highly recommend the program.