Manhattan GMAT 9-Session In-Person Prep Course Reviews

I first heard about this course from a friend who had taken it a few years back; he had raved about it, and he's a guy who rarely raved about anything. So, from the get-go, I was inclined to give preference to Manhattan Prep over any other companies. Still, at $2,000, I wanted to get a "taste" before fully committing.

One of the things I loved about this course was that I was allowed to come to the first session -- for free, no strings attached -- and check out the instructor and the overall vibe before plunking down the dinero. And about halfway through that first class, I knew I'd be handing over a bunch of Benjamins, but that I'd be doing it enthusiastically.

Our instructor was extremely bright, geeky about the material and the various ways to think about approaching problems, not at all pedantic (which is my biggest pet peeve with instructors/coaches of any kind), and he seemed to keep everyone in the room engaged. He was organized but not a stickler. There was room for questions. People were smiling and listening and stumped at times, and it was exactly what I thought this sort of class should feel like.

Over the course of the 10-week program, we had a clear syllabus outlining homework problems as well as topics to be covered in each class. As with most things in life, students got out of the program what they put into it, and in my case, I'll be honest and say that I didn't stick to the homework schedule...at all. Still, it was nice to have it -- as well as the accompanying boatload of books with practice problems -- for that inevitable time down the road where I actually decided to buckle down, SIGN UP for an actual GMAT test, and go back and do the homework the way I was supposed to have done it months earlier. Even though I didn't stick to the syllabus, the fact that I had one to refer to definitely helped was I finally got my act together.

The practice GMAT tests online and the analytics that go along with it are also super helpful. Manhattan Prep gives its students a granular look at their performance sliced and diced across all the different problem types. Super helpful for efficiently & strategically improving your game.

The whole company is also just good people. At least the four individuals I interacted with - either in person, on the phone, or over email. Not trying to nickel and dime you. Better customer service than your bank. Friendly and understanding people. And somehow they seem genuinely concerned with you getting the most out of the experience. A+ overall.

What else is there to say? These guys know their stuff, and they're here to help you hit your goals. I got a 720 on the real test two days after getting a 700 on my final practice one through Manhattan.

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Christine was a great instructor. She methodically explained verbal and quant approaches and problem types. She made class engaging and, in particular, was great at getting us into the mindset of the test and providing tips for being strategic test takers.

The course and prep books were overall extremely helpful. I found the quant sections of MGMAT's practice tests to be more difficult and have different types of problems than the actual GMAC exams. That being said, they were probably useful in that they were harder practice than the actual tests themselves. And the analytics that MGMAT provides to track your practice tests and problem sets are extremely useful in mapping your own personal prep strategy.

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Fantastic Instructor - Especially helpful for people like me who are not necessarily driven on their own. I had a good handle on the verbal section, but was surprised by how the systematic approach increased my ability to get through the material in a timely fashion. The math tricks were instrumental in getting me through the math section - and with the directed practice, I was able to increase my math score dramatically over the 9 weeks. Further, many of us found the Manhattan practice exams to be a touch harder than the GMAC exam which was a great confidence boost on test day. Also, don't discount the value of taking practice tests in the Manhattan GMAT office which mirrors testing conditions.

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After taking a few practice exams and being unhappy with my scores, I decided to sign up for the 9-week in person class with Manhattan GMAT.

This is the best decision I could have made for my MBA goals. I was able to improve my first practice exam scores from the low 500's to a 630 on test day. It had been so long since I'd used a lot of the math concepts that I really struggled to get back into the swing of things.

My instructor, Jonathan Schneider, was absolutely incredible. He was by far the best part of the course. While the study material was all very helpful, Jonathan pushed me in class to work things out on my own with some specific direction. If not for his teaching style, I am positive I would not have done as well as I did.

All of this paid off, as I was accepted to my top choice (Kenan-Flagler @ UNC) this month.

Thank you Manhattan GMAT and more importantly, thank you Jonathan for all you did to ensure that I was successful! If you are considering taking a class, you will absolutely not regret taking it with Manhattan.

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I was very happy with the outcome of my second GMAT test. I took the 9-week course with Kay Christensen, who was a fantastic instructor. The class was somewhat large (~15 students), which made the class somewhat slower than I would have liked, but I think the late spring / summer months tend to be busier. Ultimately, the score you get is up to you. I spent nine weeks taking the course and another roughly seven weeks of very intense self-studying before I felt I was ready to take the test. The course gives great foundational knowledge and a schedule to work off of, but much of the work takes place after the course. I did take the official GMAT about three weeks after the end of my course, but that was intentional so that I would get used to the environment. That helped, as I felt much calmer during my second test.

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Taking a Manhattan Prep GMAT course is the best decision I've made thus far in my MBA journey. Isaac is a fantastic teacher and truly understands the needs of each student and strives to help everyone achieve their desired score. In about 3 months I went from 550 on my first practice test to 750 on test day.

I can't overstate how much the class and Isaac helped my GMAT score. Isaac was helpful with everything from test strategies and techniques to motivation and study tips. He is sharp and engaging and always explains problems in multiple ways so that each student can find the technique that works best for him or her.

Thanks, Isaac!

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As I began the MBA application process, I wanted to get a good jumpstart on my GMAT studies. I decided to sign up for Manhattan Prep’s live class in Santa Monica. I tested out the online classes but it wasn’t for me. I signed up for a weekday night class with Elaine Loh and I was not disappointed. Elaine was a great instructor. She really knows her stuff and brings tons of excitement and energy to the classroom. This is especially important when you are covering a dull topic at 9:00 at night after a long day of work. Elaine was also very willing to help outside of the classroom and was very responsive to any email questions or concerns I had. The live classes and assigned homework also force you to stay on track while studying. In order to get the most out of the class, I recommend doing the assigned homework and coming to class prepared and with questions. In the end, the classes do a great job of laying out the core concepts and strategies to help you succeed on the test. For anyone looking at options for GMAT prep, I would definitely recommend the Manhattan Prep Live class with Elaine Loh.

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I initially studied independently using Kaplan and empower Gmat, but after about 120 hours of studying and one GMAT test I scored a 680. I took some time off and decided to take Manhattan GMAT. Right of the bat I really liked their approach. The live classes, the learning while doing reinforced by rigorous studying. My professor was very accessible and really helpful with questions. After completing the course in 4.5 weeks and about 10 days of additionally studying I took the GMAT and crushed it. My timing was on point for all sections and I scored a 710. They also have given me a post exam assessment which gave me a plan for my time before the next exam I take. Reed was extremely helpful at times during the class and after. His methodology was really good and rarely did I just get an answer to my question. It usually was a question to my question which would allow my to understand the why of the issue. This was a huge plus. Another huge plus is the performance tracking system they offer not only for the CAT's but also for all the practice questions you do. If you time yourself for each question and record your response you can then visually see what topics or areas you need to work on and which ones are really strong.

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I did a 9-week GMAT prep course in person and highly recommend it to anybody who's on the fence about taking an in-person class. I also hit the jackpot with Ryan Jacobs as an instructor. He's extremely good, he handles a class of mixed abilities very well, and I really felt that he added a ton of value beyond what you can get from self-study using all the Manhattan GMAT materials. Definitely worth the (quite high) expense of the class, and it paid dividends in the score I ended up getting. Manhattan also offers other services beyond the 9-week course -- you can schedule a "Post-Course Assessment" and create a post-course self-study plan leading up to your test date. I found all the materials, services, and classes extremely helpful.

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I took Manhattan Prep's GMAT courses last year. The syllabus was very well designed and the instructor, Jonathan Schneider, was extremely skilled and up-to-date on the latest GMAT trends/topics/question types. Coming from Engineering background, my biggest weakness was in Verbal section, for which the combination of Manhattan's text books and CAT exams and Jonathan's instructions were extremely helpful. From information on the algorithm that Official GMAT uses to calculate the score, to common mistakes that people make in different question types, to smallest details on how to physically and mentally prepare for the exam, you can ask or email Jonathan whatever you want and he's always there to answer with tremendous resourcefulness and patience, even far after you're done with classes. Two month after I finished my classes I got 710 in my first official GMAT try. I build upon the solid verbal foundation that Jonathan and Manhattan's classes had created in me to study more, and eventually in my third try I got 760 (99th percentile) with a verbal score of 44 (98th) percentile. I highly recommend Manhattan and especially Jonathan's classes to whoever is shooting for a 700+ or score.

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