Guys,

This is my first post, and I wanted to write this especially for people who are looking to take guidance from Princenton Review Gmat course. This happened with a month back (at PR'S Bali Nagar branch in Delhi), and I would never want somebody else to experience this. Below is an email I wrote to Princeton Review, and following was Princeton Review's reply.

Hello to team Princeton Review,

I have been following Princeton Review for a long time for academic help in different phases of my life. I have always been a firm believer about the services offered by Princeton Review. It was only because of this reason that I joined your Gmat coaching center in Delhi (BALI NAGAR, RAJA GARDEN). But unfortunately except your content (which was also very BASIC), there was nothing much to gain here. The verbal tutor (SAPNA DUDEJA) initially showed a keen interest on bringing me on board but then the tutor gradually failed to even stand up as a dependable, cooperative, & a knowledgeable faculty.

I spend Rs. 26000 on one-to-one verbal tuition only--but I was only given 2 classes (one-to-one) while the rest I was suggested (rather pushed by the verbal tutor) to move into a group as it was convenient for her. All this was washed in mere 14 days. The verbal tutor had last comments in the following manner: "Your classes are over! You will have to pay more to get more no. of hours here."

I am not writing this because I want to make a point but rather because it is about a student's future which is on stake here. I will never want anybody else to suffer the way I suffered.

Moreover Princeton Review is a big and a dependable name; your services do not match the essence here, at all.

Sorry about that.

Thank you.


PRINCETON REVIEW'S REPLY


Thank you for contacting the Princeton Review.

We have assigned your inquiry to a representative who will be getting back to you shortly.

To help track your inquiry we have generated a reference number. Your ticket code is LTK12129070248935X. Please use this code in any further communication.

Respectfully,

The Princeton Review Team

Guys they never got back to me. Anyhow I wasn't expecting much from them after this sour experience. Yet an apology or some kind of consideration would have been great.

Tish.

(Do message me in case you have any further questions from me.)

TPR is the best destination if planning to prepare for GMAT in Bangalore. The course curriculum is very focussed, and very precise and true to the real GMAT exam. The faculties are extremely well prepared, motivating and reachable.

I really liked the smoothness with which they take up the course from basic to advanced. Every question is well answered and every doubt is well cleared. The engagement in terms of study groups and online discussions helped a lot. One of the best things provided by TPR is the booster sessions. I.e, one on one meetings with the instructors, where they identify your weak areas and work on them, and all this, after the course ends.

The long list of TPR tests keep gear you for the Computer adaptive tests. I am a hard worker, but i really need motivation to perform well. TPR was just the right place to receive all the push and motivation I required. Highly recommended.

Princeton Review's GMAT Prep Course (Small group instruction) was super beneficial and helped me get a much higher score than when I had done self study. They teach you shortcuts, tips, and tricks that would be difficult to learn on your own. They touch on all subjects and numerous strategies for working the problems.

The instructors know their stuff, and are very open to answering questions after class. They make a lot of difficult concepts (especially math problems) easy to understand and digest.

Not only was I able to sign-up using a promotional offer, but I received 4 books; 1 written by the GMAT authors, 2 written by the Princeton review, and a course study/practice book. Plus, they give you additional online prep materials (pretty good deal for the price). It's pretty much all the materials you could possibly need to do well on the exam.

As an attorney who works full time, the private tutoring offered by Princeton Review was exactly what I needed. My tutor was willing to meet with me from 7:30-10:30 pm to work around my schedule. Having a very firm grasp on verbal but needing a serious brush up in math after not taking a math class in 10 years, the private tutoring allowed me to work at my pace and skill level and focus on areas in which I needed the most help.

Jason is a fantastic tutor who is able to understand a person's specific learning styles and caters to those styles. He is patient and friendly. The tutoring process was useful and for the most part I felt I got my money's worth. The main criticism I had was that I was taking the test just before the new version was released, but the online tools still only had 5 practice tests of the old version while offering nearly a dozen new version practice tests.

Princeton is the best. No doubt about it. I believe a 770 score speaks for itself...

Princeton Review was perfect for me. I realize now that there is no way I could have crossed a 700 score studying by myself. My teachers were great in terms of the support which they extended to me (and still are extending to me...) and classes were fun (can't believe I'm actually saying that).

Their approach for worked like a charm and they had booster sessions to help me work on my weak areas. Another great thing about them is that they provided so much material to study from. I had a lot of support even when I was studying after I finished the course.
Being a non-native English speaker, I still managed to get a 45 on verbal and that's thanks to my teacher. I would definitely recommend Princeton Review to anyone who's looking for coaching.....

Hello

Like any other 5-6 year IT professional I wanted to do my MBA but little did I know that it is a war-field in itself with the first hurdle being the GMAT. Attempting to give my GMAT without the help of any tutorial I tried my hand at a mock test.

When I took the pre-GMAT mock test I scored a 430. Disappointed and worried, I realized a need for a helping hand & was desperately in the look-out for a quality GMAT prep tutorial. I then found out about Princeton Review based out of Bangalore and got myself admitted there.

I have to say that this decision of mine definitely accelerated my GMAT prep process. The trainers at the tutorial are not only well-equipped to train the students but are also very friendly and helpful. The best part of the course are their booster sessions where every deserving student gets a chance to review his or her strengths and weaknesses with a master trainer for Verbal and Quant in one-to-one sessions. These sessions are definitely a 'booster' to your prep process in its true sense.

On completing the course with Princeton and taking offline help sessions from Merrily, Rohit and Vikram I managed to score a 730 in my GMAT. Yes, this definitely seems like an achievement to me to move from 430 to 730 and the trainers at Princeton deserve a major credit in this endeavor of mine.

The top strengths of the tutorial are

1.) Their course structure
2.) Their lab and library facilities
3.) Their prep-material and practice tests
4.) Their trainers, each of whom I have interacted with are friendly, approachable and 'they know their job'

I have also been a part of their ACS services and I can vouch these are top-notch as well.

Finally, if you are a candidate who is busy with work but still wants to do well in his or her GMAT then Princeton is the place to go to!

All the best..

Have fun!

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!

Princeton Review's course was a fantastic experience and without doubt pushed me past the 700 barrier when i wrote my GMAT.

They have excellent faculty and what puts them apart is their availability outside your normal classes, they are always ready to spend extra time with you to clear all doubts and have an excellent grasp of their respective fields.

Course Material is quite good and an added advantage of this course is that if you score 600+ on any of their mock tests you are eligible for unlimited one on one booster session before your exam date with their advanced tutors to hone your skill and make you fully prepared to crack the GMAT. They also provide a lot of help outside the syllabus with respect to preparation tips, dealing with stress , past GMAT experiences

Overall would give a lot of the credit of my 710 to princeton review

So here goes! I'm trying to make this short as possible.

Started with a Princeton classroom course, Diagnostic 620. Studied every night, kept up with the syllabus. Test 2 620. Backed up, reviewed notes, went to Math Boot Camp. Test 3 490. More study. Test 4 600. Studied more, Test 5 620. Ugh!

As for the Princeton course: (a) Do not call and ask advice from customer service representatives, about anything. I found they typically were dismissive and discouraging. (b) Listen to your teacher, who should have your best interest in mind. However, do not listen to the teacher if he/she tells you to take the test within a month or whatever after the class ends. Test Prep courses give you math basics, and I truly believe the rumor that they work for people aiming for 500-600 scores, but not higher. However, if you are aiming for a 500-600 score, I do not think that means you should follow the test prep companies like they're the law. Use the test prep companies to get up to 500-600, then judge for yourself how much more studying you have in you. If you know your work ethic can handle a few more months of self-study, then do it! Practice is key (especially for Quant, for me).

After the Princeton course, I bought Manhattan GMAT books and continued working through the OG. From Manhattan, I ended up only really using the verbal note-taking strategies, which did bring my score up. For Quant, I stayed primarily with the OG and additional Quant OG, except for some browsing in MGMAT books. MGMAT tests were great. I scored in the mid-high 600s on all of them. Also during this time I took the Kaplan diagnostic and scored 650.

Took both GMAT Prep tests--Test 1 720. Test 2 710.

Then I made my first attempt at the real thing--650! Shoot. I'd had a terrible week, was half sick, had rescheduled to a town an hour away and stayed in a hotel the night before, only slept 5 hours. Anyway, I didn't give up, and I don't recommend giving up to anyone who has time for a second test before second round. My nerves were soooo much better the second time, there's no way I would have scored lower (FYI average score change for second timers is an increase of 30 points). Anyway, essays came through as a 6.

Then I started with a fresh copy of the OG. I ignored the additional quant OG at this point because the GMATPrep practice tests use some problems from that book, which could skew the final score. Anyway, I just kept working problems, leaving checkmarks on those I missed and circles on those that took too long, and also reading the solutions. After making it through all Quant problems in the book, I reworked the problems I missed, as well as the problems I took too long to solve. Then I went through the missed/too long problems again. During this time, I took a few more Kaplan tests. Scored 550 on all of them.

***Important! Also during this time, I did 5-10 of the GMAT Club Math Challenges/Tests. They are harder than the real thing, which is the point. Seriously. It made the test so much easier for me. Thanks GMAT Club! (I swear this is not a paid endorsement.) GMAT Club Math tests are well worth the money. I recommend working all of them and wish I'd given them more time.

Tried a third take at GMATPrep and scored 730.

Then sat for the real test again and viola! 740. Still waiting for my essay score.

So...

#1. Don't give up, and trust yourself more than anyone else.
#2. Quant is about practice. Practice practice practice.
#3. I don't recommend involved forms of tracking the questions you missed. I started a spreadsheet, then found it was a waste of time in comparison to working and re-working problems. That said, I didn't get a supergenius math score (46 raw/77th percentile), so maybe the supergeniuses with spreadsheets know something I don't (clearly, they do). Even so, unless you're already a math expert, the checkmark seems like enough to get up to speed, especially since what you need most is practice. I don't think time spent formatting a spreadsheet is time spent wisely.
#4. Trust your strength, focus on your weakness. I barely studied for Verbal between my first and second attempt (first attempt 92nd percentile, second attempt 99th percentile). I have a master's in lit and have worked as an editor for years.
#5. Take vitamins, do yoga, exercise, trying breathing and meditation. Drink 3-4 ounces of red wine the night before. Especially do these things if you are an anxious person or have a history of nerves. Listen to classical music, especially on the way to the test. I like Beethoven's 6th.
#6. Know that ultimately it doesn't matter that much. If you bomb, worst case scenario, down to the wire, give yourself another year and try again.
#7. Believing you can raise your score is 75% of the work. Keep believing it. No matter how bad your practice tests get. Just keep practicing and studying.

So, that said, here's a disclaimer--I worked 50-60 hour weeks for the 3 years preceding my GMAT prep, so I'm used to coming home from work and continuing to work. This work ethic is the #1 factor in my final score. Also, and I hesitate to go here, I always scored well on state-wide standardized tests as a kid and I was in the gifted program from a young age. I studied lit so my college-level standardized test scores dropped a bit until this GMAT score.

I'm saying this because I don't want to mislead people==I completely believe that everyone can raise their scores dramatically, with enough effort, patience, and positive thinking. However, if you've always had a hard time with standardized tests, then another 6 months of study when you've already put in 6 may not make a difference. What does make a difference is knowing your confidence level, knowing how much studying you need to do your best, and then putting in the work. If you get down on yourself because of a bad practice test, set yourself a time limit before you buck up and move on (maybe an hour? 2 hours?). Anyway, I've been a good-for-nothing at times and a crazy hard worker at times, so because of my own vicissitudes I have complete faith in the flexibility and potential of every human mind. What will get you where you want to be is good health--physical and mental, which means keeping a positive attitude, believing you can do it, and giving yourself room to make mistakes.

Good luck everyone!!!

--CrystalB

I registered for the Princeton Review course in mid FEB/2010 and finished the whole course very soon as nothing new was there in the course what I didn’t knew! It was not a bit helping! (I’m not going to kind on anyone and this is really true, and it seems like the course is not designed for GMAT!) I had no other option than to join this course as this was near my city and opted for classroom course as I thought this will be helpful as classroom course will give me opportunity to interact better with tutor.

Teacher style:

No doubt that my Math instructor was helping, but he had limited knowledge of GMAT! He only knew what was there in the TPR manual and many a times he stumbled on OG questions! I was very much amazed when he said that this AD/BCE technique is not even given in OG, then I pointed out that sir you are wrong, this is given in the OG 12.

My verbal teacher was in the same boat, never showed interest in teaching, it seems as if she was doing time pass. She added nothing to my prior knowledge. When I asked queries about OG, she always said after that class or sometimes she will come back with this problem tomorrow. And that tomorrow never came. I needed the help on verbal section the most as it was my weaker section, but she couldn’t answer or guide me.
Instructors need to be trained regular and they need to be updated. Though I had opted for TPR’s one on one course, sometimes they made me to attend classes with some other students!

Quality of study material:

As I said above it seems like the course is not designed for GMAT! This is very much true. Not even a single question is nearer the real question. TPR manual, which they use for teaching is not good enough, very few problems are discussed in the manual. Those problems also non-representative of real GMAT problems! I got manual after a week as it was out of stock at that time!

Online Student Centre (OSC) which they give much emphasis has nothing to add. My OSC started after 7-8 days of joining the course!

Yes, if you are targeting for 600 on GMAT this is a course for you! If your target is higher you have to look for other options. I gave GMAT after completing TPR and scored miserably 540(Q48, V17, AWA 5). I’m not completely blaming TPR for my low score but they could have added good practice stuff for the hefty money they charge! If you need start from ZERO and wants to score up-to 600, this is course for you, otherwise look for another option.