GMAT Prep Courses

Question

Hi everyone, 

I plan to write my GMAT and I want to give my best shot. My goal is to score 700+. I am currently working full time and I am not so good at my math skills. I plan to write around mid-june. How do I start and where do I start?

Should I take GMAT prep courses . I looked at courses by following but not sure which one to pick

GMAX
Veritas
MLICETS
Kaplan
ManhattanReview

Did anyone hear about MLICET. They say they are best but I am not sure. I haven't read any reviews about it anywhere. Please suggest.

I would really appreciate if you could guide me in the right direction.

Thanks,
Simi

nickeymickey · Answer

I took Verita's course first, then Manhattan Review's later. After the Veritas course, I got a 680, which was good, but I wanted a 700+, so I took a weekend course with Manhattan Review and took the GMAT again. I got 750, which was about where I was aiming. Both of them were pretty good but Manhattan's stuff was more advanced. Their quant book was really hard, and helped me in my math a lot. (I had only gotten in the 89th percentile the first time I took the GMAT). I also used Kaplan/PR's books in between, which I think are alright. They're nothing special, but they're not bad if you need constatn brush up while you're not taking classes.

neeraj kaushal · Answer

Hi ! Nickeymickey

I have one question if you can reply. As i am living in torornto I have two options . On is i go for weekend Veritas course in Toronto and other is virtual Classroom course which is online course in which u attend a class but online and it is full 9 week course. Price is almost same for both. 

Please suggest which one i shall go for. 

Thanks.
Neeraj

leanna · Answer

Dear Neeraj,
You say that you have about 2 months to go from weak math skills to a grade of 700 plus. That's a tall order if you are really working hard at a job. I suggest that you take some time off from work and devote it to studying for the test. You should know that the GMAT is one of the hardest tests given to college graduates.
The GMAX Online Course is complete in that it teaches each part of the GMAT thoroughly. There are 30 lessons of between 1 and 2 hours each, and the course usually takes students about 67 hours to complete. Each explanation is carefully given, so that you really find that you understand the material completely after each lesson. You can take the course 3 times, or take any lesson over and over again for as long as you need. There is absolutely no time limit and you receive 90 licenses to take the lessons. While most students take 13 weeks to take the course, some students have taken less and still done well.
About your job - don't sacrifice your career for your job! Study for the GMAT, there is nothing else that can have such a profound influence on your application to grad school.
Regards, and good luck.
Leanna
Director, GMAX
Be sure that you study properly and carefully. The grades you receive will stay with you on your record, even if you take another test.

mbanobigdeal · Answer

I have taken the MLIC gmat turbo course and was impressed with the training materials (very exhaustive and detailed) and with the quality of in-class training. My friends who had taken the veritas course were not impressed. I hear that veritas merely teaches you some strategies and shows you a few 'key' problems (about 8 or 10), and then requires you to work on your own. Veritas does not appear to do any diagnistic tests or training you in pacing. MLIC class that I took started me off with some diagnostic materials that were very detailed and thorough, and put us through the paces during the in-class sessions (about 40 hours), and provided us with lots of practice tests and materials for post-class training. As for GMAX, I have seen their online video lectures and they were not impressive (the instructor had long hair and looked like a rock musician). It was dull and boring, and tested my patience. I would strongly recommend MLIC GMAT COURSE. I improved my score from 510 before I took the MLIC course to 690 after the course.

mbanobigdeal · Answer

Looks like Leanna wants you to give up your job and work on the GMAT. GMAT is not the 'hardest' of all graduate tests. I wonder whether Leanna has herself taken the GMAT and any other grad school tests. This is what is wrong with GMAX online course; One does not get better by watching some boring instructor explain at snail's pace the basics in, say, permutation. The training has to focus on whether the candidate is APPLYING THE RULES AND CONCEPS correctly, consistently, and efficiently. There is no way GMAX can provide this type of training. From what I have heard and from my own personal experience with MLIC, MLIC courses use a procedure that identifies your weaknesses and coaches you to get better in your areas of weaknesses. For example, people from South Asia may have some major issues in the verbal area, and MLIC will actively coach you and help you get better. Again, you do not get better by watching some hairy guy explain the concepts at a pace that will put the proverbial snail to shame, as I have noticed with GMAX online demonstration. MLIC GMAT turbo course or ONLINE course is the best way to spend your time and money. You can complete their training by spending about 15 to 20 hours per week over 6 to 8 weeks.

Simi · Answer

Thanks guys for your response. It really helped me to understand the options out there better.

Simi

antostal · Answer

I am currently enrolled in the GMAX online course, so I thought I'd respond with my experience. I graduated 15 years ago, so my math skills are rusty. 

The GMAX videos are great because the teacher is very thorough. All concepts are explained fully, and example problems are worked and explained. After each video session, homework problems from the OG are assigned. The video instruction is so thorough that I am able to solve most of the corresponding OG problems correctly the first time through. I could not have done this prior to the instruction. I am able to watch the video lessons as many times as I need to. I find that watching each lesson twice gives me a firm grounding in the concepts. I have completed the first four math lessons in the program (Number Properties I,II and Parts of Numbers I,II). I still have a long way to go before I finish the course, but I am very pleased with the video lessons I have completed. 

I should mention that I took the Kaplan course earlier in the year with limited results. Kaplan does not teach the basics. Instead, Kaplan focuses on tips and tricks to solve problems. This approach didn't work for me. 

I am very pleased with the GMAX program. If I would have known about GMAX earlier, I would not have taken the Kaplan course.

mohitguptask · Answer

Neeraj, Let me share my perspective which is quite contrary to yours? First of all let me set the stage right, I am myself from South East Asia & work full time (at times with crazy travel schedules). With a demanding job & interest to get a good GMAT score, I wanted to choose a program with the necessary content & flexibility. My choice has been GMAX. GMAX has the best content that I could find, focused towards those who not only want to revisit the simpler topics but also want to spend lot of time on tougher тАШdifficult to find topicsтАЩ which are part of GMAT. The biggest value that I see in recorded lessons from GMAX is that one can visit the topics discussed in the lessons again and again, as many times as needed. тАЬRecording the best delivered lesson is a great thingтАЭ тАУ Sometimes the same teacher doesnтАЩt deliver as good a lesson as he possibly can when he is told that the same will be recorded. Just think? Whether the teacher is hairy or scary or not has nothing to do with the quality of lesson that you can getтАж.. As far as identification of your weaknesses is concerned, I think the concept itself is a тАШjokeтАЩ. Only you can identify your weaknesses & can seek appropriate help from your coach for improvements. GMAX is great with this; one can talk to the actual trainer, discuss the concept & work on related actual GMAT problems which have been segregated by the topic by GMAX. GMAX adapts to your needs but it is you who has to be committed to giving the right inputs about what you would like to improve on. They are there with you like a тАШrockтАЩ. Now coming to the Verbal section, GMAX discusses actual GMAT questions which are by far the best quality questions you can practice. Splitting Verbal preparation into three tracks (Critical reasoning, Reading Comprehension & Sentence Correction) is the best way to prepare in a focused manner. GMAXтАЩs techniques make you feel that each verbal question is like a mathematics question that can be solved objectively with understanding of the underlying logic. Finally have you (Neeraj) taken the real test ever? Also, an instructorтАЩs ability to do well on a test doesnтАЩt make the instructor any better. What matters is the ability of an instructor to help the student test taker at the grass root level of the problem itself. I think Leanna & her тАШcommitted teamтАЩ do a fabulous job at that. Leanna is an English Teacher by profession with 30+ years of experienceтАж.I feel most of us GMATTERs are possibly less than 30 or around that ageтАж.

Till date, I havenтАЩt taken GMAT only because I am unable to keep aside 15 days of time (leave) exclusively for GMAT. This is partly because of my visa status in US. GMAX or Leanna never ask anyone to quit your job but only warn you that you should work on it with 100% commitment or you will not do justice to your preparation. GMAX wants to keep you informed that GMAT score has a long term impact on your end goals тАЬhence take it with appropriate seriousnessтАЭ After all GMAT is a big qualified for schools to decide admissions. There is no training in the form of sugar wrapped pill that one can take for a few days & get over with GMAT. What GMAX calls for is your attention, commitment & doesnтАЩt make false guarantees for score improvements тАУ тАШirrespective of your passive participationтАЩ. Only тАШYou can do itтАЩ by practicing actual questions with quality guidanceтАж.This is what GMAX preachesтАжтАЩPractice Makes You PerfectтАЩ GMAX wants you to play in the field not watch the game from outsideтАж. Mohit

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