Knewton vs MasterGMAT, what would you recommend ?

Question

Hi everyone.

I will have 3 weeks and a half to prepare for the GMAT (full time).
I have the MGMAT books, but I consider trying a preparation course of the GMAT as I think it would helpo be guided in my preparation since I have not much time. I like the adaptative learning idea.

I am really hesitating between Knewton and MasterGMAT.
On one hand MasterGMAT should be less expensive since I will have only 3 weeks to pay. On the other hand Knewton seems more widespread and I found much more information concerning this preparation, plus the money back warranty can be interesting if I manage to get a good score at their diagnostic test.

Thank you for reading me.

simbar · Answer

I tried knewton and it's an excellent product if you love to learn from recorded video lectures. It is also a cheap option if you need to study for a long time, like up to one year. If you are sure you can get the money back guarantee AND get a high score, I'd recommend knewton. Check carefully though - some forum posts suggest it's nearly impossible to get your money back since knewton's terms require you to fulfill a ton of requirements to be eligible for it, not just to get a low score. E.g. if you have just 3 weeks you have little chance of completing all of the work sets and so won't have any guarantee from knewton. Again - it can be ideal for a very long study period if you're sure you can score very high in their diagnostic test and even higher in the real thing.

If you're not the type that needs a human face in a video in order to understand the explanations, MasterGMAT is for you - it's interactive and really smart actually. It is expensive no doubt, at $800 per year, but the weekly plans are affordable.

In any case, my suggestion is that you read reviews about both, understand the pro and cons of each, and only then make up your mind. Check out:
www.google.com/search?q=master+gmat+reviews (4.92)
www.google.com/search?q=knewton+reviews (4.57)

Good luck!

ChrisBKnewton · Answer

Thanks for the recommendation, Simbar! I'm glad you had a good experience with Knewton, and it's really fantastic to see students spread the word on our behalf. In regards to the money back guarantee -we can't ensure that students will improve by at least 50 points if they don't complete the full course, which is why we require a certain amount of course completion in order to be eligible for the refund. Three weeks is definitely a tight schedule, so it all depends on how much time you can dedicate in that time frame. It is not uncommon for our students to improve very significantly over the period of a month, and you can read some student reviews in the links Simbar provided.

Here are some other Knewton resources that might be helpful for you to get a sense of what we do:

Practice Questions and Tips: https://www.knewton.com/gmat/free/

Strategy Articles and MBA Advice: https://www.knewton.com/blog/gmat/

Student Testimonials: https://www.knewton.com/blog/tag/student-spotlight/

Feel free to reach out if you have any questions or concerns, hope this helps!

simbar · Answer

hey chris

i didn't say i had a good experience with knewton, just that i think it's excellent for people who like learning from video lectures (i presonally don't). i just did the free trial back when it was offered, and opted out. i didn't buy mastergmat either, even though i liked it much more.

re the money back guarantee, i think you are misleading people by writing on your site
"How does the guarantee work?
Simple. If you do the work and don’t gain at least 50 points on your score, we’ll refund 100% of your course fee. We’ll ask for a copy of your official score report, which we’ll compare to your previous score (if you have one) or your first Knewton CAT."

it's not so simple... you also require the person to jump through a series of hoops that for many ppl would be unrealistic given their time constraints etc.

i wish i had a better suggestion for you on what criteria to apply for eligibility for the refund. i completely understand your concern on people not putting in the effort not deserving a refund... in any case, i think that as an honest business you shouldn't hide such a huge caveat in the fine print buried somewhere

xora · Answer

Thank you very much Simbar !

I read some of the review but it seems quite similar.
From what I read on the internet, and from your review, I think that maybe Master Gmat would be better.
First the weekly payment will be less expensive for my 3 weeks of study. Secondly, I don't really like that much the videos, and I am not sure that watching 3 hours every two day is the best way to train for the GMAT.

Knewton vs MasterGMAT, what would you recommend ?

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