Best GMAT Courses

I just finished my senior year in college, and I've had a hard time finding a GMAT course that really suited my needs. I read this blog and tried all the courses, but I always ended up leaving them for one reason or another. I found examPAL to be incredibly helpful and I really liked how their algorithm adapts its course to each individual's needs based off of their answers to different questions. I would say by far this has been the most useful GMAT course for me. I've been using it for over two weeks and still have no complaints; you should definitely consider adding it to this list.

Bumping this: can anyone who tried EmpowerGmat or Math Revolution compare these two resources for quant only? I am coming from a non-quant background and am interested in learning quant/math only to the extent that it will help on the exam. Given this, I find Math Revolution marketing very compelling: they seem to market a different strategy that really plays to the test. Is this effective? I already went through all MGMAT guides, so yes, we are assuming solid/basic knowledge of fundamentals, but not a very intuitive understanding of math. Any insight is appreciated.

I'd be a little skeptical of claims suggesting a completely different approach (that no one else is aware of), if that is what that company is actually claiming. I suggest you see most of that for what it is: marketing. I'm quite sure that there is no one company or individual with completely unique knowledge or approaches here. GMAT quant and verbal are just not (nowhere near) complicated enough for that.

I used EMPOWERgmat's 1 month prep course and scored a 690 on my first and only attempt on the test. I had an amazing experience using the program and definitely feel that I studied in the most efficient way possible by utilizing all of the resources available from my purchase.

I really valued being able to work through the material at my own pace as opposed to having classes or tutoring sessions on a specific day or at a certain time during the week. I studied for about 4-5 weeks in between graduating from college and starting my first day of work. I was able to enjoy the summer and spend time with family and friends at any point I wanted to, and then put in some solid hours of studying whenever I had some downtime. For that reason, I think this is a perfect course for anyone who finds themselves in a similar situation to mine, or any working professional who is looking to study for the GMAT outside of their job.

The material itself was great, and definitely helped boost my score up from what it was at when I took my first practice tests. The instructional videos provide excellent tricks and tips for tackling every type of question in both the quant and verbal sections. Those videos then come with practice questions to reinforce the lessons learned, and the questions then have full explanations which helped me feel even more comfortable with the material. On top of that, there were more practice problems available through the use of a GMAT prep book that can be purchased for $20 online. So overall, this course is significantly cheaper than Kaplan, Princeton Review, or other traditional tutoring programs, but still has quality material that can help anyone tackle the exam.

Since taking the GMAT in September, I have recommended EMPOWERgmat to anyone I know who has expressed interest in taking the GMAT. I feel I got a great value for the price I paid, and did not have to sacrifice a lot of my free time before my career started.

Hi

I am scoring around 37-39 in verbal section of GMATprep CAT exams. My aim is to score 40+ in verbal section of actual GMAT exam.
I am looking for CAT exams with the really tough verbal section so that my actual GMAT verbal should feel like a breeze.
Can anyone suggest such exams in which verbal section is much more tougher than actual GMAT?
Thanks a lot

I don't think you'll find what you're looking for in an adaptive test. At least as far as the verbal goes, the questions on the actual GMAT are probably going to be better than those in a test prep company's tests. Your best bet is to get all 6 GMATPrep practice tests, if you haven't already got all of them.

[quote="AjiteshArun"][quote="powarparamveer"]Hi AjiteshArun

Thanks a lot!
I have already taken all the 6 GMAT prep exams and score 37-39 in verbal in all. I don't want to retake them as many questions might be repeated and I will get an elevated score.
That is why i was looking for some alternate tests with tough verbal section.
I took the economist GMAT free exam but i found that verbal questions were different in construction from actual GMAT. I scored 28 in verbal in economist GMAT as compared to 37-39 in GMAT prep verbal

I scored a 690 on the GMAT (Q38/V46) and need to bring up my Quant score by roughly 7 points. What are the best prep resources/programs for Quant? Is there a clear-cut leader/program for preparing candidates weaker in Quant?

Hi there,

I took the Manhattan GMAT in-person class here in Boston with Faruk Bursal. Absolutely, without question, without qualification: DO IT. The classes are great, the instructors are friendly, knowledgeable, and most importantly, they're great teachers. One caveat - Faruk followed a format that was pretty awesome and I feel contributed to the success of the class.

Basically, each class had videos that you could watch (using "Navigator" - that thing is amazingly helpful) and materials to read in the books, and practice questions in both the books and associated problems in the OG. Before each class, we had to finish the videos, read the materials as best we could (they're closely tied to the video lessons), and attempt ALL problems.

Then, in class, we would go over those materials again, with the focus being on questions you had from the materials, or problems that you got wrong so the entire class could solve and then discuss it. If there was a more advanced problem that we were all struggling with, Faruk explained it methodically and ensured that we all got it (he usually gave us tough questions around that topic right after the explanation).

This format of "look-ahead" (that's the term he used, I believe) was incredibly helpful. I think by the end of our class, we were down to 5 people (a few decided to take the GMAT at a later date and switched to classes scheduled later in the year). Of those 5, 3 took the test right after the class ended and we scored 710, 710, and 740. That's a hell of a result in my book.

Again, Faruk's method appeared different from the other professors, who I think followed the more traditional "teach in class first, then students go home and do the homework" method, but I can't speak to that with any great authority.

But yes, do the in-person class. You absolutely won't regret it - it's worth every cent.

P.s. I don't know anything about their online class, but I'm assuming it's good too? Again, not much idea since I only did the in-person class.

P.p.s. By the way, I see a LOT of people here falling for the "x hours of teaching! y number of questions!" (where x, y are LARGE numbers). Please, for heaven's sake, don't fall for that crap. MGMAT was all I needed to score a 740. You need QUALITY, NOT QUANTITY.

It depends on what you're looking for. Online or classroom? You could also take a look here, although most of the ratings there are probably driven by the companies themselves (not fake, but suffering from sampling bias). If you take a trial or meet with your instructors before joining, you'll be in a better position to take a decision that you will be comfortable with.

****EDUSHASTRA****

I joined EduShastra based on their website claims and it turned out to be a very bitter experience. I had to repeatedly chase for many things for eg., training/test site was not functional fully, internet connection issues, schedules for classes. After i complained twice, they abruptly stopped responding to my mail or calls and my money is gone(no refund). I had crossed halfway in quants n verbal but had to waste my whole time/schedule waiting for them which resulted me out of my GMAT track and exam schedule. I would expect any institute to atleast respond but Kushal Bharadwaj who is the head, has been very unprofessional. Please be careful if you are a remote student/not based in India.

Well I just happen to visit ExamPAL through GMAT Club.
They are offering entire course videos for free.
You just pay if you take tests or tutoring. You can watch all concept videos without paying a single dollar.
I was moved by the way they have built the User Interface and their lucid explanations of concepts.
It would not be fair to compare this course with other players but this one surely wins if you consider the entire course FREE.
And the best part is I am just enjoying the preparation flow with them.
Thank you very much for making those awesome study videos available for free ExamPAL. I just thought i owe you at least a reference.

Hi Experts
Please do help me to take decision on selecting BEST GMAT Verbal & Quant course. I got confused as everyone praising about their course eg e-gmat says they are best, math revolution GMAT says that they are leader in Quant etc etc. I need genuine guidance. My background is as below
Profession: Engineer
Quant competency: 7/10
Verbal competency: 5/10 (RC is problematic area)

Hi all,

I am new to the GMAT world! I have a steep learning curve ahead of me and was wondering if anyone has any recommendations of GMAT prep tutoring services? I am looking for a 1:1 tutor (in-person/ online). Thanks!

From 2015 to 2018, I tutored for this firm out of Amsterdam, and I was called upon several times to tutor online for their UK and Germany-based students. I did a fine job, of course, but always wrestled with an inexplicable degree of initial resistance. It was good for me, but one day in 2018 I heard from my student - now a friend - that she had enrolled in an-person course with Manhattan, only to be informed - first in the fine print, and then verbally after payment - that too few people had signed up, and we would like to offer you an equivalent number of hours in private tutoring online? This offer was take-it-or-leave-it.

At the moment - and speaking as one of the firms active in Amsterdam - I can attest that there are only three firms offering an in-person class or tutoring service in this city. They are, in order of appearance, Mindful GMAT, GMAT Amsterdam, and me, the Gmat Dojo. I reference a LinkedIn post wherein you can track student feedback about companies that do this scam and the cities in which it's active. https://www.linkedin.com/groups/7430594/7430594-6440885732193116162.

And I invite you to know my own thoughts about choosing an online course: https://www.gmat.amsterdam/gmat_secrets_of_success/what-makes-a-good-online-gmat-course.

Kind Regards, and Success,
Omer

Hello Gaurav.

I happen to have been Optimus' first teacher. In 2013 they had just opened in Berlin. They were at that time searching for a curriculum designer, but we did not manage to reach acceptable terms. Though I tutored for them there for some months, the materials were restricted to Official Guide only.


Kind Regards, and Success!
Omer

Hi
I have given GMAT 3 times. 17th Sep 2017 680 (V32,Q50), 4th August 2018 690(V37,Q48), 15th September 2018 650((V31, Q48) canceled this score). After my 1st GMAT I tried to improve my SC by taking egmat SC only course. There was improvement in verbal but quant took hit in 2nd attempt because of last 3 question being wrong. I am unable to comprehend what happened with my third attempt. I am beginning to think that may be verbal score never improved and verbal score in 2nd attempt was an aberration. My mock scores(GMAT Default, EP1, EP2) have been consistently above 720. I am targeting score of 740. I am confused between empowergmat and egmat course. Any help in this regard would be appreciated greatly.