Not impressed with Knewton

Question

Just want to give a review of my experience with Knewton so far...the live classes are great, I enjoy the ability to interact, but the material covered does not go into the depth needed for me to do well on the exam. I am weak in quantitative and have found the classes either way too easy or too difficult in that they throw out problems to work on together in class that do not refelct what material was already covered. The detailed info on the topics you can review is not very detailed at all, rather a paragraph summary of the concept.

The verbal, which I do very well with has actually left me more confused after watching the classes. For me these problems are just intuitive and when they force you to break it down and look at the function of everything seperately I actually get them wrong more often and take longer to answer them. This might be good for some people that have a tough time with verbal though.

The endless number of pre, post, and homework assignments is a bit much and required to qualify for the 50 point guarantee. I don't really feel like these help all that much since they are not GMAT-like problems, they just ask odd questions. All in all I have about a month left before the exam, and have plenty of quizzes/assignments/classes to view before then, but feel with my limited time left I would rather spend an hour reviewing the MGMAT books then spend an hour doing pointless quizzes. I will try to work through all these just for the money-back guarantee, but honestly they are a waste of time for me and not the most productive use of my last month for study.

I was very excited when I first started the course, but after having discovered better study materials (MGMAT books) I now feel like the Knewton course is just an added chore that I must complete to qualify for the guarantee (which I do want the money back if I don't do well since I did not feel the course helped me much). I feel any time spent with this course when I have other more useful materials in front of me is just time taken away from better preparing myself for the exam. Just my 2 cents, I'm sure Knewton works well for those with different learning styles.

pranrasvij · Answer

thanks for the update and review... I was considering Knewton. Maybe its better for people who have ~600-620 range - the higher scores may be harder to do through rigorous structure if they do impose that on each question type...

Dawgie · Answer

MGMAT books would have served you better for increasing your quant score. However, I do not feel like Knewton's HW sets (Not assessments) are completely different than GMAT questions. They do a good job resembling OG. Let us know what you think of the CAT scoring!

Sorry to hear about your bad experience,
Dawg

Michmax3 · Answer

I wouldn't necessarily say it was a bad experience, just didn't suit my learning style I guess. I signed up because with the guarantee I felt I had nothing to lose and I still feel I didn't lose anything. I will lose my time if I keep trying to make the program work for me instead of using what I know does work, and time at this point is pretty valuable, so I've stopped focusing on Knewton. I'm still using the MGMAT books, I feel their problem sets are much more beneficial. Yes, the Knewton Assesments are pretty pointless (the HW isn't as bad) and I do feel the scoring of their CATs are off. My practice exam scores could range from 620 to 680 with only a 1 question difference in terms of how many I got correct, or even how many in a row I got correct.

shaselai · Answer

Michmax3
sorry to hear your dissapointment in the class. Did you try the numerous topic videos available? there are also back videos as well. I think there are tons of info to explorer.

kissthegmat · Answer

Michmax3 sorry to hear that Knewton is not working for you but it worked for many users. Anyhow, good luck!

Dawgie · Answer

I had the same experience with their CATs, they really do range a lot.

sma69 · Answer

I believe that Knewton has an extremely good learning platform. Technically it is a superior system. That said it is not for everyone. I took it this summer and was put under some real time constraints because I was taking six hours in graduate school (digital forensics/computer science) at the same time and it was a real strain. Knewton reduced me to tears a number of times because it is not a "positive reinforcement system" for students that have been away from the subject matter a long time. Yes, I am an extreme case because I graduated from high school in 1969. I never, never, never would have thought about going into a PhD program until this "wonderful new economy" that we have convinced me that standing still is not an option for anyone. Knewton's instructors are positive. They provided me with a list of resources so that I could begin the process of catching up. On-line classes, however, were not a positive experience because I was too far behind. I'm not sure about their practice sets and exams also. It is real easy to get negative feedback that reinforces a bad attitude about the GMAT. The Knewton concept videos are tremendous and really help. I will take the GMAT for the second time on September 22nd. The first time was early this summer before Knewton. I've been going to a sports psychologist for several weeks, working with creative visualization, and gone back to an exercise program in order to increase my competitive edge. Why? Well, Knewton is great, but in my opinion it falls flat, like almost all GMAT review programs, because it doesn't build a mental edge. You are trained to review and answer questions, but it is extremely easy for the program to become a negative experience that does not build you up for the exam. Yes, I'm an extreme case, but since I'm in the process of finishing my second master's degree this semester I've already proven I can do graduate level work, so what does the GMAT prove in my case? My advice is that Knewton is at the top of the pile with respect to review courses, but it can't be the only leg under the table. If it is than you better hope that it is the center leg and that you are using the material just for "REVIEW" purposes. Otherwise you may be disappointed, which is, of course, possible with all GMAT review courses.

rite2deepti · Answer

Yeah Its only good for people who have scored like a 650 in their diagnostic test and want to get a 700 in real GMAT.
I have taken Knewton, but I am very disappointed with the course.It does not help students with Low GMAT.Its only meant for high scores.

Dawgie · Answer

I have heard that it is good for 600 level people as well.

sma69 · Answer

I believe the crux of the matter is that Knewton has a tremendous number of online resources, but if you don't avail yourself of them you will be up "&*%t creek" when the actual GMAT comes around. Once again, I believe that your state of mind has a lot to do with the final outcome. At least that's my position until I finish on September 22nd. Also I'm looking for an Admiral Ackbar action figure to "slay" the GMAT test algorithms. He certainly can't hurt!

deechi · Answer

I think it depends on the person. I have found Knewtons wealth of information and homework assignments as a great way to get up to speed on the topics covered on the GMAT. For instance, I'm good at math in general but I never really paid attention to circles. So, I've been able to focus on that aspect.

Right now I'm consistently testing in the ~700 range on the GMAC and the MGMT practice tests, whereas my first diagnostic was somewhere in the low 500'. I usually tend to do well on tests I put my mind to and I think Knewton has been a great resource to go about studying. It's been especially helpful for me since I'm overseas and in no position to do anything in person.

Not impressed with Knewton

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