Fresh insights on old dilemma needed! [Help please:)]

Question

Hello to Everyone in GMAT club! It is my first post and I am happy to join such a greatly motivated community! I am starting my GMAT journey and already this forum and it's people have been of great help. Right now I am making my study plan and it would be great if you guys could give me some advice on how to proceed with my GMAT studies. Current state if things: - I have 4 month left till exam and I am ready to commit 2-2,5 hours daily with a Sunday off. - Target score 650 (700 would be great) - First Official Practice test score 510 (SC was the weakest section for me. CR was the strongest (scored in 99th percentile :-D

) ) - GMAT pill access My plan to get to 650: - Enrol for online courses by Veritas or Manhattan prep - Follow GMAT club regulary - Study! Study! Study! My dilemma(I would greatly appreciate your help here): I am now choosing between Manhattan prep and Veritas prep online course. Overall it seems that Manhattan course is an industry standard also I like the fact that course material is spread out over 9 week period. The only drawback and a substantial one is course instructors. For dates and times that fit my schedules (I am from Finland so it +7 hours difference:) ) there are 3 instructors available Stephanie Moyerman, Josh Braslow and Joe Lucero. The problem is not in instructors really but in the absence of information about them. No feedback, no reviews while in my opinion Instructor is quite important in online teaching. As for Veritas prep, I hate the fact that it is only 6 weeks long and overall it seems that Manhattan is the market leader where Veritas is trying to grab market share in sometimes slimy ways

The only reason why I consider Veritas is a world renowned (as they claim) instructor Ravi Sreerama. So if Ravi is so good maybe it makes sense to risk it and take Veritas Prep. As sometimes I feel content is not as important as great mentor is

Question: Which one should I choose? Have you heard about any of the instructors from Manhattan GMAT that I mentioned? Your help is greatly appreciated! Thank you in advance dudes!

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi EvilKota,

Considering your situation, if you're convinced that a live class is your best option, then your options will be a bit limited. That having been said, there are LOTS of different ways to prepare for the GMAT, so you might want to consider your other options.

Most GMAT Companies offer some type of free materials (practice problems, sample classes, Trial Accounts, videos, etc.) that you can use to 'test out' a product before you buy it. We have a variety of those resources at out site (www.empowergmat.com). I suggest that you take advantage of all of them then choose the one that best matches your personality, timeline and budget.

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich

EvilKota · Answer

Thank you Rich!

I have already decided to that online GMAT course is better fit for me. I just can't decide which one if online course providers to choose.

Thank you for your reply

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi EvilKota,

As I mentioned, most GMAT companies do offer some type of free resources - you can use those samples to 'test out' the various product and Course offerings. This will require a bit of research on your part, but it's important for your own confidence and improvement that you find study resources that you 'feel good' about.

GMAT Assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich

EvilKota · Answer

Thank you! You are right, I should take decision myself. I decided to take Manhattan course. 
I have my classes starting on 17th of September. Would you have advise on what I should do before that date? Should I go over foundations or use GMAT pill that I have?

Cheers!

DmitryFarberMPrep · Answer

If you already have our books (in paper or ebook form), I'd get started. The pace of the class is intense! A few ideas:

*You can't go wrong with the Foundations of Math book. I recommend that as a source of daily drills for pretty much all students. If you're rusty with some of the math topics, you can simply start working through the book from start to finish. The course starts with Fractions, Decimals, and Percents and then Algebra (exponents/roots, linear eq's, quadratics), so you may want to prioritize those chapters.

*This is a great time to read through the GMAT Roadmap. Some folks push this aside once they're busy with the course, but there are a lot of great tips in there for making the most of your study time. You can skip/skim anything that doesn't seem to apply to you, but definitely take a look. It will give you a great head start on some important topics.

*Take a Manhattan CAT, if you haven't already. We ask all students to do this by week 2, and it qualifies you for some one-on-one support at the end.

*Before your next CAT, do the week 6 Interact lesson on Timing.

*Get started on your strategy guides. If SC is low, start there. The SC book is big, and you may have to work through some parts more than once to get the full effect. Work through the first 2-3 chapters so that you're ready to spend more time on official problems once the class starts.

I hope you enjoy the course. Good luck!

EvilKota · Answer

Amazing support guys! That is exactly kind of answer I needed! Thank you!

By the way do you think improvement from 510 to 650 by spending 2.5 hours daily from now till December 22 a possible achievement? Or would I need to commit more time?

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi EvilKota,

Your score goal is completely reasonable given the time frame you've described (and you might not necessarily need all of that time, depending on how quickly you absorb all of the content and tactics). You'll have a much better sense of how well you're progressing once you get into your studies a bit.

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich

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Fresh insights on old dilemma needed! [Help please:)]

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