In December 2015, I decided I might want to pursue an MBA in the next couple of years, so I started looking into the GMAT. I am a decent test-taker, so I thought I might give GMAT prep a shot on my own at first.

The Verbal section seemed relatively straightforward - I read quite a bit in my spare time and have a good grasp of grammar, so this portion of the test did not seem so intimidating. However, when I started working on the Quant part, things got a bit more challenging. I have been out of school for 4 years, and I have not touched some of the math concepts since high school (e.g. geometry), so I had a hard time getting more than a 42 or 43 in Quant at first.

After a few weeks of trying to haphazardly review all the Quant concepts, familiarize myself with question types, and struggling with pacing, I decided it is time to get some help. I chose EMPOWERgmat due to the great reviews and affordable price - for the two months that I was planning to use it, it was one of the cheapest alternative I found (less than $200).

EMPOWERgmat was a great choice. Rich has a very pragmatic approach towards the Quant section - he reviews the concepts that you absolutely must know, provides strategic shortcuts whenever possible, and helps you determine which questions are worth focusing on in order to maximize your score.

I highly recommend EMPOWERgmat for everyone who is looking for help with the material and test-taking strategies, but is not willing to spend $1,000+.