OVERALL: I recommend this class if you know what you need to work on and are looking for a group setting and if you're trying to get to high 600s-low 700s. If you're trying to get to high 700s, I would recommend a private tutor instead (once you are consistently getting high 600s), because you will not be hitting those less-frequently-tested subjects during this class.

RESULTS: I was getting about 630 on my practice exams (I was using Manhattan Prep practice exams which are notoriously harder than the actual exam). My first real exam I got a 710 and then I hired a private tutor from Manhattan Prep. I took the exam again and got a 720, but on my third time got a 750.

PREPARATION: I had done very minimal preparation work before signing up for this class. I had done a few online quizzes and quickly realized that I wasn't just going to be able to wing the GMAT exam. I signed up for this class and really committed to it - I went to every lesson and did all the homework, etc.

RESOURCES: The Manhattan Prep portal is very easy and straightforward to use. You can set up and take infinite quizzes online and even specify them to subjects you want to test. There's a page where you can analyze the problems you got wrong as well. They give you all the Manhattan Prep books which I found very useful for preparing for the exam - many forums recommend these books, but they are included when you sign up for a class. They also give you a GMAT scratch sheet (and special pen) which is VERY helpful for when you take the actual exam and they teach you how to set up your scratch work most efficiently (time is so crucial on the exam!). They also gave us a copy of mbaMission's Complete Start-to-Finish MBA guide which I found helpful for applying to school, particularly when I was trying to figure it all out.

COURSE SET UP: The class meets once a week for three hours, with a break around half time. We spent about half the time on quant and then half the time on verbal. We did not really spend any time on the writing section and limited time on IR. You have a significant amount of homework (this is where you work on IR). You will get as much from the class as you put into it, so you do really need to do the homework.

INSTRUCTOR: My instructor was very knowledgable and helpful. He made class fun as well - a three hour class can be rough especially after a full work day, but he made it enjoyable.

CLASSES: As this is a group setting, we obviously don't have time to go off on tangents to whatever any particular student's weakness is. However, I think we covered a lot of the basics - enough that you should be able to get a good score.

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I was referred to Josh by multiple friends and relatives who had great success with Josh and were admitted to T7 MBA programs. The common theme when speaking to every single referral was that Josh is a miracle worker and each person credited his work ethic and patience as a major reason why they did so well on their GMAT.

Josh lives in Cyprus which I found to be a plus while studying for the GMAT while working full time in NYC. We would video chat for two hours once a week early in the morning before my work day,

I feel as though a written review for josh isn't enough to convey how good of a tutor he is. If you're lucky enough to work with Josh, take advantage of his knowledge and if you work hard, you will succeed. He is hands down the best tutor I've ever worked with.

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I really appreciate Dan Bernstein's help! He made my GMAT score improve significantly (by 200 points) in only two months. I don't think I was able to get into my dream school without his mentoring. He was really good at listening to my concerns and pointing out the issues and directions for me very effectively. More importantly, he was also great at encouraging me during the most difficult time. He was not only dedicated in the class but also very responsive after class when I wrote his emails. I was very lucky to have Dan as my GMAT tutor! I would highly recommend you to try him as your GMAT tutor.

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I participated in the MPrep 9 week course in Manhattan with instructor Ryan McGorman. I really enjoyed our weekly sessions with Ryan as he was not only smart and funny but a talented teacher. The course was an excellent starting point for me in my GMAT prep. My verbal was naturally higher than my quant, but both needed plenty of refining. Ryan did an excellent job laying the groundwork for me to gain a better understand and ability with the material and really helped me boost my verbal score as well as help me figure out what areas of my quant needed the most work. The improvement on quant came largely from self-study of the Mprep material simply because the number of repetitions I needed to really understand the material would not have been possible in a class setting, but I learned some great tricks and tips. Very worthwhile class and a great instructor.

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I participated in David Mahler’s ten-week Manhattan Prep GMAT course in Spring/Summer 2018. Following an initial practice exam score of 590, I scored a 760 on my first and only GMAT sitting in July.



Having not been acquainted with the exam format or any official GMAT resources, I selected Manhattan Prep as a familiar service with a positive reputation in New York and among my undergraduate classmates. I completed my undergraduate degree in 2014 and am applying this fall to MBA programs for matriculation in Fall 2019. I considered the GMAT to be an unpredictable and time-consuming first step in the admissions process. I knew I needed to prepare strategically, given my time constraint, which justified the course investment.



For me, the robust course materials and carefully organized curriculum were critical for achieving a high score. The strategy guides necessarily walked me through a massive variety of content I hadn’t encountered since high school. Infamously, this content represents only half the battle. The GMAT also tests strategy and decision making, and, in my experience, emotional composure. Rather than separating the content from these components, the strategy guides themselves incorporate these challenges throughout. For example: I found the importance of strategy selection during the Quant section to be remarkable. Solving a problem with even the most refined “textbook” technique is frequently penalized by way of time. As the curriculum advances through Quant subjects, the books reiterate alternative (or “shortcut”) strategies in their different applications. Only purposeful practice with several strategies and, more importantly, review of that practice, can bolster one’s ability to select efficient strategies or cut bait when necessary. Not only do the Manhattan Prep strategy guides cover content with digestible pace and organization, they immerse that content in strategy and in the context of agile decision-making. While it is impossible to benchmark, I think the strategy guides alone enabled me to score in the 700-720 range (a far cry from where I began). The books are ordered, which helps organize studying and makes them less daunting to approach. For those on a budget and/or not local to New York, the materials are a rich resource on their own and well worth the investment.



In order to score those additional 40-60 points (it’s all relative), I believe the in-person class to be worth the incremental investment. Research the instructors and consult the online reviews. I had an exceptional and memorable experience with David Mahler, whose instruction was as effective as any college professor I can remember. While I chose Dave because we shared an Alma Mater and he recorded a 790 GMAT, I believe online reviews such as this one testify to his talent and led many of my classmates to choose his course. I’ll begin there: my section was fully booked with ~12 students as opposed to a section with four or five students that I addended as a make-up. All things equal, the smaller section was surprisingly less productive than the larger. The smaller headcount did not come closer to resembling a tutored course—if there is even one other student the curriculum cannot be tailored to you. The increased individual attention only caused the instructor to check in with each student before proceeding to the next practice question or topic. Class is not about solving individual problems—there are too many to address. Rather, as Dave emphasized, a class succeeds if it can polish your study and review process. You must prepare mostly on your own. As a person that struggles with self-regimen, I needed Dave’s guidance to “work smarter” and accomplish as much as possible with the little time I had. Dave held us accountable in our coursework. There was no passing his class, as his objective was to nudge us as close to our potential as was possible in ten weeks… you are not evaluated by your instructor. I performed well on the problems in class, but this was not a barometer of my ability relative to my classmates. It was an opportunity, each time, to recognize areas of improvement and consider better strategies. I got careless and made silly mistakes. Dave did not hesitate to knock me down a peg and I never once felt like I “passed the test”. There was always a critique to be made and a weakness to recognize in future problems, when exams don’t break for discussion, when there are 20 problems ahead, when review is no longer a luxury. Dave was able to challenge every person in the room at once, facilitating discussion and holding attention. It was masterful instruction and it was a blast.



The GMAT is a terrific test. I don’t believe it can be conquered, but I know that it can be whittled down to a more manageable feat. Believe it or not, that process can be fun. No exam, including the GMAT, can print an objective assessment of your intelligence. The GMAT doesn’t try to do this. It anchors itself in 30-60-90 right triangles and comma splices and proceeds to test your decision-making and composure. But it doesn’t do this mysteriously—there’s tape on its schemes that you mustn’t break down yourself. Manhattan Prep has done it for you. I can’t imagine approaching the GMAT without being coached on its tricks. It is my enthusiastic recommendation that any prospective MBA student prepare for the GMAT with David Mahler and Manhattan Prep. The cost was a large investment for me, and provided an overwhelming return, which feels pretty good.

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When I began talking to older people about the GMAT, everyone recommended I use Manhattan Prep. I strongly echo this advice. They are unparalleled in their resources and knowledge of the GMAT.

I used Kevin Shen for about 6 private tutoring sessions, following a stint with another tutor. I worked with Kevin over their online software (I was remote at school), which worked out great. It is easy to use and very helpful. Kevin was a very good tutor. He came prepared to every session, knew the answers to my questions, and had a game plan each time. He was very responsive over email, and never cut off sessions until he was done explaining answers to my questions.

I worked with Kevin almost exclusively on the Quant section. He was realistic in setting expectations, and always helpful. I highly recommend working with him!

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Joe Martin is an incredible GMAT tutor. I worked with Joe for several private tutoring sessions. First off, Joe is incredibly skilled and intuitive with respect to the GMAT. He shows his students powerful tricks and strategies for approaching questions. He makes sure to reinforce where these strategies can be applied, which allows for broad improvement in scores. This also allows his students to grow and develop their skills generally. Joe also pushes his students hard to learn and develop their skills, which is much needed given how people can plateau on the GMAT. He is perceptive and can see when a student cannot follow along on a technique, and he then is able to pull out an alternate strategy for a problem. Joe is also a fun tutor to work with, and cares a tremendous amount about the success of the people he works with. Given the intensity of prepping for the GMAT, this makes the whole experience more positive and fun. I would highly recommend working with Joe and prepping for the GMAT (or another) test with him. It is a very positive experience, and if one puts in the work to study and prepare, working with Joe can yield very positive results.

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To say I know what you're all going through is an understatement. Try this: I went to acting conservatory for undergrad and held low-level administrative jobs that required almost no quantitative skills whatsoever. I literally had not taken a math class in over 10 years, and when I did, I was a C student. With this background, I was very intimidated to broach data sufficiency and rate problems. Proud and poor, I resented having to invest in a prep course, but had I not, I honestly can say I would've given up on the MBA.

Enter Ryan McGorman's Manhattan Prep GMAT course. This guy gets it. He's the smart & trenchant older brother you never had, and displayed a real knack for phrasing material in a way that was conducive to my difficult learning style. He doesn't just deeply understand the material, but has a skill I rarely see in teachers: the ability to simultaneously package lessons as both useful and expansive. In other words, I never felt like I was "just" learning test-taking technique for concepts I didn't get, nor did I feel I was finally grasping a concept in a way I could never spit back in 2 minutes on the GMAT. I was learning both sides of the spectrum, slowly but surely. Ryan's got that balance down pat. He was born to teach the GMAT.

Practice Test: 570
Actual Test: 710

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I had already been working with a tutor before meeting with Ryan, and decided to make a switch after making very little improvement and receiving a less than desirable first score. I can say quite positively that I would not have received the 720 without Ryan. All GMAT tutors know the material and can explain it, but that is not what made the difference for me. Ryan was able to pin-point my weaknesses in quant almost immediately, and was able to explain critical concepts in a palatable way. Most importantly, he did not allow me to stay in my comfort zone. He did not just explain a concept and ensure that I could repeat it back to him, but insisted that I be able to explain the reasons why it made sense. Even though it was sometimes painful, he made sure I learned these critical concepts forward and backward. I would (and have) recommend Ryan to anyone who needs an extra push and personal attention. I am extremely grateful for Ryan's help and could not speak highly enough of his talent as a tutor.

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I used Manhattan GMAT and Reed Arnold for my GMAT prep. The course was great and really prepared me. But I still was having trouble breaking the 700 barrier, which I felt was necessary for me to get into the schools I was most interested in.
To get over this obstacle, I set up 4 2-hour sessions with Reed and it was worth every penny. Reed was extremely attentive and immediately found small weaknesses in how I approached different problems. Additionally, he taught me different techniques and changed how I reviewed my work. He listened to specific issues and designed a program to fit my needs and strengthen my weaknesses. He made himself very available and even moved around his personal schedule to accommodate me during test week. I have already recommended Reed to colleagues and friends.

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