The Manhattan GMAT Live Online course was excellent. Ryan Wessel and David Chong were really good instructors. I raised my GMAT score by 100 points (from 620 to 720) by taking the class. The class was given once a week for 9 weeks.
The most helpful lectures were on the subjects of:
- Sentence correction
- Data sufficiency
- Reading comprehension
The recorded labs offered had some of the most insightful tips and shortcuts I learned throughout all my time studying for the course. The information given in the labs was extremely relevant for test day; the labs taught things such as timing strategy, shortcuts to data sufficiency questions, etc.

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This was my worst tutor I've had in my life. My parents told me to keep giving her a chance since I had already moved to the city where she was located for her tutoring services so I continued with her and trusted her as she instructed me to do.

After every tutoring session, I didn't feel any better about anything that she tried to teach me. Maybe because she went over problems that she already had me do and I told her I had already figured them out? If I had to choose what she was better at, I would say Verbal but she chooses to do Quant no matter what you want to do.

Not only did she not teach me the material, my score continued to drop and then she blamed me for the drop and said it was stress even though I felt calm during the exams. She did not focus on my weaknesses which is what I wanted to do. She also lowered my self-esteem during tutoring sessions, something that should never be done by a tutor.

I would not recommend this tutor to a friend OR stranger. This was not worth $1500.

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With no previous experience in studying for the GMAT, I decided to take Manhattan's 9-week online course. I found the class sessions to be somewhat helpful, the self-study materials to be more helpful, and the practice CAT exams to be most helpful.

Prior to the course (or any preparation)- my first practice exam - February 2012 - I scored a 720 (95% Verbal, 81% Quant)

By my third practice exam - March 2012 - I scored a 740.

By my fifth practice exam (on mba.com) - April 2012 - I scored a 750.

On test day - April 2012 - I scored a 760 (99% Verbal, 85% Quant

In addition to the 3-hour weekly course, I probably averaged about 8-10 hours per week (+4 more hours whenever I took a practice CAT). About three months elapsed between my first look at any GMAT materials and my test-day, so FAST IMPROVEMENT IS POSSIBLE.

I found some of the math materials to be helpful in teaching shortcuts that are useful for common problems (Prime Trees, Probabilities, etc).

I believe that it is easiest for a course to improve one's sentence correction skills, as this is the most objective verbal category. And Manhattan definitely succeeded here. My improved speed and accuracy in sentence correction accounted for much of my improved score, and I owe this entirely to the MGMAT materials.

Finally - the CAT exams. I believe MGMAT's CATs are a very accurate portrayal of the real exam, and the ability to review incorrect (and correct) answers was very useful in understanding my weaknesses. It was not until the 5th exam that the CAT question bank had exhausted 700-level questions. This is better than most (all?) other GMAT preparation services.

In short - I would definitely recommend Manhattan. I found the materials to be extensive, the program to be customizable to my own needs, and the practice exams to be better than the competition's. If you can afford Manhattan's class, you won't be disappointed.

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The course was nothing short of excellent. I found the analytic approach to tracking your progress really helpful. The one-on-one office hour sessions were also really very helpful to understand concepts that I was not understanding completely.

The biggest thing that I valued was the post-course assessment one-on-one session with an instructor to develop a strategy for internalizing everything and preparing for my test. After my course, I was getting a 630 score on the practice tests, but following the advice from this post-course assessment helped me raise my scores tremendously. When I took the test I ended up getting a 710.

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I REALLY feel like I got my moneys worth out of this class offered by Manhattan GMAT. When I took my first practice test (Manhattan CAT) I was stunned when I received a 560, how could this be, I'm an intelligent person. After the initial shock I realized that this is not an intelligence test, but a standardized test.

Manhattan taught me everything about the test and more. I felt more and more confident as my scores climbed from a dismal 560, to a 640, to a 700, and finally a 730 on my actual test day. I am proof that the material on the GMAT can be taught and that Manhattan offers the best prep program around.

Although $1000 may seem expensive, most would invest that in a heartbeat if they new they could boost their score up to a 730. Although I did invest 100 hours into studying, it was made much more tolerable through this course and the amazing instruction - highly recommended!

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The Live Online course was very solid, especially for consultants who never know where they'll be or when they'll be there until.

Pros: Provides an excellent framework for how to approach studying. Breaks it down into manageable weekly segments that require a lot of work, but are thought out and doable if you put in the time. The syllabus and the books are the most invaluable part of this course.

On that note, I cannot recommend the MGMAT books enough. They are the best material out there, especially for those of us who struggle with concepts like number properties. The CAT's are also the best non-Official tests you can take, and give a very accurate representation of your score. I would estimate that the Quant on MGMAT CAT's is more difficult and time consuming than on the real thing, but that prepares you well for time management.

The instructors were very good, especially the lead instructor for our course. Cold calling was definitely appreciated, since it motivates you to do your work.

Also, the best part of Manhattan is that they are a no fluff company. I read a lot of tricks and secrets and other things from certain providers, but Manhattan emphasizes hard work and learning the underlying concepts, which in my opinion, are the key to doing well on the test.

Cons: I thought the class moved a bit too slowly. If you're a higher level test taker and really putting in hours to study, you will probably rise above the course material and find class a little slow. That being said, it was still a good review of things and a good confidence builder.

Overall: Solid 9/10. I would recommend it to anyone, especially if you need the spark to study like I did, and the weekly check points to make sure you do your work. You also get free office hours that I wish I had used, and would have been really valuable for certain sticky areas. The CAT's and the books are an easy 10/10. I was happy with my score.

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If you want to score a 700+, look no further. Going through the well explained Manhattan GMAT guides and watching Thursdays with Ron alone will help you score that 700+.

The Manhattan GMAT guides are detailed and explained in a way that is understandable to any beginner with rusty quant or verbal.

The Manhattan GMAT test analysis has the detailed level of analysis that no other test prep company offers. I also loved their OG tracker, which helped me pin point my weak areas and practice OG questions by topic.

Thursdays with Ron is a hidden gem that is absolutely free. Watch these sessions and you will no longer think about quant or verbal in the same way.

MGMAT and Ron Purewal are awesome! My score improved from 650 to a 710 just because of MGMAT and Ron.

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All the material is there but I didn't use it to the full potential. I do think MGMAT should look to design a specific course for students that are looking to break a 700. I didn't notice a lot of the advanced material until very late. I was unsatisfied with my score but I will be retaking the exam and will use MGMAT again as I think they are the best.

I felt the class recordings were somewhat remedial but I did find the labs to add great value. They teach you tricks on strategy and how to think through a problem. Having access to 6 CAT exams was great and they give very thorough details and explanations, however I did notice some of the questions being repeated which inflated my score.

All in all, I think MGMAT has everything you need as long as you stay committed and focused- especially if you take the self study route!

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I agree with the general belief prevalent among GMAT community members that Manhattan is a very good material for GMAT preparation.

I bought 12 book set from Manhattan GMAT about a year back and was amazed by the level of detail in both the verbal and quant segment. The level of detailed analysis presented and the comprehensive explanation is great. Even the quant supplementary material which has a fantastic set of advanced quant questions. This is supplemented with easy to use tips and strategies.

I found the tests that were offered by Manhattan GMAT to be a good indicator of scores. The MGMAT tests are pretty close to what the actual tests were.

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The MGMAT self study and single topic focused books are great. My biggest weakness has always been the SC & RC. With the help of the resources I was able to turn a 32-38 average verbal score to a 36-44 range on my practice tests. Unfortunately I underperformed during the actual test due to heavy construction on the roof of the building making it hard to concentrate, but the books were great and definitely helped. I would go as far to say the SC book is a must have for any one that is not in the top %ile for verbal. My only complaint would be the online question banks that you receive access to should be larger.

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