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Improvement 70 Points
Course Manhattan Prep Manhattan GMAT 9-Session In-Person Prep Course
Instructor Faruk Bursal
Location Boston (Back Bay), MA USA
Not to sound like a broken record, but your success with Manhattan Prep GMAT depends on how much work you put into it. I mean, real work. I think that the best part of the prep course is actually the strategy guide set. The set, along with the syllabus, are great for those who need a bit of guidance when it comes to studying. The actual in-class course is really for those who need to an extra push. I recommend that you follow the syllabus 100%. Take the practice exams when they're scheduled. I didn't do this, and ultimately paid for it. Create an error log from day 1. I also didn't do this initially and, well, I also paid for this. Follow the guides, put in the work, and the results will come.
Improvement 130 Points
Course Manhattan Prep Manhattan GMAT 9-Session In-Person Prep Course
Location Boston (Back Bay), MA USA
Josh was both personable and smart, as well as a good instructor. The course covered all the necessary content, as well as timing, guessing, and study strategies. I made sure to work the entire quant foundations before the first class, and about half the verbal foundations (my verbal was high so I was not as worried).
Throughout the course I kept up with the syllabus, although I had to balance a full-time job. I did all of the problems after each class, and recorder all my answers for OG problems in the archer, which has been rebranded the GMAT Navigator.
I didn't stray from the syllabus and took the CATs as instructed:
MGMAT CAT 1: 630 (Q37, V38) before session 1
MGMAT CAT 2: 700 (Q45, V40, IR 3.8) before session 6
MGMAT CAT 3: 680 (Q46, V37, IR 3.1) before session 8
On my first MGMAT CAT I was correctly answering 700 level problems, but I was spending 3-5 minutes, so I left about 9 problems unanswered. Alongside learning how to solve problems efficiently, the course drilled timing and guessing strategies, and I reinforced those in my homework and self-study sessions. Every problem was done timed (and this was the answer than I plugged into the Navigator), but then I would continue to work towards the right solution, and in the end I would compare my solution to the Manhattan solution to look for mistakes or inefficient techniques.
After the course, I worked all the quant problems in OG13, the 2nd edition quant supplement, and all the problems in OG12 that were removed from OG13. And then I did all the problems in OG13 again, although I ran into my deadline (T-minus 1 week) and stopped working problems at this point.
I followed the recommended study plan and these were my post-course results:
MGMAT CAT 4: 730 (Q45, V45, IR 3.8) 2.5 weeks before GMAT
GMATPrep CAT 1: 750 (Q49, V42, IR 8) 1.5 weeks before GMAT
Leading up to my first official GMAT score:
GMAT 773 (Q49, V48, IR 8)
The Manhattan course provided an excellent structure to my studying, and I believe the Manhattan CATs are "harder" in a way that is very useful. The problems Manhattan wrote were not any trickier than official problems, but they often required more steps, or more calculations. This forced me to learn to solve problems efficiently; I was constantly timing my problems and practicing guessing or choice-elimination strategies.
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Improvement 150 Points
Course Manhattan Prep Manhattan GMAT 9-Session In-Person Prep Course
Instructor Josh Yardley
Location Boston (Back Bay), MA USA
Admittedly, I'm someone who hasn't practiced math in a really long time and for full disclosure, my studies focused much more on the books post-course. But, I thought the verbal books were amazing, straight-forward, were very comprehensive. My verbal score literally doubled after spending minimal time reviewing the verbal books, but, to be fair, I think verbal was always going to be my strength. The math, for me, felt like it offered a lot of "rules" but wasn't helpful in terms of implementing the rules in a way that was effective for the adaptive/logic-over-math skills nature of the test. The practice questions after each section weren't in any way geared toward the test, so if you dedicatedly do them, it's just not going to help that much. I just feel like MGMAT's approach to quant isn't holistic enough. It was much more about trying to strengthen your math foundation rather than strongly coupling that with a strong foundation for approaching this adaptive test, a test which I think few of us have encountered before. My suggestion: definitely buy the verbal books. Pass on the math. Course was fine but I probably would have done another (and have since).
Improvement 50 Points
Course Manhattan Prep Manhattan GMAT 9-Session In-Person Prep Course
Instructor Tom Rose
Location Boston (Back Bay), MA USA
Great teacher, kept the course entertaining and fun. From what I've heard many of the instructors are similar in that way.
Beyond teacher specific things, the structure of the course is great and is particularly useful if you're the kind of person that does well in a structured environment. The class does not require anyone to do any of the readings, but it's still a great way to be somewhat held accountable and have a study plan laid out for you.
The computer adaptive tests were quite accurate in my case and a great way to keep track of your progress. The analytics behind MGMAT is one of the true differentiators, as it allows you to really dig in to your problem areas.
All in all, the course is top notch. It's pricey, but you might be able to get your company to pay for as part of an educational stipend.