I ended up taking the Manhattan GMAT course twice -- the first time online and second time in person with Pedro in DC. When I originally signed up, I was okay with the fact that Manhattan wasn't one of the companies that reimbursed you if your score went up. After all, they're not the ones taking the test and the books are probably more important than the work.

The online course was alright, but not my preferred method of instruction. One of the teachers (Stacy Koprince) was really good and the other was just alright, but I wasn't as serious about the GMAT I needed to be and I'm not sure how much the online course helped. The problem-based course format got me some practice but I didn't leave lessons feeling like I learned strategies for problems I hadn't seen before. They demonstrated how to answer the questions in front of us, but there was little discussion of how to translate that to new problems in the times required by the GMAT.

My score stayed even with my diagnostic of 640 (.

The in-person course was a different experience. I really liked Pedro who was engaging and sarcastic, which fits with my learning style. He was excellent at answering questions from the class and there was more discussion about the mindset for tackling new problems in the time allotted by the GMAT. Just as importantly, the talent level of the class was high and I learned from them as well! The class was still problem-focused, but more engaging and helpful overall.

In the end, I got a 710 (40Q, 47V) with 5.5 on AWA and 7/8 on IR.

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I had never taken the GMAT before I took the Live Online course from Manhattan GMAT but my score from my practice test went to my actual GMAT went up 130 points.

The course provides great structure each week with a ton of problems/strategy guides to work through. There is a lot of homework each week but I don't really see how you could do well on the GMAT without doing a lot of problems and taking the time to really learn the math concepts. You will never run out of material from Manhattan to do, there are tons of problems provided and CAT practice tests. The problems provided all seem pretty similar to the actual questions on the test. The strategy guides are great at explaining concepts, especially sentence correction and quant.

One of the best things about the course is OG Archer which lets you track every OG problem you do. This makes it so easy to verify strengths and weaknesses so you can use your study time better. The CAT exams also have great stats on how you did and you can aggregate your data for multiple exams to get a good understanding of where you stand.

The classes themselves were basically just going through the material you did for homework and providing a few extra tips and strategy clarifications. I felt it mostly just keep me honest about getting all the homework done and served as reassurance each week that I was on the right track. The instructors were great and I assume all Manhattan's instructors probably are. They were always available outside of class to answer any extra questions.

Would definitely recommend this course. Great structure for your GMAT studying and provides all the materials/books you could possibly need.

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If you are a beginner in quant like I was, go for Manhattan GMAT - their strategy books are hugely helpful and give you a roadmap to learn what you need to knew. The online CAT assessments helped me identify my target areas. When I had a case of text anxiety and didn't do as well on my first exam, they did a one hour session with me to reset my study plan for the next exam. This really helped me zone in on why I didn't perform as well as I expected to on test day. They recommended I start taking tests in less comfortable atmospheres since test day would be a new environment and it really worked! I was very happy with my final score - 690 - which was my target score.

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I did some research and asked around about other courses and the most positive I kept hearing about was Manhattan, minus the cost. It is expensive, but it was worth it because I had heard many success stories from others and I knew I needed a top score. I have taken the course twice, both in-person and online.

The in-person class was great, the instructor (Liz) was incredibly smart. She explained all nuances of an entire class of problems while explaining the answer choices. Her focus was all about why the wrong answer is wrong and why the right answer is right. She would also go over tips to improve guessing odds and she wouldn't stop there, she would make sure that all different methods of approaching the question have been exhausted and beaten to death.

The books are very good and many will recommend just to buy those whether or not you take the course. If you're tight on money that might not be a bad idea, because you get access to their online tests if you simply purchase a book. The books help give the same unique way of tackling all the different problem types that they discuss in class. The OG Archer explanations are also way better than in the official guide itself.


Overall the course helped force me to push myself, do the practice, come to class, and ultimately know the best way to tackle the whole process. Expert advice every step of the way. In a Nutshell MGMAT is the best period, but opt for the in-person class it because I feel its a million times better than the online version.

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I found the 9 session GMAT prep course very helpful for a few reasons. The primary reason was to motivate me to stay on track with weekly assignments and a structured review plan. I think that some people would be fine to buy the books and work through them on his/her own and at his/her own pace. With my busy work and social schedule, I found the structure to be incredibly helpful.

Another reason that I thought the class was helpful was for the little tricks of the trade that the instructor provided. At some points I felt the classes were a waste of time, but every once in a while we would learn something that could save me 20 seconds on a quant problem and would make it all worth while.

I did not find the verbal review to be very helpful. On the actual test I ended up using only 1-2 things that I learned in the classes. My improvements in verbal came really as a result of simply doing a lot of practice problems.

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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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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 had a very positive experience with Manhattan GMAT here in Chicago. The instructor was attentive, responsive to email, and helpful. The materials were also very helpful, and allowed me to be efficient in my self study. The curriculum was well constructed, and allowed me to progress in an ordered manner. I was someone who didn't need a ton of help in verbal, but did in quant. MGMAT provided just what I needed. Additionally, I had to reschedule my class several times at the last minute, and MGMAT was more than willing to do so. Lastly, the location was a bit noisy, which was unfortunate.

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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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ManhattanGMAT is excellent! I started my 9-session class in January with Hemanth as my instructor. He was an excellent instructor and went through everything thoroughly.

My quant improved a ton - in my diagnostic exam, I took 10 minutes over the 75 minute time limit to finish the quant sections and only got a 43Q (70th percentile). On test day I got a 49Q (85th percentile)! MGMAT is known for extremely difficult quant problems, especially at the 700+ level.

My verbal did not improve from my diagnostic exam. (I am a native speaker). In my diagnostic exam I got a 41V but on test day I got a 37V. I am not sure why this is as I have scored at least a 38V or higher on all of my practice tests. I do wish that the MGMAT verbal guides had multiple choice questions in the back (to simulate test questions) instead of the short answer questions that they currently have.

In total:
GMAT Diagnostic Exam: 700 (43Q 41V)
Test Day: 710 (49Q 37V)
+10 Points

In addition to the class syllabus, the class provides what is called a "study organizer", which details the exact problems that you need to do for homework for every day of the 9 week class. The study organizer includes what is assigned in the syllabus, as well as additional problems. I would say that I averaged about 25 hours of work a week on this course (3 hrs class + 21 hrs HW). It is a ton of work, but it is great!

The NYC location also provides a testing center that is pretty warm, but good for taking practice exams and studying.

A serious suggestion: The practice exams really need to be improved.
1. At the higher levels (700+), the quant portion of the MGMAT CAT exam will give you 3-4 probability / combinatorics questions. In reality you may see 1-2 of these problems on exam day.
2. The verbal portion of the MGMAT CAT exams will front-load the RC and CR questions, and you will usually finish all of the RC questions at around question 25-30. In reality it is more spread out. This is important for timing. You may find yourself finishing early on the CAT exams because the last 5-6 questions are SC questions, but on test day you may not have enough time if your verbal section ends with 4-5 RC or CR questions.
3. If you are a high scorer (700+), the later CAT exams will give you more 600-700 level questions, since you would have exhausted all of the 700 level questions in MGMAT's question bank. For example, I scored 700+ in my 1st, 3rd, 4th, and 5th CAT exams. In my 6th CAT exam, the last 13 questions in my verbal section were of 600-700 level. I got them all right, and I got an inflated score. In reality, the questions will be about 700+ level difficulty if you are scoring this high.

If MGMAT's CAT Exams are the best on the market (besides GMATPrep), then I really don't want to think about how bad CAT Exams from other providers are.

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