Manhattan GMAT 9-Session In-Person Prep Course Reviews

Strengths:

Consistency, caliber of materials, community

Mark Sullivan was an incredible teacher and resource throughout my time studying. His energetic and analytical approach to the 9-week course, as well as his advice leading up to the test (and subsequent re-test) was invaluable. He made the entire experience feel much less overwhelming, and instead connected what we were learning to the topics we might encounter in business school. Quant is a particular strengh for him: he shared additional drill sheets and resources to help me raise my quant score, which ultimately led to me increasing 40 points between my first official test and second official test. I couldn't have succeeded without his guidance and coaching, highly recommend!

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The courses I took were virtual due to COVID, and Paul was my instructor. He was very down to earth and made the concepts easy to understand. He really engrained different ways of thinking and methods of finding solutions, which were essential in time management and scoring well on the GMAT. When I had questions on the course material, he would respond to my e-mails promptly and provide me guidance and extra resources to practice. If you're willing to put in the work, Paul knows how to get the best out of his students. I highly recommend taking Paul's class if you are going for your GMAT score goal.

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This class was excellent preparation for the GMAT. The curriculum is extremely helpful, and the provided book material covers all of the aspects of the GMAT very well. I was particularly happy with the "foundations" books provided that refreshed my understanding of math and grammar concepts I had not used, at least formally, in decades. Our Instructor, Jamie Nelson, was exceptionally good at presenting the material in a clear, digestible, and engaging way, and she provided spot-on feedback and recommendations after practice exams. I would recommend this class, and this instructor, to anyone who wanted to improve on the GMAT.

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I work a busy schedule and Manhattan Prep provided exactly what I needed to get my desired score on the GMAT. The virtual class was helpful to learn in person with Jamie, who provided excellent shortcuts and advice on how to answer complex questions, and I also utilized all of the practice materials that Manhattan Prep provided. Having the ability to take 6 practice exams before I even walked into the exam was extremely helpful from a preparation standpoint and having error logging templates and video resources at my fingertips was extremely helpful. Manhattan Prep gives you the tools to succeed and then its just about logging the hours to get to where you want to be. Simple as that.

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First, I found that the Manhattan Prep 9-week course exceeded expectations. Looking for how to get started? For help with pace? A framework to set goals and stay organized? A wealth of resources, including a syllabus, practice problems, video solutions, practice exams, and more? If you need direction in your GMAT prep, Manhattan Prep will provide that and more. It gave me exactly the one-stop-shop I needed as I tried to balance GMAT prep with a busy work schedule.

Second, if you are wondering which instructor to target, whether for the 9-week course or for private tutoring, look no further than Jeff Volmer. Jeff is THE man. Absolute whiz intellectually? Check. Awesome communicator able to distill concepts and takeaways clearly? Check. Engaging presenter that blends lecture, examples, humor, and more in a way that captures and keeps your attention? Check. Dedicated teacher than seems to take a genuine interest in each pupil and is always willing to stay after class to help with an extra question or provide a quick response offline? Check. I could go on...but if this gets much longer, no one will read it :)

I really can't say enough about Jeff. I was incredibly lucky that he happened to be teaching the course I signed up for last-second. I'd strongly recommend anyone looking for guidance on their GMAT journey to not rely on the luck I had. Seek out Manhattan Prep, and seek out Jeff. You won't regret it.

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Jamie Nelson is an incredible instructor and I am so glad that I signed up to her classes at Manhattan Prep. I finished the 9-class course feeling prepared and confident to take the actual exam, and scored a 730 on my first try two weeks later.

I was looking for courses back in March of this year with zero prior GMAT study, deciding on Manhattan Prep on the recommendation of a friend who knew I was aiming for the top schools.

The 9-class course excellently paced, with Jamie presenting each exam topic in a clear and engaging way. I was able to follow all of her explanations, even when she was going over the 700+ difficulty questions in different exam sub-sections.

She also covered the time-management and other exam techniques needed to do well in the exam, and provided ample opportunities for the class to master these skills.

The Manhattan Prep course material pack provides a concise and comprehensive coverage of the various exam areas. It is complete with helpful explanations on each topic and practice question that guides the reader through the thought process of tackling questions in a time-efficient manner.

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MAN! Where to begin.. My GMAT journey took about 8 months from my first practice test. Initially, I struggled getting over the mental hump to really commit to studying for this test, which meant hanging up distractions for a bit. I took my first 'cold' GMAT in late October, 2020, and after scoring in the high 500's, I knew I needed outside help if I was going to get into my top schools. The first thing I did was go to my local Barnes and Noble store and picked up the latest GMAT Official Guide hoping I could get away with drilling practice questions over and over again. I did this for a while, an hour or two a day for a few weeks before I took my second Practice GMAT and scored LOWER! My quant scores were high, but my verbal scores fell, and I felt that is where I needed the most help. Feeling defeated, I ended up asking my peers of their methods, and that is when I started looking into Manhattan Prep. I would like to preface that my quant scores were strong, and I could manage a lot of 700+ level questions, but in contrast, my verbal needed a lot of work. What I was searching for was something that could sharpen my quant skills and possibly accelerate my timing, but most importantly, I needed a foundation for verbal.

I ended up enrolling in the 9-session Manhattan Prep course with Mr. Vollmer in November, and I got exactly that. The classes were fun, the classmates were engaging, and Mr. Vollmer made the whole experience really great. I was able to ask all the questions I wanted and I learned a lot from my classmates asking questions as well. I was very detailed in my note taking, and I concluded the course feeling very good about the foundation I had in verbal.

Immediately after the conclusion of the course, I took my first real Official GMAT Online. I do not recommend the online version, as my computer crashed while they were trying to send the test over and I ended up taking it 2 hours after my scheduled time and doing horribly. I took this hit as a growing experience because I knew that the computer issues were a huge reason for my poor mindset going into it. Obviously, this was probably an anomaly, and I am sure this is typically a great way to take the test; I just had some bad luck.

I studied a few more weeks, and took the test in person, I ended up scoring in the low 600's, and this was my lowest point in this whole process. I had put in the time, I have taken the course, and I studied for weeks after the conclusion of the course only to score far less than what I expected of myself and what my practice tests suggested I could get to.

"Just one more time" is what I told myself. I studied relentlessly for an extra couple months, doing well over 1,000 practice questions between GMAT Practices tests, tests and questions provided by Manhattan Prep, and the Wiley site that you get access too if you have the Official GMAT Guide. FINALLY in the last week of April, I took my last test. I ended up scoring in the high 600's which was where I needed to be to get into my first choice program at UofM Ross. It was with a lot of perseverance, a killer application/essays, an excellent recommendation, and a GMAT score that fell within the school's range, I was able to be admitted.

In conclusion, I would not have scored as high as I did if it wasn't for Manhattan Prep and Mr. Vollmer helping me get the basics down for verbal. I would highly recommend them. What worked best for me is knowing what my strengths and weaknesses are before enrolling, and really focusing on where I needed help. Mr. Vollmer got me there and I am beyond thankful for the opportunity to pursue a Masters Degree at Ross, and I couldn't have done it without his engaging lessons!

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My GMAT journey began in earnest in December 2020 and ended with a 730/48Q/42V/6IR/6AWA in late May 2021. I used a combination of self-study and MGMAT's 9-session prep course (online). Jamie taught a great course and really made herself available to an unexpected extent. Her explanations were concise and helpful, she taught according to a consistent narrative (specifically for timing and strategy), and kept the online course on-track without too many sidebars from the peanut gallery.

I started off the course feeling very far-removed from my last academic quant course and a bit shaky on the basics. Conversely, I started off strong in verbal and my score hovered consistently in the 42-48V range.

Keeping an error log, drilling the basics before tackling timed sets, and practicing timing on CATs all helped me reach my score goal. A word of caution - MGMAT CATs "feel" different than the real deal: the quant is more involved and wordier and the verbal doesn't exactly match the style of the verbal questions on the official tests. That being said, the MGMAT CATs in conjunction with the official practice CATs really helped me manage my timing, practice strategies, and taught me to manage my nerves.

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I took the Advanced Manhattan Prep GMAT course with Mark Sullivan. He was an excellent instructor, and really put a lot of effort into clearly explaining how to approach the test and different question types, rather than how to simply solve a specific problem.

I had taken the GMAT previously (~3 years prior), but the prep I received from the course with Mark made me feel much more confident about my ability to achieve a high score.

In particular, the post-course assessment with him (30 minutes to talk through a customized post-course study path) was very useful to prioritize how to prepare ahead of the exam.

I can't recommend taking classes with Mark enough.

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Jamie Nelson and the Manhattan Prep team are the reason I scored a 710 and am competitive at any program. The course is tailored toward the needs of the class and Jamie provides tips that cannot me found anywhere else.
She is responsive outside of class and is truly interested in her student's success. I want to especially point out that I am a non-native speaker and scored in the 96th percentile in Verbal. Jamie provides a great process to attack any question and helps you feel confident no matter what level question you face.
She is your best shot at a 700+ score!

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