Manhattan GMAT 9-Session In-Person Prep Course Reviews

I went to first trial classes from two companies and chose to move forward with Manhattan Prep. Not only do they have the best reputation, I preferred their class for two reasons: 1) Right off the bat, the class was very structured so I felt like I was in the hands of experts and any Manhattan class would be consistent in delivering the results that they are known for. 2) The actual classroom was set in a Manhattan office specifically designed for the course complete with projector, wipe board, and individual answer flip cards stations for us to do practice problems as a class. On top of all of that, I had the best instructor ever. Elaine Loh is SUPER smart and encouraged everyone to participate and share their thought processes, which helped me see different (and most of the time, faster) ways to do problems, which is SO crucial on the actual GMAT. She was also always willing to help and always thorough with her explanations and advice. I would definitely recommend the 9-week course, especially with Elaine!

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Keith and Manhattan Prep were instrumental in my preparation for a successful GMAT score. Every week we learned new tips and tricks to help master how to take the exam that I am sure I would not have picked up otherwise. Keith is a great instructor who actively tries to make sure everyone in the class is understanding the problems we are working on at that time. Also, the general breadth of resources the course comes with are invaluable. The online homework tracking tool helped me not only perfect my timing, but also easily track how I was doing and where improvement was needed. The Manhattan Prep practice exams, combined with the GMAT practice exams, are more than enough in that respect. I definitely believe this was worth the money!

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The GMAT class I took with Mark was wonderful. I thought it would be terribly dry, but Mark kept us engaged, despite it being for 3 hours on Wednesdays after a full day of work. My quant score improved dramatically and he gave us great insight into some of the tricks in mastering the test. Mark was always available to answer questions via email and provide practice CAT analysis.

The course itself was very good. The syllabus made sense and the content built on itself over the nine weeks. Overall, I highly recommend this course. I couldn't have hit the 700+ mark in 3 months without it!

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My experience with Manhattan was great, especially for the quant section. My tutor Keith is very experienced and knows the material really well. He is also very personable. Setting up the post course assessment with him was easy. Manhattan's proprietary tests are also helpful. The quant section on those tests is brutal, but good for training you to manage the pace. I would not fret too much if you are not getting perfect scores in the first 2 attempts with the Manhattan practice tests. Gradually i did see my performance improve. If you are a working professional like I am, i highly recommend the course. It did really really hold me accountable.

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I took the Manhattan Prep course in late February with Laurel as my instructor. It was overall a really helpful experience! Not only did it force me to set aside some time to study every week, the content and strategies discussed during the course were quite helpful. It was helpful to also take the course with others and see that we were all making some of the same mistakes. My score jumped around 80 points from the initial test to when I actually took it. Laurel was a fantastic instructor and was able to answer some truly obscure questions we threw her way. She made herself always available for questions and concerns, which was appreciated!

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After getting an abysmal score on my first GMAT CAT, I realized i would need a more structured program that forced me to sit down and actually get into a routine. Ceilidh Erickson was an AMAZING instructor. She helped us understand that the GMAT is not just a test, but rather a game of logic and time management. She had incredible time saving techniques and proved their applicability with real GMAT problems.

While the 9 sessions may not be enough for some people (like me), I think the biggest benefit is that it forces you to get into a routine. Working and studying is not the easiest combination, so getting into a routine and making studying when you get home almost an addiction is how you're going to improve and ultimately hit your target score. After the 9 sessions and countless hours of applying all of what Ceilidh taught me, I finally cracked 700+ and hit my target score (which was a full 130 points above my first diagnostic CAT exam).

Only con: expensive

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Manhattan GMAT did a wonderful job in preparing me for the exam. There is a large amount of work involved. I spent roughly 10-20 hours per week studying the course material and working on practice problems. The practice exams are as close of simulations to the real exam as I have experienced. They broke down problems into molecular detail and really made sure that you understood what strategies you should employ and how to arrive at the correct solutions. This course is a must if you want to be successful on the GMAT for the verbal, quant, and IR section.

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I found the Manhattan Prep test books and the overview of the GMAT that my instructor provided to be very helpful. I personally got more out of the books and the first class than I did the remaining eight classes, but everybody learns differently and I have a more independent learning style. That being said, my instructor (Keith) was great. He was supportive, patient, and encouraging. Even if I didn't find the class to be particularly helpful, I think access to an instructor is invaluable. If nothing else, purchase the Manhattan Prep Test Books and work through them on your own. I can't emphasize how helpful and manageable they were.

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As someone who hadn't thought about grammar or geometry since high school, I really needed a refresher. Manhattan GMAT gives the appropriate structure and great teaching (take Isaac's class!). One thing I'd say is to do ALL the work. None of it should be optional.
The online tools and course materials were extremely thorough. The most useful tool was the ability to analyze your test results by question difficulty and topic - really helped me target my weakenesses. I also felt the class prepared me mentally for the test - not just content.
The post-course assessment was also extremely helpful in determining my plan to take the test based on my previous exams. I felt discouraged because I hadn't broken past 670 on any diagnostic, but my instructor encouraged me to keep studying and I ended up getting a solid score on test day.

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Kim was well prepared for every class and shared insights that were unbelievably helpful for my performance. She made us feel comfortable asking questions but held us to a high standard in terms of keeping pace with the class. The class was the perfect length and helped me feel confident to take the GMAT 4 weeks after my last class ended. I've taken other courses like this in the past and none worked or made me feel as prepared as Kim did. Manhattan has great materials and both verbal and quant supplementary guides so you never run out of content to practice with.

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