Manhattan Prep

I used MPREP to study for the GRE, and did a set of individual tutoring lessons with tutor Joe Lucero. MPREP is an expensive prep program, but other than that I have no complaints. I wanted individualized help rather than a class as I studied since I needed more assistance on certain sections of the GRE than others. Joe worked with me to create a tutoring and homework plan that bolstered my score in my strong sections, and greatly improved my score in the weaker sessions. The study materials that MPREP provides are excellent and copious, and the tricks and tools that Joe taught me to use on the test were invaluable. Joe was an fantastic tutor, and was expertly able to explain to me why I was getting certain types of questions wrong and what I could do to improve. After I completed my sessions with him, he continued to provide me with additional support and help over email, which he definitely did not have to do, and I greatly appreciated that.
The overall MPREP system and practice tests are easy to use and closely mimic test-​day scenario, and the reports from the practice tests can help you figure out which types of questions take you longer or that you miss the most frequently. Their tutoring center is very nice and the scheduling is flexible, which was great since I also have a 9 – 5 job during the week.
I would highly recommend MPREPs tutoring to others and especially Joe as a tutor.

The GMAT, like Russia, is a riddle wrapped in a mystery surrounded by enigma. It’s a very stress-​inducing test, which people (rightly or wrongly) build up to be this monster. No score is good enough. No question is ever quite what it seems.
What Manhattan GMAT (MGMAT) does is cut this monster of a test down to size, which is what a prep class should do first and foremost. MGMAT makes the test manageable. They take you through what technical skills you need to know and what «jumps”/connections in thinking you need to make to get a better score. No prep class, regardless of what they promise you, can offer a one-​size-​fits-​all, „here’s how you get a 750“ program. What MGMAT will instill in you is what to look out for and how to best approach problems that you have not seen before. In this regard, MGMAT did very well.
The quality of teaching was also very good. I had Marcus Hedahl, who was quite charismatic and very clearly in command of the material that he presented. His relaxed personal style went a long way in tempering the anxiety surrounding the test that all of us very obviously had. My suggestion for anybody is to take advantage of the „freebie“ class that most prep classes offer (including MGMAT) to ensure the teacher’s style is in line with what would bring down anxiety. While at the freebie, I would also ask myself, „Do I feel comfortable falling flat on my face in front of this person?“ (metaphorically speaking of course). Even the best memories fail us at times and you have to feel comfortable to fail in front of your teacher and not get down about it afterwards.
My main quibble with the program, which is not as big as it looks at its face, is that the practice tests that MGMAT puts out through its online portal are in no way a reflection of the actual GMAT in my experience. While the explanations of the review book problems and the prep guides are generally very good, the MGMAT practice tests have idiosyncrasies that the actual GMAT does not actually have.
For example, the MGMAT Verbal section was not as time consuming as and more leniently scored than the actual test. I would finish the MGMAT Verbal sections with 20 minutes to spare regularly and with higher scores than what I ultimately received on the actual test, whereas in the actual test, I finished with only seconds to spare. I felt that the Verbal section in the actual test, particularly Reading Comprehension, asked much more nuanced and artfully worded questions than the MGMAT practice Verbal sections asked.
The IR and Quant sections in MGMAT practice tests also had differences from the actual test that had both benefits and drawbacks. They both seemed to require several „jumps“ or connections in thinking in order to solve the problem, and formulating an approach to each connection/“jump» took some time to think about, more than say keeping track of different pieces of information. In the actual test, there was only one jump or perhaps two jumps required in both the IR and Quant sections but you needed to keep track of more pieces of information in the actual test than what the MGMAT practice tests usually asked for. The results were practice quant and IR sections that I rarely (if ever) finished within the time limit and a big sigh of relief when I was taking the actual quant and IR sections of the test, which I completed with a few minutes to spare on both and with radically better scores than I ever scored on the MGMAT test.
Looking back, I felt that the MGMAT Verbal practice sections did me a bit of a disservice and that the MGMAT practice IR and Quant sections made things more intimidating than it actually was, which has pros and cons. It ultimately didn’t affect my assessment of the course overall, because the strategies MGMAT offered were ultimately beneficial and the practice tests are only a relatively small component of the entire experience.
Bottom line: $ 1500 is pretty dear. If you are confident about your technical skills and test-​taking abilities, you should just stick with the books that you can buy for under $ 100. Any book or prep course can teach you the technical skills necessary for the GMAT. What toolkit MGMAT gives you that perhaps other courses don’t is control over this aspect of the process — that you’re in command of the GMAT process, as opposed to the GMAT process being in control of you. Prep courses and books can’t force you to take control of the GMAT process, but MGMAT does make it relatively easy.

I recently completed the full 9 week class with MGMAT instructor Andrew Mara and couldn’t be happier. While I have no basis on which to compare this course with others, I will say that MGMAT exceeded my expectations. Sticking with just the numbers, my score improved 210 points. I think that in itself can speak for itself.
Prior to the class, I had spent two moths reviewing math concepts and studying the verbal section. When I took my first practice test prior to signing up, I was really disappointed with my score — could I really be that bad after two months of studying? Yes, I could. Hence my reasoning for trying MGMAT.
Andrew was a great instructor. He dissected concepts efficiently and never made anyone in the class feel dumb. He was very approachable and often brought humor into the room. I think he handled pacing very well; I never felt like class was dragging on or going too quickly.
The training materials are amazing. The strategy guides provide essential tips and tricks for conquering even the hardest 750+ questions. Their online database is incredibly extensive. I feel like I studied far more than the average person in prepping for the exam and I still never got through every single practice problem.
At the end of the day, the price may be steep, but the reward is worth it if you put in the effort. It’s certainly not easy and walking away from class that first day with a gazillion books can be intimidating, but in the end, I wouldn’t have done it any other way.

Manhattan GMAT has some of the best teachers around. My teacher, Joe Martin, had a knack for engaging the class in participation with his charisma and unparalleled knowledge of the subject matter. Going to class each week was fun, and that is saying a lot. After every class I felt like I had learned so much.
The most valuable thing you get here is the OG Archer, the computerized tracking software to gauge your progess and proficiency at each type of real test question, so you can focus your practice time where you need to improve the most.
The most important thing you need to do to justify the $ 1500 price tag here is put in your own effort, 110%. You need to study 2 hours every night during this course period, doing the homework and taking practice tests on the weekend. If you do that, you will set yourself up for success on this incredibly important test.

I am a huge fan of Manhattan GMAT. While the 9 week in-​class review programs are not cheap ($ 1500 is full price), they provide you with every imaginable resource you could possibly need to succeed on the test. You get basically every single strategy guide that they print, extremely competent instruction, weekly office hours via phone, and access to a website with tons of other resources.
There are some people who may do just fine reviewing the concepts on the GMAT on their own, but I am not one of these people. I had not taken a math class in 10 years, and knew that I needed some physical accountability to keep me on track. Beyond that, the GMAT is the only test I’ve ever taken that really demands an equal command of test taking strategy in order to do a good job. The focus on timing and the tracking tools that make that easy would not have been something I’d have had access to without this class.
One of my favorite things about Manhattan GMAT was their online Archer tool that allowed me to track every single problem I did. It would track my time and whether the answers were right or wrong, and then plot that on a graph to visually show how I was doing on every single subject. It breaks it down very specifically to not just say «you need to work on quantitative review,» but to say, «you need to work on your timing on coordinate geometry data sufficiency problems.»
When all was said and done, my score improved by almost 200 points from the earliest practice test I took to the score I ultimately got on the test. I also only took the official GMAT once because the score I got was well within the range of all the schools I was applying to. At $ 250 a pop to take the test, that’s all I could ask for.

After researching a number of different GMAT prep courses, I chose to use Manhattan because of friends’ success with the course, Manhattan’s commitment to it’s students, and the high caliber of instructors.
Manhattan GMAT not only provides students with more practice tests than you need, challenging problem sets, flash cards, free weekly office hours to discuss hard problems or test strategies (instructor Horatio Quiroga was an excellent instructor!), but also only hires instructors who have scored in the 99^th percentile on the GMAT so they can literally answer any question you have. And the instructors make the course fun!
I took a 9 week course every Wednesday night with Marcus Hedahl, who was an outstanding and entertaining instructor! I scored a 630 on my first practice test and then took the GMAT a few weeks after the course ended. I scored a 700 the first time, then took the GMAT again, one month after that, and scored a 740. It definitely helped to take it twice, because I took a long break from the material and wasn’t as nervous the second time.
Overall, Manhattan GMAT was a great experience and I would recommend it to anyone who is serious about getting a high score on the GMAT. Granted, you must put your own time in to doing the weekly homework or you won’t get as much out of it– but it’s worth it.
Thanks Manhattan GMAT and good luck to future students!

I had a great experience with this course.
The materials (quant and verbal study guides) were top notch.
The instructor really knew his material and was really passionate about teaching and coaching all his students.
Besides the above two there were several small things included in the course that also made a huge difference
–you get a 30 min office hr session with a different instructor every week. The ability to get that different perspective on questions and strategies for improving on the test was really helpful
–You can attend a makeup session for the class if you missed yours. They have several classes running on different days.
I ended up with a 730 on my 1^st try, which was well worth it. The materials on their own are worth it, but if you need some extra structure and guidance then I would definitely recommend the overall course as well.

ManhattanGMAT has been extremely helpful throughout the GMAT experience. For starters, the teachers really are as advertised. My instructor, Andrew Mora, was intelligent AND good at conveying material. Second, ManhattanGMAT opened up the online material to me a year after taking the class for no charge.
Definitely recommend