You are in amazing hands if you choose Sherpa Prep! You are…read morein amazing hands if you choose Sherpa Prep for your GMAT or GRE needs (I say both because I accidently joined a GRE class too and it was also amazing). They've had my back through every step of my journey. Nafeez has been excellent as a GMAT instructor and he's really taken the pressure off of studying for the test. I highly recommend. P.S. Extra friendly to Veterans!

I think they could also improve by incorporating a 5-10 minute intermission for certain classes…read more Again, the pacing is like drinking water out of a fire hose. I think students could also benefit by being split into groups based on their learning styles/skill level/programs and fields of interest, but this may require more Sherpa tutors being staffed. And finally, there needs to be some way for students to have slides available before the live session. What exactly is the copyright issue and how can it be resolved to make this happen? More to come.

Having studied Arabic and Persian in college, I've been taking classes regularly at ILI to review…read moreand increase my speaking ability. ILI has compared to college teaching and I'm more than pleased. True, we cannot cover the same amount of material in 10 weeks, but the attention given to the material is professional. The prices are fair for the amount of instruction put into each class. Emphasis is given to speaking, reading, listening, and writing, although development of one's handwriting isn't part of the classes I've taken (Basic 3-Intermediate 3). That can be done online and should be. There is no extra time for that...although I cannot speak to Arabic and Persian 1...where it's possible that the alphabet is taught. I never learned the alphabets in college. I taught them to myself over several weeks on my own. The classes are hybrid. I attend by zoom. There is homework, which must (to my mind, be done). I spend around 4-6 hours a lesson in homework to prepare for a 2 hr 15- 2 hr 30 minute class. It would be entirely possible to take two classes together, which I am currently doing in Arabic and Persian. I've read a few comments, one complained about a refund...I had a situation in which a refund was rejected. It was somewhere in the course and a medical emergency took place. I let it go because I felt that the school was doing it's best to keep the small classes afloat. I do ask for the same instructor, and so far that has been possible. I also believe that it's entirely useful and productive to move up and down ones level, which I've done. The point is to deepen the grammatical and vocabulary usage. So I've taken Int 3 and then Basic 3, and enjoyed them tremendously. Another comment was on the instructor's approach. That is something that should be taken up with the admin and possibly a transfer will be arranged. My experience has been this: everyone gets equal time in all categories; the instructors are KIND. We come into class at many different levels. Our instructors work well with the differences, keeping everything moving IN THE Language and show kindness to all of us. The instructors are professional and know how to teach hybrid, and they know their stuff. I didn't know how to keep my languages alive in what I wanted: a structured setting. I love ILI. I'm so grateful to have found it.

Update: I was able to get a refund, however, I am still…read moredisgusted by the disrespect and unprofessionalism demonstrated by this institute. The amount of trouble I had to go through was exhausting. From refusing a refund in the first place to the staff members removing their name from the signature line. Customer service obviously isn't their expertise. For this, my review remains 1 star. __________ I am very disappointed in the International Language Institute and would not recommend for anyone to attend this language school. You would be better off using an online service such as Duolingo or Babbel in my opinion. I received a degree in Spanish in college found the learning environment to be no were near comparable. The school was desolate and was not met with warm regards from current students in the course who talked about their confusion on how the class was structured and taught. Please do not get me wrong, the teacher was a very nice person but just didn't provide the instruction I desired. I wanted professional level learning environment and this was not what was provided. There were problems with the Hybrid class environment and connectivity with virtual students lagging and hard to hear (also reportedly unable to see the class-board). I requested a refund and was instead met with contention from the Language Coordinator who insisted my experience and evaluation was inaccurate. They said it was past the registration deadline and deadline for refunds, however, they allowed my registration nearly two weeks after the deadlines. It seems they will break their rules to take peoples money, however, when it comes to returning it they follow the rules. They will gladly take your money but refuse a refund for any reason. In my opinion this Institute is focused on making a profit and not providing quality learning experiences. In addition, I was told I did not receive the handouts for homework as a matter of being an in person student. However, the other two in person students received the handouts via email before the class date and I have proof. Two days have passed and I have not received a response from school in regards to the status of my refund. I am now having to dispute this charge with my credit card company who is working on a refund. If a refund were provided my rating would be different, however, I believe my experience proves the school values profits over providing a good learning experience.Upd

A few years ago I was planning to pursue education in the legal field and needed some serious help…read moreto crack the LSAT. Since it had been sometime that I had last graduated, I was looking for some real guidance in helping me prepare for the exam. After my usual exhaustive search online, I came upon Griffon Prep and decided to give them a shot. I went to the first session with Jeff and was immediately sold on this place. Both Jeff and Bernie are awesome people and great teachers. I had a good learning experience with them. I did end up with a much better score than what I had anticipated and cannot thank Bernie enough for her coaching. I did get accepted to a couple of good schools on my list!! I would recommend Griffon to anyone who is looking for test prep - great location, good fees, and awesome instructors!

I wish that I could give this place multiple 5 star reviews because Bernie and Jeff are the most…read morewonderful, kind hearted, brilliant prep course teachers in the business. They legitimately care about the success of their students. Indeed, even after law school, I have stayed in touch with them. Their teaching methodology is wonderful, very hands on, and kept me thoroughly engaged. As an experiential learner, this worked really well for me. I also would like to highlight that I took multiple courses with Griffon Prep and each time, I loved the other teachers as well as the other students. I think it is a testament to Bernie and Jeff that they cultivate such a collaborative and positive learning environment. Also, for those who care only for results, my LSAT score went up double digits (I also took their GRÉ course and also improved significantly).

Anthony is a wonderful tutor! I worked with him to improve my GRE quant score. Working on a very…read moretight timeline, he helped me improve my score by 9 points in only a few weeks and a few sessions. Aside from being incredibly smart as others have noted, Anthony has a gift for quickly diagnosing his students problem areas and creating a tailored tutoring plan. He not only helped me narrow the gaps in my math skills, but also helped me understand the test, why I was missing certain questions, and the strategies to be more successful. He provided high-quality resources for each session and was, overall, a wealth of information! I also appreciated his candidness, humor, and flexibility throughout the process.

1550!! Whaaat. I am still in shock that your tutoring for Jacob produce a huge jump of 180 points…read morein just a couple months. The sky-high score is beyond what we expected-- 60 points higher than even his highest practice test. What you've given to my son cannot be cannot be quantified in a test score. You've given him a sense of academic and intellectual pride that he will carry lifelong. You've given him the confidence and validation that if he puts his mind towards studying consistently that he can achieve his goals. You were consistently reassuring towards him throughout the tutoring sessions about his capabilities, far more than I was even as his mother. The knowledge that you gave him is only overshadowed by the confidence you instilled in him. I still can't believe that he achieved the score and overall it wasn't a giant investment of time, just sessions once a week with not much homework in between. Your sessions with him were clearly very effective, as Jacob even quoted you upon leaving his test and used so much of what you taught him to power through. You taught him the underlying strategies and concepts which was incredibly important because the actual test did not look that similar to the official practice tests and so he really had to extrapolate from what you taught him fundamentally. We have had a few rough years with Jacob with respect to him realizing his full potential academically and grappling with his own learning styles and this completely turned things around for us as a family and for Jacob as a student. Jacob wasn't the kid anyone would predict a 1500+ test score from--- and here we are: at a 1550. It's like a complete 180 change in him and how we view him, the equivalent to what he jumped on his test score. How meant-to-be. Our gratitude is endless!!

Future test takers be warned - as Kelsey G. mentions, all test taking centers are not created…read moreequal. I had a horrible experience at the L St location in DC, and it resulted in me scoring 100 points below what I ended up getting at the much nicer Bethesda location a few weeks later! This location is cramped, prison-like, hot, and the people who work here are extremely rude. Choosing this location is a huge mistake.

I didn't realize that the Pearson testing center would appear on Yelp, but since it's here I'll put…read morein a review. First, if you want a good idea of what your testing experience will be like, check out this video: https://youtu.be/1kK-QuuZeuw While this video wasn't taken at the DC center, it is very much the same layout, decor, computers, etc. The testing center is what you can expect it to be, a quiet and somewhat secluded space with a few workstations where you take your test. Security is tight, you will have to check-in at the lobby security guard, who will then direct you to the elevator that takes you to the Pearson suite. Once in the testing center, you will have your picture taken and your palm vein scanned. The palm vein gets scanned every time you enter and exit the testing room, including breaks. Be advised that if you do need to use the restroom during a break: the restrooms are located outside the testing center in the hallway. You will need to borrow a key from the front-desk in order to use it. While the restrooms are a short distance away, keep in mind that you do lose about a minute of your break just having to walk to and from the restroom. There are two employees at the test center, one at the front desk to check you in and one who is the "proctor": s/he is stationed outside the testing room and can monitor each test taker through a large glass window and video cameras. When I took my test the first time, I would agree with the other reviews that both test employees were very strict and followed the rules to the dotted i. They weren't nice and didn't smile at all. I felt that one step out of line would have had me kicked out of my test. But on my second visit, I encountered two different employees who were the opposite: they were both laid back and very friendly. They were still professional and certainly harped on the rules, but they didn't do it in a condescending sort of way. It was as if they understood that you were stressed out about your test, and they wanted to make you feel comfortable. So overall, I would say that your testing experience might vary based on the testing center employees you get and how their attitudes are. Pearson's primary competitor in computerized-testing is Prometric. I took a different test before at a Prometric center (not in the DC area though) and I can say that Pearson is a lot better. At the Prometric center, I had to wait 45 minutes(!) from my scheduled appointment time before I was even seated at a computer to begin my test. The Prometric center was setup completedly different from Pearson, with the center stuffed with I'd estimate 30-40 test takers sitting in a large cube farm (the Pearson center seats about 12 max, I recall). The Prometric center was definitely not run very well, which certainly added to my testing anxiety. I can therefore give Pearson credit for at least managing their test center much more professionally and sanely. At the end, I would give the Pearson testing center 4 stars. One star off simply for the restroom situation, and maybe for the inconsistency of the staff's attitudes. But, compared to the Prometric testing center I think Pearson is very good at keeping everything organized and professional. Just one less thing to worry about on test day.

Understand that this is the monthly subscription based service for 8 hours…read more if you don't use the hours then you loose the hours and they will charge it next month automatically. I had the above issue and after calling them multiple time finally management got involved and on - 12/19/2024 I received a call back from the management and they understood what had happened and they are working with me to give money back for the 2nd month. Thank you management team for your co-operation. The tutor they had was easy to work with. We would definitely go back if we need the service again.

The agent was patronizing and unprofessional when I called to consult the tutoring services and…read morecost. She even kept texting after the fact that I had declined the services and requested talking to my husband to discuss payments if I was not making the decision of the payment. I obviously declined but she insisted on giving me a deadline to respond and kept texting. I felt a bit harassed and of course preferred not to take the service. It seemed like a scam call at some point!

I took Ben's 100 hour course for the June 2019 LSAT. After studying for 3.5 months, I had a 21…read morepoint increase from my initial diagnostic exam to my official exam. Ben keeps class fun and focused, and the LSAT Demon was perfect for studying on the metro during my commute. The tutors were not good, but you don't need them. Between Ben's video explanations and class, you will be well equipped. The classes are a bit large, but I made three amazing friends out of this class. We all stay in touch still. This course really worked out for me. I was admitted to multiple T14 law schools and received significant scholarship at all of them. It's absolutely worth paying for the class to get into a great school with a great scholarship package. Plus, I met a ton of classmates who also took this course, so its a great icebreaker when you meet other DC people. Classes may be different now that things are online, but I had a great experience with this course.

Ben is an excellent LSAT instructor. I took his class where he did a fantastic job at communicating…read morevery complex subject on a way that made them understandable and even fun at times. His LSAT Demon study software is very well-made with extensive explanations for the vast majority of the questions from each of the 94 (?) released exams. The AI software really helps you focus in on the areas you're really struggling with and regular use, at least in my experience, is guaranteed to help raise your score. In a few months I was able to raise my score by 15 points from my initial diagnostic and I am very thankful for Ben's instruction and the materials he provides his students with.

I just took a GMAT test prep course with Anthony Ritz and it was an amazing experience. The way he…read morecovers the material is extremely engaging and efficient. He focuses on the most relevant and common errors and hits on them over and over till you get it. He is also super available and committed to helping his students who are struggling to get there. It's rare that you find someone so passionate about his work - he does it because he cares and genuinely wants the success of his students. I feel very fortunate to have found this course and am confident that I will well surpass my target score of 720. He is honestly going to be the difference between me going to Stanford vs a community college for business school. I'm sure the rest of Veritas is great too... but nothing beats this guy!

EDIT: I will be attending UC Berkeley's EWMBA program in Fall 2018, due in large part to the strong…read moreGMAT score that this course has enabled me to achieve. I attended the in-person course at the Washington Hilton with Anthony Ritz. The learning materials, practice problems, and computer adaptive practice exams are the best I've found, and I feel that the amount of time that I invested in them was worthwhile. Anthony Ritz is very adept at challenging assumptions that would've led me to a wrong answer and explaining the most effective approach to solving each type of problem. As others have said, this will be your other job outside of your regular 9 to 5 for 6 weeks. Anyone who is considering taking this course should dedicate the time on nights and weekends in order to get the full benefit of the course. Official practice GMAT score prior to course: 650 Final GMAT score after course: 740 (41V/50Q/6.0AWA/7IR)

When it comes to GMAT prep resources, the ranking goes something like this:…read more1. GMAT Official Guides and other mba.com resources 2. Manhattan Prep guides and books 3. Veritas Prep guides and books 4. Everything else I chose the in-person lesson plan with Marcus Hedahl as my instructor. He was great. Smart, prepared, funny, and able to hold my attention for the three hour lessons. Thanks to MPrep and Marcus, I was able to pull a 740 after my 650 diagnostic. I'm very happy with my choice to use Manhattan Prep.

I absolutely recommend Manhattan Prep for those preparing to take the GMAT. The prep materials they…read moreprovide (books, learning plans, and practice tests), combined with the expertise of their instructors, helped me overcome my GMAT apprehension to nab a 98th percentile GMAT score. My teacher, Whitney Garner, did a fabulous job walking us through each question type and teaching us strategies to quickly (and correctly) answer them. In addition to teaching us how to nail the test, Whitney fostered an uplifting, supportive learning environment, which helped give me the confidence I needed to crush the exam. If I had to do it again, I'd take Whitney's class again in a heartbeat! Thank you, Whitney and Manhattan Prep!

Emma tutored me for the GRE and exceeded all expectations. She helped me greatly improve my score,…read moreand made me feel really confident during the test. Before she tutored me, I tried using Kaplan services. They were ok, but they did not have a personalized tutoring approach like Emma did. Emma's study tips, organization, and understanding of concepts is what separated her from the Kaplan tutors. Through my time with Kaplan, my verbal score only improved by 5 points, but with Emma, my score further improved by an additional 6 points! I was already confident in my quant skills, but even there Emma helped me increase my score by the few crucial points that separate top tier schools. Because of Emma's help, I feel confident about getting into my reach schools AND I have a whole new arsenal of study tips/habits to use not only for testing but for the rest of my academic career! My only regret is not choosing Emma first! Thank you!!!

Emma is an excellent tutor. The only reason I am not giving her 5 stars is because my GRE scores…read moredid not improve after our work together; however, I believe this is mostly because the GRE is a difficult test and I struggle with standardized testing. While I was searching for a tutor many people I spoke with said my target score was unrealistic, which was discouraging. Emma was always extremely positive and encouraging. In particular, I struggled with the quant section of the GRE and Emma helped me immensely. I am confident that I gained a great amount of knowledge from working with Emma, even though it was not reflected in my final score. Emma is extremely organized and and did an excellent job catering our sessions to my specific needs. If I did not understand a concept, Emma would explain it in a different way until I was able to grasp it. She is very patient and kind. I also loved that Emma was realistic about studying vs personal life. I work a full-time job and was not able to study for 30+ hours a week as other test takers may have, and she was very understanding about this. Emma will meet you where are you at and will not pressure you as some other tutors do. She knows there is already enough pressure when applying to grad schools! Although I am disappointed with my score, I still feel confident that Emma is an quality tutor.