When it comes to GMAT prep resources, the ranking goes something like this: 1. 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. read more

I absolutely recommend Manhattan Prep for those preparing to take the GMAT. The prep materials they provide (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! read more

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. read more

I had the pleasure of taking the LSAT prep class with Isaac Botier (no, he's not FRENCH) in preparation for the October 2012 exam. I actually interviewed various competitors and a private tutor, prior to settling (not in the least) on Manhattan. By interviewing, I went and set in on classes and spoke with the participants and instructors. I like Manhattan the best because of the expected small class size, success rate, and meshability (don't jock my work) with my schedule. For starters, registering for the last was great. I'm naturally inquisitive and thus, I had MANY questions. Every last question was cheerfully answered by the back office staff. They respond to emails/inquiries in an expeditious manner. My class consisted of only 4 individuals and I took the class on a Sunday afternoon. Thus, there were no issues with traffic and parking in NW. Despite that, the building was super groovy. Onto the meat..... My books arrived about 1.5 weeks before class. The books were large, all excluding reading comprehension - so, I was already like Whoa (think Black Rob - that was my JAM). We were tasked to take a old LSAT exam, place our scores in an LSAT tracker and send these to our instructor. I was in the School of Computer, Mathematical and Natural Sciences and had never taken a logic class - so I was really clueless on many of the things I saw on the exam. Fast fwd to the class Isaac was very engaging, extremely helpful, patient and KNOWLEDGABLE. He broke down absolutely everything and related all RC, LR and LG problems to real world issues/situations. There was never a dull day in our class and I got the improvements in my scores - to prove it. I will say this, unless you are willing to put a LOT of time into preparing for the test - no class will work. However, if you want to be a Mr. or Mrs. Matlock, go with Manhattan LSAT. read more

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. read more

I highly recommend Manhattan Prep to anyone planning to take the GMAT. The classes provide a workable structure and valuable resources to help you learn the material tested. In particular, I strongly recommend taking a class with Andrew Mara - Andrew was a wonderful teacher, and provided thorough help throughout the class and in the weeks following the end of the class. After taking the 3 month prep course, my GMAT score increased 100 points. read more

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. read more

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 99th 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!! read more

I signed up for the GMAT with a relatively tight timeline, and knew I would have to work hard and cram to be prepared. After doing research, Manhattan's 9-course option seemed like a great fit for this. The class was several hours after a workday in the middle of the week, which I expected to be a bit of a challenge. Marcus did a great job of keeping a rigorous curriculum relatively lighthearted and engaging, while still drilling down on the concepts and making sure that we all understood. He made sure that everyone in the class kept pace, but did not slow the course down if anybody was struggling, instead taking time before/after class to help with specific areas of focus. I went into the GMAT relatively cold on the subject matter, especially having not taken any kind of quantitative course in four or five years. I came out of it feeling confident about the test, and the score I received (which was substantially better than my initial one) went from being a "reach" score, to one that I felt like I could achieve on any given test. I could not have asked for a better program or instructor. read more

I signed up for Manhattan LSAT prep after I took the LSAT once and performed much lower than I had hoped. I was feeling hopeless but found Manhattan Prep and Allison Bell. Ally was my tutor and she was honestly phenomenal. She made a plan for me, was patient, and drilled certain concepts into my mind. I increased my score by 11 points with her help. My only regret is that I did not go to Ally earlier in my LSAT prep. read more

Marcus Hedahl was my instructor during a two-month Manhattan Prep GMAT course in Washington, DC. Marcus's style and knowledge made the course both enjoyable and productive. He and Manhattan Prep were the major reason that I was able to move my GMAT score up to a 770 and score strongly in the Quantitative Reasoning section. First, Marcus is a master of GMAT's formal content. Every time someone in class would throw him a curveball - for instance, a niche question about grammar - he returned an answer. I therefore always felt that I was under the instruction of a competent instructor and had full faith in his guidance. Second, Marcus has deep knowledge of the tips-and-tricks that are difficult to glean from a prep book alone. He shared everything from his personal guessing strategies to timing tactics. I was more of a traditional test-taker who was struggling with the adaptive nature of the GMAT, and Marcus's tactics made me feel confident and comfortable with selecting answers and moving on to successfully complete the test. Finally, Marcus's style was light-hearted, fun, and energetic - so much so that I looked forward to driving an hour from work, in the middle of the week, after a busy financial services job in order to prep for the GMAT. I did make-up classes with other instructors during the two months, and I enjoyed those experiences, but Marcus was the most engaging teacher and best at helping me to power through the three-hour sessions. All in all: Manhattan Prep was pivotal to my success. And Marcus rocked. If I had to take another test in the future, I would absolutely seek him out specifically. read more

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 read more

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 1st 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. read more

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. read more

ManhattanGMAT gives you the best chance for success on the GMAT. The materials they provide alone are worth the cost of the program. Along with strategy guides and more practice problems than you can dream of, you are given 6 online computer adaptive tests which give you the most realistic practice for the actual test. The classes and coursework are demanding, but if you keep up with the work, you will be ready to take the test with only a minimum amount of review once the course is done. My instructor was amazing and the two times I had to go to makeup classes, the other instructors were very good as well. read more

I took the course between Oct - Dec of 2009. Took the exam on April 2010. I had originally taken the test right after college and scored a 660. I worked and worked for several months (before I heard about Manhattan GMAT) and could never get my practice test score anywhere close to my target of 700+. After taking the actual test after my Manhattan GMAT score, I got a 710. The course was extremely helpful. They understand that we are who we are and we cannot just become math whizzes or Grammar experts within a few short months. The Manhattan GMAT course spent more time teaching tricks and tools to use during the test using my existing math and English proficiency. The result was I was able to answer many of the questions (without knowing exactly how to solve them) because I was able to narrow down to answer to 2-3 or sometimes just one choice. Another good thing about the course was they were able to make the GMAT fun. The questions started looking like short puzzles and fun to solve. The course itself was a lot of fun too with a lot of student-instructor interaction. I would highly recommend the course to anyone looking to up their score. read more

Manhattan Prep is hands down one of the better GMAT prep programs out there. I recommend doing the initial class for free to see which teacher has a style in which you can understand and follow. Personally, I think Andrew is probably the best teacher there so if his class matches your schedule that would be the way to go. Outside of class Manhattan Prep also offers a lot of online resources to not only help you toward obtaining a high GMAT score but also help you in the early stages of thinking about your MBA and the application process read more

Manhattan Prep was awesome. And Laurel, my instructor in the UES was SUPER awesome. I took the GMAT twice. Choked the first time but Laurel coached me through retaking ASAP because my score was not reflective of my practice tests (during which I had done my best to simulate test-taking environment). Second time I got my goal score! Painful to study for the GMAT but Manhattan Prep makes it as efficient and effective as possible. Highly recommend. read more

I took the online Manhattan course for the LSAT and I can't imagine a better test prep company. The tutors were accessible via email and were generally helpful, knowledgeable, and personable. I went from a 153 diagnostic to a 170 on my LSAT. Whenever I needed to speak to customer service they were pleasant and accommodating as well. I've recommended them to all my friends, and am very impressed with their products and service. read more

Manhattan Prep provided me with everything I needed to get my target GMAT score. First and foremost, Marcus was a great teacher. He made class engaging, challenging, and worth your time for students of all levels. He also provided some really useful study tips and techniques - such as tracking questions missed - that helped me to use my independent study time efficiently. Following the Manhattan Prep's syllabus/study plan and taking their online practice tests made it really clear what I needed to do to prepare. By the time test day came around, I felt confident that I had done everything I could to be ready. I only had to take the GMAT once to get my target score of 730. Finally, the free one-on-one consultation with a Manhattan Prep tutor after the class finished but before the GMAT was really helpful for developing a final-stretch study plan and giving me a confidence boost going into the test. Would highly recommend Marcus and Manhattan Prep! read more

If you are considering applying to business school, I would 100% recommend Manhattan Prep for the GMAT. Manhattan provides incredibly useful instruction and online resources, including plenty of practice tests and diagnostics. At the 14th street location in DC, I had an awesome in-person instruction experience with Marcus. Marcus was friendly, funny, and beyond knowledgeable about the test. He created a great atmosphere, where I felt comfortable asking weird or stupid questions in front of our class. Marcus was also very skilled at noticing patterns in students' solutions to our practice problems and identifying common pitfalls, and he was able to adapt the focus of his teaching to help us get the most out of the material. He taught us about different approaches to solving common types of problems, and he helped us find the best approach to each problem for different learning/testing styles. I got a lot more out of the class as a result than if someone had just read from slides the whole time. A great bonus - my location was on 14th street, where many of the most popular bars and restaurants in DC are located. I made some great friends from my GMAT prep class over sangria at Barcelona after class. read more

I had an excellent experience with Manhattan Prep. I bought a nine-week group session for GRE prep with Joe Lucero. The course was comprehensive and Joe was particularly great - finding a way to explain math concepts I hadn't dealt with in 10 years so that I and everyone else in class could understand. My score demonstrated the strength of the preparation I received - I jumped 7 points in verbal and 10 points in quant. On the whole, I highly recommend the Manhattan Prep GRE course. read more

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. read more

I have taken the LSAT first a year ago and I was not that happy with my 163. I had prepared for the test with some books only. I tried all kinds of prep companies (books form Kaplan, Princeton, PowerScore and Manhattan), and I found Manhattan to be the best both in terms of didactics as well as explaining the key points well. However, I hit a plateau just working with the books. Manhattan LSAT helped me to get a 169 the second time I took the test - a full 9 percentile points above my first score. I took private tutoring for 3 months and I started scoring higher and higher every week. I'm a non-native speaker and my teacher was just excellent in working with me and addressing the areas that were challenging for me. Absolutely loved her! I am now applying to some of the top 10 law schools in the nation and I am very excited. Waiting for a year, re-taking the LSAT and taking private tutoring with Manhattan LSAT was the best decision I could have made. THANKS MANHATTAN!!!! read more

Manhattan GMAT helped me a lot in preparation for the GMAT - there is a discount if you already have the books (buy them used). There's also a $300 discount if you're still in undergrad. They also let me switch classes in the middle of the session. My instructor Keith Blume in Chicago was great!!!!! So friendly and helpful and never once made me feel stupid! read more

I used the GMAT prep book system and it worked perfectly! I followed the lessons extremely closely and put my full trust in their system. Starting from a relatively low base of knowledge (I had never done prime factorization) I was able to get a 790 (51, 51, 8, 6) on the GMAT on my first try after 3 months of intense study. I absolutely could not have done it without MGMAT and cannot recommend their system and services more highly. read more