GMAT Club

Jonathan Schneider Reviews

Company: Manhattan Prep

Jonathan has taught the ins and outs of the GMAT to over 1,000 MBA applicants. He regularly receives emails from students saying that they achieved a 700+ score and were admitted to their first-choice school.

Jonathan first took the GMAT in 2007, scoring a 780. He joined Manhattan Prep later that year. Since then, he has regularly taught both the 9-week class and the Boot Camp, tutored private students, written company curriculum (both Quant and Verbal), and generally been involved with every aspect of the company's work with students. In 2010, he began to train new Instructors, a role that allowed him to "teach the teacher." He now serves as the Manager of Instructor Development, screening Instructor candidates and training them to become the best possible classroom teachers. Jonathan came from a liberal arts background, earning honors for a creative writing thesis in Spanish at Amherst College, a thesis that he illustrated with his hand-pulled expressionist woodcuts. Jonathan aims to make his classes a laboratory for learning, where students learn not just the content of the GMAT but how to think critically about all aspects of the exam. As a student in Jonathan's class, expect to be both challenged and supported as you push yourself to think better, faster. Outside of his role at Manhattan Prep, Jonathan still maintains an art studio. His other loves include literature, baseball, and world travel. 

5.0 /5 Average Rating
Based on 29 reviews
February 07, 2013
mquinn18

Joined: Feb 07, 2013

Posts: 0

Kudos: 0

Prior to taking the GMAT I was unsure if I should sign up for a course to help me prepare, thinking that I would be able to do well just by studying on my own. After hearing the opinions of some of my friends, however, it became clear that the best course of action would be to enroll in a prep course and that Manhattan GMAT was the most highly recommended.

After taking the 9-week course I cannot agree enough. The course helps you prepare for all sections of the test and every possible topic you could see. This was helpful, but the biggest thing for me was that the course provides you with a syllabus that outlines a study plan for you, telling you where to find certain problems in the books and which topics to study when. This, along with the great instructor and course plan, was a huge contributor to getting a 700+ score.

After taking the course I will definitely recommend it to anyone who plans on taking the GMAT.

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November 15, 2012
llapin

Joined: Nov 15, 2012

Posts: 13

Kudos: 3

I decided to enroll in Manhattan GMAT after reading positive online reviews when I was doing course research, and I'm so glad I did. The instructors are dynamic, approachable, and somehow manage to make GMAT material interesting. You can tell that they have a real passion for the subject matter, which helps to inspire enthusiasm among the students even when they're fighting feelings of stress and discouragement.

I also appreciate how easy the process of taking make-up classes was, because it's very unlikely that someone can attend the same 3-hour class 9 weeks in a row without having some sort of conflict.

I definitely recommend MGMAT to anyone willing to put in the time and effort to stay on top of the material.

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September 20, 2012
tprakash

Joined: Sep 11, 2012

Posts: 0

Kudos: 0

Self-reported Score:
730 Q49 V41

I took my diagnostic in June and scored a 600. I was ambitious about a good score, and I had to do it in about 2 months amidst a very heavy workload. I needed a good coach and that's when I enrolled in the Manhattan GMAT 9 session course.

First of all, this is a very detailed and demanding course. From the first look at its curriculum it was pretty clear to me that this company knew the art and science of turning a novice into a master on this exam. The material is exhaustive and intuitive - it really captures the naunces of the varied thought processes that different people follow while solving a problem, and then tells you how to hone your unique way of thinking. I found that particularly helpful as most people have a particular style of doing things, and some approaches resonate with that style while some don’t.

The classroom course does not take the traditional theory-to-questions approach. Mind it that you would be expected to do the formal studying yourself. The classroom sessions explore the theoretical aspects of the course mainly through carefully chosen questions that well-exemplify the concepts involved.
Personally, I liked this approach as concepts are presented and learned un-detached from the contexts and situations where they'll be applied to, and are thus easier to remember.

The course is ultimately about honing your intuitions to razor-sharpness and set you up with a viable plan on how you're going to attempt your exam. The best thing - there's always a plenty of help available around for whatever you might need it.

My instructor was not only a master of the subject but also very involved with my success. He gave me some very good advice with some unique problems that was keeping my score low in the exam while I was coming out with flying colours while attempting practice problems. I finally took the exam on 8th of September and scored a 730.

I would highly recommended score for anyone seeking to score a 700+. And lastly, there's a lot of free stuff that'll come along with the any course - classroom or self study. They conduct a lot of free sessions, not just on GMAT but the whole application process. It's expensive, but totally worth the money!

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July 30, 2012
Anonymous

Posts: 0

Kudos: 0

If you're on the fence about taking a course, here are a few reasons why I would take the Mgmat course:

1. Manhattan GMAT's course offers you a comprehensive review of all topics on the test so you know you've seen a little bit of everything and are covering your bases.

2. Even if you're good at self study, the course is worth it. I am the type of person that sets aside time, but taking the course really helped me focus three solid hours at a faster pace that I normally would by myself. The class pushes you and offers you an insight into how other students analyze a problem. This helps you learn multiple techniques to solve the problems faster.

3. Mgmat teachers are incredible. Jonathan Schneider was my instructor and he was great at explaining problems in various ways and telling us which ones to prioritize since they came up less frequently on the GMAT. He takes the GMAT various times throughout the year so can also comment on variations on the problem that he has seen. Importantly, I emailed him several times after the course was done and he sent me long emails with tips around how to work on my timing and study strategy. He also reviewed my practice exam results and told me what topics to focus on and which ones not to work on any longer. This extra support is valuable and what you pay for. Also, Jonathan was great because he was able to insert a lot of humor and connect GMAT problems with real world problems which really helped me remember the content.

4. If you already took the course once, taking it again only costs $300. Do it. I took the course twice (first time was two years ago so I needed a refresher) and got a lot out of the second time. Its the same material, but with a deeper understanding of the test, you can really master the basic material.

5. If I had to compare Mgmat to Vertas, I think the material is largely the same, but in my situation, I found that the GMAT instructor was more comprehensive, used the time more wisely, and was more entertaining. With Vertias, I felt as though there were some topics that weren't covered and that we sometimes spent too much time on solving practice problems instead of teaching important content. A good mix of both is what I was looking for.

Overall, I achieved a 710, 44 V / 44Q / 6 AWA and my first practice test score after taking the course was probably closer to a 600.

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July 16, 2012
dmt2012

Joined: Jul 16, 2012

Posts: 0

Kudos: 0

The Manhattan 9-week GMAT prep course is exceptional, as are all the proprietary on-line and off-line materials associated with the course. My teacher, Jonathan S. was excellent - not only in class, but also outside, making himself available by email and through outside sessions.

They whole program went above and beyond. My score increased ~200 points. The class is highly customizable based on goals and performance throughout the program. The books are a provide a very good platform for your review and the on-line materials are extremely comprehensive. The data-driven approach makes you feel confident that your time is being spent efficiently.

I highly recommend the course.

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April 24, 2012
Anonymous

Posts: 0

Kudos: 0

I think the Manhattan GMAT course was extremely helpful in preparing me for the test. The instructor calls on everyone in the class to be sure no one person takes over the course and others don't fall behind.

I think the course structure was logically organized. I found the online content to be extremely helpful in terms of studying independently, improving your weak areas, or catching up on a missed class. I just wish I knew about all the resources earlier!

You should definitely use the office hours each week. While sometimes they can be challenging to schedule, they are very helpful to get the most out of your homework as the classes are already packed with content. Additionally, you can save the work from the office hours and review it later. You can also send the questions you want to go over in order to get the most out of the office hours and fit more in.

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April 16, 2012
jordanc89

Joined: Apr 16, 2012

Posts: 0

Kudos: 0

When I first took my diagnostic test, I scored a 600. After attending all 9 sections, and relearning all the math I forgot in high school, I was able to raise my score 100+ points. Not only did my instructor explain the content in an easy to understand manner, he provided key insights into the test itself based on his personal experience. I would say the greatest score boosters came in the form of analyzing critical reasoning questions on verbal and learning how to effectively structure word translation problems on the math.

Even though I exceeded my target score of 700+, I plan on taking the test again in May to see if I can crack 750. It's an ambitious goal, I know, but if I can boost my quant score to the level of my verbal score, I think that will do it.

Jonathan is a brilliant mind and talented educator. Great course. Highly recommended!

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