I had self-studied using Manhattan Prep books for the GMAT for two solid months and took the test in July - sadly, I got a 640 and was deeply disappointed in myself.

After giving myself a month off, I decided to take matters into my own hands and enroll in a GMAT class. I would have preferred an in-person course but live in the Midwest, so an online class was the next best option. I ended up choosing Manhattan Prep for their live online class, and I am so glad that I did.

The course I took was compressed into about 6 weeks and boy was it a marathon! It consisted of 3-hour classes every Saturday and Sunday with a long list of homework assignments to complete during the week in between classes. It was definitely a slog, but it was worth it. What stood out about Manhattan GMAT's approach, in my opinion, was the way they taught the course. They placed a firm emphasis on mastering foundational quant skills and then taught techniques and shortcuts to use on the test. I also really benefited from the timed questions that they used during the class. They were excellent practice that helped me shed my jitters around completing complex math questions in such a short period of time. Tony was also a great instructor. He was patient, kind, and always willing to explain a concept multiple ways so that students fully understood it.

Thanks to this class, I increased my score from a 640 to a 710. I also got a 99th percentile Verbal score and a much higher quant score than I received before. It's not cheap -- financially or time-wise -- but I firmly believe that committing to a Manhattan GMAT course will significantly increase your score.