Going in, I knew very little about the GMAT and what to expect. This course did a great job of calibrating my expectations and showing me what I needed to focus on. This course also gave me the necessary books to study on my own adequately.

However, I must say that the course's tools are only helpful to the extent that you are willing to work hard. I attribute part of my score increase to Manhattan GMAT classes, part of it to the books I was given, and a large part to the fact that I studied 20 hours per week for 3 months.

Therefore, if you are willing to work hard, I definitely recommend Manhattan GMAT.

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Overall, I think Manhattan GMAT is a great program dedicated to helping students obtain their personal best scores.

I took the 9 week in person class at the Chicago-Evanston location. While the time commitment and work load were demanding, I think it really helped me stay on top of my studies and focus. Being in a classroom helped me focus during class; other than that though, I am not really sure if the in person class is significantly better than the online class, since the instructors and work load are the same. Looking back, I probably could have benefitted the same amount from the online course. But like I said, being in an actual classroom helped me zero in on the material being presented and not get easily distracted.

What stands out to me, however, is not necessarily the course itself but the course materials. They literally provide you with EVERYTHING you will need to study. From study guides which explain topics in detail to an online practice question tracking system to 6 online exams-- this course really covers it all. I never felt as if I didn't have the materials to succeed- it was just a matter of me utilizing them often. Even purchasing the materials alone will drastically help you improve your score.

After the 9 week course, I waited 3 weeks and then took my GMAT exam. This exam did not go as according to my plan. I had been consistently scoring upper 600s on my practice tests, and then scored significantly lower on my actual exam (640). Needless to say, I was a bit upset. However, Manhattan GMAT did not abandon me once my course was over. They offer a free post-exam assessment for individuals who feel they did not perform to their best ability on the exam. In this one hour session, an instructor who had previously reviewed all my practice tests and exam scores helped me identify the specific areas I needed to improve upon, as well as practical things I could do to improve my score. For the next 30 days, I really buckled down and focused on the areas I was weak in, as opposed to just covering ALL the material again. This ended up paying off!

I was very pleased with my score in the end-- it was my target score all along and I reached it. I know I couldn't have gotten there without the guided help from Manhattan GMAT.

Tips-- be sure to use the OG Archer tracking system from Manhattan GMAT; also, before you take the test make sure to download the free GMAC material and practice exams since those are exactly the same format as the test so you can get familiar.

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