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I didn't score great at GMAT but that shouldn't deter you. I didn't get enough time to prepare. Also, considering that I scored around 300 or 400 in the diagnostic test, the improvement is quite good.
Anyway, I have subscribed to a couple of prep companies, but Magoosh is my favorite. Why?
Firstly, the quality of the content is superb. However, I must admit that videos made by Mike McGarry are far superior to any others. Particularly, I love his voice and sense of humor which breaks the monotony of studying long hours.
Secondly, their support is outstanding. Whatever you need, they are there to help you. Even they consider special requests individually, which is amazing.
Thirdly, they have recently started hosting a channel at Discord which is also great to find other test takers who are studying with Magoosh.
Purchased the Magoosh quant material to improve from Q46 to Q50. The questions cover all the major topics that are tested on the gmat. You get around 700 questions in the question bank along with some detailed topic wise videos which are definitely a must have to build on the concepts. You can easily improve a couple of points using this course. I was able to improve my quant score from Q46 TO Q49. Although Q50 Q51 remain elusive to me, I felt the concepts and questions will definitely give you boost in the quant section. All the best in quant.
I'm from a non quant background and had a lot of struggle with quant at the beginning at my preparation.
I recommend Magoosh Math for everyone who needs to brush his/her quant basics. I don't think that you can hit a Q50/51 with Magoosh alone, but if you start from a lower level and want to progress to a Q~46/47 than Magoosh is definitely a good choice.
The video lessons are not to long and provide all of the necessary information to deal with certain topics. After my studies with Magoosh, I understood a lot of concepts such as probability and combinatorics, and geometry with which I struggled at the beginning of my self preparation.
I'm really glad that I tried Magoosh and could improve my Quant.
Really excited to write my review of Magoosh's quant section. Overall, I can say with confidence that this product facilitated my final 740 score, including an improvement from Q40 to Q49. I will be limiting my review to just quant.
Context:
GMAT Prep 1 - 620 40/35
GMAT Prep 2 - 640 42/36
Started with Magoosh here. Before my next CAT I worked with its videos and practice questions for a solid month - ~40-50 hours
GMAT Prep 3 - 710 48/37
GMAT Prep 4 - 720 48/39
Official GMAT 1 - 620
Huge disappointment given where practice CATs were but performance largely attributed to nerves - lesson: plan on taking the test more than once. In terms of practice, I continued to drill and redrill the Magoosh quant questions - everyday whenever I had free time.
GMAT Prep 5 - 740 49/42
Goes without saying that this was a confidence booster.
GMAT Prep 6 - 760 51/41
Official GMAT 2 - 700 48/37
To this point my verbal had been unpredictable and I felt I got the "wrong" verbal questions. Still unhappy given my practice performance but breaking the 700s barrier was huge for my psyche
Retake GMAT prep 6 - 760 49/44
Official GMAT 3 - 740 (done!) 49/41
Magoosh quant is the complete package. I spent time watching all of the math videos and doing each of its 500+ questions.
The videos, narrated by Mike Mcgarry, offer deep explanations of every math concept tested on the GMAT. Mike is incredibly clear and grants you access to his brain, walking you step by step through each problem. The system focuses on fundamentals first then builds well on those fundamentals to some of the tougher concepts the GMAT tests. The format offers the type of flexibility that those of you with either unpredictable or simply demanding schedule would require. I work 70 hour weeks and enjoyed this. Additionally, every one of the 500 problems has their own explanation narrated by a Magoosh math expert and includes that experts notes. An extraordinarily helpful feature.
Comparative Value:
I found that this site writers dont do a great job of defining the differences between the variety of Prep products out there so the below represents a summary version based on my experience.
Magoosh vs. MGMAT self study -
Some people swear by MGMAT books and I know some people that have been very successful using them. I am not one of those people. The MGMAT books have a lot of material but I actually found them lacking in some detail and lacking enough relevant examples. The cost compared to Magoosh is simply not worth it in my view. It could be part of why the books read the way they do is because they are really meant for people who sign up for the class.
Magoosh vs. GMAT Club (cats)
GMAT Club CATs are tough, but they offer amazing insight into your performance. I actually view Magoosh and GMAT club CATs as complementary to one another. Where Magoosh offers excellent lessons and excellent practice questions, GMAT Club offers more realistic challenging questions and the ability to really pin down your weaknesses. The tests are the money.
Magoosh vs. OG Books
Obviously, get your hands on all the OG books for problems. For learning why questions are wrong/right, the books lack severely. Magooshs strength is the OGs weakness. Another complementary option.
Magoosh vs. Kaplan 800
Kaplan 800 was fine at best. Decent question bank but nothing too special. Not needed. Magoosh +OG+GMAT Club CATs would render this book useless.
Magoosh vs. Princeton Self Study
Princeton's question sets are a bit easier than the official GMAT and noticeably easier than Magoosh's. For its tougher questions, i found these questions to be quite dissimilar from the official.
For your CATs I would not recommend using Magoosh. They have some tinkering to do with their scoring system and the order of questions is not representative of the order on the GMAT. Note Manhattan CATs suffer from this issue as well (I achieved a 680 on Manhattan one week before my official 740!)
I hope this review helps!
Mortysmith
Hello there,
Thanks for a very detailed and insightful review. Do you mind telling me what material you followed for your verbal prep ? I am just starting out on the prep and your write-up gave me a pretty solid idea about where to look for the quant but would appreciate if you could comment on a comparison between different verbal material available and which one you think would be the best to go for. I have 2.5-3 months before I sit for the exam.
Faisal` .
I took Magoosh to boost my GMAT Quant. I was very impressed with the in-depth analysis and strategic method of teaching. I would recommend it to students who are looking to gain a stronger understanding of quant topics. My weak areas were Algebraic Translations, Geometry, Probability and Combinatorics, Weighted Averages and Number Properties. I spent some time reviewing concepts and then did timed practice using OG and GMAT Club. Magoosh played a major role in inculcating more confidence in my quant abilities going into the GMAT. I did not have much time but if you have 2+ months, this course is ideal to brush up rusty concepts. It is definitely worth the buy. Good luck!
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Magoosh was definitely able to help me pinpoint the problems that I was having on specific topics in the GMAT. As students take more and more practice exams, they will see a trend of what topics they are most struggling in, such as Number Properties in Quant, or Strengthen and Weaken in Critical Reasoning. After figuring out what topics I was most struggling in, Magoosh was able to help me increase my understanding and points in those specific sections. For me, I learn the best when someone else explains in different words than how I would put it. This is where the video lessons really came in handy. Not only were the video lessons helpful, but also the customization feature of the practice problems. By having the option to generate problems in specific sections, you can further hone your skills on struggling sections. Magoosh has really been helping me during my studies, and I hope all my hard work pays off when I take my exam.
This is an amazing product. I used Magoosh quant as a companion in concert with another prep product, but it could probably stand just as well on its own. I purchased magoosh on Jan 23 and dove in immediately. Over the course of TWO WEEKS, I worked every problem (500+) many of them more than once. The problems were terrifically realistic and perfectly inline with actual GMAT exam problems. What makes it even better is that there is a video explanation for every problem. You really get a great look at how to tackle difficult problems accurately and quickly.
The beauty of a computer adaptive test is that you should know whether or not you're doing well based on the questions you're getting... during my GMAT I knew I was getting the toughest questions the exam could throw at me, and I had the confidence and skill to move quickly through the exam. Thanks magoosh. I improved my score by 80 points overall with all of the improvement coming in the quant section (where Magoosh quant helped me raise my raw score 10 points in a single month.)
... 770 (50Q, 44V)
First time I sat for the GMAT I scored 590 (35-35 split). While I did use a variety of sources during my prep, I credit Magoosh with the increase in quant. I felt pretty confident with the verbal all the time, so I didn't spend too much time on it; but it was clear for me that I was not even near the score I wanted in Math. I liked Magoosh not only because of the amount of tricks offered to help you conquer the timing constraints, but also for the variety of ways to attack the questions bank: You can select your questions based on the degree of difficulty, the area tested, you can go back and retry the incorrect ones, you can write notes, you can flag for review, etc. I ended up scoring a 710 on my second GMAT (47 quant, 41 verbal), more than I actually scored in the mock tests.
Hey Imran, I am about to get a self study plan and I am considering Magoosh.
How much time did you have to prepare, and were you using the OG books aswell ?
OG is must. After you are done preparing, keep at least 2 weeks to prepare with GMAC questions only.
Time required is proportional to your current knowledge level. Take a diagnostic test. Plan accordingly. Magoosh gives a great bang for buck. You will get all the required instructions in their videos.
hi, how much time did it take you to prepare for GMAT? I also scored around 400-500 on the practice exam, and I plan to prepare my GMAT with Magoosh. I am trying to get 600-650 in two months. Do you have any strategies for me ? thank you!
Megan, a score doesn’t tell you everything. You have to diagnose ur test to find out your weak areas. Usually 2 months is not a long time for GMAT preparation. However, if you spend full time on studies, a significant improvement is possible. However, I’d suggest you go through all the magoosh lesson videos to solidify your basics. I did it, so can u.
Can you share the link to your discord channel?
https://discord.gg/AkmdY47x
Hi Imran,
My quant score is 42-44 and verbal score varies a lot from 31-36. I would like to improve to a Q49-50 and V39-40 at least. I feel like my SC concepts are good, though not perfect but I need more improvement in CR and RC. In quant I need to improve in NP, Inequalities, Combinations and Geometry (Mainly these because they constitute maximum number of topics on the test. But I do need to improve in quant overall). I have a 5 week target deadline so that I am well prepared for R1 of Sept intake. Would you suggest Magoosh for a 1-month course?