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Manhattan GMAT Private Tutoring Reviews

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4.9 /5 Average Rating
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Based on 95 reviews
March 19, 2018
emalcolm

Joined: Mar 19, 2018

Posts: 0

Kudos: 0

Self-reported Score:
670

Avi is amazing!

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Improvement 70 Points

Course Manhattan Prep Manhattan GMAT Private Tutoring

Instructor Avi Gutman

Location Toronto, Canada

Avi was a phenomenal instructor. I had 4 sessions of private tutoring with him and within those sessions he diagnosed why my score wasn't improving and gave me tips on how to increase my overall score. I ended up seeing an improvement that I didn't think was possible in the short amount of time I had to prepare. My score went up 70 points since my last test attempt, and 100 points overall since the first time I attempted the test.

Avi convinced me that I had the skills necessary to get the score I wanted on the test, and that I just had to get my confidence up to match my skills. Without his guidance and belief in me it would have been a much longer and more painful road to the GMAT score that I wanted.

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February 17, 2018
pmo1

Joined: Sep 09, 2017

Posts: 14

Kudos: 5

Verified GMAT Classic score:
760 Q49 V46

Average teaching but disciplined schedule

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Improvement 110 Points

Course Manhattan Prep Manhattan GMAT Private Tutoring

Location New Delhi, India

I opted for the small group coaching option at Manhattan Prep that runs by the name of Wizius Careers in Sector 14 in Gurgaon. There were just 2 of us in the group – a highly motivated & ready-to-work hard me and another guy who was totally opposite in his approach. Their star faculty is Praveen Sharma who is fairly good with Quants and very patient. Verbal is taught by a novice who can certainly improve. However, in general they are both supportive and have a non-depleting repository of practice questions. If you are willing to do the hard work, they’ll give you access to innumerable tests from Manhattan and elsewhere and allow you to sit and study at the center even after your class is over.

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February 02, 2018
Tyrontham

Joined: May 30, 2017

Posts: 0

Kudos: 0

Verified GMAT Classic score:
720 Q46 V42

720 from 590. David Mahler - The best.

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Got my target 720 score after approx 4 months that comprised self study, Manhattan Prep's 9-week course on Wall street Manhattan (David Mahler was our instructor), and private tutoring (also with Dave Mahler). I started with a 590 Manhattan Prep GMAT practice test. Quite frankly, I could not have managed the 720 without Manhattan Prep.

1. The 9-week course: This was a great start for me as my math skills were very rusty (haven't touched math since high school and my day-to-day work doesn't require the use of any meaningful quant skill - I'm a lawyer). The math foundations and GMAT test strategies explored in class were concise and immediately helpful. Dave Mahler was our instructor - I highly recommend him for the clarity with which he explains tough concepts (particularly Data Sufficiency and Critical Reasoning). FYI the 9-week course comes with the full suite of Manhattan Prep Books, which were all great - concise, clear, and effective - no verbiage which is good for busy professionals.

2. Private tutoring: After the 9 week course, I spent a couple of weeks wrapping up the GMAT OG and then I took a real GMAT test. Bombed it. I decided I needed more targetted tutoring, so I splurged on the private tutoring (8 lessons in total). This was worth every penny. Dave diagnosed my flawed test-taking strategies, and his private lessons sharpened my quant and verbal reasoning skills. These lessons were challenging but crucial to my success on the test - he would often ask me to explain my thought processes WHILE I solved tough problems (DS, PS, SC, CR), and this invariably forces you to think critically about every single step in your own problem-solving process. Every step in my problem-solving process was critiqued and improved upon. As important, Dave was extremely optimistic and encouraging throughout this whole process. He was a firm supporter and you feel that he's invested in your success.

TL DR: Manhattan Prep's 9 week course and private tutoring are both very strongly recommended. Manhattan Prep's books are very strongly recommended. Dave Mahler is very strongly recommended.

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January 21, 2018
eahsan

Joined: Jan 21, 2018

Posts: 0

Kudos: 0

Verified GMAT Classic score:
720 Q49 V39

Highly Recommended: Manhattan GMAT Tutoring & Keith Blume

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The Manhattan Prep tutoring program was a great experience and I highly recommend it if you are looking to drastically improve your score on the GMAT. My instructor, Keith Blume, identified my key strengths and weaknesses and developed a study plan that fit my needs.

My tailored learning experience was heavily focused on the quantitative sections of the test since I felt comfortable with my verbal skills. Keith taught me how to quickly break-down each type of problem solving and data sufficiency question to realize what it was asking for and therefore identify the strategy I would use to solve it. Studying with Keith helped me see the quantitative section as more of a logic test rather than just a math test. After enough practice, I became comfortable with pattern recognition, estimation, number properties, and other test skills I was not able to sharpen without Keith’s help.

On top of being a great teacher, Keith was also very adaptable and able to make time for tutoring sessions that worked well with my professional and personal commitments. Often times, we would meet from 8-11pm or weekend mornings. If I ever had a question that we didn’t get to fully discuss during our tutoring sessions, he would always follow-up via email with additional information and resources to help me better understand the concepts.

Overall, the Manhattan Prep tutoring course is a great program and I highly recommend Keith Blume as a tutor if you are looking to achieve a high score on the GMAT.

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January 17, 2018
wymy

Joined: Apr 14, 2017

Posts: 10

Kudos: 2

Verified GMAT Classic score:
720 Q49 V40

Thank you Elaine Loh!

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Improvement 120 Points

Course Manhattan Prep Manhattan GMAT Private Tutoring

Instructor Elaine Loh

Location Los Angeles, CA USA

I cannot believe how few reviews Elaine has on Manhattan Prep. Here to give a big, big shout-out to my favourite instructor, who was the big changer for me!

Without Manhattan Prep and specifically, Elaine Loh, I could not have broken through the 700 barrier. I owe my entire 720 (Q49, V40) to Elaine's guidance, tutoring, and her holistic way of teaching. Content is not the sole focus of Elaine's teaching; of course, content is important up to a certain point, but your style of studying and mentality are equally important. Elaine put a huge emphasis on error logging and having a positive and relaxed mindset, and I can honestly say that these two things probably made the biggest difference in my studying.

After I started error logging and becoming more "mindful", upon Elaine's suggestion, my practice scores shot up exponentially. Just for reference, I began my GMAT journey at 600!

More so than her awesome way of teaching, Elaine is just really darn knowledgeable about the GMAT. The way that she is able to clarify points of confusion in a very clear and concise manner is not something that just any smart person can do! She also taught me certain strategies that were very helpful to ultimately succeeding on the GMAT.

All in all, as you can see, I am a huge fan of Elaine and Manhattan Prep. While I can't speak for other instructors, I certainly have no doubts that Manhattan Prep is a top-notch company. If you are struggling with the GMAT, I would highly recommend Manhattan Prep and Elaine Loh!

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January 16, 2018
amvought

Joined: Aug 09, 2017

Posts: 0

Kudos: 0

Verified GMAT Classic score:
720 Q46 V44

Helped this liberal arts major get a 720 with 46Q!

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Improvement 200 Points

Course Manhattan Prep Manhattan GMAT Private Tutoring

Instructor Daniel Patinkin

Location Los Angeles, CA USA

I completed 10 hours of private instruction with Dan Patinkin upon the enthusiastic recommendation of a personal friend, who had in turn been enthusiastically recommended by both of her MBA bosses. I would like to keep the enthusiastic chain of recommendation momentum going!

Obviously, everyone's results will vary depending on what their strength and weaknesses are, and their individual learning styles. So I'll just keep this to my personal experience.

I began studying for the GMAT in August of 2017. I work in non-profits and studied the liberal arts; the last time I did math was AP Stats in high school and I never took anything more advanced than Algebra 2. Thinking about standardized testing, let alone math, still makes my heart race.

From the get-go, I knew my work with Dan would be pretty much exclusively dedicated to quant, and that's partially why it was important to me to spring for personal tutoring rather than a class. Wouldn't have made sense to spend my precious time and money practicing verbal, since I desperately needed extra support with math.

Manhattan's attention to detail, and that of Dan specifically, helped me transform over the space of a few short months. Don't get me wrong, you have to work a lot.... like 10-15 hours per week for 4+ months... but for me, the hardest part of studying has always been knowing exactly WHERE to focus my efforts, and that's what Manhattan/Dan took care of for me.

So all I had to do, thanks to his help, was.... practice.

At one point, I scored a 490 on a practice test and CRIED. I am proud to say that last month, I sat for my very first (and final!) GMAT in December 2017 and scored a 720 -- 46 Q (WAY above my target) and 44 V!

I wouldn't have been able to make a fraction of these gains -- let alone keep my cool -- if it weren't for Dan's insight, generosity, and encouragement.

Thank you!

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January 07, 2018
nb22

Joined: Jan 07, 2018

Posts: 0

Kudos: 0

Verified GMAT Classic score:
740 Q47 V44

GMAT score improved from 650 to 740!

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Improvement 90 Points

Course Manhattan Prep Manhattan GMAT Private Tutoring

Instructor Jamie Nelson

Location San Francisco, CA USA

I’ve never been very good at standardized tests. For me, the GMAT was the most intimidating part of the business school application process, and it almost kept me from even applying. My biggest takeaway from this experience: don’t give up hope if you get one bad score! Fully explore your options – if the regular class/online sessions aren’t enough for you, consider working with a tutor for several sessions (it really does help you go from knowing a subject well to complete mastery of that subject!). For me, it was definitely worth the investment.

As I was starting out, several colleagues recommended that I try Manhattan Prep based on their positive experiences with the program. Being someone who wanted to do a self-study program vs. a classroom program (just my personal preference), I decided to purchase the Interact package. Overall, I thought the Interact package was very well done – it’s engaging, covers a lot of ground, and really teaches you the fundamentals of how to approach each type of problem. Over the course of the program, I got to the point where I was scoring pretty consistently in the 680-710 range on the MPrep and GMAC practice tests, and since my goal was to score 700, I felt like I was in a good position to take the actual test.

I ended up getting a 650 on my first actual test. It was pretty demoralizing. I decided to take MPrep up on their offer for the Post Exam Assessment (with Jamie Nelson) and had really good results so booked two more sessions (I was matched with Eric Garthoffner).

Jamie Nelson: I had a wonderful experience with Jamie on my post-exam assessment. She did a ton of homework beforehand, and closely went through each of my practice tests (and my enhanced score report) to really get a sense of the areas in which I was struggling. She picked up on errors I was making on a consistent basis that I never would have realized on my own. We then dissected each of these problem types and she provided customized problem sets to work on these weak areas. I saw improvements in my next practice test and decided to invest in several more sessions.

Eric Garthoffner: I spent around 4 hours with Eric over two sessions. He really transformed my approach to studying for the quant section. We spent a lot of time on strategy (both test prep and actual test day strategies), and on pattern recognition / short-cut application. Like Jamie, Eric was very good at identifying areas where I was struggling and created a customized study plan to help me improve in my weak areas. I gained a ton of confidence on the quant and significantly improved my timing.

Overall, I had a great experience with both Jamie and Eric. The sessions were very complementary to the other MPrep materials and helped me power through that last mile. Importantly, both Jamie and Eric were great motivators and taught me how to approach and study for problems in a more effective way. Based on my experience, the extra tutoring is well worth the investment if you don’t quite get your target score initially. I ended up getting into two top-five business schools in round one, and could not have done that without the help of MPrep (or Jamie and Eric).

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January 03, 2018
MirandaZ

Joined: Feb 06, 2017

Posts: 0

Kudos: 0

Verified GMAT Classic score:
740 Q50 V40

Great GMAT private tutor and courses

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Improvement 130 Points

Course Manhattan Prep Manhattan GMAT Private Tutoring

Instructor Keith Blume

Location Chicago-Wacker, IL USA

I was very lucky to have studied with Keith from Chicago. I initially met Keith through the Manhattan GMAT class pack in which he was the instructor, and later took a few private classes with him to improve my understanding.

Overall, Keith is a very efficient and to-the-point instructor. I was quite confident in math but was making unnecessary mistakes so Keith pinpointed it to exactly where it was and provided CUSTOMIZED study plans for me based on my goal and schedule. As for verbal, he was instrumental in teaching me how to read and answer the question.

My first practice test was in the 600, and with the help of Keith and many hours of hard work, I increased a score of 100+. I would highly recommend Keith to any student who would like to learn and achieve a good score.

Manhattan GMAT also offers one of the best online platforms. It syncs up with the book and the explanations really helped me understand why an answer was right, and better yet, why other answers were wrong. In addition, you can use the report feature to see your overall performance and area of improvement. I would recommend taking a GMAT course with Keith through Manhattan. Thank you Keith!

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December 29, 2017
mbaapp1234

Joined: Dec 23, 2013

Posts: 85

Kudos: 84

Self-reported Score:
710 Q45 V41
760 Q49 V44

Private Tutoring - 760 - 20hrs

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Improvement 50 Points

Course Manhattan Prep Manhattan GMAT Private Tutoring

Instructor Gregg Lachow

Location San Francisco, CA USA

I studied for the GMAT in 2017 with a private tutoring package for 20 hours. Gregg Lachow was my tutor, and we met exclusively online via Blackboard. I wound up scoring a 760, up from a 630 MPrep CAT before the sessions began and an official test score of 710 back in 2013. I had four scores in the low 700s in official tests during my MPrep course before I scored the 760.

Private tutoring worked for me because I had a few specific problem areas with the format (timing, test anxiety, rushing) and content (quant and main idea questions in verbal). Every tutor is different, so I can only speak to my experience with Gregg and the MPrep materials.

I used MPrep study guides including "Foundations", the scratch pad, Interact, and all six of the online CAT. I also used the OG, "Verbal/Quant Review," GMAT Prep, GMAT Focus (a sort of online simulation of the quant section), and the GMAT Club forums. So I pretty much availed myself of every scrap of prep material out there in the world. In total, I probably studied for a few hundred hours over the course of eight months on top of applications/work. Manhattan Prep practice and CAT problems for quant were more difficult/discouraging than those I faced on test day and its verbal problems slightly easier. I think that the most helpful guides for me were the "Foundations of Math" and the "Sentence Correction" guide. Overall, the CAT scores did roughly track to my actual performance although I think that the GMAT Prep ones were more lifelike. Interact is fairly useful for getting the big ideas and practicing the common problems, but it may not be the level of detail needed to score in the 99th percentile.

We began the tutoring sessions by reviewing my study habits, target score/timeline, prior performance, and test-taking habits. I liked the overall organization of the entire study background/plan/schedule/notes in a single shared Google doc.

With Gregg, I covered each section/topic of the GMAT over the course of about a dozen 30min-1.5hr sessions. Each session was recorded and saved, so I could concentrate on the material and not obsessive note-taking. After each session, I would watch the video and jot down the key takeaways. I was skeptical of online tutoring at first, but I'm glad I signed up for them just for the recordings. They were invaluable.

Gregg is a wiz: he knows the test inside and out and can walk you through tough questions with aplomb. He's good at making sure you nail the execution (process, process, process) rather than rush to the right answer, even for areas of relative strength. He breaks down the test into the smallest pieces (from fully understanding the question to jotting down the givens and understanding how the test makes problems hard). He not only teaches the concepts, but also explains how the test can complicate those simple concepts with traps. If you find yourself falling for "the right answer," then Gregg can help you correct these ingrained habits. He also can translate "GMAT-speak"–the sometimes overly-specific and non-everyday meanings of keywords–into ordinary English. And he excels at forcing you to take a step back and approach the test and each question in the right mental/emotional/intellectual way.

Although he's stronger in verbal, especially sentence correction, for quant he excelled at showing me how to spot common traps and tricks that I couldn't via independent study, explaining the intricacies of CAT scoring and how they relate to skipping/timing, and providing tactics for every single problem type (not just DS/PS, but rate/work vs. geometry vs. statistics, etc.). If you have nailed quant, then I'd say he would make an excellent standalone verbal tutor as well, with perfect SC accuracy and an eagle eye for RC/CR pitfalls.

All in all, he both prepared and coached me to perform at my peak level on test day. I definitely recommend him as a tutor because I wouldn't have hit my score without him.

The folks who work in the offices are friendly, and the customer service is excellent. The website is somewhat confusing to navigate because there is so much content, but overall has amazing resources and no downtime. They even threw in GMAT Navigator (OG answer guide) for free, which was nice.

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December 22, 2017
melmags

Joined: Dec 22, 2017

Posts: 0

Kudos: 0

Verified GMAT Classic score:
750 Q49 V42

MGMAT Review

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Improvement 100 Points

Course Manhattan Prep Manhattan GMAT Private Tutoring

Instructor Dan Bartz

Location Chicago-N. LaSalle, IL USA

After struggling with the GMAT for several months, I finally convinced myself to look for a tutor. I had already done a lot of independent studying with the Manhattan Prep materials which were great for getting me acquainted with the test structure and reviewing basic concepts, but I just didn’t feel like I was making the progress I needed to on my own. I was really hesitant at first to seek out a tutor because 1) I had never worked with a tutor before for anything and 2) half of my battle with the GMAT was pure anxiety over how important this test was for getting into business school on top of the normal test anxiety I was used to. I knew a tutor might help me to understand the test better, but I wasn’t sure they’d be able to do much beyond that.

I ended up meeting with Dan Bartz. Dan was AWESOME. Not only did he help me understand the structure of the test and the value of the different strategies that Manhattan Prep highlights, but he was also able to help me understand when and how to use them based on my personal strengths and weaknesses. He was incredibly patient and reassuring throughout the whole process and gave me strategies for dealing with my test anxiety. He also developed a really detailed and efficient study plan to help me do focused studying that fit in with my work schedule and more importantly, helped me to develop good test habits. He completely reengineered my study approach and within a few weeks things just finally started to click. I only met with him twice and it made a HUGE difference. I can’t say enough good things about this experience. Ended up only having to take the official test once. Beat my target score - Highly recommend.

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