GMAT Club
San Francisco, CA USA GMAT Course Reviews
    Number of reviews [55]
    Average Rating:  
    Also: Online Course Reviews
July 11, 2022
whooper

Joined: Oct 05, 2020

Posts: 0

Kudos: 0

Verified score:
710 Q44 V42

100% Worth It

REVIEWER IDENTITY VERIFIED by score report [?]

Improvement 100 Points

Course Manhattan Prep Manhattan GMAT Private Tutoring

Instructor Paul Fisher

Location San Francisco, CA USA

Paul is the most incredible GMAT tutor you could ask for. He is super sharp, knows the test in and out, and will give you the best personalized plan you need to succeed in reaching your GMAT score goals. I was on the fence about getting a tutor and spent a lot of time on my own preparing. My progress dramatically accelerated within a few weeks of working with Paul and I got my target score and accepted into my #1 choice MBA program. If you are on the fence - here is your nudge to sign up and work with him! Cannot recommend him highly enough!

Read More

verify-zero-posts
This reviewer has not participated on GMAT Club but it is a REAL person and a REAL review. GMAT Club has verified this test-taker's identity through GMAC/Pearson Vue Score Reporting system and confirmed that this reviewer indeed took the GMAT, is unique, and has not submitted multiple reviews.
January 08, 2021
grqchen

Joined: Jun 25, 2018

Posts: 0

Kudos: 0

Verified score:
740 Q50 V41

Manhattan GMAT Experience

REVIEWER IDENTITY VERIFIED by score report [?]

Improvement 110 Points

Course Manhattan Prep Manhattan GMAT Private Tutoring

Instructor Mark Sullivan

Location San Francisco, CA USA

I took both the Manhattan GMAT course and 1x1 sessions with Mark Sullivan. He was AWESOME. He's naturally a great teacher (probably b/c he is a professor by trade!). The class was super engaging (I can genuinely say I actually enjoyed the class and looked forward to it every week, as odd as that sounds!) and he was really good at flexing the material and difficulty levels to the needs of the class. He is SO patient, and adapts the explanation from your point of view, i.e., how you went about the problem and your thought process. He was also SO helpful in follow-up questions I had after class. For one specific instance, I had a quant problem that I followed up with him on via email, and he not only responded quickly, but followed up with a recorded video of him explaining the problem... I was mind blown at the dedication and generosity.

I also really enjoyed our 1x1 sessions. I was struggling with how to organize my personal prep after the class over, so I sought 1x1s with him to prep the last mile ahead of taking the test. He laid out in extreme detail, the daily prep schedule, with drills, additional exercise sheets, etc. Definitely super helpful to have Mark on your team, he is all around a thoughtful, kind, and pleasant person to be around, who inspires confidence in your success :)

Read More

verify-zero-posts
This reviewer has not participated on GMAT Club but it is a REAL person and a REAL review. GMAT Club has verified this test-taker's identity through GMAC/Pearson Vue Score Reporting system and confirmed that this reviewer indeed took the GMAT, is unique, and has not submitted multiple reviews.
April 24, 2019
pjij1991

Joined: Apr 16, 2019

Posts: 2

Kudos: 2

Verified score:
680 Q44 V38

Elaine Loh - Manhattan Prep

REVIEWER IDENTITY VERIFIED by score report [?]

Improvement 150 Points

Course Manhattan Prep Manhattan GMAT Private Tutoring

Instructor Elaine Loh

Location San Francisco, CA USA

I did a 1:1 tutor with Elaine Loh through Manhattan Prep and feel it was instrumental to my score improvement. She took an advisory role in my progress, checking my study plans and guiding me through my progress.

Elaine taught the content, strategies, and general preparation needed to do well on the GMAT and helped me achieve a 150 point improvement from first practice test to actual score. I was still a bit below my target score in the end, but I feel that Elaine's teaching is the reason why I could even get as close as I did so far. I have decided to retake the exam with additional time with Elaine because I have confidence that she can help strengthen my testing strategies even further to achieve my final target score.

Highly recommend!

Read More

September 26, 2018
sdalal

Joined: Sep 26, 2018

Posts: 0

Kudos: 0

Verified score:
750 Q49 V42

Really helpful course to learn much needed test taking strategies

REVIEWER IDENTITY VERIFIED by score report [?]

This course was definitely helpful in learning strategies with verbal problems and cutting down my time per quant problem.

Ryan was really good at making sure we understood core concepts and then proceeded to teaching us and evaluating the best strategies to employ for different questions. We played Jeopardy with GMAT problems and that was a blast and super memorable!

I definitely did feel like the homework assigned in the course was quite imbalanced. I glossed over practically all the reading (which was far too much) and did 4x the number of problems assigned in the homeworks (which was far too little) to be able to apply the right strategies for the right problem.

Read More

verify-zero-posts
This reviewer has not participated on GMAT Club but it is a REAL person and a REAL review. GMAT Club has verified this test-taker's identity through GMAC/Pearson Vue Score Reporting system and confirmed that this reviewer indeed took the GMAT, is unique, and has not submitted multiple reviews.
September 20, 2018
mvb

Joined: Sep 19, 2018

Posts: 0

Kudos: 0

Verified score:
730 Q49 V40

Great instruction!

REVIEWER IDENTITY VERIFIED by score report [?]

If you only have 3 months to prepare, I highly recommend this course. It helps you frame your practice and gives you techniques to approach each section. Although I have a math background, Manhattan Prep provided me with new ways to think about problems and techniques to speed up in this section. I also struggle with verbal, especially reading comprehension, and Manhattan Prep broke down the process so that I consistently improved throughout the course.

In addition to great instruction, you get access to all of the books, which are fantastic for learning and reviewing, and video lectures. I found it very helpful to go through each video lecture after class to make sure I wasn't missing anything.

Kay was a fantastic instructor. She was incredibly poised and well-prepared for each class. I was in the 600 range before taking the course and improved to a consistent 700 on practice tests.

Read More

verify-zero-posts
This reviewer has not participated on GMAT Club but it is a REAL person and a REAL review. GMAT Club has verified this test-taker's identity through GMAC/Pearson Vue Score Reporting system and confirmed that this reviewer indeed took the GMAT, is unique, and has not submitted multiple reviews.
September 07, 2018
mGMAT09

Joined: Aug 12, 2018

Posts: 0

Kudos: 5

Verified score:
760 Q48 V47

Great instructor but even better materials!

REVIEWER IDENTITY VERIFIED by score report [?]

The instructor was great but the true value of this course is that the materials are comprehensive (there's a book for everything) and the class forces you to study at a healthy pace and really set daily, weekly and monthly goals. We only went over a few problems in class, which I thought was too few, but the instructor was engaging and funny. Great anecdotes and made you remember some important tricks that came in handy on the test. Overall, I would say the depth and quality of the materials is top notch and the benefit of the class lies in forcing you to study on a timeline.

Read More

verify-zero-posts
This reviewer has not participated on GMAT Club but it is a REAL person and a REAL review. GMAT Club has verified this test-taker's identity through GMAC/Pearson Vue Score Reporting system and confirmed that this reviewer indeed took the GMAT, is unique, and has not submitted multiple reviews.
June 28, 2018
ADAP2

Joined: Mar 05, 2018

Posts: 0

Kudos: 0

Verified score:
710 Q44 V42

Helpful Course

REVIEWER IDENTITY VERIFIED by score report [?]

I found the course to be one of the most essential parts of my GMAT studying experience. Before starting this course, I felt overwhelmed with the amount of material to study. The format and structure of the course made studying feel very manageable. The homework and practice problems/exams helped me build confidence which enabled me to be calm and collected on exam day. Ryan was a great instructor who brought humor to the class and was clear and patient in his teaching style. I highly recommend this course, especially for those who need a bit of structure to be efficient and effective at studying.

Read More

verify-zero-posts
This reviewer has not participated on GMAT Club but it is a REAL person and a REAL review. GMAT Club has verified this test-taker's identity through GMAC/Pearson Vue Score Reporting system and confirmed that this reviewer indeed took the GMAT, is unique, and has not submitted multiple reviews.
May 02, 2018
tma77

Joined: May 02, 2018

Posts: 0

Kudos: 0

Verified score:
730 Q49 V40

Manhattan Prep GMAT 9-session prep course

REVIEWER IDENTITY VERIFIED by score report [?]

The Manhattan Prep course was immensely helpful in improving my GMAT score. As someone that had never taken a standardized test prep course, it was very helpful in terms of test taking tips and tricks. I found a lot of value in having so much structure put in place (pre-course work, prep class, homework, recommendations on when to take practice tests). It was also helpful to be able to get personalized coaching based on my performance on practice tests on where I should focus my time in studying. The coach helped me develop a personalized study plan based on when I was planning on taking my actual GMAT.

Read More

verify-zero-posts
This reviewer has not participated on GMAT Club but it is a REAL person and a REAL review. GMAT Club has verified this test-taker's identity through GMAC/Pearson Vue Score Reporting system or .edu email address and confirmed that this reviewer indeed took the GMAT, is unique, and has not submitted multiple reviews.
January 07, 2018
nb22

Joined: Jan 07, 2018

Posts: 0

Kudos: 0

Verified score:
740 Q47 V44

GMAT score improved from 650 to 740!

REVIEWER IDENTITY VERIFIED by score report [?]

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).

Read More

verify-zero-posts
This reviewer has not participated on GMAT Club but it is a REAL person and a REAL review. GMAT Club has verified this test-taker's identity through GMAC/Pearson Vue Score Reporting system and confirmed that this reviewer indeed took the GMAT, is unique, and has not submitted multiple reviews.
December 29, 2017
mbaapp1234

Joined: Dec 23, 2013

Posts: 90

Kudos: 80

Self-reported Score:
710 Q45 V41
760 Q49 V44

Private Tutoring - 760 - 20hrs

REVIEWER IDENTITY VERIFIED by post count [?]

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.

Read More


11 Older and Non-Verified Reviews for San Francisco, CA USA