Nothing is more daunting than studying for the ETS dreaded GRE test, but we all know that it is required if you want to attend graduate school. You’ve probably wondered if you should invest in a GRE test prep course. One prominent name in the GRE prep game is Manhattan Prep, so we decided to give it a go. Keep reading to find out if it’s worth your time and money.
What is Manhattan GRE Prep?
Manhattan Prep is an organization that focuses on teaching, tutoring and advising for graduate school tests. They focus on the GRE, GMAT, LSAT, and the EA for MBA tests.
They are headquartered in New York City, New York, but they provide in-person courses all over the country. Their online courses have helped students worldwide.
According to their website, their instructors are among the top 1% of test-takers with ample teaching experience.
Ranking | 7 |
---|---|
STARTING PRICE | $299 |
PRICE OPTIONS & ACCESSIBILITY | 1 Month Access $299 3 Month Access $399 6 Month Premium $499 |
FREE TRIAL | Free GRE Practice Test |
# PRACTICE QUESTIONS | 1,000+ |
PRACTICE EXAMS | 6 |
SCORE PREDICTOR ACCURACY | 96% |
ASSIGNED HOMEWORK | |
GUARANTEE | |
FORMAT | Self-Paced |
COURSE BOOKS | Online Only |
VIDEO INSTRUCTIONS | 77 |
YOUTUBE CHANNEL | 7 GRE Related Videos |
COURSE DEMO | |
STUDY PLAN | |
PROGRESS TRACKING | |
FLASHCARDS | |
MOBILE APP | |
ESSAY GRADING | |
LIVE TUTORING | Online or in-person classes $1399 |
STUDENT SUPPORT | Email & forum |
Benefits And Highlights
The Manhattan Prep GRE course offers many resources, practice tests, practice questions, books of problems, events, and tips. They offer an online course that uses Manhattan Prep’s platform called Interact to teach students, allowing access for a certain length of time. They offer in-person courses that range in price and duration. They have more specialized classes for each section of the GRE course.
They offer financing options to help students who qualify, so they can study now and pay later. Manhattan Prep lets the students take one free online or interactive course before signing up for the entire class.
- In-person and online classes
- Financing options available
- Individualized GRE section courses
- Free practice tests
- No score guarantee
- App interface lacking features
Manhattan Prep GRE Course: Things To Consider Before Buying
Course Options
Manhattan Prep offers a range of courses, including the GRE for MBA, complete course, GRE just math, private tutoring, and GRE Interact. Each course is offered live online and online self-study for the exam. Keep reading to find the best course for you.
GRE for MBA
The GRE for MBA course is geared towards students who are looking to enroll in an MBA program. It is best suited for students who have at least 3 months to prepare for the exam and can devote 10 hours a week to practice questions.
This course consists of 9 live online sessions that last for about 3 hours each, making a total of around 27 hours of live instruction.
This course focuses on advanced content and higher level GRE math. During the course, you will learn the quantitative section and verbal section of the GRE. You will learn the skills and vocabulary to approach every type of GRE problem.
You will receive 2 Manhattan Prep GRE strategy guides, 2 supplemental handbooks, and 6 online GRE practice tests.
Complete Course
This is the most popular course, and it is also one of the most expensive. It provides a full breakdown of the GRE test questions and taking the GRE test. We like how this course provides a comprehensive study course for all sections and problems. Likewise, it utilizes actual GRE content to prepare students.
This course offers students the opportunity to learn test-taking strategies to become a better tester. This course offers 24 hours of live video instruction on verbal and quantitative testing. Each session meets for 3 hours.
You will be given information about the strategy for answering each type of question. You will receive a supplemental book and tests. You will also get a copy of all class recordings.
This course would be great for students who need a comprehensive review of all GRE test areas. Each student should have at least 3 months to prepare.
GRE Just Math
Many students struggle with the math or quantitative section of the GRE. It can be hard for students who have not completed math courses since high school or early college. This GRE math course offers instruction from 99th percentile math instructors.
Each GRE math course offers 12 hours of live online video lessons. You will learn how to tackle all math problems on the GRE. You will receive the Manhattan 5 lb Book of GRE Practice Problems, the Prep Math Strategy Guide, and 6 GRE practice tests.
This course is good for students who struggle with the quantitative questions on the exam.
GRE Interact
This course is offered on demand for students to access whenever they want for 1, 3, or 6 months. This course was designed for busy students who want to improve their scores before the big day. This video content is better for students who need GRE practice help but don’t have time to sit for online live sessions.
This online course offers test prep for both the verbal and quantitative sections of the exam. If you buy it, you will have unlimited access at any time for the months that you purchase. The same instructors teach it as live sessions.
You will learn vocabulary drills using real GRE word association flashcards. It also comes with thousands of practice questions. It comes with 6 free GRE practice tests and 77 full interactive review videos. This course is much better suited to any-level students who want to study on their own terms.
Private Tutoring
Manhattan GRE Prep offers private one on one tutoring sessions for students who need intensive and directed GRE prep assistance. Top private instructors practice with each student online to ensure that they get their desired score.
Each tutor will give advice on taking the exam. They will discuss actual vocabulary, real GRE questions, and actual test experience.
Each full tutoring session is offered after the session for students to review.
GRE test prep tutoring is good for people who need advanced options to improve their scores. You will gain access to every session, 66 self-paced videos, practice tests, and real GRE questions. You will also get the Manhattan Prep GRE 5 lb book of verbal and quantitative questions.
Availability of Classes
According to many positive customer reviews, it seems like Manhattan Prep GRE courses are offered with a vast availability. The live online sessions tend to happen often. Most courses meet once or twice a week. The on-demand GRE Interact experience is the most versatile since you can study at any time for several months.
Curriculum
We found the Manhattan Prep GRE curriculum to be impressive since their instructors are rated well. They deliver the curriculum like they were learning it themselves. The materials and videos are geared towards niche studying preparation.
Study Materials
Manhattan GRE Prep offers a large selection of different materials. We were impressed with their array of materials. It includes hundreds of practice tests, the Manhattan Prep 5 lb book of practice problems, a multitude of test guides, and actual GRE tests for review. The materials seem to be similar to other test prep courses, however.
They offer a range of free study materials, which is great for someone who may not want to invest in a course but could use some practice tests and free exam questions. You can get actual previous verbal and quantitative ETS questions. They also allow a student to take their first-course session for free before they sign up.
Pricing
Manhattan Prep GRE courses are generally the most expensive test prep options compared to the competition. Manhattan Prep is sometimes double the price of other similar GRE preparation courses. If you can fork over the dough, then it might be the best option for you.
Guarantee
Manhattan Prep does not offer a score guarantee, as some other prep courses do. According to their blog, Manhattan Prep does not offer a score guarantee for a couple of reasons, including difficult to identify baselines, different improvement measures, and other prep companies not honoring the money-back guarantee [1].
Read More: Manhattan Prep vs Magoosh GRE Course
Potential Downsides
One potential downside is that Manhattan Prep GRE courses are not suited for every budget.
It might be beneficial to buy the on-demand course since it’s cheaper and readily available. The other courses run quite a bit higher.
We think you could find a cheaper option. One additional downside is that Manhattan Prep doesn’t offer a score guarantee.
Real Student Results from Taking the Manhattan GRE Prep Course
We wanted to find out whether students who took the Manhattan GRE prep course saw a real improvement in their GRE test scores.
Accordingly, we had students take a GRE prep test before and after taking the Manhattan GRE prep course. We obtained each student’s Quantitative Reasoning and Verbal Reasoning results from each test and compared them to determine a percentage improvement.
Although students saw their GRE test scores increase after completing the Manhattan GRE prep course, their percentage improvement in test scores was small. For example, one student achieved only a 17.5% improvement in score, while another saw less than a 6% improvement.
How Accurate Is The Manhattan GRE Prep?
To get the estimation on how well they will do GRE, students take prep tests. Still, if the prep test is harder or easier than the real thing, it doesn't really make sense.
So, we decided to test Manhattan GRE prep accuracy and see if it is reliable. Four students were asked to use just Manhattan Prep GRE Course to prepare for the test.
When they were ready, we tested their knowledge using the Manhattan test, and after they took the actual GRE, we compared their scores.
Take a look at their results:
(Test score
predictor)
GRE Test
Score
(Test score
predictor)
GRE Test
Score
What we saw from the results is that the Quant part is harder, and the Verbal part a bit easier.
So, all in all, with 98% accuracy, this isn't the most accurate prep test out there, but it can give you a blurred picture of where you stand.
Social Proof
We found many positive customer reviews that spoke highly of the question format and real-time teaching. Manhattan Prep received 4.9 stars out of 5 on Trustpilot.
Very thorough and well structured! I'm really impressed with everything we have access to, too, for post-class work on our own!
- Jamie, Trustpilot Review [2]
People Also Ask
How much homework should I expect each week?
You should expect about 10 to 15 hours of homework each week. To achieve your best scores, we recommend that you follow the teacher’s guidelines for completing homework on time.
What platform do they use for online instruction?
All online live sessions are taught via Zoom, a good platform for conducting video calls, classes, or meetings. You should know how to use it before your first session.
How long does it take for books to arrive in the mail?
You can expect to get your books in the mail after 2 business days. If you don’t receive them within 5 days, you should speak with customer service.
Can you switch to another course if you have already signed up for one?
It depends. If the course you signed up for has not started, you can switch to a different one or put your enrollment on hold.
Can I retake the GRE?
Yes. It is recommended to retake the GRE if you want to improve your score. Once you take the exam once, you have a better understanding of the process, and the nerves are out of the way.
Should You Take A Manhattan Prep GRE Course?
After our review of Manhattan Prep, we believe they are a decent company to get a GRE prep education. We like that they offer so many different course options. Their on-demand courses were helpful as well. However, we think that they are a little too expensive.
While we thought Manhattan Prep was decent, we would still trust Magoosh as our go-to GRE prep guys. We like that their pricing is much cheaper, and a score guarantee gives you peace of mind. If GRE prep has got you down, we will trust Magoosh to pull you through.
Our #1 Recommendation
Magoosh GRE Prep Course
- The dashboard is easy to use with recommendations for study focus points
- Easy to follow written and video instruction
- Offers a score predictor to help you assess your progress
- Good for both comprehensive and last-minute study
- Structured with clear and flexible lesson plans
- Get the BEST PRICE until the end of September
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