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Math Tutor - Kaplan or Manhattan GMAT?

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Math Tutor - Kaplan or Manhattan GMAT?

by jazzcat4u » Fri May 30, 2008 1:05 pm
Wondering if any of you are currently using a Kaplan or Manhattan GMAT tutor for math? Seeing a tutor suits me better than a class and I realize it costs alot, so before I invest my money, thought I'd do some research. I'm approaching this in 2 ways 1) the tutors style and approach 2) the material that the tutors use.

First, since both companies make it virtually impossible to meet your tutor prior to commiting your money, it's hard to guage personality/fit right off the bat. I know that both companies say that you can switch if you don't like your tutor - but I think that's disruptive to the whole process and it bites time out of what you pay for bc you have to reacquaint yourself all over again. Do any of you have any feedback on the styles/approaches of the tutors you used at either Manhattan or Kaplan for your math preparation?

Second, I have been exposed to materials from Kaplan and I think its user friendly, their math is challenging enough, explanations are clear, and format of math questions are not completely out of orbit compared to what you'll get out of the OG or the actual test but I have never flipped through or seen the Manhattan GMAT prep material. What are your thoughts on their 5 Math Strategy Guides? I assume that the tutors use this material in their sessions, but I have no idea about the format and explanations of the problems within these books.

Also, if any of you are in the same boat as me and are looking for a tutor, I've listed below price comparisons of Manhattan GMAT, Kaplan, Princeton Review, and Veritas. Why am I not considering Veritas or Princeton? Well based on the materials that I have (some friends passed down some of their old Veritas and PR stuff), after flipping through those booklets, I have to say I don't really like how the math is presented in both. With the Veritas math books I have, they don't provide a step by step explanation of the math problems, only the answer grid. As far as the PR, its comparable to Kaplan, but their tutoring packages are weird - you have 18 hours with either a tutor of one of 3 levels a "tutor, master, or premier" - i dunno it just sounds weird to me...

Also, if you can recommend any tutors in SF that work for either Kaplan or Manhattan GMAT that is excellent in math, feel free to pass on their names/info. Thanks!

Manhattan GMAT
$2925 - 15 hour package
$3800 - 20 hour package
$4625 - 25 hour package
$215 per hour - non package


Veritas
$2800 - 14 hour package
$4900 - 28 hour package
$6900 - 42 hour package
$165 per hour - reduced rate w/previous purchase

Kaplan
$2449 - 15 hour package
$3549 - 25 hour package
$4649 - 35 hour package
$125 per hour - reduced rate w/previous purchase

Princeton Review
$2268 - 18 hour package w/ "tutor" 3rd rate tutor
$4536 - 18 hour package w/ "master" 2nd rate tutor
$6804 - 18 hour package w/ "premier" 1st rate tutor"
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by VP_Tatiana » Fri May 30, 2008 1:51 pm
Hi Jazzcat,

I agree that problem explanations are essential. We actually do provide detailed explanations of every single problem, but they are not in the back of each workbook. Rather, there is a Quantitative Solutions manual that comes with our set of books.

I hope that you will give us another look. I'm happy to answer any questions you have.

Best wishes,

Tatiana
Tatiana Becker | GMAT Instructor | Veritas Prep
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by Ian Stewart » Mon Jun 02, 2008 9:21 am
I'd be quite suspicious of any company that is unwilling to let you see part of a class or meet your tutor before you pay thousands of dollars for a course. I'd insist, frankly.

Also, bear in mind:

-the quality of your course will depend largely on the quality of your teacher. In different locations, even for the same company, teachers will likely be of different calibre, so I'd seek recommendations in your area only;

-a good private tutor may be cheaper than a company course, and may also be better value; lessons can be tailored to your ability level and can focus on your individual weaknesses.
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follow up

by jazzcat4u » Tue Jun 10, 2008 5:52 pm
Since my initial post, I tried to contact each of the four companies again(Kaplan, Princeton Review, Manhattan GMAT, and Veritas) - to see if there was any flexibility in meeting with their tutors for a consultation. I have to give kudos to Kaplan bc 1) of the four, Kaplan was the only one that made an effort to meet with me - tho i must note I had to go through 3 ppl on the phone to finally set it up 2) they scheduled me to meet with not just one of their tutors but a couple of their tutors 3) there was no pressure - they were understanding of me wanting to find a good fit.

Anyway, I still haven't signed up for tutoring (and I def don't want to do a course), but thought I'd share my progress on my search for a tutor. I'm still on the fence bc I don't want to turn to a tutor out of desperation as I'm doing ok (but not great) with self study, plus the idea of commiting that much money scares me. I've searched up and down this website (and the web) for feedback/opinions on tutoring and the only feedback I seem to find is from tutors themselves, not much out there from students of these tutors. Another reason why I'm hesitant. Anyway, if any of you come across any posts that give feedback on tutoring, feel free to let me know :)
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