Kaplan Online Gmat Review

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Kaplan Online Gmat Review

by jdcommerce » Thu Nov 02, 2006 9:20 pm
I can’t emphasize how bad this course is and how unsatisfied I am with the Kaplan GMAT review. It lacks organization and students are introduced to bits and pieces of material scattered throughout the program. You may be quizzed on geometry in one of the first sections and then taught the material in one of the last. Kaplan's proprietary "strategies" are instructions to read the question and to then cross out answers that don't seem right. I hope everyone is aware of that “strategy” before wasting $1400 on the course.

I want to alert potential students of the scam also known as Kaplan's Money Back Guarantee. If your score does not improve, you are entitled to take the course again or to receive a full refund (minus a 10% processing fee of course). The first item on the syllabus is a diagnostic test that will be used as the benchmark to determine if your score improved by the end of the course. Most test takers have not studied or even seen this material since high school, so it goes without saying that most will score poorly on the diagnostic test. However, this is the benchmark that Kaplan bravely claims you will exceed after taking their course.

If you have questions about a specific problem Kaplan offers online help. However, you must type the entire question into a text box and then wait several days for a response. Typing complex fractions or lengthy passages into a web form is extremely time consuming and sorting through material to find the problem you did not understand a few days earlier is more of a hassle that its worth.

Do not expect to learn any material you did not have a good grasp of before hand. Kaplan is not concerned with content, they devote a large amount of time to gimmicks and tricks designed to fool the GMAT.

After realizing how ineffective the course was in teaching anything useful, I requested a refund. I received the following response:

To be eligible for a refund, the Home Study Kit must be returned in reusable condition. Refunds will be made within 30 days of cancellation and the return of the Home Study Kit. Based on the amount of the course that you have used, you would be eligible for a refund of 50% minus a 10% processing fee, contingent upon our receipt of your course materials.

I don’t understand how a student is supposed to make an informed decision that the course is poorly designed without actually opening the book and completing the provided materials. Hopefully this review will keep others from making the same mistake I have by enrolling with Kaplan.

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by 800guy » Fri Nov 03, 2006 9:13 am
wow!! sorry to hear about this experience--but thanks for sharing. i've always been a bit suspicious about kaplan..

good luck man!