Kaplan Advanced + Manhattan GMAT

[CURTISCPA07]

I signed up for the Kaplan Advanced GMAT prep course and the Manhattan GMAT prep course. I was wondering what are the pros/cons of taking both courses simultaneously?

[Amy]

Hi CURTISCPA07,

I have to say this is the first time I have heard of anyone doing both at once. The con I can speculate on is that you won't be able to concentrate fully on either, and that their unique methods of dealing with the test may not mesh. At SBC we usually recommend Manhattan GMAT and have seen that clients really enjoy the course and have a lot of success with it.

Good luck!

Amy

[Stuart@KaplanGMAT]

As Amy pointed out, the biggest disadvantage is conflicting strategies.

If you're going to take both courses, you need to keep a very open mind. While I of course advocate the Kaplan strategies, there are lots of different strategies that can work on the test. At Kaplan we provide a number of different ways to attack every question, because we recognize that different strategies work better for different people on different types of questions.

So, try each of the different strategies and find the ones that work best for you. Remember that just because a strategy is hard work the first time you try it, that doesn't mean that it won't help you - some of the best strategies require a different mode of thinking than people usually use and thus there's an adjustment period until they become 100% effective.

[parore26]

Hi,
I dont think I have met anyone who has taken the two courses simultaneously. Having said that, if you do go through a lot of people here would appreciate your comparative analysis of these two tests.

[cjiang16]

how can you do that!

[ssimon]

I have taken both courses. I did the Kaplan course/private tutoring before my first attempt at the GMAT. I got a 530.

I then took the Manhattan course + online tutoring with Manhattan, and got a 730 on the GMAT.

In my opinion, there really isn't any comparison between the two. Unfortunately, Kaplan and Princeton Review don't have the same standards for tutors as Manhattan. Manhattan doesn't hire anyone who hasn't scored in the 99% or above on the GMAT (760 or above). Kaplan and PR frequently hire people who have 710 or above, and may have taken the test 6 years ago, or perhaps even longer than that.

That isn't to say you won't learn anything with Kaplan or Princeton Review. However, I found that their strategies rely heavily on process of elimination and plugging in numbers. While these strategies will often get you to the right answer given enough time, the problem is that the GMAT is a timed exam with some very difficult questions. Therefore, unless you are extremely gifted in quant already (and thus probably going to score high regardless on the GMAT), these plug and chug strategies don't work particularly well.

I found that Manhattan offered a much more analytical approach to the GMAt, where you learn the fundamentals and then can apply them towards solving the problems. While this approach is certainly harder to learn than the PR or Kaplan strategies, it will pay off in spades when you go to take the test. The GMAT is, at the end of the day, a test of logic wrapped in math problems (or verbal problems, re: critical reasoning). If you can understand how to break the problems down into logic problems, these problems become much easier to solve.

Anyway, that's my 2 cents, from someone who has done both programs....

[ssimon]

Correction: my first score was 580, not 530.....

[greenwaters]

would love to know which you found was better Manhattan class or Kaplan advanced class?

[gogogmatgirl]

I took the Kaplan Advanced course and had a fabulous instructor. I ended up with a 750, AWA 6.0 on the actual test. I don't think there will be that much added value in taking two courses simultaneously. I do think that the absolute best way to prepare is to take lots of practice CAT's (one a week for at least two months leading up to the test) - and to do them fully, with the writing section and breaks and all, eating the same snacks, taking them at the same time as your scheduled test - essentially simulating your test day experience. The biggest hurdle for me was endurance.