Which online prep course is bettter Manhattan or PR??

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Any opinions? Both seem very adequate to get me to my target goal. Does either prep course have an advantage?

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by bates88 » Mon Jan 14, 2008 6:53 pm
I don't think any of us have taken both, so it would be hard to truly compare. PR's has an online demo you can check out. I don't know if Manhattan does, but I would imagine so. You can do the demos and get a better feel for what to expect, along with comparing what they offer side by side (they should both have a list of features on their sites).

I did PR's online course and would highly recommend it. Here are some highlights:

~ Customized lessons based on how you are doing. I can't tell you how awesome this is!!! You can do any of the drills at any time, as well.

~ Real-time chat with instructors, 24 hours a day. Again, AWESOME. They are very knowledgeable and eager to help.

~ OG comes with the course, along with PR's workbooks.

~ It is surprisingly engaging and interactive. I am easily distracted online and it held my attention.

~ The strategies go deeper than the Cracking book and are extremely useful.

~ They save your results from each test, so you can really see how you're progressing over time. You can look at specific questions and explanations any time you want.

~ The guarantee is very flexible...if you don't like your score after you do the course, you can do it again for free, even if you still had a good increase. If you don't improve, you can actually get a refund if you don't want to take the course again. That is pretty cool.

Hope this helps. Let me know if you have any other questions.

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by Stacey Koprince » Wed Jan 16, 2008 1:03 pm
Hey, bates88, does the PR course have classes with live instructors (even though virtual)? Or did you watch tapes for class instruction? I had assumed it was live class sessions, but your words made me think it might be more tapes with live chat support outside of "class" time.

Our online course is a live course - you're not all physically present in the same room, but you get together with your two instructors and your classmates at a specified time for 3 hours every week. You use a web-conferencing platform that allows you to view and manipulate slides, talk, and chat with your teachers and fellow students. Essentially, there are only two differences between an in-person course and an on-line course: (a) you can't physically see your instructors, and (b) you have two instructors in the class at all times instead of just one (this allows one instructor to answer questions in the chat window while the other instructor is speaking / teaching a lesson - that way, you can ask questions without interrupting the lesson, so more questions get answered). Other than that, everything's the same: same amount of time, same curriculum, same caliber of instructor, etc.

Students also get a half hour of office hours every week - basically, private tutoring (though it is over the phone or the web conferencing platform - again, not in person).
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by bates88 » Sun Jan 20, 2008 9:38 pm
Yes, PR does do live lectures...that course is called LiveOnline. I didn't do that one; I did the regular Online course. I didn't feel like I was missing out, though, because I essentially had one-on-one tutoring through the live chat, and the instructors who do the live chat are really awesome. It was nice to have the option to do the less expensive online course, with the ability to upgrade to the LiveOnline one if I needed it.

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by II » Mon Jan 21, 2008 9:45 am
bates88 wrote:Yes, PR does do live lectures...that course is called LiveOnline. I didn't do that one; I did the regular Online course. I didn't feel like I was missing out, though, because I essentially had one-on-one tutoring through the live chat, and the instructors who do the live chat are really awesome. It was nice to have the option to do the less expensive online course, with the ability to upgrade to the LiveOnline one if I needed it.
Hi bates ... have you already taken the gmat exam ? what did you score if you dont mind me asking ?
Thanks.

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by bates88 » Mon Jan 21, 2008 1:49 pm
Actually, I am in the final stages of my prep...I take it this Friday!! (I haven't been on here a whole lot in the past week or so, gearing up.)

This one is a retake. When I took my first GMAT, I was very rusty (I've been out of school for a while) and only did three practice tests with a little math review, and then got wickedly sick. I had to take it anyway to make an application deadline, but got a 570!! My third prep test had been a 670 so I thought I'd be fine. I felt well enough at the beginning of the test when I did the AWA (got a 6), then started feeling ill within 10 minutes of starting the quant section. Would have canceled if I could have, and should have anyway and just waited to apply, since I didn't get in anywhere with that score!

Wish me luck!!!

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by beatthegmat » Mon Jan 21, 2008 6:26 pm
bates88 wrote:Actually, I am in the final stages of my prep...I take it this Friday!! (I haven't been on here a whole lot in the past week or so, gearing up.)

This one is a retake. When I took my first GMAT, I was very rusty (I've been out of school for a while) and only did three practice tests with a little math review, and then got wickedly sick. I had to take it anyway to make an application deadline, but got a 570!! My third prep test had been a 670 so I thought I'd be fine. I felt well enough at the beginning of the test when I did the AWA (got a 6), then started feeling ill within 10 minutes of starting the quant section. Would have canceled if I could have, and should have anyway and just waited to apply, since I didn't get in anywhere with that score!

Wish me luck!!!
Good luck bates!
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by bates88 » Mon Jan 21, 2008 6:55 pm
Thanks! This site has been AWESOME as I've trudged my way forward. I will report my results after my test!

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by beatthegmat » Mon Jan 21, 2008 10:56 pm
bates88 wrote:Thanks! This site has been AWESOME as I've trudged my way forward. I will report my results after my test!
Thanks bates--and I want to thank you too for your great posts as well!

Look forward to hearing your results, good luck!
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