Frequently Asked Questions

Manhattan GMAT Preparation Course

1. Will the Manhattan GMAT preparation course cover all of the material I need to know for the exam?
2. How much homework can I expect per week with the course?
3. How well do your students score on the actual GMAT after taking the course?
4. When can I expect to receive my books?
5. The description of my course shows that a class is skipped due to a holiday. Will we make it up on another day?
6. What are my options if I am going to miss a class?
7. How much time after the course finishes should I take the official GMAT?
8. What can I do if there is an emergency and I fall behind in class?
9. What can you advise if I really want to take a class but the course times don’t fit my schedule?
10. Can I retake the 9-session course or transfer into another one?
11. What materials are included in the Manhattan GMAT curriculum?
12. I am still unsure of when I am going to B-school, so why begin preparing for the GMAT now?
13. What is the main difference between ManhattanGMAT and Kaplan or Princeton Review?
14. What are the differences between ManhattanGMAT and Veritas?

GMAT Official Exam FAQs

1. How do I register for the GMAT?
2. How much does it cost to take the GMAT?
3. What if I need to reschedule the test date?
4. What if I have to cancel my GMAT appointment altogether?
5. What are the conditions like at the GMAT Testing Center, and what can I bring with me?
6. What is considered a good GMAT score?
7. If I feel that I have done poorly on the GMAT, can I cancel my score?
8. When am I given the option to choose what business schools I would like my score to be reported to?

1. Will the ManhattanGMAT preparation course cover all of the material I need to know for the exam?
Absolutely. The course is structured to cover all of the quant and verbal material tested on the exam, as well as the analytical writing (essay) questions.


2. How much homework can I expect per week with the course?
You can count on approximately 10-12 hours of homework per week. Break it down to about 2 hours of homework per day for 5 days, and then have two days a week to relax. Cramming for 10 hours on the weekend will result in decreased retention and brain fatigue. 


3. How well do your students score on the actual GMAT after taking the course?
Obviously, each person is different. However, we do our best to collect score data from all of our students after they’ve taken the official exam. The mean reported score of our students is in the 680's, and the median score is a 690. In comparison, the national average score of GMAT test takers is a 530.
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4. When can I expect to receive my books?
Please click here to view our shipping options for all our locations.
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5. The description of my course shows that a class is skipped due to a holiday. Will we make it up on another day?
Yes. We postpone classes on major holidays due to historically poor attendance on these days. But don’t worry, you will not miss any material. The course will continue as usual but just last for an extra week, and this change will be clearly noted in the class description.


6. What are my options if I am going to miss a class?
If you are going to miss an in-person class, you can sit in on another class or watch the pre-recorded session of that lecture. If you are a virtual student, you can watch either the pre-recorded session of that lecture or the recording from your own class.
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7. How much time after the course finishes should I take the official GMAT?
If you come to class and do the required homework, you will be ready to take the official GMAT as soon as the course is over – within the next one or two weeks.


8. What can I do if there is an emergency and I fall behind in class?
Because things do come up, we have included class recordings as part of the additional GMAT resources available to you. You receive access to these recordings, along with practice exams, question banks, and speed building labs for three months after the class is over. You can take advantage of these resources at any time of day, with an internet connection. 


9. What can you advise if I really want to take a class but the course times don’t fit my schedule?
We have many students who take the virtual course but prefer to watch the classes at their own convenience. For this reason, students receive two sets of recordings of our live virtual courses: one is the subsequent class recording of the course in which the student is enrolled, and the other is a pre-recorded set of a previous course taught by our CEO. So, you can simply watch either set of recordings during your free time, and then use your (free) weekly half-hour of one-on-one instruction to go over any questions you may have.
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10. Can I retake the 9-session course or transfer into another one?
Yes, you can do either. If you are taking a virtual class, the retake/transfer fee is $300 for another virtual class which has not sold out after its first session. Or, you can guarantee yourself a spot in a class and attend all sessions by pre-paying a $600 fee. If you are enrolled in an in-person class, you can pay the $300 fee to transfer into a different class that has not sold out after its first session. Or, you can guarantee yourself a spot in a class and attend all sessions by pre-paying an $800 fee.


11. What materials are included in the ManhattanGMAT curriculum?
Manhattan GMAT's exclusive GMAT preparation curriculum was designed in accordance with our philosophy of test preparation for this unique test. The philosophy centers on a balance between two competing emphases: test-taking strategies on the one hand, with in-depth content understanding on the other. In our experience, many test-prep companies offer the former without the latter, an approach that often leads to disappointing results. We have encountered many students who have learned certain "test-prep tricks" but do poorly on the actual exam because, without sufficient content understanding, they misapply these tricks. Additionally, sometimes tricks actually take more time than deriving a solution using learned mathematical and verbal principles. Finally, since the GMAT is a computer-adaptive exam with questions of varying difficulty levels, to perform well, one must be able to accurately answer very challenging questions; this is only possible with deep content knowledge.

This does not mean that we abandon the tricks. On the contrary, shortcuts and strategies are fundamental components of our curriculum. Yet, we seek to balance our curriculum by building true content understanding — an approach that leads to what we call content-confidence. As we are of the firm belief that confidence plays a major role in testing success, we think that by building content understanding, we develop our students' confidence in confronting unfamiliar problems. And this, after all, is what taking a test is all about.

All the curricular materials listed below are included in Manhattan GMAT’s class tuition; these materials can also be purchased separately in our Online Store.

8 ManhattanGMAT Strategy Guides
ManhattanGMAT’s Online Practice Exams & Question Banks
The Official Guide for GMAT Review (11th Ed.)
The Official Guide for GMAT Quantitative Review
The Official Guide for GMAT Verbal Review
ManhattanGMAT Challenge Problem Archives
Test Simulation Booklet and Marker


12. I am still unsure of when I am going to B-school, so why begin preparing for the GMAT now?
Remember, the GMAT score is good for five years, so it doesn’t matter if you will not attend business school in the next couple of years. But the longer you wait, the more time will have passed since your college “test-taking mode” and the years you studied math and verbal. Preparation will only become more difficult with time, so it truly makes sense to study and take the exam – and get it over with.
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13. What is the main difference between ManhattanGMAT and Kaplan or Princeton Review?
The primary difference is the caliber of instruction; our Instructors are paid $100 per hours to start, as compared to $25 - $30 per hour.  As a result, we are able to maintain much higher standards for our Instructors.  For example, the score requirement to be an Instructor at MGMAT is the 99th percentile, currently a 760 or higher out of 800 (compared to a 680 or 90th percentile).  In addition, Instructors must be outstanding teachers to be hired; historically 1 out of 5 candidates (all of whom have a 99th percentile score) receives an offer from us, based upon their teaching audition and our estimation of their teaching ability.  New Instructors then receive 100 hours + of training before being given their own class or private students.  To meet our Instructors, take a look at their bios here.

Because of the abilities of our Instructors and the training they receive, we are able to provide a more ambitious curriculum that focuses on the actual academic content of the GMAT to help students get higher scores.  But it all begins with the value we place on our teachers.


14. What are the differences between ManhattanGMAT and Veritas?
Though Veritas maintains a similar score threshold for its Instructors, Veritas does not interview Instructors in person or require any training.  Many Veritas Instructors have never met anyone from the company, even after having taught for the company for several years in some cases.  

For a more exhaustive discussion, feel free to visit our blog posting on the subject.
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1. How do I register for the GMAT?
The easiest way to register for the GMAT is online, at the test's official website: www.mba.com. When registering, it is necessary to create an account with your legal name - the one found on the identification that you will present at the exam center. You will also need a debit/credit card to pay for the exam fee.
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2. How much does it cost to take the GMAT?
You have to pay a fee of $250 USD to take the GMAT anywhere in the world.


3. What if I need to reschedule the test date?
You can reschedule the test date online at mba.com, but keep in mind that there is a $50 USD switch fee. Also, this fee applies only when you reschedule at least 7 days before your appointment. If you decide to switch dates any time thereafter, you will have to pay in full for the new GMAT test appointment ($250 USD).


4. What if I have to cancel my GMAT appointment altogether?
You can cancel your test date online at mba.com, but you will receive only a partial refund of $80 USD. This refund applies only when you cancel at least 7 days before your appointment. If you decide to cancel any time thereafter, you will not get any money back.
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5. What are the conditions like at the GMAT Testing Center, and what can I bring with me?
The only thing that you are allowed to bring to the center is a current government issued photo ID. All other items, including pens, calculators, etc., will be confiscated. Once at the center, you will be assigned to your own testing station and given a wet erasable notepad and felt tip pen for scratch work.


6. What is considered a good GMAT score?
Each business school has its own understanding of what constitutes a "good" GMAT score, especially because the GMAT is considered along with other application components such as the undergraduate GPA, work experience, and recommendations. If, however, you are applying to any of the top ten US programs, you should be aware that their accepted students' average GMAT scores range between a 690 and 710.


7. If I feel that I have done poorly on the GMAT, can I cancel my score?
Yes. If you feel like you have not done well, you can cancel your score at the end of the test. However, you will only be able to cancel prior to actually seeing your score, and your score will not be revealed if you choose to cancel it. Your score report, which will eventually be seen by your chosen business schools, will also indicate that you decided to cancel your score at that particular testing appointment.
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8. When am I given the option to choose what business schools I would like my score to be reported to?
At the GMAT Testing Center, you are given the option of choosing 5 business schools that you would like your score report to be sent to. Each additional GMAT score report that you order after your test date will cost you $20 USD, even if you did not choose any schools on test day.