Manhattan Prep offers a wide array of GRE class options including On Demand, Live Online, In Person, & Tutoring. They are best known for their extremely high-quality instructors as well as GRE Math classes.
If you are deciding whether or not to study for the GRE with one of Manhattan Prep’s course offerings, read further, and we’ll tell you who should be jumping to sign up for this course!
Pros
- They excel in teaching quant and have specific courses just for Math
- All courses (besides GRE in a Day) come with GRE Interact for free
- Full transparency on their 99th percentile GRE instructors
- Highest hourly rate for instructors (up to 5x) other companies
Cons
- You have to pay extra for the app
- Like many other courses, the questions are not real GRE questions, so it’s not 100% representative of test questions
- The courses are expensive, including on-demand Interact GRE
About Manhattan Prep GRE
Manhattan Prep has carved a niche among the test prep community for their Manhattan Prep 5 lb Book Series. They’ve since expanded their test prep course offerings to the GRE, GMAT, LSAT, ACT, and SAT.
In this review, we’re focusing specifically on Manhattan Prep’s GRE courses, which makes it on our top 5 GRE prep courses for this year. Read on if you’re considering any of Manhattan Prep’s GRE Course options to decide if they are a good fit for you:
New to the GRE? Start here.
Course Pricing Options
GRE Complete Course
Price: $1199
Summary: 24 hours of live instruction (online or in person) across 8 lessons. Includes access to GRE Interact (their on demand course), 6 full-length practice tests, 4 GRE prep books (including the 5 lb Book of GRE Practice Problems)
Try the GRE Complete Course for Free
GRE for MBA Course
Price: $1300
Summary: A comprehensive GRE course that puts additional emphasis on advanced math topics not covered in their GRE Complete Course. This course includes 27 hours of live instruction (online or in person) across 9 lessons. Includes access to GRE Interact (their on demand course), 6 full-length practice tests, 4 GRE prep books (including the 5 lb Book of GRE Practice Problems)
Try the GRE for MBA Course for Free
GRE Just Math Course
Price: $699
Summary: Specifically for students who just need help on the GRE Quant. 12 hours of live instruction (in person or live online) across 4 lessons. Includes a syllabus, 3 GRE prep books (including the 5 lb Book of GRE Practice Problems), as well as access to GRE Interact (their on demand course).
Interact for GRE
Price: $249 for 1 month, $349 for 3 months, $399 for 6 months
Summary: Subscription-based on-demand interactive experience that adapts to particular needs and skill level. A series of verbal and math lessons that increases in difficulty and is built into 3 components: video lesson, drills, and quizzes. Includes 6 full-length practice tests to be taken throughout your study plan.
Try Interact for Free for 7 Days
GRE Math in a Day
Price: $199
Summary: As the name sounds, this is a one-day GRE math sprint. During the span of a workday, you will work through 6 hours of instruction that covers all that is tested on the GRE Math. You will also receive AfterMath, a syllabus for study after you finish this course to continue to improve. Also includes 5 lb. Book of GRE Practice Problems, The Official Guide to the GRE, 6 GRE practice tests.
Tutoring Options:
GRE Private Tutoring
Price: Hourly rate between $225-$255 depending on package
Summary: One-on-one tutoring with their top 1% GRE instructors, includes access to GRE Interact and 6 full-length, adaptive practice tests. If you purchase a package of 10 hours or more, you will also receive the following books: GRE Math Strategies, GRE Verbal Strategies,5 lb. Book of GRE Practice Problems, & The Official Guide to the GRE General Test.
Curriculum Review
Manhattan Prep’s course offerings including on demand, live online, and in person. The most standard, comprehensive course is the GRE Complete Course, which can be taken in person or live online. Across 8 sessions, students will complete 24 hours of live or live online instruction. This is a very student-centered course, as classes are kept smaller for more personalized attention and instructors adapt classes based on students’ specific needs. There is a little more variability in the curriculum when taking this class in a live classroom setting, as emphasis is placed on varying the pace of the class and encouraging engagement through partner work and games. These activities simply cannot exist on their live online platform in the same way.
Where Manhattan Prep really excels, however, is in its niched-down curriculum based on specific goals. With the GRE Just Math, students who really need to focus on improving Quant can dive into a class devoted to just that. Similarly, those who are looking into taking the MBA can take their GRE for MBA, which will drill students on advanced math that will be necessary beyond the GRE.
These classes are taught by 99th percentile GRE instructors and all instructors have their GRE scores published as well as their education. Manhattan Prep boasts the high pay rate of their instructors (nearly 5x what commercial prep companies such as Kaplan pay their teachers & tutors), meaning you can expect a higher-quality class experience as well as professionalism from the faculty.
Related: 2,200 Free GRE Practice Questions You Need In your Prep
Platform
The Live Online classes held by Manhattan Prep are held over Zoom. In the past, having a live online class on Zoom would have been really difficult for some and require a learning curve for students. With the COVID-19 switch to online technology, however, most students no longer find using Zoom and its features difficult and there are plenty of annotation abilities so that students can “write” answers on the board. Fortunately, Zoom can be accessed on any device, so, if necessary, you can be mobile while taking this class or reviewing recorded lessons.
Speaking of Platform, it’s necessary to speak about the Manhattan Prep App, which feels improperly advertised as being included in the course offerings for free. Unfortunately, this is not the case, as students must pay the following additional subscription fees:
- Manhattan Prep — GRE – 1 Month: one auto-renewing payment of $8.99
- Manhattan Prep — GRE – 3 Months: one auto-renewing payment of $29.99
- Manhattan Prep — GRE – 12 Months: one auto-renewing payment of $39.99
This app does not have all of the capability of a course, limited to mostly practice questions and flashcards (although I do like the question analysis and tracking). Many students felt a little misled, as they thought their login details for the Manhattan Prep course they purchased would log them into this App for free, which is not the case. Given the high cost of the courses at Manhattan Prep, I’d expect them to throw current students a bone and waive subscription fees.
Related: What’s a Good GRE Score? Find Out Here
Student Feedback
As mentioned, Manhattan Prep puts a lot of emphasis on high-quality instructors and it shows when sorting through student reviews. A good portion of the student reviews specifically mention their instructor’s name and the qualities that made him or her an Allstar. No other GRE prep courses we have reviewed have such glowing reviews for individual teachers, highlighting the effectiveness of instructors.
-Source: Trustpilot
-Source: Trustpilot
-Source: Trustpilot
Related: Get this Free GRE Study Plan [1-6 Months]
Who Needs This Course
Students who crave personalized attention and a feeling of connectedness to teachers should take this GRE prep course. This course is not cheap, so this must be of a top priority for you as a student to receive personalized attention and the opportunity to use your teacher as a mentor throughout your GRE prep and admissions journey. If you are deciding between live Kaplan or Manhattan Prep, we recommend Manhattan Prep for the value in personalized attention and quality teachers.
If you do not anticipate having much trouble prepping for the GRE, then we recommend cheaper alternatives such as Magoosh On Demand.
Manhattan Prep
- They excel in teaching quant and have specific courses just for Math
- All courses (besides GRE in a Day) come with GRE Interact for free
- Full transparency on their 99th percentile GRE instructors
- Highest hourly rate for instructors (up to 5x) other companies
- The courses are expensive, including on-demand Interact GRE
- You have to pay extra for the app
Course Discounts
Get Started Now with a Free Diagnostic Test
Similar GRE Prep Course Reviews
The Princeton Review GRE Ultimate Course Review
Magoosh GRE Prep Course Review
What’s Next
This course frequently mentions the 5 lb Book of GRE Practice Questions, which is a hallmark of Manhattan Prep products. This book made it in our 7 top GRE prep books list for this year. Read our thoughts on whether this may be a good addition to whatever GRE prep course you decide to pursue.
