If you are a business school aspirant, then GMAT should be at the top of your priorities in preparation for business school. Schools that are at the top of the chain – Harvard, Stanford, Upenn, MIT- are incredibly competitive when it comes to admissions. Anything below 700 on your GMAT, and you are likely to be passed over.
I know most students prefer self-studying from prep books, and they work pretty good for some people, but nothing can match a good online course in terms of effectiveness. The test prep industry has grown extensively over the decades, and today there are many options for high-quality and comprehensive GMAT courses.
If you can shell out the extra bucks for an online course, consider the 6 best GMAT courses listed below. If you are anything like me, self-study from a book doesn’t cut it. In my experience, online courses offer a greater understanding of the topics at hand, and you feel more involved in the learning process. Thanks to the internet and technological advances in general, online courses no longer have to be mundane. Instead, the good ones offer interactive classes that seem live and the many practice tools make them a great choice.
Let’s explore some of the best GMAT courses offered by leading test prep companies.
In this Article
6. Target Test Prep GMAT
Target test prep is a relatively new company, but they have produced a top-tier GMAT course. For the amount of money you pay, the practice material and the instructional videos are amazing. You will find more than 3000 practice questions that are carefully curated to mimic the actual GMAT.
Most companies advertise the quantity of the practice questions, but the quality is a more important factor. Thankfully, you don’t have to worry about the quality when purchasing Target’s GMAT course.
There is a lot to talk about here, but mainly the 800 instructor-led videos are engaging and offer a thorough understanding of all the topics. The course is neatly organized into chapters, and the UI is a pleasure to use.
However, keep in mind that Target started out as a quant-only GMAT prep course. They added the verbal section only recently, and many say that the verbal lessons aren’t on par with the quant ones. Moreover, of the 3000 questions, 2500 are quant, and only 500 are verbal. This shouldn’t be that much of a problem for most people, as the verbal section is typically considered to be easier.
A more fitting criticism is the lack of full-length tests. Unfortunately, while a competitive course, Target doesn’t offer full-length practice tests. GMAT is often a long and somewhat dull affair, and ideally, students should be familiar with the full-length test before attempting the actual one.
PROS:
- 3000 high-quality practice questions
- Instructor-led detailed answer explanations
- Excellent quant prep
- Affordable
CONS:
- No full-length practice tests
Get it here.
5. Bloomberg GMAT
Bloomberg is a new arrival in the test prep space, but its GMAT program is a premium-grade course. Same as Kaplan, Manhattan and Economist, the people behind Bloomberg have paid special attention to user experience, UI and lesson delivery.
This course relies heavily on AI, and you see that the moment you log in. You will be asked about your target score and the time until your test. Based on these two factors, the AI will tailor the pace and contents of the course to make your goal possible.
Moreover, the lesson delivery is interactive, and the answer explanations are detailed. When you get an answer wrong, the AI will give you hints and suggestions until you get it right.
As for the practice material, you get 5000 practice questions and seven full-length practice tests. The tests are computer-adaptive to give you as close of real-test experience as possible.
However, the one thing I find unappealing is that you cannot jump between lessons. You have to go through the lessons in a linear fashion.
PROS:
- 5000 high-quality practice questions
- Incredible UI and Lesson delivery
- Smart AI customizes your study plan
- Ask-a-tutor option for direct assistance
CONS:
- Cannot jump through lessons
- No video based content (Only text based)
Get it here.
4. The Economist GMAT Tutor
The Economist is also a new player in town, but in a few short years, they have established themselves as a premium test prep brand. At this level, you can’t expect anything less than stellar quality. The Economist is in the same league as Manhattan when it comes to the user experience,and user interface.
The Economist’s online learning platform is called exam pal, and it is powered by a smart AI. Everything about this course is customizable, from the pace of the course to the lessons and everything in between. Depending on well you answer the questions as you learn, the AI will customize the course to suit your needs.
The video lessons, however, are nothing like Manhattan Prep or even Kaplan, for that matter. Don’t get me wrong, the content and coverage of GMAT topics are excellent, but the video lessons aren’t interactive or as engaging as you’d expect for this price point.
Moreover, you get access to 5000 practice questions which is great, but I found it odd that you cannot access these questions separately. You can only solve them when they appear as part of the video lessons. A question bank would have been ideal.
Overall, Economist’s GMAT prep is a comprehensive solution to GMAT prep. The lessons are detailed and numerous, and there are plenty of additional resources to help you get better.
PROS:
- Excellent UI and UX
- 5000 practice questions
- Highly effective AI customization
- Essay assistance
CONS:
- No separate question bank
Get it here.
3. Magoosh GMAT Prep
Magoosh is undoubtedly one of the top choices for many students due to its affordability. Magoosh’s GMAT online course is simple yet effective. It doesn’t follow the traditional lesson-by-lesson route. Instead, you can view any of the hundreds of video lessons at your own will. The course provides more than 340 video lessons that cover every topic tested on GMAT.
Moreover, the video lessons run short. Most of the video lessons are around 10 minutes or less. This makes for a thorough yet concise course that doesn’t overwhelm you with meaningless information.
The UI is straightforward and easy to use, and every tool, section and subsection is carefully labelled. However, the biggest shortcoming of Magoosh’s GMAT course is the modest production quality. The video lessons, while informative, lack interactive features. They are old school slide by slide videos with a voice explaining whatever is on the screen.
However, I should mention that Magoosh is one of the cheapest high-quality GMAT courses around. Sure the production quality is nothing to write home about, but you get high-quality prep at less than half the cost of other courses.
PROS:
- Best bang for buck GMAT course
- Detailed coverage of all GMAT topics
- 1300+ practice questions
- Plenty of useful practice tools
CONS:
- Video lessons can be a bit boring
Get it here.
2. Kaplan GMAT Prep
If you want a polished and professional product, Kaplan does it best. This is where we get into the more premium courses. They cost a good chunk of change but offer quite a lot. Unlike the previous courses on this list, Kaplan has a variety of different options. You can either go with the self-paced courses or the more expensive live courses.
However, for most students, the self-paced courses would suffice. The moment you log in to your account, you can see how polished the UI is. The user experience is definitely one of the strong suits of Kaplan.
Moreover, unlike budget courses, Kaplan has put considerable effort into their production quality too. Say bye-bye to voiceover slide shows. Kaplan’s video lessons are highly interactive, and you actually get to see the instructor on screen.
Furthermore, instead of a monotone voice, the instructor brings an enthusiastic feeling to the lessons, and everything seems well-rehearsed, so no umms and uhs.
As for the practice material, you get 5000 practice questions and 9 full-length computer adaptive practice tests. On the whole, Kaplan’s GMAT course represents premium quality and user experience. If you can afford it, go for it.
PROS:
- Interactive and engaging video lessons
- Highest quality and quantity practice material
- Incredibly organized UI
- Plenty of additional resources
CONS:
- Not as affordable as other courses
Get it here.
1. Manhattan Prep GMAT
Manhattan Prep takes GMAT prep to the next level with its excellent AI-based learning platform called Atlas. Atlas is a premium quality UI that offers a clean, intuitive and engaging learning experience. The video lessons are unlike anything you have seen before. Unlike boring powerpoint type presentations with monotone voiceover, you actually get to interact with the on-screen instructor. It’s the second-best thing to a live class.
Moreover, when you purchase Manhattan’s online GMAT course, you can opt for Manhattan Prep’s GMAT books to be delivered to you. All of this combined makes this a one of a kind online course, and if you can afford it, nothing comes close.
On top of the high-quality content and lesson delivery, you also get access to a question bank containing 5000 practice questions. You can customize the difficulty and question types depending on which area you want to practice.
However, all of this comes at a cost. The GMAT Interact course that I discussed above will run you close to a thousand bucks. The live options are even more expensive.
PROS:
- Industry’s best lesson delivery
- 5000 practice questions
- Highly engaging and interactive lessons
- Pristine UI and user experience
CONS:
- Most expensive GMAT course
Get it here.