Manhattan Prep is one of the pioneers of the test prep industry. Over the years, they have published tens of prep books and online course materials for various standardized tests. Today, I will be looking at their interactive video-based online GMAT service known as “Interact.”
In a nutshell, Manhattan Interact is an online GMAT prep tool that uses interactive pre-recorded video lessons and adaptive technology to enable you to learn at your own pace. The course is delivered through a neat and intuitive digital platform called “Atlas.”
In addition to video lessons, they offer practice questions, detailed problem explanations, and full-length GMAT practice tests.
In this Article
How does Manhattan Prep Interact work?
The core component of Manhattan’s online GMAT course is their digital platform called Atlas. Atlas offers an intuitive and easy-to-use UI in the form of a dashboard that lists all the different features such as Practice exams, Official guide resources, and GMAT study apps.
At the center of the screen is where you will do all the learning. When you log-in for the first time, a welcome screen will appear, which will show you different percentages corresponding to your progress.
When you are ready to start the video lessons, you will click on the arrow right next to “welcome,” and a drop-down menu will display all the 10 sessions as well as options for “review and improve” and “final two weeks.”
The “review and improve” feature lets you access practice tests and schedule a CAT (Computer adaptive test). “Final 2 Weeks” readies you for the test by going over some test-day plans to help you “peak” on test day.
How good are the video lessons?
This is where, in my opinion, lies Manhattan’s greatest strength. The video lessons offered by Manhattan Interact are unlike anything I have ever seen. The classes are highly interactive, which basically means that you can interact with the video by clicking on the it. During the video lesson, you will be given questions that you must solve before moving ahead with the video. It feels as if you are in a real class with a real instructor.
Moreover, the critical aspect of these video lessons is that they adapt to your level of knowledge by asking you a few questions in the beginning. Depending on how you answer these questions, the preceding lesson will adjust according to your understanding and skill level to not feel overwhelmed.
There are some 35 video lessons in total that are broken down into 10 sessions. As far as subject coverage is concerned, I can confidentially say that Manhattan leaves no stone unturned and will cover every aspect of the GMAT test.
Manhattan Prep GMAT Books
If you think a detailed online course is not enough, then guess what, Manhattan Prep will also offer either a hard copy of their GMAT prep books or eBooks, depending on which option you choose. You will be provided with the following books as part of the course:
- All the GMAT Strategy Guide
- Foundations of GMAT Math
- Foundations of GMAT Verbal
- The GMAT Official Guide
- Advanced GMAT Quant
- Test Simulation Booklet
These books, combined with the exceptional video lessons, provide the most comprehensive study solution that you can want. The online course alone would suffice for most people, but it is good knowing that you can choose a more traditional way of studying should you decide to do so.
What plans does Manhattan Prep offer?
Sadly, not everything is rainbows and sunshine when it comes to Manhattan’s GMAT Interact course. Put merely, Manhattan’s Interact is very expensive. However, I will admit that you do get quite a lot for your money when you consider the amount of content; high quality of the video lessons, the digital platform that delivers the classes, the high-quality practice tests, the 6 full-length practice tests, and the 6 books.
If you have the money to spend on such a course then it’s a no brainer, you should buy a plan. However, if you have monetary concerns, then something like Magoosh may serve you better at a significantly lower cost.
7 Day Free Trial
If you are on the fence about purchasing the course, then you have the option to try out a free trial for 7 days. I was impressed that Manhattan doesn’t ask you for any credit card information, you have to make a free account, and within 2 minutes, you are at the dashboard ready to explore the course.
While some features will not be available in the free trial, you will still have access to the course’s core components, such as the video lessons and all the free resources. You will be able to get a good idea if the course is right for you or not.
Friendly user interface
When it comes to online courses, the content of the course is only half the story. How that content is delivered is what makes you stick around. The UI offered by Manhattan Prep is clutter-free and incredibly easy-to-use. The dashboard has a modern and clean look with easy navigation.
Highest quality video lessons
The quality of the video lessons is unmatched both in content and the way they are presented. Unlike other courses, Manhattan’s video lessons don’t have that monotonous pre-recorded feel to them even though they are pre-recorded video lessons. The reason for this is that the lessons are highly interactive. The video lessons aren’t played in a typical video player; instead, only a cutout of the instructor is visible. Behind the instructor is the whiteboard where you get to interact with the lesson you are learning. The instructor asks you questions and pauses until you choose an answer. This way, it doesn’t seem like a typical video lesson, but instead, you feel as if it is happening live.
Authentic practice questions
The course offers some 4200 high-quality practice questions through its practice bank. I often find that online courses’ quality of practice questions fall short when you compare them to official practice questions. However, in Manhattan’s case, this does not seem to be true. The practice questions closely resemble the actual GMAT, both in content and format. I did see some questions that weren’t entirely on the mark, but these were far and few in between.
All in all, Manhattan GMAT Interact is definitely value for money. So, if you have the budget, then you should definitely spend it on Interact for GMAT.