About 2 years ago, one of our L.A. Instructors, Mike Kim, suggested that we provide a math curriculum  for students who want a refresher on fundamental math topics (e.g.  fractions, algebra, etc.).  We thought it was a fantastic idea.  Being an extraordinarily productive guy, Mike went on to author the Foundations of GMAT Math Workshops I and II which take place online (it turns out there are too many fundamental math topics to teach in one sitting).

Now, the Foundations of Math Workshops will be available for free to any Manhattan GMAT course student.  If you are a course student, you can simply go to the website and add the Foundations workshops to your account.  You will immediately receive access to dozens of practice problems in your student center as well as class recordings, and you can attend the next scheduled Foundations workshops live.

For non-students, the Foundations of Math Workshops will each be available for only $95.  Additionally, if you end up signing up for a course after taking the Workshops, we’ll credit you whatever you spent on the workshops, so they’ll essentially wind up being free for you too.

Remember, these workshops review foundational math topics such as algebra, basic geometry, fractions, etc.  They’re very useful if you need a refresher because you haven’t seen the math in a long while, but if you’re comfortable with the math already you can feel free to go straight to the Official Guides, Strategy Guides, etc.

P.S.  The Foundations of GMAT Math Book is due out this Fall, as Mike’s original idea is taking multiple forms to reach as many people as possible.

Clear Admit did a recent profile on Manhattan GMAT on its blog as part of its series on GMAT prep companies.  The profile had some good info about MGMAT’s upcoming offerings that really ought to appear in this space.  🙂

We’ve received word through the grapevine that GMAC is shortening all break periods during the test by a total of 15 minutes, effective July 17th.  This change has yet to be confirmed – we’ll update this blog post as soon as we receive official confirmation.

The primary change for students is that breaks between sections will be 8 minutes each instead of 10 minutes.  Those 2 minutes can be significant, as most people go to the bathroom between sections.  So it’s something to be aware of.

The other 11 minutes come from the time allocated to read Instructions, fill out background info, and decide whether to see your score.

However, none of the allotted times for GMAT Content areas will be affected (i.e. 2 30-minute essays, 75 minutes for Quantitative and 75 minutes for Verbal).

Why is GMAC making this change?  Hard to say.  It could be that shortening the total appointment time by 15 minutes would allow more appointments at the margins.  Or it could be an added security measure so that people have less time to do anything non-test related during break periods.  Whatever the rationale, a stressful experience just got a little bit more intense.

Andrew Yang (NY) and Tom Rose (Boston) commemorate the passing of Big Orange

Among the many topics of discussion at the Manhattan GMAT Instructor Convocation was what happens to the 11th Edition of the Official Guide now that it’s about to leave print.  Here at Manhattan GMAT, we have something of a library of the various editions of the OG, starting with the 4th Edition or so (our copy of that one is pretty tattered).

Most students automatically gravitate toward the 12th Edition of the Official Guide for GMAT Review as soon as they hear about it, because, well, the newer the better.

But the fact that the 12th Edition is one-third new questions also means that the 11th Edition has several hundred other fairly representative problems of recent vintage for the thorough student to pore through.  So if you’ve got Big Orange lying around, don’t punish yourself for having an earlier edition.  Instead, praise yourself for picking up what could soon be a Collector’s Item.

Erica Lee (NY), Alex Cappy (DC/Phi), Robert Wilburn (NC) and Danielle Diciaccio (NY HQ)

The 3rd Annual Manhattan GMAT Instructor Convocation took place this past weekend. Dozens of Instructors came from across the country (and Canada) to mingle and share best practices with some of the brightest teaching minds anywhere.

The topic of the afternoon was how to deal with students whose issues are not primarily content-related (i.e. understanding GMAT-tested concepts), but rather issues surrounding the test-taking experience (e.g. stress management). Some very interesting themes came out of the Convocation – we’re going to be compiling some of these ideas to help our Instructors coach students moving forward.  Some good suggestions came up for us incorporate into our upcoming books.  We’re also looking at putting together a series of essays that may be helpful directly to students as well.  An essay will likely appear in this space.

The Convocation was then followed by a massive Company dinner and a party at the CEO’s apartment, so it wasn’t all work and no play.   Perhaps there will be more pictures to come . . .  🙂

We’re lucky here at Manhattan GMAT to be part of a thriving community of people who are headed toward business school – our website gets tens of thousands of visits each month. So we decided to try and get some insight as to what our students were thinking in terms of their professional aspirations and motivations for applying to MBA programs.

We conducted a survey, which students responded to in order to procrastinate, contribute to collective human knowledge, or win the amazon.com gift certificate we gave away to one lucky winner (Congrats to you!). After we compiled hundreds of responses, we put together a press release with the results. Some of the findings were a bit surprising, in that most of our respondents were secure in their jobs and not, for example, pursuing an MBA because of some job dislocation. Others were in keeping with you what you read in the press (fewer aspiring bankers and consultants than in years past). We’ll let you read for yourself if you’re curious.

Manhattan GMAT is proud to host the 1st day of the 2009 AIGAC Conference (the Association of International Graduate Admissions Consultants) on June 17th. Admissions officers from Haas (Berkeley), Tuck (Dartmouth), Yale, Michigan, and Darden (Virginia) will all be participating, with presentations from officers from NYU and Columbia during the conference as well.

Though we’re obviously a test prep company, we know that the larger admissions process is of acute interest to many of our students. Hopefully we’ll pick up a few tidbits to pass along.

The front page of today’s New York Times included a feature article about TEP, the innovative charter school founded by Zeke Vanderhoek. Zeke also founded Manhattan GMAT and served as CEO until the end of 2006.

Believe it or not, this is Zeke and TEP’s 2nd time on the front page of the Times. If you missed it, here’s a link to the 1st article.

TEP is doing to public education what Manhattan GMAT has done to test prep – demonstrating that if you pay more and select the best, the results speak for themselves. Congratulations to Zeke and TEP! If this article is any indication, the world is watching!

Manhattan GMAT was featured in Crain’s this past week. We’re happy to say that the article drew attention to some of the things we’re proud of here at Manhattan GMAT. 🙂

Another fantastic account from a student who went from a 570 to a 720. Hats off to Dan Patinkin for his tremendous work!

I am so proud of myself, but more just relieved – I knew I was capable but after struggling for 2 years, I was beginning to doubt myself.

I don’t know if you are familiar with my story, but I have ADHD and severe test anxiety. I had started studying for the GMAT in September of 2007 and had been through two different courses, all of the MBA guide books and 2 poorly attempted official tests before I got to Dan. I had called Manhattan GMAT as a last resort – mainly because my parents were convinced I had to try “everything” before I gave up. I expected nothing because no matter how much I had known in the past – my test score never showed it.

I want you to know how unbelievable Dan was in helping me execute what had been stuck inside my head for 2 whole years. The Manhattan Gmat tests and questions adequately prepared me and I have never had a more positive experience with a tutoring company or with any tutor period – and I am speaking from 15 years of tutors. When I called your New York office – everyone was receptive and listened to my situation and was able to actually help me.

I cannot thank you enough for your companies services and how much they helped me reach my full potential. It is going to change my life.

Best,