Applying to MBA programs would be simpler if there was just one “good GMAT score.” If you scored above that mark, you’d be done with the GMAT; if not, you’d know you needed to keep trying. As with most of life, though, it isn’t that simple. In this article, we’ll break down what counts as a good GMAT score and how to know whether you’ve achieved one. 

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Getting a 700 GMAT score isn’t easy, and it’s not the right goal for everyone. But if it wasn’t tough to get a 700, it wouldn’t be such an accomplishment! Here’s how to get a 700 on the GMAT and add something really special to your MBA applications. Read more

Is your GMAT score stuck? Are you starting to wonder whether to stop studying for the GMAT? If you’re in this situation, but you don’t have the score you want, try following this plan first. 

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How can you get the elusive Q51 on the GMAT? To start, let’s be clear that this question is mostly a matter of curiosity. You don’t need a 51 on Quant to score a 700 on the GMAT: technically, with a perfect Verbal score, you would only need a 36! You don’t need a 51 on Quant to get into HBS: the median score last year was 48. You don’t even need a 51 to be a test prep teacher (although if you want to work for MPrep, you do need to be in the 99th percentile)!

And this is a good thing, because as you’re about to learn, getting a 51 on Quant involves at least a little bit of luck.

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I was naturally very interested to hear that my company, Manhattan Prep, had earned the top spot for score improvement in the recent Poets & Quants survey of GMAT test prep companies. The excited part of me wants to dance around shouting, “Yay! Manhattan Prep is the best!” 

But the rational part of me is saying…hmm. Of course, I think we’re the best too, but I don’t think that average score improvement is a great metric to use (no disrespect to Poets & Quants, which I think is an excellent resource for aspiring business school students). I’d rather that you talk to friends, look at verified reviews from a source like Trustpilot, and attend any free sessions available to judge for yourself. (I’ve got a free session coming up soon—come say hi!)

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Few things make us instructors happier than getting that glowing email from a student who has just achieved his or her goal score. While these students tend to have certain traits in common (a reasonable timeline, diligent studying, etc.), we’ve also noticed that successful students take many different paths to reach their goals. 

Recently, the MPrep Instructor Manager team set out to investigate what habits and practices lead to successful outcomes for our students, with the hope of inspiring others just setting out on their test prep journeys. We asked our instructor pool to nominate students, and then reached out to these students to conduct brief interviews. 

Today, we’ll be sharing one story from a recent student, with the hope that we’ll be able to continue sharing more of these profiles in the future.

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Welcome to part 3! In the first installment, we talked about the overall Enhanced Score Report, how to interpret your scores, and how to analyze the data from the IR and Essay sections. In the second installment, we talked about how to analyze your Verbal data. Now, it’s time for Quant!  Read more

Last time, we talked about how to analyze the overall exam data of your Enhanced Score Report, as well as the data for the IR and Essay sections. Now, it’s time to dive into the Verbal section data.  Read more

After you take your official GMAT, you can order an Enhanced Score Report (ESR) that provides more detailed data about your test performance. If you’re planning to retake the GMAT, the ESR can provide you with a good sense of what you need to improve in order to earn a higher score next time. And you can order the ESR even if you cancel your score—a really helpful feature.  Read more

Did you know that you can attend the first session of any of our online or in-person GMAT courses absolutely free? We’re not kidding! Check out our upcoming courses here.

So, you took your first practice GMAT a couple of months ago, and you immediately knew that you could do better. You spent the last month or two studying—maybe you even enrolled in our 9-week complete GMAT course. You’re feeling much more comfortable with the test, and you know you’ve learned a lot. But when you took your second practice test, you got a nasty surprise: your GMAT score hadn’t improved at all. What’s going on? Read more