Manhattan Review

Manhattan Review is a test preparation and admissions consulting company headquartered at 2 Park Ave in New York. Its home page describes it as offering "GMAT, GRE, LSAT, SAT, ACT, SSAT, ISEE and TOEFL preparation class courses and private tutoring in many locations in the US and worldwide, both in-person and online," and the menu adds Executive Assessment prep. Alongside test prep it offers "admissions consulting for top business schools, graduate programs and colleges." That range means the same company can serve a middle schooler sitting the SSAT or ISEE, a high school student facing the SAT or ACT, and a working professional applying to business school, law school or graduate school.

The company was "founded in 1999 by Prof Dr Joern Meissner, a tenured business school professor, who has also created and supervised all its programs since." The ACT page adds that the firm was "conceived and started at an Ivy League business school, specifically, Columbia University Business School," and that the founder later took a professorship at a business school in Europe. The home page uses that origin as a selling point: "Would you rather take a prep course created by MBAs, or by a professor who has taught MBA students?"

How it positions itself

The home page lists five things it says set Manhattan Review apart. Preparation is "tailored towards busy professionals," teaching "what you need to know in the least amount of time." Programs aim at in-depth understanding of the content "rather than a download of voluminous basic knowledge interspersed with tricks." The curricula are built for high scorers: the company says it "is solely focused on students seeking top scores, unlike many test prep companies that address the mass market." It describes its instructors as the "Best instructors in the industry," hired for great test results plus "a passion for teaching and a track record inspiring others." And the programs come from a business school professor, as above. The ACT page calls Manhattan Review "a boutique test prep company offering customized ACT preparation."

Live courses, online and in person

Group courses run in physical classrooms and online. The online GRE and ACT pages describe the online version in detail. Classes "are taught in real-time (meaning they are live)," and the platform includes an instant messaging feature for talking to the instructor and classmates, an interactive whiteboard for working class problems together, and an online polling tool that lets the instructor track students' answers in real time. The company says it regularly uses Zoom, which many students already know from work or school.

The company insists that online students get the full course. Its online courses "offer the exact same instruction, homework, practice tests, and resources" as the classroom versions; instructors "teach the exact same course online that they teach in-person"; and "There is no difference in the length or content of the lectures." Lectures are available on demand immediately after they are given, so students can review any session. The pages describe the curriculum as "a blend of live instruction, recorded lectures, and extensive review materials." Online study suits people who do not live near one of the company's 90 classroom locations or who want to take a course with a particular instructor from home. Course pages are organized by region, with listings for the USA, Canada, Europe, Asia Pacific, India, Australia, Latin America, the Middle East and Africa, and the footer links to Manhattan Review India.

Private tutoring

For students who do not learn well in a group, worrying about slowing others down or getting bored once they have mastered a point, Manhattan Review offers customizable private tutoring, online or in person. The pages promise the same information, "the same materials and practice exams, and the same access to your tutor" either way. Tutoring listings mirror the course regions, with online tutoring and private tutors listed for each test. For parents, the ACT page says the company expects two things from its tutors, "a great ACT score and a passion for helping students," and that instructors handle diagnostic tests, lesson planning and guidance through the test content. It frames the hiring logic plainly: "taking an exam and teaching others how to take it are two separate skills."

Free resources and books

Before paying, a student can work through a sizable free library. The GRE section lists free GRE prep, free practice questions, free flashcards, a free practice test and a free quantitative question bank, and the ACT section has free practice questions, flashcards, a free practice test and free downloads. Each test also has an extensive information section: for the GRE, pages on the shorter 2023 format, each section and question type, scoring, retakes, test day and setting up for the online exam, plus insight pages on what makes a good GRE score, score percentiles and a GRE to GMAT score conversion for business school applicants weighing the two tests. Manhattan Review publishes its own prep books, and the GRE page offers a free book.

Consultation, pricing and contact

The course and tutoring pages publish no prices. The usual first step is a consultation: the toll-free line, +1-800-246-4600, is labeled "Free Consultation," and the ACT page describes an in-depth consultation that is "completely free and without any obligations" after a student or parent fills out a request form. The company can also be reached at its direct line, +1-212-316-2000, or info@manhattanreview.com.

The ACT page also makes a case for testing even when colleges are test-optional: scores can still be required for certain scholarships, specific majors or honors programs, so the company encourages students to sit the exam and submit strong results.

Who it suits

Manhattan Review suits an ambitious applicant who wants live teaching from an experienced instructor, whether in a classroom or over Zoom, and who values the option to switch to private tutoring for weak areas. Working professionals preparing for the GMAT, EA or GRE fit the company's stated focus on time-efficient preparation, and applicants who also want help with business school or graduate applications can get admissions consulting from the same firm. Parents of SSAT, ISEE, SAT and ACT students get a tutoring service with a clear account of how tutors are chosen.

The trade-off is transparency on cost: prices come through a consultation rather than a published list, so budget-conscious students should have that conversation early. The model is built around live instruction and tutoring, with recordings for review, rather than a self-paced app.