Magoosh GMAT Review

Candidates take up online courses for the preparation of GMAT which helps in taking admissions in the best B-Schools across the world. Magoosh GMAT prep brings a great option as a tool for the self-motivated test takers. Magoosh has different packages, including a 30-day program having the combination of just the Quantitative Aptitude and Integrated Reasoning only plan. Other plans include a GMAT Verbal Ability only plan, a full-service plan offering six hours of tutoring, and their premium plan with all of the Magoosh GMAT practice tests, video instruction, and problems for up to a year which is obviously the premium range of course and the most popular as well.

Many successful candidates have recommended the Premium GMAT course from Magoosh due to a combination of multiple factors that includes affordability, an impressive score guarantee, and detailed, user-friendly explanations on an intuitive interface. In this article, we will go through the various pros and cons, in case you are planning to take any course with Magoosh.

Competitive Pricing

For those who are serious to take the GMAT examination, the Magoosh GMAT prep course is by far the least expensive among top GMAT test prep providers at $219 offering the most in terms of value proposition.

While price is often the first parameter that the candidate considers when looking at a course, Magoosh has its competitors beat and combine that with the thought of getting an MBA. Thus, if the test preparation course does not get the candidate into the right program, how much the couple hundred dollars saved matter?

Thus, while it is obviously important to consider the price of the course as an important factor in choosing the course, the real arguments are in huge numbers. The major advantages of picking up the Magoosh GMAT course include:

• Access any time and every time
• Easy to use
• Better than the classroom studying environment
• Video-based answer reviews
• Valuable resources with endless learning
• Smart-Review
• Access for a complete year
• The Magoosh Score Guarantee

Magoosh GMAT Courses Pros

Access any time and every time

Considering that most of the candidates practicing for GMAT are working and would want to prepare for GMAT while working, Magoosh GMAT test prep is entirely online and is perfect as the candidate can study anywhere and at any time with constant access to practice problems, video instruction, and question review. Thus, at any time if the candidate has a free moment, the material is available right then and there as the candidates can download the Magoosh GMAT app which is available for both iOS and Android. Magoosh also offers a flashcard application as well, preparing the candidates on the go.

Easy to use

The best part about the Magoosh GMAT site is that it is incredibly user friendly. Since it is geared towards customized learning and flexibility, it is clear that Magoosh takes the user experience as seriously as they take their test prep.

Each section is clearly displayed in your Dashboard, where the candidate can access all the different sections like practice tests and questions, lessons, and your personalized Review section. The user experience could not be more thoughtfully and intuitively laid out.

Better than the classroom studying environment

This one is surely subjective and many candidates might even disagree, but the Magoosh GMAT preparation video instruction is so valuable and if we consider a classroom, the candidates are forced to go with the set pace of the class, unable to rewind when there is an unclear concept or skip ahead when as and when required. Similarly, a candidate can ask a question, but it is highly likely the candidate cannot ask the teacher to go over something three or four times because of the time constraints.

Another advantage of an online course is that the candidate can also skip ahead or watch at faster speeds, which is ideal when the candidate already has a firm understanding of the topic or question of the GMAT syllabus. Along with this, the candidate can self customize the practice problems based on their own specific needs i.e. the level of difficulty of test/quiz, etc.

Video-based answer reviews

This is in itself one of the biggest selling points of the Magoosh GMAT preparation course especially at its price as he candidate has access to 1 to 3 minutes of videos explaining each solution in a much more in-depth way and since the candidate is able to see the solution worked out in detail, it is much more valuable than reading shallow explanations. While going through the video solution, the candidates are also reminded of the basics of the rules and equations behind each of the problems offering a more thorough explanation and different ways of solving problems.

Comparing the above with the traditional GMAT prep books presents short text explanations for every question where often the answers are too short to explain the complexity of each problem especially with the quantitative questions where it is difficult to understand a written explanation.

Valuable resources with endless learning

• Tricks and Shortcuts:
  • Many candidates face struggles of timing in the GMAT examination. Magoosh prepares the candidate in this matter as one trick to solve this is by learning shortcuts to common problems since many of the GMAT quant problems, for instance, can be solved with “quick” math, guesstimates, and shortcuts. This part of this preparation course is a huge time saver, and a great skill to add on.
• Frequently Asked Questions related to GMAT:
  • It is a very important part of GMAT or any exam preparation because along with the explanation of how to solve the problem, the Magoosh course answers some of the commonly asked questions about the problem as well as addresses the common mistakes and confusion, clearing up critical areas for future questions.
• Lost? Links to Related Lessons:
  • A situation might arise where the candidate is having trouble with a certain problem and the concept is related to an older chapter, Magoosh has it covered as it gives a link to related lessons, in order to refer back during practice questions.
• Note-taking:
  • Let us consider a scenario where the candidate wants to remember something specific to a question, for this the Magoosh GMAT review allows the candidate to save notes that attach to each question, which saves time as well as keeps the concepts on top of the mind.

Smart-Review

This is one of the best features of Magoosh’s GMAT prep course as it has the ability to help the candidate to tailor the study time by analyzing the results from the previous questions as well as the progress and timeline along with a score estimate. Another great yet important feature is that it offers a “suggested lessons” section which is based on previously answered questions.

However, those taking the Magoosh GMAT practice tests have rated it higher than any other feature as even the practice tests also measure adaptive, adjusting to your skill level, just like the real test.

Access for a complete year

A complete year of access means that the candidate can study over the course of a year, or cram as much into a few weeks, whichever works. It also gives a reassurance that if the candidate does not get the score as per his own desire, they can go back and study and take the test again. Also, most of the test prep providers offer their courses for 4 to 6 months.

The Magoosh Score Guarantee

Candidates looking to take admission in a top management school must take this sort course as it can help the candidates with a 50+ point improvement in the final score which could be the difference between reaching an average B-School and a dream B-school!

Magoosh GMAT Courses Cons

Requires self-motivation

While this is a disadvantage to each one of the candidates who cannot prepare without an instructor on the top of their heads since this preparation method lacks the guidance and accountability of a typical classroom setting. However, it offers several suggested study schedules, if the candidate is able to stick to any of the guidelines, this could work.

Not enough practice tests

Another complaint from many of the subscribers is that there are only three Magoosh GMAT practice tests whereas some of the other test prep courses provide six or more.

There is no doubt that the writers over at Magoosh seem to have a thorough understanding of the GMAT questions and how to explain them, at all levels. This also seems well when combined with a great user experience by making the site and apps easy to navigate and very accessible. The candidate who loves self-paced studying, or may need a little extra help in some areas, the videos based course is ideal. Another set of candidates can benefit through these courses as they can zip through the explanations, which are incredibly thorough at all levels, much more so than other prep guides. Magoosh even offers a money-back guarantee if the candidate does not get a score of 50+ points or higher.