PowerScore GMAT on Demand - Review

Manhattan GMAT, Veritas, Knewton and Kaplan - These are the four 'pillars' of GMAT Prep. A couple of years ago, it was just the big three, and little did they realise that Jose Ferreira was plotting to take over the kingdom. Knewton has made such huge strides since its genesis, that it has since displaced Kaplan

However, there is one old warhorse that has regained its lust for the top spot. A name that is revered on the GMAT world not for its course offerings, but for its bible - The PowerScore CR Bible. Yes, PowerScore had long been consigned to the backyards of GMAT Prep, so much so, that even Princeton Review was better placed :)

Anyhoo.. back to the point of this post. I was lucky enough to get access to the PowerScore GMAT on Demand  course, and I had promised to submit a review of the course, so here it is:

The course consists of 10 3-hour sessions, so that's 30 hours of archived sessions. The topics covered are pretty much the standard fare; click here to view the course structure. The course comes with a big book that's shipped off to you - mine arrived within 5 days. The book is a compendium of the necessary Quant & Verbal topics. The CR material is straight off the bible, albeit a condensed version. The book covers all the basics pretty well, and has loads of practice questions - 10 after every sub topic, which works great. I hate reading piles and piles of material before being able to apply it, so this was a treat. After every two pages, there's a drill consisting of 10 questions. This format meant that i breezed through the book and finished it in no time. Surprisingly, the book covered RC as well - again nothing too detailed, just the essentials, and in just the right dose.

Once I was done with the book, I switched over to the on-demand sessions that are available online. To my surprise, the online content was exactly the same as that in the book - word for word. After the initial shock, I came to the realization that this was not so bad after all. The online sessions are presented by a Jon Denning, who is a 99%iler and has also co-authored the PowerScore GMAT content...talk about creme de la creme. In these sessions Jon basically went through each page in the book. He covered the underlying concepts and explained how to work through each problem, quant and verbal. Even though i had answered most of the questions correctly, watching how Jon attacked each problem was a real eye opener.

After each session, there's a set of additional problems to be done aka homework. The folks @ PowerScore compiled a list of problems to work on from OG 11 & 12 after each session. This was not a bad way to wind down, and I'm sure anyone who has gone through the MGMAT Course/ Guides will be familiar with this approach.

The icing on the cake is access to 5 Complete 800Score CATs. For all those who are not familiar with 800Score, word on the street is that the 800Score CATs are second only to the MGMAT CATs.

In conclusion, the course was not bad, not bad at all. It felt a bit of drag at times, but only because I had already prepared so much for the GMAT. The course is perfect for beginners and/or those looking to for a crash course. For $495, its well worth your time and money.

Ratings (Out of 5)

• For Beginners:    5
• For Veterans:     2
• User Iinterface:  3
• Content:             4
• Value ($$):         3.5
• Overall:              4

Tray Recommends this Course? Yes

Click here to access the first session of the GMAT on Demand course for FREE!

Feel free to reach out to me if you would like any additional information,