Best GMAT Focus prep course: Target Test Prep vs e-GMAT vs Magoosh vs Manhattan, with prices and trials

The short list, by situation

Pick your row, start that course's trial this week, then decide.

• Two months, you want structure and a human to ask. e-GMAT's two-month plan, $299 on 2 November 2026, shown against $599. It includes three weekly live sessions and a dedicated mentor.
• You learn by reading and doing questions, not by watching. Target Test Prep Self-Study. Its five-day trial gives full course access with no automatic billing.
• Tight budget, six months or more. Magoosh Premium at $249 for six months.
• You need concepts taught on camera, step by step. Target Test Prep OnDemand, which adds 400 hours of masterclass video, at $1,599 list.
• You want live classes with a timetable. Compare Manhattan Prep's live courses and Target Test Prep's Live Online option.

Whichever you choose, use GMAC's official practice material from mba.com as your score check. GMAC writes the exam, so its practice material is the closest thing to the real test. GMAC's site blocked automated checks for this page, so confirm what is free on mba.com before you plan around it.

The GMAT exam page has the section structure and timing, and GRE vs GMAT covers whether you should sit the GMAT at all.

Target Test Prep: the question-first course

Target Test Prep's plans page listed Self-Study at $299 a month, $949 for four months and $1,099 for six months on 2 November 2026. The page still showed reduced prices of $249, $799 and $899 under an offer it said ended on 1 November 2026, so check what you are charged at checkout.

Self-Study is text-based lessons with screencast video solutions: 1,500+ lessons, 4,000+ Quant, Verbal and Data Insights questions, 2,000+ instructor video solutions, a personalised study plan, a daily study calendar, a custom test builder and an AI coach.

OnDemand adds 400 hours of masterclass video lessons and weekly live office hours, at $1,599 list for six months ($1,299 shown). Live Instruction adds 40 hours of live online classes to OnDemand, at $2,199 list ($1,799 shown).

Target Test Prep advertises score improvement guarantees on its plans, including a 715+ guarantee on OnDemand. These are TTP's own guarantees with their own conditions, so read them before you rely on one.

The five-day trial is the best in this group: full Self-Study access with no automatic billing. Use it to sit TTP's diagnostic and work two chapters of your weakest section. If the explanations click, the monthly plan is the low-commitment way in. If you will need more than three months, the four-month plan costs less than four single months.

e-GMAT: video lessons, mocks and mentors

e-GMAT sells one complete course in three lengths. On 2 November 2026 its pricing page showed two months for $299 (against $599), four months for $429 (against $859) and six months for $549 (against $1,099).

Every length includes the same course: foundational modules, 250+ hours of video lessons, 14,500+ practice questions, 15 full and 200 sectional mocks, three weekly live sessions and dedicated mentor support. e-GMAT also lists a bonus set of adaptive tests worth $79, included with the course.

The 15 full mocks are the main difference from the other courses. Mock exams are how you find out whether you are improving, and you want several between your diagnostic and test day.

e-GMAT's homepage says thousands of its students reached 99th percentile scores. That is e-GMAT's own claim.

For a round 2 applicant starting in November, the two-month plan covers the time to early January with no wasted access. If you work long hours, the four-month plan gives you a cushion for a retake before round 3.

Magoosh: the low-cost full course

Magoosh's GMAT plans page showed three options on 2 November 2026:

• Premium, 6 months: $249.
• Premium, 12 months: $349.
• Premium + Admissions, 12 months: $449, adding MBA application videos and an application tracker.

Premium includes 200+ video lessons, 800+ practice questions with a video explanation for each, at least two diagnostic tests, a score predictor and an ask-an-expert feature. Magoosh says the course is GMAT Focus ready.

Magoosh offers a score increase guarantee of up to 70 points or your money back, on its own terms. A free trial with 20+ questions and lessons is available.

800 questions is a fraction of Target Test Prep's or e-GMAT's banks. That is fine for someone aiming at a solid score who will add GMAC's official practice, and thin for someone chasing the top percentiles who needs volume. Magoosh is the low-cost choice here, and its lessons suit people who study in short sessions.

Manhattan Prep and the official material

Manhattan Prep sells GMAT courses, live classes and books. Its site did not return content when prices were checked for this page on 2 November 2026, so no Manhattan Prep price appears here. Compare its current packages directly against the figures above.

GMAC runs the GMAT and sells its own Official Guide books and practice exams on mba.com. Official practice comes from the exam's own writer, which makes it the most reliable predictor you can buy. Schedule them:

1. One at the start, as a baseline.
2. One at the midpoint, to check the course is working.
3. One or two in the final two weeks.

If a vendor's mock exams score you much higher than GMAC's, trust GMAC.

Fit your prep around round 2 deadlines

Round 2 deadlines at the schools checked for this page fall in the first week of January:

• Wharton: 5 January 2027, 5:00 p.m. ET, with decisions on 31 March 2027.
• Kellogg: 6 January 2027, with decisions released 24 March 2027.

Work back from the deadline. Your score must be in before you submit, and you may need a second sitting if the first goes badly. That gives most November starters this shape:

1. November. Trial two courses, buy one, sit a diagnostic.
2. Late November to mid December. Work your weakest section first, with one full mock a week.
3. Mid December. Sit the GMAT, leaving time for a retake before the first week of January if needed.
4. If the score is short. Round 3 deadlines are 31 March 2027 at both Wharton and Kellogg.

Check each school's own page for its current deadline and score reporting rules. Other schools set their own dates.

A missed round costs months, and a rushed application costs more. If your score is not where you need it by mid December, round 3 with a stronger score can beat round 2 with a weak one. How long to study for the GMAT gives the usual timelines by target score, and failed or retaking the GMAT covers the retake rules.

How to use a trial so the decision is quick

A trial is only useful if you test the thing that will decide your score.

1. Sit the course's diagnostic on day one. Note your weakest section.
2. Work one chapter of that section. Judge the explanations on questions you got wrong, not the ones you got right.
3. Check the analytics. A course should tell you which question types cost you time.
4. Compare two courses at most. Target Test Prep and e-GMAT are the usual pair for people who want volume; Magoosh is the budget comparison.
5. Buy before the trial ends, and buy the length that matches your deadline.

If you are deciding between the GMAT and another admissions test, CAT vs GMAT covers the Indian MBA route.