The reviews and debriefs on GMAT Club clearly show that when it comes to delivering success on the GMAT, no other test prep company comes even close! Yet, there have been a few instances where some of our prospective students reached out to us because to them both e-GMAT and GMATWhiz seemed comparable and similar.
So, in this article, I will talk about our vision and our success and address some of the aspects as to why these companies are similar, and how we (e-GMAT) are very different. Additionally, I will address, how despite the similarities at the outset, our respective GMAT offerings are very different and how these differences have led to significantly different outcomes.
1. e-GMAT vs GMAT Whiz: Who has delivered more success?
Let us start with the fundamental statement ā why do test prep companies exist? They exist for one very simple reason ā to help diligent students succeed. This is a very important statement.. why – because no test prep company can help a non-diligent student succeed (after all, we cannot go and take the test for you). Hence, the only way to compare two test prep companies is to compare the success, or in the context of the GMAT, to compare the number of 700+ scores that they have delivered.
Fortunately, GMAT Club through its verified review process, helps you make that comparison. If you look at the data, you will observe that e-GMATās students have reported 20X more 700+ scores than GMAT Whiz has.
| Company | # of 700+ scores reported in 2021 |
|---|---|
| e-GMAT | 210 |
| GMAT Whiz1 | 10 |
Another way to look at this data is that e-GMAT students have reported more 700+ scores in 10 days in August than GMAT Whizās students have done in all of 2021.
Now the next question is ā do they have similar number of students? Based on my estimates, we have about 2.5X as many students as GMAT Whiz does. So even when you consider the number of students, we have delivered 7X as much success as GMAT Whiz has.
You can see the same evidence on YouTube. eGMAT vs GMATWhiz
While you can read reviews on GMAT Club, and see how they were verified, you cannot see the students. On YouTube, you can see these students and then you can go on to LinkedIn and also verify that they are real students. You will find a very similar stat at the respective companyās YouTube channels.
| Company eGMAT vs GMATWhiz | Success stories on YouTube in 2021 (as of Oct 15, 2021) |
| e-GMAT | 80 |
| GMAT Whiz1 | 7-8 |
Now, this data above should alone be enough to answer the question ā which company is more effective in helping students excel. However, you will get the same answer if you are interested in any other metric. For example, GMAT Whiz claimās that their average score improvement is higher than that of any other GMAT Club partner. However, if you compare 2021 data, we have delivered 8X (yes, 8 times) as many 100-point score improvements as GMAT Whiz has.
I want to reiterate ā all this data is public. Each one of you can go here and verify this data. GMAT Club does an excellent job of categorizing this data by recency. Thanks to BB (from GMAT Club) for keeping this information organized. e-GMAT vs GMATWhiz
Now, after reading other posts, some of you may wonder, how come our success rate is so much better if we both companies use similar methods. There is a simple answer to this:
- Similar is not the same.
- Similarity does not deliver results.
Boston University and Harvard Business School have very similar curriculum and both use the case study method. In fact, both have access to the excellent case studies that Harvard Business Online offers. However, there is no doubt that HBS delivers better outcomes than Boston University does. If similarity in methods and content drove outcomes, then all business schools would have similar outcomes. However, similar is not the same and similarity does not deliver results.
Next, for those of you who are more curious, I also want to talk about why the methods are similar and how does our support compare.
2. Why are the methods similar?
This one confuses many people – how come two test prep companies have such similar methods. This is a valid confusion, and we should have addressed it earlier. So, let us first start with why the methods are similar. This is because Piyush, Saquib, and Sunita (founding members of GMAT Whiz) worked at e-GMAT and learned the methods there.
Hence, Sunita and Piyush were trained on e-GMATās methods. Note, I am refraining from the legality and the ethical nature of their actions as this is for the legal system to decide.
So, why is similar not the same. Because 1) we continue to refine our approaches and 2) Neither Piyush nor Sunita were senior SMEs. Note, @eGMAT, we have 4 levels of experts and only L3 and L4 are course creators. Both Sunita and Piyush were L1 experts.
Let us take an example ā both companies follow the meaning-based-approach. Actually, after ridiculing us for 6+ years, most companies now claim to follow the meaning-based-approach, but no one does it like we do. For example, no one separates the āaspects of meaningā out in the manner that we do. Just this one tweak, makes a huge difference when it comes to helping a 60th percentile student successfully solve 700-level questions.
Similarly, in CR, no one does visualization while teaching Prethinking like we do.
2.1 This difference in quality shows up in posts!
Here is another metric that indicates the difference ā post to Kudos ratio on GMAT Club. This is not a completely fair metric because it is driven by the kind of posts one responds to but still the difference is stark ā e-GMAT has a Kudos to post ratio of 8 while the same ratio for GMAT whiz 0.6. Again, this metric is not as fair as the comparative success metric, but it just goes on to say that similar methods do not lead to the same outcomes and the same shows in community appreciation.
The GMAT is a life changing test. Hence, I recommend that everyone take a free trial and then decide which approach works best for him/her. Go for e-GMAT if you like our approach. Go for GMAT Whiz if you like theirs.
3. Letās talk about the Quant courses – eGMAT vs GMATWhiz
I would agree to the fact that pre-Dec 2020, our Quant course was not at par with our Verbal course (yet it was delivering success). However, since the release of Quant 2.0, it has outperformed our Verbal course in terms of delivering predictable student success.
Since its launch, Quant 2.0 has delivered more Q49+ scores than any other course has. In the first 7 months of 2021 (Jan to July), our students reported 17X as many Q49+ scores as GMAT Whizās students did.
Time period ā Jan 1, 2021, to July 31, 2021
- e-GMAT ā 107 Q49+ scores
- GMAT Whiz ā 6 Q49+ scores
This metric will probably swell from 17X to 20X if we take August to October data. This again proves that āsimilar contentā does not translate to even remotely similar results, especially when you are looking to achieve 90th percentile or better.
Read the reviews below to understand how the new Quant course has enabled people not only to score higher but also to get there faster. This is a learning architecture that is designed to equally optimize learning for students who start at Q30 and those who start at Q45.
- https://resources.e-gmat.com/q38-to-q50
- https://resources.e-gmat.com/anant-yt-interview
- https://resources.e-gmat.com/varun-yt-interview
Quant 2.0 went through extensive trials. Some of those students were kind enough to provide feedback on GMAT Club. Click the link below to read their feedback:
4. Letās talk about Support eGMAT vs GMATWhiz
At e-GMAT, support is one of our biggest strengths today. Why, because we realize that preparing for the GMAT is extremely stressful and can get very lonely and this is where we realized that a strong support system can make a huge difference.
Here are a few quotes that you can read about our support team.
āMy emails to Atreya have always been late in the day, and I have always been shocked to receive his response with strategies to improve and focus areas even before I wake up the next dayā
ā Amar GMAT 720
āI reached out to DJ that I have my GMAT in 10 days, and he helped me with a clear specific plan of what to do. The plan was detailed to the level of what specific sections of the course I should be revisiting. I didnāt have to think much and just executed. Overall, it has been a phenomenal experience!ā
ā Vladha GMAT 750
āThe E-GMAT support team is the best feature of E-GMAT. Whenever I had a doubt on any question in Scholaranium, I posted on their forum, and I got an answer in less than 18 hoursā
ā Rahul Sharma, GMAT 730
As you read our reviews, you will notice a few things:
- A majority of reviews mention support.
- Most people do not mention Rajat or Payal; rather they talk about DJ, Atreya, Aditee, Shweta, Stacey, Shraddha, Harsha, etc.- our strategy and subject matter experts
Next, go read reviews of other test prep companies. You will observe a few things as well.
- The percentage of reviews that mention support is not as high.
- They mainly talk about the company founders
Why is this important? Firstly, because it shows the quality of support. While, every founder will do a good job supporting students, very few companies have support personnel who are passionate about changing lives and driving student success to such an extent that students find them worthy of mention.
At e-GMAT, we have 10 such support people who are keen to help you with your GMAT preparation, no matter what stage or level of preparation youāre at. In fact, we have designed support that is optimized to the stage of learning you are in. At e-GMAT, we believe and have proven that if you are diligent, we will leave no stone unturned to ensure your success.
Click on the link below to know more:
Not just anecdotal, but statistical
How do you make support āworld-classā? Itās simple. First you measure the same and then iterate over and improve on the same. We are the only test prep company that measures its CSAT score. Every week, over 500 students rate our support. These are students who have either posted a SM doubt or have reached out to us for our Strategy support. The average CSAT score is usually in the 4.1/5 range or 82/100 ā a number that is considered world class and in the same range as that of Apple/Samsung.
Is this support perfect ā No. We still have headroom to improve. However, if you look data, talk to students who are successful and ask real questions, you will recognize that this support is miles ahead of the competition.
5. e-GMAT vs GMATWhiz – How should you decide?
Let me end this post in the same way I started. No test prep company can make every student successful since (studentās) diligence is a prerequisite of success. The only reason a test prep company exists is to make diligent students successful. Hence, the only way to compare two companies is to compare the number of students they have and compare their respective successes. GMAT Club provides one such forum where you can compare the success delivered by companies and when you look at the numbers, you will conclude that e-GMAT has mentored 20X as many successful journeys as GMAT Whiz has. Even when you account for the difference in # of students, that number is probably in the 7X to 10X range.
I invite you to spend some time on our free trial. Do the same for other companies as well so that you can compare apples to apples. Also, ask if a company provides a predictable path to success. Note, no company can make every student successful (especially if you are not diligent) but in this day and age, companies should be able to tell you (i.e., through metrics) whether you are on the path to success.
Do let me know if you have any questions about e-GMAT or the data presented here. I will be happy to answer the same.
Happy Learning!
Rajat
How do we compare to Magoosh? Here’s a comparative analysis!
eGMAT vs GMATWhiz
