Should I take a Prep Course? Princeton Review vs Kaplan

Question

Hi everyone. I've been following the GMATclub for a couple of weeks now, and just took my first official GMAT today and scored a Q:37/40th, V:31/61st, T:570/51st . I don't mean to belabor this point, because I know it's been addressed quite a bit, but I feel I don't quite fit the mold of the other members that have asked.

I do not need a 700+. I would like to do the best I can, but I only NEED to be in the 620-650 range. So I'm about 50-80points shy.

For the past month I've been self studying with the Veritas Prep books, and have made some great progress with them. However, I'm not one to extract information from text very well, especially in math, I'm more of an aural learner.

So my question is, does anybody think I can expect these courses to get me to where I need to be, if so, any suggestion on which one would be best?

Thanks!

getsunny · Answer

Hi BALarimer,

I think the best option for you would be the following 2 prep course:

1) Magoosh - they offer a 50+ point score improvement guarantee or your money back for a charge of USD 99 only. In terms of value for money, they're the best. Considering that you're targeting a score of 620-650, their 50+ points score improvement guarantee will easily land you in that range. Also, they teach via hundreds of video lessons, have 800+ questions for quants & verbal combined, and have video explanations for each of the questions. So I think this would solve all your problems.

2) Economist GMAT tutor - they also offer a 50-70 point score improvement guarantee, but at a much higher cost (USD 650-850). They're video based and personal tutoring based prep program, so can be useful too.

The decision between the above 2 options would eventually come down to the cost - USD 99 vs USD 650-850. I've used Magoosh myself, and can vouch for it personally.

All the best!

BALarimer · Answer

Thanks, Sunny. I'll check them out. I'm a bit apprehensive about online learning, thats the only reason I was leaning towards Kaplan or PR.

GMATPill · Answer

hi BALarimer,

Learning online can be a new thing. Everybody has a different learning style -- so it may be helpful to see some sample videos to see which approach works for you.

We post sample videos at the bottom of our homepage to help students check us out before signing up.

For example, see if this video makes sense for you: https://www.gmatpill.com/criticalreasoni ... Estate.mp4

We are priced between Magoosh and Economist -- and you'll see how we are uniquely different with our thought process approach.

VeritasPrepBrian · Answer

Hey BALarimer,

Congratulations on getting so close to the target! And I'm glad that the Veritas Prep resources have been helpful in getting you to that point.

I know you mentioned that you're a little skeptical of online learning, but especially since you're already familiar with our strategies and style you may want to check out a free trial of our online self-study program to see if it's a fit for you:

https://www.veritasprep.com/gmat/gmat-on-demand-free-trial/

I love our books (I'm biased of course) but can certainly see where they're a little dense and might not pop especially to an aural learner. The video lessons are a pretty good complement to the written material so that you can see and hear the lesson as well as just read it. We even have video solutions for many of our homework problems, too, for the same reason.

I hope that helps - regardless, best of luck as you work toward those final 50-70 points to reach your goal!

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