Kaplan Vs Princeton Review GRE Course 2021

In this Kaplan vs Princeton Review GRE prep course comparison, we’ll take you deep into the GRE test prep offerings from both Kaplan and Princeton Review, exploring their relative benefits and drawbacks.

Here is the Kaplan vs Princeton Review GRE prep course guide. At the end, you’ll have a better idea of which test prep company suits your GRE prep needs better.

Overview: Kaplan vs. Princeton Review GRE Course

Kaplan and Princeton Review are arguably the two biggest names in test prep – and they both offer GRE prep courses that are listed in our top 5 (see here). Regularly, they supply both in-person (subject to irregularity due to COVID-19) and online GRE test prep courses with options for on-demand content and personal tutoring.

Let’s start the Princeton Review vs Kaplan GRE prep matchup with a basic introduction to each company and a brief overview of their GRE prep courses:

Princeton Review GRE Course: The Essentials

Read our FULL Princeton Review GRE Review

Princeton Review (not affiliated with Princeton University) entered the test prep market in the early 80s. Since then, it has grown to rival the biggest names in test prep services. Based on the consistently positive web commentary from users concerning Princeton Review’s products, the company’s GRE prep is highly regarded.

Princeton Review offers four GRE prep packages ranging from $499-$1,999: the Self-Paced ($499), the GRE Fundamentals course ($1,099) and the GRE 162+ Score Guaranteed ($1,899).

The self-paced option (the most basic) offers 8 practice tests, over 60 online drills and interactive lessons, and over 2,500 practice questions. Students in the self-paced course can also access live online instruction for the math section of the exam and on-demand video lessons, both of which can come in handy.

The pricier GRE 162+ Score Guaranteed prep course offers the basic features of the self-paced course plus 45 hours of live instruction from a “GRE expert,” 20 more hours of supplemental quantitative and verbal material, over 4,000 drills, and a one-on-one study manager.

For some, the most attractive feature of the GRE 162+ Score Guaranteed prep course is the 162-minimum score guarantee. We’ll take a close look at the fine print in Princeton Review’s score guarantee later.

Princeton Review currently has a 4.6/5-star rating on Google My Business. Also, the company has a 4/5-star average on TrustPilot.

The feedback from learners in Princeton Review’s GRE prep course generally indicate a positive experience:

“Very flexible and innovative company which works hard to tailor courses to the needs of both groups and individuals.”

-Jennifer Rucker

Pros:

• Minimum score guarantee available.
• More practice tests.
• Personalized feedback on the analytical writing assessment (AWA) section.
• Practice questions that adapt to individual learning levels with proprietary “DrillSmart” technology.

Cons:

• Fewer course options.
• Fewer practice questions.

Kaplan GRE Prep Course:  The Essentials

Read our FULL Kaplan GRE Course Review

Kaplan has been around for the better part of a century. Over 2 million aspiring students of higher education utilize its test prep services every year. In many eyes, Kaplan is the undisputed industry leader in test prep.

Kaplan offers GRE test-takers more options than Princeton Review. The company currently has the following GRE prep courses, starting with the most basic to the most expensive: the self-guided course ($449), the self-guided course “plus” ($699), in-person GRE prep course ($1,199) (currently unavailable due to COVID-19), the online course ($999), and the online course “plus” ($1,299).

All courses come with 7 full-length, computer-based practice exams, 5,000+ “Qbank” practice questions, 21 core classroom hours with an expert instructor, 180+ hours of online instruction and practice, 40+ hours of exclusive live and recorded lessons on the GRE Channel, and the “Official Test Day Experience” that simulates a realistic test day scenario.

When you opt for the “plus” options, you also get two additional math resources: GRE Math Foundations ($299 Value) and GRE Advanced Math ($299 Value). With the online course “plus,” you enjoy access to three hours of personalized tutoring as well.

Kaplan has generally positive reviews from users on Consumer Affairs. Likewise, Kaplan has generated a 4.6/5 star rating on TrustPilot out of about 4,000 reviews.

Who says customer service is a lost art? In particular, a large proportion of users seems to be impressed with the customer service of Kaplan:

“Just wanted to give a quick nod to Kiarra W, who helped me resolve a billing issue with my Kaplan account. It’s always a nice surprise to find great customer service, especially in the time of COVID when everyone is stretched so thin.”

-Anna, New York

Pros:

• Slightly more affordable.
• Highly rated mobile app.
• Impressively large vault of practice questions.
• Longer access to prep content (6 months compared to Princeton Review’s 4 months).

Cons:

• Fewer practice tests.
• Platform is less user-friendly.

Princeton vs Kaplan GRE Review:  Head-to-Head Matchup

To flesh out a bit of the most important differences and whittle down the Kaplan or Princeton Review GRE prep decision, here are the key features of each company’s courses and how they stack up against each other.

Price

The price differential between the basic offerings of Kaplan vs Princeton Review’s GRE prep course packages is not vast; their self-guided courses are priced at $449 and $499 respectively, with Kaplan being slightly more affordable at the lowest price tier.

As you move into the higher price ranges for courses that offer access to additional GRE prep materials and personalized instruction from experts, the price gap begins to widen in Kaplan’s favor as Princeton Review’s courses edge near the $2,000 mark.

Ultimately, because the course costs are relatively parallel, the Kaplan vs. Princeton Review price issue might not be decisive in this case. Nonetheless, the economical nod goes to Kaplan.

Practice Questions & Tests

In their GRE prep courses, Kaplan has more than double the amount of practice questions than Princeton Review (5,000 compared to 2,500). However, Princeton Review has one more practice test than Kaplan (8 compared to 7).

Kaplan’s well-curated Qbank practice question reservoir is highly valued by students who provide feedback for the course.

Princeton Review’s practice questions, on the other hand, are optimized by a computer-directed algorithm called DrillSmart that adapts to the level of the test-taker to guide your development along a positive-growth trajectory. If you opt for Princeton Review’s 162+ guarantee course, you’ll gain access to over 2,500 of these practice questions.

Also, Princeton Review has one more practice test than Kaplan (a small but important advantage) and hosts several free GRE practice tests and other resources available to all.

Considering all the factors – although Kaplan’s roster of Qbank practice questions is superb — Princeton Review wins out.

Class Materials & Instruction

The class materials and instruction are obviously the “bread-and-butter” of any prep course. For both Princeton Review and Kaplan, these are highly-rated aspects of their courses.

Princeton Review’s prep courses feature 60 online drills and interactive lessons, live online instruction for the math section of the exam, on-demand video lessons, and, for the 162+ prep courses, access to a one-on-one study manager.

Kaplan offers 21 core classroom hours with an expert instructor, 180+ hours of online instruction and practice, 40+ hours of exclusive live and recorded lessons on the GRE Channel, and an “Official Test Day Experience” that simulates a realistic test day scenario.

In terms of physical books (sometimes the more nostalgic among us that need that “paper feel” when we study), Kaplan offers its GRE Prep and GRE Prep Plus textbooks. With its “plus” course, you also get Kaplan’s GRE Math Foundations and GRE Advanced Math textbooks.

Princeton Review, with its 162+ score packages, offers its own TPR Quant 162+ Manual and TPR Verbal 162+ Manual. Princeton Review also sells over 20 GRE books online as supplementary materials.

Each company includes its own proprietary study materials in all of its courses. The quality and volume of these materials are what make the two stand out as industry leaders in GRE test prep. Choosing the superior of the two in this category is a dilemma.

Learning Experience & Platform

With Princeton Review offering all-online GRE instruction and Kaplan having