The Princeton Review is a major player in the test prep industry and offers Live Online, In Person, & Self-Paced GRE courses as well as tutoring options.
If you are deciding whether or not to study for the GRE with one of The Princeton Review’s GRE prep course offerings, read further, and we’ll tell you who should and shouldn’t purchase this GRE course.
Pros
- Adaptive practice questions that match the difficulty you need
- 162+ Quant Course guarantees high math score for those who struggle
- Competitive pricing for On Demand Course
- User interface of practice tests similar to real GRE
Cons
- Courses don’t include real ETS GRE practice tests
- You can’t confirm your teacher before enrolling in a course
- No published stats on teacher GRE scores
- Too much fine print on refund policies
About The Princeton Review GRE
The Princeton Review is a major player in the test prep industry and continues this legacy in the GRE prep scene by offering Live Online, In Person, & Self-Paced GRE courses as well as tutoring options for those requiring further attention.
The Princeton Review’s GRE prep courses make it in our top 5 GRE prep courses for this year and in this detailed review, we’re going to share with you some of the highlights of this course as well as real student testimonials. If you’re still on the fence about what course to take, read on to see our final verdict:
Course Pricing Options
GRE Quant 162+ Course
Price: $1,099
Summary: Guaranteed Quant score of 162 or more through 25 hours of live instruction spread across 10 weeks, 1-1 Personalized Study Manager, 3,600+ GRE exam-style questions, and 5 full-length practice tests. Still includes 4.5 hours of live online Verbal sessions, 50+ self-guided verbal instruction, & verbal practice tests as well as 180+ hours of online tools.
GRE Ultimate
Price: $1,099
Summary: 24 hours of live or live online instruction, meeting once weekly for 8 weeks or twice weekly for 4 weeks. As soon as you enroll, you gain access to the online tools with 180+ hours of content and 8 computer adaptive section exams. Once your actual live online or in person sessions begin, there is a 120-day window to finish using these products.
GRE Self Paced
Price: $399
Summary: On-demand course with 61+ online drills and lesson videos, 2,570+ practice questions, 8 computer-adaptive practice tests, and live online sessions for Math.
Tutoring Options:
GRE Private Tutoring
Price: $1,800 for 10 hours; $3,000 for 18 hours
Summary: One-on-one sessions that can be booked live online or in person that include a personalized study plan created by the tutor. Exceeds 55 total hours of intensive training and instruction.
Curriculum Review
The highlight to The Princeton Review GRE courses are the adaptive drills and practice tests that adjust to your current skill level. Dubbed DrillSmart, you work through a problem and, based on how you did, your next question will be at a more appropriate level. This is actually how the GRE operates, meaning you will never be spending time on questions that are far more difficult than you can perform.
The curriculum for the GRE Ultimate, their most comprehensive course offered online and in person, meets either once per week for 8 weeks or twice per week for 4 weeks. The GRE Ultimate in person and live online course operates around 5 main buckets: video-based lessons, adaptive drills, math fundamentals, practice tests, and interactive score reports:
Video-Based Lessons
All courses come with pre-recorded videos that teach concepts that you need to learn. Live online classes also come with instructor-led classes followed by concept-reinforcing drills & activities.
Adaptive Drills
Adaptive drills reinforce what you’re learning and still need to improve upon. These drills adapt to the level of difficulty that you need based on how you answered the previous question.
Math Fundamentals
All classes include Math Fundamentals, which are scheduled LiveOnline sessions to review core math concepts that can be found in your student portal.
Practice Tests
All courses come with at least 8 computer-adaptive practice tests that have the most similar user interface to the actual GRE. Although the practice tests are NOT real GRE practice questions, you at least get the feeling of working through what feels like a real GRE test on the computer.
Interactive Score Reports
You can sort through your score reports by factors including topic, question type, and time spent for each section. You’ll get a list of strengths and weaknesses and a new set of drills and content to work on next.
Related: 2,200 Free GRE Practice Questions You Need In your Prep
Platform
The platform for The Princeton Review’s GRE prep courses can be accessed through your Student Portal, which houses all of your coursework, practice tests, schedule, and resources all under one roof. This can be especially helpful for live online classes, as you will not need to use additional apps like Zoom in order to have your classes.
The live online classes themselves run on TPR’s platform and feature an interactive whiteboard for the classes as well as chat and audio. As mentioned, this feels more professional and comprehensive than hopping on a Zoom call for class.
As mentioned previously, a highlight of The Princeton Review is their user interface which does a great job mocking the real GRE. They utilize algorithms that essentially select the next question’s difficulty depending on how well you answered the previous question, so that you are never working on any questions that are too difficult or too easy. The interface has the same look and feel of the GRE, even the same colorful calculator. You can use their on-screen calculator during the practice tests just like you’d get for the real GRE. This calculator can perform 5 basic operations: addition, subtraction, multiplication, division and square root, and decimal function and positive/negative features.
Related: What’s a Good GRE Score? Find Out Here
Student Feedback
Student feedback can be one of the best ways to get unbiased information on a course. Here you can see a mix of reviews, showing how each student’s experiences can vary depending on the instructor they were given as well as their experience with technical support.
Customer service has never seemed to be a strong suit for the big commercial prep companies. Similar stories of hard-to-reach customer support have been shared about Kaplan as well as last-minute cancelled in person classes.
As mentioned, having a great teacher can make all the difference when booking your GRE prep course. We’d love if TPR added a feature to review and book specific teachers within their GRE course offerings to have a more active role in finding a perfect teacher.
Related: Get this Free GRE Study Plan [1-6 Months]
Who Needs This Course
Students that suffer or expect to suffer from test anxiety should take this course due to its nearly identical user interface that allows you to feel the GRE before actually taking it. The adaptive drills and GRE-simulated practice tests mean that you feel like you’ve already taken the GRE before going in on test day.
Beyond test anxiety, adaptive drills enable students to avoid any feelings of inadequacy or intimidation from questions that may be above their current testing level.
This course is not cheap and we do not recommend purchasing this course if you do not anticipate any struggles on the GRE. There are cheaper options out there for students who just need to review topics and get some practice in, such as Magoosh On Demand.
Refund Policy
It would be remiss of us not to mention the fine print of the GRE prep course refund policies, as each GRE course varies in how you determine eligibility for a refund or free repeat of the classes. For starters, for each of the GRE courses listed below, you, yourself, must have paid for the course in whole and not have received any payment from third parties such as schools or government. We break down each of the refund policies so that you know exactly what you are getting into and don’t find yourself upset by lack of understanding:
GRE 162+ Quant:
Higher Score or Your Money Back
Must attend all classes, taken all required practice tests, and completed all homework. Must take the test within 90 days of last class. Send official test scores and fill out this form that shows you did not receive a higher test score. You have 1 year from last class to request money back. Money back does not cover materials and shipping refund.
100% Satisfaction or Free Repeat of Course
Within 90 days of your last course session, call 1-800-2REVIEW or fill out the form here to arrange to repeat the program for free.
Ultimate GRE:
Higher Score or Your Money Back
Must attend all classes, taken all required practice tests, and completed all homework. Must take the test within 90 days of last class. Send official test scores and fill out this form that shows you did not receive a higher test score. You have 1 year from last class to request money back. Money back does not cover materials and shipping refund.
100% Satisfaction or Free Repeat of Course
Within 90 days of your last course session, call 1-800-2REVIEW or fill out the form here to arrange to repeat the program for free.
Self-Paced:
Higher Score or Your Money Back
Must have taken all 4 required practice tests. Must have taken the test within 90 days of last class. Send official test scores and fill out this form that shows you did not receive a higher score. You have 1 year from last class to request money back.
100% Satisfaction or Free Repeat of Course
Within 90 days of termination of Online Student Portal Access, call 1-800-2REVIEW or fill out the form here to arrange to repeat the program for free. If you repeat the course for free, you will no longer be eligible to request your money back.
Tutoring:
Higher Score or Your Money Back
Must have attended all tutoring sessions or classes, taken all required practice tests, and completed all homework. Must have taken the test within 90 days of last session. Send official test scores and fill out this form that shows you did not receive a higher score. You have 1 year from last tutoring session to request money back.
100% Satisfaction or Free Repeat of Course
Within 90 days of your last course session, call 1-800-2REVIEW or fill out the form here to arrange to repeat the program for free.
Course Discounts
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The Princeton Review GRE Prep
Get 15% off with code: TPN15
- Adaptive practice questions that match the difficulty you need
- 162+ Quant Course guarantees high math score for those who struggle
- Competitive pricing for On Demand Course
- User interface of practice tests similar to real GRE
- Courses don’t include real ETS GRE practice tests
- You can’t confirm your teacher before enrolling in a course
What’s Next
Just because we’re reviewing GRE prep courses does not mean that you need to enroll in a course that meets online or in person. Plenty of students have had great success with their own home study programs and have saved hundreds of dollars. Start with these GRE prep books to decide if this is the path for you.
