Studying with the best PSAT prep courses is a win-win when it comes to getting ready to take college admissions tests (like the SAT) as well as a chance to potentially earn a National Merit Scholarship!
How We Evaluated the Best PSAT Prep Courses
We looked at 4 major categories when evaluating the best online PSAT prep courses. These categories were: Curriculum, Pricing, Platform, and Real Student Feedback. After seeing how each course ranks in these categories as well as reading our short PSAT prep reviews, we think you’ll have all the knowledge necessary to make a great decision for your prep!
Prefer a home study program instead? Start with these PSAT prep books.
3 Best PSAT Prep Course Reviews
| 1. Prep Scholar – Best Overall 2. Princeton Review – Best Live Online 3. Kaplan – Best Value |
Prep Scholar
Prep Scholar’s PSAT course is only offered in an on-demand format with the option of adding on 1-on-1 tutoring for an additional cost. It’s a substantial program – 98 skill lessons, 4,000+ practice questions and 150+ hours of content, with about 40 hours of study recommended before test day. Here’s how the early part of it runs:
First hour: Take a smart diagnostic test
This smart diagnostic test can be taken the first day of signing up for the course and will immediately pinpoint your strengths and weaknesses.
Skill training lessons
There are 98 skill lessons covering 45 fine-grained skills, each built from a text and video lesson, a focused practice quiz and a quiz review. Progressing from one lesson to the next depends on proving you’ve absorbed the concepts.
Take a full-length practice test
You’ll work through an official full-length PSAT practice test – the course includes 6 of them, and the interface mirrors the College Board’s Bluebook app.
Continue customized prep
You’ll continue a customized study plan with additional lessons and practice tests until your test date.
PrepScholar backs the course with a 150-point score guarantee – miss it after completing the program and they refund the course. That’s a promise rather than an average result, but it’s a more specific commitment than anyone else on this list makes.
This is the best PSAT prep course for: Students who are seeking a National Merit Scholarship and would like to see a significant score increase.
A year's access to a customizable study plan with over 210 hours of content and a 150+ point score guarantee.
Related: The 5 PSAT Study Guides You Need in Your Prep
Princeton Review PSAT Essentials Course
Their PSAT Essentials course costs $799, which is $300 more than Kaplan’s live class, but it comes with 18 hours of live online instruction. That’s why it’s our top pick for students who want a live online classroom.
Like the other PSAT prep courses in this list, you will gain access to study tools such as practice tests with detailed explanations, smart reports of test performance, and the ability to practice on your weaknesses using information gathered from past test performance.
The live online course comes with a higher score guarantee, which can be a bit of a relief for students who are nervous to spend such a large amount on a single PSAT prep course.
The Princeton Review also offers college admissions consulting for students who are looking for a bit of extra guidance on the application process. You can learn more in our review of the best college admissions consultants.
This is the best PSAT prep course for: Students who prefer a live online classroom setting.
Includes 18 hours of live instruction and 5 full-length practice tests. Get 15% off with code: TPN15
- Handy and unique flashcard creation tool
- Leading, popular test prep company
- Live instruction from certified PSAT experts
- Higher score guarantee
- No physical books with online course
- No self-paced option available
Kaplan PSAT Prep
Kaplan has split its PSAT prep into a free tier and a paid one. The on-demand course now costs nothing: video lessons on the highest-yield topics, 8 topic quizzes and Kaplan’s strategy review. The paid option is Live Online at $499, which makes Kaplan the cheapest live class on this list by $300.
The free course is a genuinely useful place to start, but know what it leaves out: Kaplan doesn’t list any full-length practice tests in it. Pair it with the free adaptive tests in College Board’s Bluebook app, which come from the people who write the PSAT (I’ve listed every one in our PSAT practice tests guide).
Live Online adds classes taught by two or more teachers, with a private chat during class so you can ask a question and get an answer there and then rather than emailing and waiting. You also get 25 topic quizzes, 2 full-length adaptive practice tests, a Digital PSAT Practice Book, and everything in the free course. You can also pay from $42 a month through Affirm.
If you want one-on-one help, Live Online Plus is $799 and adds 3 hours of private tutoring. Tutoring on its own starts at $399, in 3-, 10- and 20-hour packages, and 10 hours or more comes with full access to Live Online and the on-demand course.
If you’re going to sit the SAT or ACT afterward, price up the bundle before buying PSAT prep on its own. Kaplan College Advantage starts at $650 and covers SAT and ACT prep, with PSAT courses available as an add-on.
This is the best PSAT prep course for: Students who want live classes for less than Princeton Review charges, or who’d rather start with free prep and only pay if they need more.
Live classes taught by two or more PSAT teachers, plus Kaplan's on-demand video lessons, 25 topic quizzes, a Digital PSAT Practice Book and 2 full-length adaptive practice tests. Not ready to pay? Kaplan's on-demand PSAT course is free.
Breakdown of Best PSAT Course by Category
We have spent a lot of time reviewing popular courses and wanted to give you a chance to see how we rank them based on the following 4 factors: curriculum, pricing, platform, and student feedback. Read on to see our thoughts for each:
Best PSAT Course by Curriculum
It doesn’t matter what bells and whistles a prep course tries to sell you on if their curriculum isn’t up to snuff. All three of these courses have curriculum that meets our standards, though to varying degrees. Each of these courses come with different amounts of instruction hours, practice tests, practice questions, and study plans.
Prep Scholar
5/5 stars
This course is loaded with 150+ hours of content, 4,000+ practice questions written for the Digital PSAT, 6 official practice tests and customizable practice sets. They receive a 5 out of 5 for their study plan.
Princeton Review
5/5 stars
As expected by The Princeton Review, you’ll gain access to a comprehensive curriculum that includes 18 hours of live online instruction as well as access to over 2,000 questions with full explanations.
Kaplan
5/5 stars
Live Online comes with video lessons, 25 topic quizzes, 2 full-length adaptive practice tests and a Digital PSAT Practice Book. The free on-demand course has the lessons and 8 quizzes but no full-length tests. It’s the thinnest curriculum of the three, but it’s also the cheapest by some way.
Best PSAT Course by Pricing
We rate these courses by their cost, but keep in mind that some courses do come with greater value. PSAT prep, overall, is quite expensive when you consider that the test is helping to prepare you for the SAT, in which you’ll still need to prep for.
If these prices are going to put you over the edge with future SAT prep courses added in the mix, then we recommend a course that prepares you for the PSAT and the SAT. The Princeton Review and Kaplan both offer these hybrid courses and may be worth looking into.
Prep Scholar
3/5 stars
At $397, PrepScholar is the priciest self-paced option here and includes no live instruction at all. You’re paying for depth of material rather than time with a teacher.
Princeton Review
5/5 stars
Although $799 is nothing to scoff at, this is for a live online course. It’s $300 more than Kaplan’s live class, but you get 18 hours of live instruction for it.
Kaplan
5/5 stars
Kaplan is the cheapest option on this list: its on-demand PSAT course is free, and Live Online is $499. If you’ll be sitting the SAT later, its College Advantage bundle (from $650) is worth pricing up too.
Best PSAT Course by Platform
Our #1 tip for choosing a prep course with a great and intuitive platform is to try whatever trial option is available for the course. At the end of the day, you may prefer the layout and feel of one course over another or enjoy some other features that you weren’t expecting, such as the analytics, customizable practice sets, or simply just the ease of switching from one task to another.
If you do not have time to try a trial course of all of these PSAT prep courses, then you can see our platform reviews here:
Prep Scholar
4/5 stars
Their platform has a lot of features and is powerful, but it feels a bit outdated.
Princeton Review
5/5 stars
All of TPR’s courses come in an easy-to-use dashboard that even your parents could navigate.
Kaplan
5/5 stars
Kaplan has a clean, intuitive platform that is comprehensive and easy to use.
Best PSAT Course by Student Feedback
Prep Scholar
5/5 stars
For being a bit less relevant in the test prep industry, Prep Scholar actually has a lot of credibility for its prep courses and most Reddit mentions describe increased scores.
Princeton Review
4/5 stars
Student feedback for the Princeton Review’s PSAT course is positive overall, but students do note that the practice tests on the Princeton Review are harder than the real PSAT.
Kaplan
5/5 stars
Most students agree that the content covered is very similar to the PSAT and diagnostic test scores are generally close to what they score on the real PSAT.
Best PSAT Prep Course FAQ
What is the best PSAT course?
Our top choice, overall, is the Prep Scholar PSAT prep course. You’ll get a year’s access of affordable and personalized PSAT prep.
How much does a PSAT course cost?
Self-paced PSAT prep runs from free (Kaplan’s on-demand course) to $397 for PrepScholar. Live classes cost more: $499 for Kaplan Live Online and $799 for Princeton Review’s PSAT Essentials. One-on-one tutoring starts at $399 with Kaplan.
When should I start preparing for the PSAT?
The majority of students will take the PSAT in either the fall of their sophomore or junior year and use the summer before the test to prep for the PSAT.
Do I need a PSAT prep course?
You should be utilizing a PSAT prep plan, whether that is with a PSAT prep course or a PSAT book to guide your study plan.
Are PSAT prep classes worth it?
For those who hope to earn a scholarship with the PSAT or who plan on taking and prepping for the SAT, then taking PSAT prep classes are definitely worth the investment. You can find free courses, as well, including from Khan Academy.
Is the PSAT harder than the SAT?
The PSAT is actually a little easier than the SAT, objectively, but it may seem harder for students who have spent less time preparing for the PSAT versus those who prepare extensively for the SAT.
Bottomline on the Best PSAT Prep Courses
Regardless of the PSAT prep course you ultimately purchase, all of these courses will cover the PSAT comprehensively and, when combined with consistent practice and study on your end, should get you to the PSAT score you desire! Happy studying!
Have you tried one of these PSAT prep courses? Share your thoughts below!