There are GMAT test prep courses available to suit a variety of budgets, learning styles and study timescales. Finding the one best suited to you could help you to maximize your GMAT score. Whether you are just beginning your GMAT journey or aiming to improve your previous GMAT score, this article outlines the best GMAT Test Prep courses.
The Best GMAT Prep Courses
ExamPAL’s most popular plan is its Premium plan, which costs $699. The plan includes all lessons, training materials, four essay reviews, twelve verbal quizzes, two private sessions with a tutor, and four official GMAT practice tests. You can also go for a Genius plan for $989 and receive two additional private sessions with a tutor, two expert assessments, and two more GMAT practice tests. If you are limited examPAL’s, Essential Course covers all required basics for just $449 and 60 days access.
Premium (Math, Verbal, IR and AWA) – 1 year – $249 (+50 total score guarantee, a minimum of 2 practice tests, score predictor) Math & IR Only – 1 year – $219 (+3 math score guarantee)
For tutor support, Magoosh also offers the following option:
Tutoring + Premium – 1 year – $799 – Includes six hours of tutoring in addition to the Premium features outlined above. You will also receive 1:1 guidance and video-chat support.
For Premium users, there are 1,300 practice questions available – this is limited in comparison to some of the other GMAT preparation courses. However, there are video and text explanations available for every question, enabling you to gain a better level of understanding.
27 hours of live teaching from skilled instructors On-demand lesson recordings 10 computer-adaptive practice exams
The Princeton Review uses technology that simulates the GMAT exam for its practice tests, so users will get a good idea of what the test will feel like in real life. If you’re willing to take responsibility for your own studies, GMAT Self-Paced ($149) is a good value option. This includes:
A one-hour discussion session with a GMAT expert On-demand video access to adaptive lessons Support from a GMAT expert, if you need it Access to the GMAC Official Guide e-book
The Comprehensive Self-Paced Course ($499) covers quantitative, verbal and integrated reasoning. Students have access to:
10 practice tests Over 100 video lessons 10.5 hours of live Q&A Support from a 1:1 personal tutor
If you only want to focus on one area of the GMAT, there are individual quantitative, verbal and integrated reasoning options available from The Princeton Review for $299 or less.
Manhattan Prep is selective when it comes to hiring teachers, with just 11 new recruits during 2019. Instructors include curriculum authors as well as graduates from Ivy League MBA and PhD programs. User reviews are consistently high and there are several different GMAT study options to suit a range of timelines, learning styles and budgets. Instructor-Led:
GMAT Boot Camps (from $2,699) – This intensive preparation package delivers 35 hours of in-person or online GMAT instruction in a maximum timeframe of three weeks. Live GMAT Course (from $1,399) – Best suited to those with at least two months preparation time available before their test date, this package offers 27 hours of live instruction (face-to-face or online). It also includes six full-length practice GMAT exams. GMAT Advanced Course (from $1,199) – If you have achieved a GMAT score of 650 but still want to improve further, this course will help you master the most challenging GMAT content. It offers 15 hours of live instruction over five sessions. GMAT Interact™ + Coaching (from $1,399) – Includes all learning resources and books available from Manhattan Prep, more than 35 interactive on-demand video classes and customized coaching tailored to your study needs.
Self-Guided:
This is a great way to help calm pre-exam nerves and stress, because you’ll know exactly what to expect on the day of your GMAT. Kaplan also offers students the opportunity to speak to an instructor for free if they have a query. All Kaplan GMAT prep courses include support from tutors who scored in the 90th percentile, as well as over 5,000 online practice resources and GMAT study books. If you’re looking for a classroom-based option, Kaplan offers an in-person GMAT course in central London (from $1,365). The online course ($790) will provide access to live-stream classes and workshops, as well as on-demand resources. For a bespoke preparation experience, choose the Private Tutoring package ($2,207) which includes 1:1 personalized instruction (face-to-face or online). Like many other GMAT prep providers, Kaplan promises a full refund if you don’t score higher on your GMAT, although it doesn’t offer a minimum point improvement.
Its Completely Customized Online GMAT Prep package costs $399 and is tailored to your individual needs. You’ll start by taking a diagnostic assessment to identify your strengths and weaknesses, the results of which will be used by PrepScholar’s algorithm to design a unique curriculum and study program. You’ll have four months access to over 100 hours of video content, 1,200 practice questions with clearly explained answers, 10 strategy lessons, 30 skills lessons and four computer adaptive practice tests. You can also opt for the Self-Guided Online GMAT Prep course, which offers 800 practice questions and answers, 30 skills lessons and five strategy lessons over a three month period for $249. This also starts with a diagnostic assessment, but you won’t get the personalized study plan. For a more basic aid, PrepScholar’s Resource Pool Online GMAT Prep gives you two months access to 600 practice questions and 30 skills lessons for $99. PrepScholar offers a ‘Double Guarantee’, which gives you five days to cancel your course for free, and a full refund if your score doesn’t improve by 60 points or above, although the latter only applies to students taking the Completely Customized Online GMAT Prep course. There are also tutoring packages available with expert teachers all from the 99th percentile. These range from $799 to $3,399 and all include a set number of tutoring hours and a period of access to the Completely Customized Online GMAT Prep course.
If you purchase the quants course, you will get complimentary access to the verbal course. There are three price plans available, all offering a full refund if your GMAT score does not improve. All plans include:
Over 500 lessons More than 3,000 GMAT practice problems Hundreds of HD videos A learning analytics system to track your progress Live support
At the end of each course chapter, students work through a range of easy, medium and difficult problems, allowing them to fully master the chapter content before moving on. TargetTestPrep tutors are always on hand to answer your questions or give guidance via online chat and email. A very useful feature for GMAT students. The three plans are: You can access a five-day trial for just $1. Although TargetTestPrep provides plenty of practice problems, the packages don’t include any practice exams so you’ll need to source these elsewhere. Additionally, TargetTestPrep is not currently supported via a mobile app.
The GMAT Online course ($349) offers a personalized study plan and six-months online access to the verbal and quant courses. This includes:
Over 90 hours of verbal video lessons Over 70 hours of quant video lessons More than 2,200 learning and exercise questions
For an additional cost, you can gain access to a range of mock tests. e-GMAT promises students a 7-day money-back guarantee, with no questions asked. To preview the resources before making any financial commitment, you can register with e-GMAT to gain access to 25 free video lessons, 200 practice questions and a selection of live webinars.
If you originally scored 200 to 580, there is a 100-point improvement guarantee If you scored between 590 and 640, there is a 70-point improvement guarantee If you scored 650 or higher, it guarantees any improvement to your score
If you do not improve your score within these parameters, you will be entitled to a full refund. To incentivize you further, if you improve your score by 100+ points, EMPOWERgmat will award you with one hour of professional admissions consulting (worth $250). In addition to the above, if you are unhappy with your GMAT score and decide to cancel the course, EMPOWERgmat will honor another month of free practice. The full GMAT training package is $99 per month (with the option to try the course for free for 24 hours). This package gives access to:
The full GMAT training course Expert-led video coaching sessions A learning plan to suit your study timescale Email support from an EMPOWERgmat Advisor
For a more comprehensive option, choose the full GMAT training package for three months ($349), which includes four GMAT Prep® Exams and access to the GMAT Club Quiz Bank featuring over 1,700 test questions.
It guarantees a 50-point improvement to your test score but says its students improve their GMAT score by an average of 140 points. Made for ambitious students planning on applying to the world’s most prestigious universities, Veritas Prep offers self-study, live classes and private tutoring packages. All options provide access to:
More than 5,000 practice questions HD video lessons (on-demand or via live streaming) 12 months’ access to online resources An admissions consultation
The cheapest option is Self-Study ($699). If you have a bigger budget, the Live Class option ($1,450) includes a 36-hour course over six weeks. And if you feel you would benefit from 1:1 instruction, choose the Private Tutoring option ($2,650) which includes both the 36-hour course and 1:1 instruction, either in-person or online.
The free 300-page GMAT course covers the math and verbal sections of the GMAT. Designed in bite-size blocks, users can skip over any parts they already feel confident with and focus closely on the areas they are less skillful in. In addition to the written information, there are also more than 100 instructional videos available. All learning materials are complemented by graphics, animations and visual resources, which will help you understand some of the more complicated GMAT questions. The free course gives access to more than 200 GMAT-style test questions (half are official GMAT questions and the other half are simulations). Some of the questions are accompanied by video explanations, allowing students to gain a full understanding of the answer to more complex questions. 800score.com offers a sample quantitative test for free, but you can also choose to buy five GMAT computer-adaptive tests (including math, verbal, essay and integrated reasoning) for $24.95. Alongside the free course, 800score.com offers a host of live courses in major US cities.
If you find it difficult to find the motivation to study, you may benefit from choosing a course that you will need to attend in person, rather than an online-only prep course. If you are looking to make a significant improvement to your test score, you may wish to choose a course that offers a guaranteed improvement to your points total. Whichever course you choose, remember to take advantage of any free or low-price trial periods on offer. This will allow you to sample the course materials and check you are happy with the course content and format before making a significant financial commitment.
