What is the best SAT prep course? This is a question every student looking to sit for the SAT exam asks themselves.
With a couple of prep courses on the market, each touting to be the best, it can get confusing to decide which to settle for.
In this article, we are going to round up a list of the best SAT prep courses that come highly recommended and are sure to give you the best bang for your buck.
Let’s dive right in.
Top Recommendations
Here’s a run-down of choices that have been tested and found to be worth their salt:
1. The Princeton Review SAT Prep
Having been in the game for over two decades, Princeton Review knows the ins and outs of college SAT preparation better than new entrants.
The company’s strongest selling point is in variety. They have something for everyone, whether you want to complete your course in 2 weeks or several months.
Some of the packages available to you include Self-paced, 1400, 1500, and the essentials course. These will give you access to live class hours, practice questions, practice tests, tutoring, and books.
Self-paced is Princeton’s most basic package for complete beginners. The plan is comprehensive and touches on all testable areas. However, this plan lacks the live class component.
The company also has a unique package called the SAT Essentials. The course has 18 hours of live video lessons, compressed to run for a minimum of 2 weeks.
Despite its compressed nature, Essentials has everything from lessons to practice questions and tests. If you are short on time, you should definitely check out that package.
The existence of several packages lets you narrow down to exactly what you need. This way, you can cut some costs. Should the package feel insufficient, the platform allows you to combine with others at an additional cost.
Princeton guarantees that by taking their course, you’ll score highly.
What if you don’t pass? Well, they’ll let you repeat the course for free. That sounds like a genuine deal, unlike those that promise your money back when they actually never do.
Pricing: Starts at $299
What we like about this course
- Expert-created video instructions that touch on every testable topic
- Provides full score reports on your strengths and weaknesses
- You can access content for a year
- Multiple questions and tests for practice drills
What we don’t like about this course
- Some of their advanced plans cost upwards of $1500 making themselves quite pricey to most students
2. Kaplan SAT Prep Review
Kaplan has become an unstoppable force because their content is a lot more structured and conservative. They focus more on ensuring students achieve the highest possible SAT scores.
The course is usually compared to Princeton Review, which is known for having a hefty bank of practice questions. However, their techniques are not that official.
And that’s where Kaplan shines. Their structure follows official SAT guidelines to ensure you find the course as relevant as possible.
Kaplan’s cheapest package is the On-Demand plan. For around $199, this plan has 50+ expertly-curated video instructions, 1000+ practice questions, and 8 Practice tests with a money-back guarantee.
Their live online package is fairly packed and well-detailed. It offers all the goodies in the On-Demand plan and adds on top 18 hours of Live instruction.
There’s more. On top of the course material, you also get a hard copy book to supplement your online SAT prep efforts.
If you want to begin from the bare-bone basics with proper and adequate hand-holding, you definitely should check out Kaplan’s Unlimited Prep plan. It dives deeper into SAT lessons by granting you 27+ hours of live instruction. However, it does come with a dear price tag.
If, after this and the rest of the SAT prep course reviews, you still find yourself on the fence, Kaplan offers a free trial class. You can take it and use it to judge the quality and structure of their content before fully committing.
Pricing: Starts at $199
What we like about this course
- Has been around for decades, which proves they do a stellar job of preparing students
- The videos are short and engaging
- A proven curriculum that adopts official SAT structure and standards
- Longer content access period
What we don’t like about this course
- They don’t have as many practice questions as Magoosh and Princeton Review
3. Magoosh SAT Prep Review
Magoosh is one of the most established SAT prep course providers. If you have more time to prepare and want a course that will give you the best bang for your buck, this right here is the one to go for.
The course’s self-guided program has extensive resources, including practice tests and questions. Despite being detailed, the lessons are bite-sized.
This makes it possible to learn some concepts in under 20 minutes. Shorter sessions also favor individuals with busy schedules.
The platform has a big bank of practice questions. For each question, there’s an explanation video that dives deep into the details and addresses possible pitfalls. The user interface is simple and fluid to allow students to focus their energy on content
Magoosh’s dashboard is one of the best. It displays video lessons in order, shows progress, and compares your performance against other students. If you get stuck, you can reach out to tutors for help.
A notable feature of Magoosh is its access period. They let you access content for up to 12 months. So, no matter how busy some months get, you never worry about losing accessibility to SAT learning resources.
Pricing: Starts at $129/annually
What we like about this course
- An extensive library of practice questions, tests, and course material
- Lessons are bite-sized for easier understanding
- A very generous access period
- One of the most affordable SAT prep courses
- Accessible online and on the app
- Simple and elegant user interface
What we don’t like about this course
- Doesn’t seem to have in-person attendance for students who don’t prefer a purely online course
4. PrepScholar SAT Review
PrepScholar was started in 2013 by Harvard students who got immaculate SAT scores. Ever since, the company has grown to attract multiple positive reviews on online platforms such as Facebook, Google, and Reddit.
Like some in this review, this course has a variety of plans for live tutoring, virtual self-paced classes to massively customizable on-demand programs. The self-paced course has an extensive 200 hours’ worth of video content, text lessons, and 10 practice lessons.
The platform boasts a smart diagnostic tool that watches your performance. If you are weak in math, it supplies easier math tests. If you are good at English, it increases the difficulty level to set you at the top of the game.
Perhaps the most outstanding feature of PrepScholar that is worth exploring is its practice question bank.
There are over 7,000 practice questions. That’s a lot, and if you manage to go through all of them, you can be near certain about acing your SAT test.
Pricing: starts at $33/month or $397/year
What we like about this course
- Personalizes each student’s learning journey
- Students have access to the course material for a year
- Students are passed through a diagnostic test to meet them at their point of need
What we don’t like about this course
- They don’t offer tips and strategies on how to approach certain topics/questions
- The immense volume of course materials can be overwhelming to get through
5. Prep Expert SAT Review
Prep Expert is a relatively new player in the game that caters to those who have weeks to the SAT exam. Both their live and self-paced content runs for either 6 or 8 weeks top.
Each weekend, before an exam, the course’s instructors take students through one final intensive course review. This review runs for a total of 12 hours, spread out through four 3-hours sessions.
Prep Expert employs skilled instructors, who break down content into short, easily digestible lessons. Each lesson features thorough explanations of problems and hacks on how best to handle problems.
This course’s price ranges between $1000 and $1500. That puts it on par with big players such as Kaplan.
Gladly, they have occasional discounts for all their packages, including the Weekend Review course, thus making them slightly affordable to many learners.
Pricing: starts at $999 for their popular 6-Week Flagship SAT Prep Course, and $499 for the Weekend Review Course
What we like about this course
- Comprehensive course material to successfully get one ready for an SAT exam
- Designed to run for less than two months
- Students can interact with instructors in real-time
- They have regular discounts for all their plans
What we don’t like about this course
- Might not be ideal for someone who wants to sink a little deeper into SAT
- There’s no visible money-back guarantee
6. Khan Academy SAT prep Review
If your principle is “why pay when you can get it for free,” then perhaps you want to look into Khan Academy’s SAT course.
It is entirely free. Before you ask, yes, despite costing nothing, the course is top grade as it’s made by college board professionals.
The course is a highly personalized program that includes comprehensive video lessons, 8 full-length practice tests, and thousands of practice questions They also offer study tips, strategies, and also performance reports for you to know how you are faring on.
Given that Khan Academy aims to boost your score by a mere 39 points, it is not sufficient to stand on its own. You would need to supplement with other materials to truly level up your SAT skills.
What we like about this course
- It’s free!
- Offers tips and strategies to ace the SAT exam
- A fairly big stock of practice questions
- Short and entertaining course videos
- You are guaranteed a 39-point increase
What we don’t like about this course
- It is not comprehensive enough to serve as the one and only SAT course
Things to Consider When Choosing The Best SAT Prep Courses
Here’s a list of core components you need to pay attention to while selecting a suitable SAT prep course:
I. Flexible Scheduling
If you are juggling many activities, you need to make sure the course you are going for is flexible and will adapt to your schedule. Thankfully, many SAT prep courses offer self-paced programs, so you can study at your own pace.
II. Different formats
SAT prep courses come in different formats. The common ones are live online sessions, self-paced tutorials, in-person instruction, and on-demand packages. Each format has its own pros and cons.
Some SAT programs offer personalized instruction. This package is usually designed to address an individual’s pain points.
If you’ve already sat for the SAT before and just want to bump your score a little, personalized instruction could be the way to go.
III. Course Material
At times, self-paced videos or even online classes are never enough to prepare one well for the SAT.
As such, try to prioritize companies that supply many materials like eBooks, flashcards, question banks, and other learning tools.
Simply put, the more the course material (don’t get overwhelmed, though!), the higher your chances of acing an exam.
IV. Length of the course
Before picking a course, you must find out how long it runs. You don’t want to select a course only to realize it runs for either a very long or extremely short duration.
Speaking of length, check out the content access period. Some programs remain accessible for weeks. Others, like Magoosh, let students access course materials for a whole year.
V. Expert instructors
Having the right tutors increases your chances of passing an exam. With many SAT prep courses on the market, it surely pays to ensure there are professionals behind every lesson.
Well-established companies like Magoosh, and Kaplan have a reputation to keep. As a result, they might go the extra mile to offer in-depth course material as well as top-quality in-person assistance.
VI. Pricing and plans
This is one of the areas where students err while buying SAT courses. Some settle for a cheap program, not minding the quality of the lessons. Others blow a lot of cash on completely drab courses.
To know if a course is expensive or not, check how much they charge for:
- Course material (including practice tests, books, etc.)
- Per hour sessions
- Instructor Expertise
There need to be several plans to allow you the flexibility to operate within your budget. Also, when it comes to pricing, having a money-back guarantee can come in very handy.
Wrapping Up
While there might be many on the market, the ones we’ve reviewed are some of the best SAT prep courses that come highly recommended by SAT experts & students.
But before jumping into any course, take a diagnostic test to know where you stand on SAT topics. Once you are through with a diagnostic test, pick a course that suits both your needs and budget.
That’s all for now- all the best!
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Are SAT prep courses worth it?
SAT prep courses are definitely worth it. With a solid course, then you increase your chances for a great SAT score.
And with a great SAT score, you will access more scholarships, and placement in college courses, and also enable you to learn more about your academic strengths.
Which prep course is best for SAT
There are many noteworthy courses for SAT students. However, the key contenders are Magoosh SAT prep, Princeton Review, Kaplan, PrepScholar, and Khan Academy SAT prep.
Is Princeton Review or Kaplan Better for SAT?
Both Princeton Review and Kaplan are outstanding choices with unique pros and cons. Princeton Review wins when it comes to a wide variety of plans as well as affordability.
But when it comes to the quality of the course, and general wide-market acceptability, Kaplan takes the spotlight.
Is Khan Academy enough to prepare for SAT?
Khan Academy is certainly one of the best ways to prep for the SAT. They have plenty of instructional tools and interactive resources and offer a personalized experience based on your previous performances.
However, according to some former SAT students, it doesn’t feel as comprehensive, especially if you need thorough SAT preparation.
Is 3 months enough to prepare for SAT?
3 months may or may not be enough time to study for the SAT. If you have the fundamentals and can spare 10-20 hours a week, then you can glide past course materials in under 3 months.
However, if you cannot dedicate enough study time or are a complete beginner, you’ll need more than 3 months.
How many times should you take SAT?
You can take the SAT as many times as you want. There is no limit. However, most students take it 2 times at the most.
If you have to take it more than twice, then make sure your performance is on an upward spiral to show colleges your hard work and commitment.
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