Use our reviews of the best SAT prep courses to compare different courses and find a course that fits your specific needs.
Our team went into these courses ourselves and took them like an actual student would. Read our expert reviews and honest takeaways below.
Our Picks
| Provider | Test-Guide Rating | Price | Exclusive Coupon | Practice Questions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Best For In-Depth Learning 94/100 |
$949 $649 |
- | 3,200+ |
|
Best for Streamlined Learning 92/100 |
$699 $489 |
Save 30% TESTGUIDE30 |
1,650+ |
|
Best Value 90/100 |
$129 $116 |
Save 10% TESTGUIDE1 |
1,750+ |
Best SAT Prep Course Reviews
Read an in-depth review of each online SAT prep course below. We have included a course overview, things we liked, things we did not like, pros, cons, and screenshots.
Princeton Review: Best for In-Depth Learning
TG Recommended
Course Overview (Digital SAT Essentials)
- Price: $649
- Subscription Length: 12 Months
- Free Trial: No
- Course Guarantee: Yes
- Practice Questions: 3,200+
- Practice Exams: 4
- Live Online Classroom Hours: 18
- Self-Paced Videos Included: Yes
- Books Included: Yes
Best For
- Students looking for a complete review of everything possible for the SAT.
- Students who like to learn in multiple ways (live classroom setting, self-paced online resources, and physical textbooks).
- Students looking for something updated for the DSAT.
Not Recommended For
- Students who may get easily overwhelmed with a ton of study resources.
- Students who want to learn at their own pace.
Princeton Review was our choice for best for in-depth learning. Their digital SAT essentials course is very thorough and includes everything you need to get a top score.
Princeton Review has a couple of different options to choose from. You will find 4 different options:
- Digital SAT Essentials – $649
- Digital SAT 1400+ – $1,849
- Digital SAT 1500+ Tutoring – $364 / Hour
- Digital SAT Private Tutoring – $ 175 / Hour
Each option has its own benefits, but the biggest difference between the Princeton Review SAT prep options is the guarantee that comes with the courses. For most students, the Digital SAT Essentials course will be your best bet.
There are 3 main ways you can learn when taking the Digital Essentials course:
- Live Online Classroom Hours – Includes 18 hours of live, online instruction.
- Self-Paced Online Resources – Includes videos, drills, practice problems, and more.
- Physical Textbooks – Includes 3 physical textbooks for you to use.
We really like the variety of ways in which you can learn. The Digital Essentials course offers something for everyone, which is why it was our choice for best for in-depth learning.
Having the ability to learn in a live, online setting is invaluable. Pairing that with the online resources and the physical textbooks, there is no reason you should not score well on the SAT after using this course.
An example of a self-paced lesson you will find within the course.
The course was just updated for the new DSAT. If you were not aware, the CollegeBoard recently updated the SAT. The exam is now fully digital and is referred to as the DSAT. Princeton Review updated their whole course and offerings to reflect this change. You can prepare with peace of mind knowing that this course is updated.
Updated exams and practice questions are great to test your knowledge. You will find 4 DSAT exams to practice with when using this course. In addition to those, you will find 3,200+ questions sprinkled in throughout the other resources provided to you.
An example of a practice exam you will find in your course.
You will have access to advanced analytics to help you narrow down problem areas. Being able to take practice exams is one thing, but having the ability to analyze those exams after-the-fact is awesome. Princeton Review gives all students the ability to access advanced score reports.
Students can use these score reports to figure out which areas they are struggling with. Students can then take this information and use it to study in a more efficient manner. This was one of our favorite features and something we think many students will find valuable.
An example of the advanced analytics report you will see after completing an exam.
You will have the Princeton Review guarantee. This guarantee differs, depending on what course you register for, but it is a solid offering across all their products. For the Digital Essentials course, you have a higher score guarantee and a 100% satisfaction guarantee.
You also get access to ACT prep resources. This is not talked about much. It is nice to have the option to review ACT materials. Some students may take the SAT and realize it is not for them. If this is the case, you can use this course to review for the ACT and you won’t have to go out and buy another course.
Princeton Review Pros and Cons
Pros
- Very In-Depth
- Multiple Ways to Learn
- Updated for the DSAT
Cons
- May Get Overwhelmed with Amount of Resources
- Relatively Expensive
Prep Expert: Best for Streamlined Learning
TG Recommended
Course Overview (Self-Paced Video Course)
- Price: $489
- Subscription Length: 12 Months
- Free Trial: Yes
- Course Guarantee: Yes
- Practice Questions: 1,650+
- Practice Exams: 11
- Live Online Classroom Hours: No
- Self-Paced Videos Included: Yes
- Books Included: Yes (PDF’s)
Best For
- Students looking for a streamlined and easy-to-follow course.
- Students looking to learn in a self-paced manner.
- Students looking to learn from an expert like Dr. Shaan Patel.
Not Recommended For
- Students who struggle learning in a self-paced environment.
- Students looking for a top tier user interface.
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Prep Expert was our choice for best for streamlined learning. Their SAT test prep is well-thought-out (especially the Self-Paced Video SAT Prep Course).
Prep Expert has a plethora of options you can choose from. You will find 4 different options:
- Self-Paced Video Course – $489
- 6-Week Flagship Course – $699
- 8-Week Capstone Course – $1,189
- Weekend Review Course – $419
The 6-week, 8-week, and weekend review courses all follow a live online learning format and have scheduled classes you will attend. The self-paced video course is 100% self-paced and can be completed on your own schedule.
We think the Self-Paced Video Course will suffice for 80% of students and that is the one we enrolled in for the purposes of this review.
Prep Expert is well-thought-out and is organized well. You can tell the Prep Expert team put a lot of thought into the structure of the course. It is very easy to follow and makes logical sense.
Students will learn primarily through video lectures. The lectures are broken down by chapter. Each chapter has specific topics that are reviewed.
Shaan Patel, the founder of Prep Expert, is the one teaching in these video lectures. He will be reviewing things like strategies, tips, and how to solve certain problems. He annotates and draws over the slides to help explain complex concepts or questions.
An example of one of the video lectures we followed while taking the course.
In addition to learning via the video lectures, you can also use the PDF textbooks. If reading is more your thing, you can use the PDF textbooks to supplement the video lectures. We were pleasantly surprised when we found these textbooks within the course. We did not expect to find these.
When it comes to practicing, you have 2 different options:
- Homework Assignments – These can be found under the “homework” tab. Students will find various homework assignments they can work on to practice what they have learned.
- Practice Tests – These can be found under the “practice tests” tab. These consist of full-length practice exams and should be completed in a timed environment to help simulate the actual exam.
After completing a practice exam, students can review their answers and even view answer explanations for every question. The answer explanations are in video format and are VERY helpful – this is one of our favorite features of the course.
An example of the score report you will see after taking a practice exam. Notice the little video icon you can click to see the answer explanation.
If you do decide to enroll in one of their live, online courses, you will be learning from a 99th percentile instructor. Prep Expert prides themselves on ensuring that their instructors are top-notch.
The live, online courses feel like an actual classroom, and you can rest easy knowing you are learning from a top-notch instructor. You can submit comments while the lecturing is happening in real-time, which is a nice feature.
An example of what a live, online class looks like at Prep Expert. Notice the right-hand sidebar where you can submit questions while the lecture is happening.
The user interface is a bit confusing at first. Our biggest issue with Prep Expert is the user interface. It is a bit confusing at first and takes some time to learn how to navigate around. However, this is a minor issue and should not deter anyone from enrolling if they feel Prep Expert is the best choice for them.
Prep Expert Pros and Cons
Pros
- Streamlined Course and Well-Thought Out
- Expert Instructors like Dr. Shaan Patel
- Video Answer Explanations
Cons
- User Interface is a Bit Confusing at First
Magoosh: Best Value
TG Recommended
Course Overview (Self-Paced Course)
- Price: $116
- Subscription Length: 12 Months
- Free Trial: Yes
- Course Guarantee: Yes
- Practice Questions: 1,750+
- Practice Exams: 3
- Live Online Classroom Hours: No
- Self-Paced Videos Included: Yes
- Books Included: No
Best For
- Students looking for an affordable option.
- Students looking for a score predictor.
- Students looking for assistance from SAT tutors while self-studying.
Not Recommended For
- Students who struggle learning in a self-paced environment.
- Students who want more than 3 practice exams.
Save 10% With Code: TESTGUIDE1
Magoosh was our choice for best value. Their course is available for $116, which is very hard to beat. For $116, and everything it includes, it was our choice for best value.
Magoosh keeps their offerings very simple. They have 2 options for you to choose from:
- Self-Paced – $116
- Guided Study – $374
For our purposes, we enrolled in the self-paced course. The two options have very similar offerings with the biggest difference being that the guided study course includes 16 hours of live online instruction.
Most of your learning will take place via the 200 video lessons. The video lessons are not the most engaging, but they get the core concepts across. They tend to be on the shorter side, which we liked.
There is a box on the right-hand side of the vide lectures that you can use to take notes if you wish. We did like how the lessons were transcribed below, so if you want to read the lesson instead, you can.
An example of what a lesson within the Magoosh course looks like.
Magoosh offers study plans for students to follow and help keep them on track. The study plans are not the most customizable, but they are helpful in keeping you on track. They provide some nice general guidance on how you should progress through the course.
The Magoosh dashboard and user interface is well-thought-out and easy to use. The interface is built with functionality in mind. It is not the flashiest thing, but it is very clean and easy to navigate. There is a simple navigation bar that leads students to the four sections of the course. You can easily return to your dashboard home as well.
The dashboard home is very cool as well. It tracks your progress as you go through the course. It also provides study suggestions based on data collected as you answer practice questions.
An example of what the student dashboard within the Magoosh course looks like.
There are 3 practice tests and 1,750+ practice questions within the course. We would have liked to see more practice exams, but 1,750 practice questions is a respectable amount. The questions are well written and align with the other SAT prep courses we reviewed.
One very cool feature of Magoosh is their custom quiz builder. Students can build their own quizzes and use filters like difficulty, category, and timing of questions to focus on weaker areas. Magoosh does offer video and written explanations for all their practice questions – this is great for both visual and reading learners.
An example of what the custom quiz builder looks like.
The Magoosh score predictor is an awesome feature. You can use this tool to gauge where you stand and have it help you earn a higher SAT score. The Magoosh software will take various data points from questions you have answered and estimate what you would score on the SAT if you were to take it at that very moment.
While this feature probably should not be trusted 100%, it is still a very cool feature and a great way to gauge where you stand.
An example of what the score predictor looks like.
If you need some extra help, you can email a Magoosh SAT tutor. This was an interesting feature that we do not see much of, especially with a course in this price range. You can send a message to someone on the Magoosh team, and they will get back to you with an answer. This is a nice fallback option to have if you really get stuck on something.
Magoosh Pros and Cons
Pros
- A Very Affordable Option
- A Clean and Easy to Use User Interface
- Video and Text Answer Explanations
Cons
- Only 3 Practice Exams
Other SAT Courses We Tested
Here is a summary of the reviews we conducted for other SAT prep course providers.
PrepScholar – PrepScholar is a solid option but fell just below the 3 providers we mentioned above. The online program includes 7,100+ practice questions and 10 practice exams – this was on the higher end of all the providers we looked at. They breakdown the SAT into specific skills, which allows you to know only the information you need to know. If the other providers above do not fit your needs, PrepScholar is a very solid choice.
Kaplan – Kaplan structures their self-paced course very similar to Princeton Review. However, we found that Princeton Review offered a better experience (in terms of learning and actual course). Kaplan includes 18 hours of live instruction paired with their 16 hours of on-demand lessons. We felt that Princeton Review offered a bit more value than Kaplan.
Khan Academy – Khan Academy is a great resource to start with. It is completely free and includes some good content to review. With that being said, the content is relatively high-level. We also found the interface to be very confusing and jarring. We found ourselves somewhat confused when working our way through the program.
SAT Course Comparison Table
| SAT Prep | Princeton Review | Prep Expert | Magoosh | PrepScholar | Kaplan |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rating | 94 | 92 | 90 | 86 | 73 |
| Best For | Best for In-Depth Learning | Best for Streamlined Learning | Best Value | ||
| One of Our Picks | TG Recommended | TG Recommended | TG Recommended | ||
| Pricing | $649 | $489 | $116 | ||
| Subscription Length | 12 Months | 12 Months | 12 Months | 12 Months | 6 Months |
| Free Trial | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Guarantee | Higher Score Guaranteed | Higher Score Guaranteed | +100 Points | +160 Points | Higher Score Guaranteed |
| Practice Questions | 3,200+ | 1,650+ | 1,750+ | 7,100+ | 1,000 |
| Practice Exams | 4 | 11 | 3 | 10 | 8 |
| Videos | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Study Plan | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Score Predictor | No | No | Yes | No | No |
| Learn More | GO! | GO! | GO! | GO! | GO! |
