By Tech Powered Dad | January 14, 2021
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In this post:
- Kaplan and Princeton Review Respond to Covid
- Kaplan vs. Princeton Review MCAT
- Kaplan vs. Princeton Review LSAT
- Kaplan vs. Princeton Review GRE / GMAT
- Kaplan vs. Princeton Review ACT / SAT
iPhone vs. Android. Marvel vs. DC. Joe Exotic vs Carole Baskine. These are the great debates of our age. Let’s add one debate to the list that echoes through the ages: Kaplan vs. Princeton Review. These two popular test prep services have been around for decades, and for years students have asked how big the differences are between Kaplan and Princeton Review on the MCAT and other tests? Is this a Coke vs. Pepsi comparison or Ford Fiesta vs. Lexus LS? I wanted to know myself, so I dug into the two popular test prep companies to compare them in several popular testing categories.
Kaplan vs. Princeton Review Winners:
- Best MCAT Review: Princeton Review
- Best LSAT Review: Kaplan
- Best GRE / GMAT Review: Princeton Review
- Best ACT / SAT Review: Princeton Review
Years ago, both of these services were founded to offer classroom services, which is just what it sounds like. A small class of students would meet at a location sponsored by Kaplan or Princeton Review to prep for the MCAT, and a trained teacher would lead the students in preparing them for their exam with lessons, practices tests, etc.
Today, they’ve both updated and modernized their course offerings substantially. While those original classroom offerings are still around, they have added live, online versions of their courses, meaning students can be part of a course happening at planned times with an actual live instructor. They just have to sign onto a computer to do it. This is a real advantage for students in more rural areas or on small college campuses that wouldn’t have the necessary number of students to attract a full Kaplan or Princeton Review prep course, particularly for the MCAT or LSAT, which don’t have the same number of test takers as high school tests like the SAT and ACT.
The other very popular option that you’ll find with these prep services now is a “self-paced” option. This means that you can sign on and off at your leisure, taking in instructional videos, practice questions and tests at on your own schedule. There’s no live instructor teaching material, but some students don’t care about that and are happy with on-demand materials. Depending on which package you choose, you may have the option to submit questions to be answered online by a test prep tutor as well.
One thing you’ll notice among these two testing titans is how in many ways, they are very similar. Kaplan’s ACT prep class is 18 hours long. Princeton Reviews is also 18. When Kaplan added a 16th practice test for their most popular MCAT prep courses this year so did Princeton Review. There are many commonalities like this. Since the two compete so strongly for the same students, it’s no coincidence. Additionally, when there are differences, it may be hard to tell who is offering a greater value. If one offers 25 hours of instructional video and another 280 instructional videos (and they don’t disclose exactly how long they are), which is better? Does it even matter how many hours of video they provide? If you are a student who is realistic enough about your prep to know you don’t plan on sitting through more than 10 hours of videos before jumping in on the practice questions, you are way more focused on the quality of the videos than the quantity.
One of the most obvious points of differentiation that has emerged over the last year or so is their score guarantees. Until recently, both Kaplan and Princeton Review had very similar score guarantees. Essentially both of them promised that after taking their prep, your score would improve. Recently, though, Princeton Review has started guaranteeing very specific scores that their student-customers will hit, such as a 31 on the ACT or a 510 on the MCAT. They don’t have this guarantee for every test yet, but it does offer some assurance as to the level of confidence they have in their ability to help work the system for their customers.
My advice? Each of my comparison charts below will point out some differences between these services. If you find the key difference that puts you over the top for one or the other, that’s great! If not, I’ve included a link to a sample video for each as well as a link to their upcoming free events. Both Kaplan and Princeton Review put these events on with no obligation whatsoever as a chance to “sample” of their classes for free. The classes are a significant investment. In most cases, you’re going to do well with either one, but if you’re on the fence, take the time to attend a free event to get comfortable with the prep service you are leaning towards.
Kaplan and Princeton Review Respond to Covid
Obviously, the biggest story of this year is Covid-19, and its effects go way beyond and standardized test you’ll be taking. However, it will likely impact your testing experience as each test provider has rolled out accommodations to the schedule and on/off site experience for testing. I’d highly recommend that whatever test you are considering, you keep monitoring the official response to Covid pages for your test. Kaplan and Princeton Review have provided links to those individual test response pages on their response to Covid pages (linked below).
As far as Kaplan and Princeton Review are concerned, they have also made accommodations. Princeton Review has been particularly aggressive in offering an “Enroll with Confidence” refund policy. There are a number of nuances, but among the details, this policy offers a lot of flexibility if testing circumstances changes. For example, if you haven’t actually started accessing the materials yet and need to cancel the class, you’ll receive a full refund. There are other parts of the Enroll with Confidence Policy that should offer some peace of mind, and I’d encourage you to read the full Princeton Review’s response to Covid FAQ page here.
Kaplan’s response is more about migrating their classroom environment to an online environment. While they don’t offer the same peace of mind guarantee as Princeton Review, they explain how to monitor the current status of Kaplan test prep courses and all tests that they prep students for. Kaplan’s response to Covid is available here.
Kaplan vs. Princeton Review MCAT
As you are probably aware, there are so many options for MCAT prep, even just among Kaplan and Princeton Review, that it is hard to compare the two. MCAT testing is just so crucial to the admission process that they’ve tried to make every conceivable option available to students. Princeton Review says that they offer 123 hours of classroom instruction in their classroom option. Kaplan says that they offer: “More live MCAT instruction than anyone else,” but neglect to post the number of hours, making the claim difficult to verify. Regardless, there are a lot of specialized choices here, including Kaplan’s bootcamps in easily accessible locations like San Diego and Atlanta.
The biggest differences between Kaplan and Princeton Review on the MCAT are:
- Princeton Review now offers the option to enroll in a 510+ score guarantee program.
- Princeton Review offers up to 11 prep books while Kaplan offers 7.
- Kaplan offers retreat-like bootcamps for an immersive experience. 2021 locations are Atlanta and San Diego as well as an online experience.
- Princeton Review offers a live online immersion experience with a 515+ score guarantee.
- Kaplan offers more incremental tutoring options of 10, 20, 30, or 40 hours, while Princeton Review offers 10 or 60 hours of tutoring.
So what is my choice for best MCAT Course, Princeton Review or Kaplan? This is a close call, and to some extent it depends on what you are looking for. Kaplan has some really high-end, “premium” options in terms of their tutoring and Intensive option, though Princeton Review has battled back with their new 515+ Immersion Program. However, for the most MCAT students, I’d go with Princeton Review on the basis of their additional subject area review books and their new available 510 score guarantee, a score that will be competitive for admission at many medical schools.
| Available Options* | Kaplan | Princeton Review |
|---|---|---|
| Live Instruction | Not published | 123 hours |
| Most Popular Option | In Person | MCAT 510+ |
| Premium Option | Bootcamp | 515+ Live Immersion |
| Practice Tests | 16 | 16 |
| Personalized Study Plan | Yes | Yes |
| On Demand Video Content | 540 hours | 500+ videos |
| Prep books | 7 books | 11 books |
| Score guarantee | Higher score | 510+ |
| Sample Video | YouTube | YouTube |
| Free Events | FREE | FREE |
| Pricing |  |
|
Click here to learn more about MCAT review with Princeton Review.
Read more in my review of the best MCAT prep courses.
* Not all options available with every package. Packages subject to change. See Kaplan or Princeton Review websites for current details. Numbers based on most common packages.
Kaplan vs. Princeton Review LSAT
If you’re getting ready for law school, there are actually some pretty noticeable differences between Princeton Review and Kaplan when it comes to the LSAT. They’ve made different choices about what to emphasize in terms of the amount of study materials they make available and their costs.
The biggest differences between Kaplan and Princeton Review for LSAT prep review are:
- Princeton Review’s most popular package offers 6 proctored exams, while Kaplan offers 3.
- Kaplan offers 3 hours of tutoring in their “Plus” packages, while Princeton Review requires a tutoring package for this.
- Kaplan offers LSAT test prep books with their online and in person LSAT prep courses.
- Princeton Review offers a 165+ guarantee while Kaplan offers a score increase guarantee.
So who has the best LSAT Course, Princeton Review or Kaplan? I’m giving the nod to Kaplan here for a couple of reasons. First, I really appreciate them including the additional tutoring and books in their prep packages. If you’re going to law school, you know how to study and will make good use of those extra resources.
| Available Options* | Kaplan | Princeton Review |
|---|---|---|
| Live Instruction | 32 hours | 84 hours |
| Premium Option | Tutoring | Tutoring |
| Most Popular Option | In Person | LSAT 165+ |
| Practice Tests | 3 | 6 |
| Personalized Study Plan | Yes | Yes |
| On Demand Video Content | 180+ hours | 35+ hours |
| Online Tutor Option | Requires additional purchase | Requires Tutoring Package |
| Prep books | “Set of books” | Requires additional purchase |
| Score guarantee | Higher score | 165+ |
| Sample Video | YouTube | YouTube |
| Free Events | FREE | FREE |
| Pricing | |
|
Click here to learn more about LSAT review with Kaplan.
* Not all options available with every package. Packages subject to change. See Kaplan or Princeton Review websites for current details. Numbers based on most common LSAT packages.
Kaplan vs. Princeton Review GRE / GMAT
Like the other tests, on the GRE / GMAT, you’ll see that these two have a lot in common. They offer almost the same number of practice tests, 180 hours of on demand video content, and a higher score guaranteed.
The biggest differences between Kaplan and Princeton Review on the GRE are:
- Princeton Review offers a 162+ score guarantee on the GRE Quant.
- Princeton Review’s course is 45 hours long compared to Kaplan’s 21 hours.
- Kaplan includes 3 hours of online tutoring with their Online Plus package.
- Princeton Review includes 3 test prep books with their 162+ GRE course.
So which is the best GRE Course, Princeton Review or Kaplan? Princeton Review has beefed up their options since the last time I reviewed these two. Specifically, I like their 162+ score guarantee option on the GRE Quant exam, something that I’d encourage anyone taking this exam to take advantage of. Princeton Review is my GRE winner.
| Available Options* | Kaplan | Princeton Review |
|---|---|---|
| Live Instruction | 21 hours | 45 hours |
| Premium Option | Tutoring Package | Private Tutoring |
| Most Popular Option | In Person | GRE Quant 162 + |
| Practice Tests | 7 | 8 |
| Personalized Study Plan | Yes | Yes |
| On Demand Video Content | 40+ hours | 53+ hours |
| Online Tutor Option | 3 hours w/Online Plus Package | Requires tutoring package |
| Prep books | Books included, number not disclosed | 3 books |
| Score guarantee | Higher score | 162+ on Quant w/correct package |
| Sample Video | YouTube | YouTube |
| Free Events | FREE | FREE |
| Pricing | |
|
Click here to learn more about GRE / GMAT review with Princeton Review.
* Not all options available with every package. Packages subject to change. See Kaplan or Princeton Review websites for current details. Numbers based on most common GRE packages and differ slightly from GMAT packages.
Kaplan vs. Princeton Review ACT/SAT
The Kaplan and Princeton Review’s ACT and SAT courses are very similar in terms of their structure and options. Both courses run for 18 hours in the classroom. Both have a live online option that’s similar to the classroom option. Both include a lot of proctored tests, which is good for high school students facing their first “high stakes” tests.
Here are a few key differences I would point out:
- Princeton Review offers a couple of additional hours of tutoring with their Self Paced Plus Package compared to Kaplan’s.
- Kaplan includes their prep books with both their live and self-paced classes. Princeton Review only includes them with their live courses.
- Princeton Review has a really generous score guarantee. On the SAT a 1240 or higher is guaranteed for all students. A 1400 or higher is guaranteed for any student that has previously scored at least a 1160. On the ACT, a 26 or higher is guaranteed to all students. A 31 or higher is guaranteed to all students that has previously scored at least a 28. These numbers are going to be good enough for most students to get into the college of their choice.
- Princeton Review has a new ACT 34+ and SAT 1500+ private tutoring guarantee programs. You read that right.
So what’s the best ACT / SAT course, Princeton Review or Kaplan? In this matchup, I’m giving Princeton Review the nod due to their faith in their program via the score guarantees and the additional hours of tutoring that they offer. If you really need a score boost, I’ve never seen anything like the new ACT 34+ / SAT 1500+ guarantee. When you read the fine print, you will see that they are guaranteeing those scores or a whopping 5 point ACT increase or 200 point SAT increase. It’s a pricey program, but if you need the improvement, it may be worth it.
| Available Options* | Kaplan | Princeton Review |
|---|---|---|
| Live Instruction | 16 Hours | 36 Hours |
| Premium Option | Tutoring Package | 34+ ACT Private Tutoring 1500+ SAT Private Tutoring |
| Most Popular Option | Live Online | 1400+ SAT Course 31+ ACT Course |
| Total Practice Tests | 5 | ACT 31+/SAT 1400+ include 4 proctored + 20 additional practice tests |
| Proctored Tests | Classroom | Classroom or Online |
| Personalized Study Plan | Yes | Yes |
| Prep Books | ACT includes prep e-book, SAT includes 4 prep books | Yes, for both ACT and SAT prep courses, number not disclosed |
| Online Tutor Option | 6 hours w/Unlimited Prep w/Coaching Package |
ACT 31+/SAT 1400+ include 24⁄7 on demand tutoring |
| Score Guarantee | Higher score | 1400+/1240+ 31+/26+ (with correct package) |
| Sample Video | YouTube | YouTube |
| Free Events | FREE | FREE |
| Pricing | |
|
Click here to learn more about ACT / SAT review with Princeton Review.
* Not all options available with every package. Packages subject to change. See Kaplan or Princeton Review websites for current details. Numbers based on most common ACT packages and differ slightly from SAT packages.