By Tech Powered Dad | March 22, 2020
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Princeton Review online tutors can answer questions in real time right in the browser.
What is Princeton Review?
Princeton Review is a company specializing in college admission services, such as test prep classes, tutoring, online courses, and books. The were founded in 1981 by a new college grad who started teaching SAT prep to students in New York City. While they offer test prep for a variety of tests including graduate exams like the GRE, they are best known for preparing students for the ACT and SAT tests and their annual rankings of colleges.
The Princeton Review dashboard tracks student progress.
Why Choose Princeton Review for ACT / SAT Prep?
The reason to choose Princeton Review is the same reason you choose a Lexus. The premium test prep experience is more important to your family than saving a few dollars with a budget alternative. These guys understand the college admissions game inside and out, and they know how unbelievably competitive it has gotten. They’ve spent several decades perfecting their process for preparing students to compete for spots at elite schools via their trained instructors, classes, and books. They’ve earned their reputation as one of the best ACT / SAT prep services.
If you have any doubts as to their passion, watch Paul Kanarek, co-founder and former SVP of Princeton Review practically preaching to parents a few years ago in California. He oozes passion about guiding students through the admission process in elite colleges in California and around the country with Princeton Review test prep.
Does Princeton Review Offer a Score Guarantee for the ACT and SAT?
Princeton Review does offer a score increase guarantee for all of their ACT and SAT programs described above. If your child’s score does not increase, you’d be eligible for a refund or to repeat the prep review course. I’d recommend reading the fine print on the guarantee, and I’d encourage you to do so.
Recently, Princeton Review has offered a very aggressive score guarantee on certain ACT and SAT Prep classes:
ACT Guarantee
- 31+ Students who have previously scored at least a 26 on the ACT are guaranteed a 31 or better or their money back.
SAT Guarantee
- 1400+ Students who have previously scored at least an 1200 on the SAT and take this class are guaranteed a 1400 or better or their money back.
- 1500+ All students who take this class are guaranteed a 1400 on the SAT or better or their money back.
These guarantees only apply to certain classes, but they are some of the best score guarantees in the test prep industry. It speaks highly of Princeton Review that they are willing to stand behind their classes this way. Read on to learn more about which classes offer these guarantees.
What Types of ACT / SAT Review Does Princeton Review Offer?
Princeton Review has a full lineup of ACT and SAT prep options for whatever your family’s needs are. On one extreme, you can choose private tutoring, on the other an online only option. Here’s a list of some of their more popular options.
- 1400+ Guaranteed for the SAT if your child has previously score at least 1200, 1500+ if they scored at least 1400
- 31+ Guaranteed for the ACT if your child has previously scored at least 26
- 4 proctored exams
- 10 additional exams
- Review books, and many on-demand materials
- An expert instructor to help the students prepare
- Offers 18 hours of classroom instruction by a test prep expert
- Can be taken in person or online
- ACT Ultimate includes self-paced SAT course
- SAT Ultimate includes self-paced ACT course
- 3 proctored practice tests
- Numerous additional practice tests available online
- Customized practice recommendations
- 3 our 10 hours of private tutoring for the ACT or SAT
- Available in person or online
- Includes ACT/SAT Self-Paced Program
- Includes practice tests
- 2000+ questions
- Princeton Review’s most personalized program
Which Princeton ACT / SAT Prep Course?
Without a doubt, for most students, the new score guarantee classes are the way to go. The scores that Princeton Review guarantees are good enough to get into most colleges. The bump from 1400 to 1500+ is a really impressive one, so if your child is eligible for that, definitely take advantage of it. These classes come with great resources too, which is how Princeton Review is able to help students make these jumps. A course instructor, many practice exams, tons of on-demand resources and more. I’d push most students towards the 1400+/1500+ class for the SAT and the 31+ class for the ACT.
On the other hand, if you are on a budget, take a look at the Ultimate course. While it doesn’t offer quite the same score guarantee as the 1400+ and 31+ courses, it’s a very solid course for an affordable price. Also, if you enroll early, your child can start taking advantage of all the on demand materials immediately. This means if you enroll in a spring session in October, it’s like you get access to the course materials for an extra 6-months for free!
Click here to start improving your ACT score with the 31+ program or click here to start improving your SAT score with the 1400+ SAT program.
What is Princeton Review’s Online Experience Like?
Depending on which option you choose, you’ll very likely get access to Princeton Review’s online portal. This allows the student to track their progress, view online video lessons, take practice tests, or interact with online tutors. This short clip demos the online experience.
Is Princeton Review Worth the Money?
Princeton Review knows their market. They are going after the California family who’s trying to navigate the ultra-competitive state school system. They want the family who’s looking for a spot in an Ivy League school and knows there’s no margin for error on the SAT. They are for the family that is looking to turn a few extra points on the ACT into thousands of dollars in scholarships. They know that even the elite state schools around the country are now able to cherry pick the best students and a great test score is the minimum to get in the game. If you are really serious about the test prep process, they have a proven history of improving student scores, and their new guaranteed score classes are among the most competitive in the industry.
Click to learn more about Princeton Review’s guaranteed 31+ ACT score or their guaranteed 1400+ SAT score.
Please note that some links on this site are affiliate links, meaning a percentage of your purchase will support my work at Tech Powered Math at no additional cost to you. Thanks for your support!