You are probably wondering where you have heard the name before. If that’s the case, then The Economist is the famous weekly international newspaper publisher that, back in 2016, stepped into the world of online test prep by releasing their online GRE and GMAT courses.

I have already reviewed their GRE course, and so today, I will be taking a look at what their GMAT course has to offer. At a glance, they appear to make bold claims, which are typical of any test prep company so let’s take a closer look and see what their GMAT course offers.

What is The Economist GMAT Tutor?

The Economist’s online GMAT course goes by the name “GMAT Tutor.” In essence, the GMAT Tutor is an interactive online learning course that offers video lessons, practice questions, full-length practice tests, and other tools to prepare you for your GMAT exam.

Depending on which plan you opt for, you also have the option to consult a GMAT expert in a one-on-one live session.

ExamPal User-Interface

As far as functionality is concerned, the crux, of course, lies in their online digital platform called “examPal.” When you log in to your account, the first screen you will see displays all the different topics in a neat graphics-oriented map; a circular icon represents each topic. When you click on a given topic, you are taken to the video lessons corresponding to that topic.

The video lessons comprise of an introduction that can range from 20 to 40 minutes long. Following the introduction, you get the main video lesson that can be up to 40 minutes long, depending on the topic’s complexity.

At the end of each topic, around 30 practice questions test you on what you have just learned. You have the option to view the solution to a problem either directly, or you can answer first, and if you get it wrong, a detailed answer explanation will be displayed.

Adaptive Learning

The Economist GMAT Tutor is adaptive, which means that it uses smart AI to assess your performance as you answer questions and then adapts its difficulty to your skill level depending on whether you answer the questions correctly on incorrectly.

Moreover, when you first log-in to your account, you are asked what your goal score is and how many days until your test day. Depending on your answers, the AI will plan out the most optimal study plan for you to not waste time on needless lessons if your test is just around the corner. However, if you have ample time in-between your test day and the starting day of your course, then no detail will be spared.

Video lessons

I have to say I am not particularly impressed with the quality of video lessons that the GMAT Tutor offers. The video lessons are just too long; you sit through the classes for as long as an hour and a voice-over explains different topics. Unlike Manhattan’s Prep GMAT Course, I found the lessons’ very long. This wouldn’t be a problem if I hadn’t already tried Manhattan Prep’s GMAT course. However, I can’t help but point it out since it all feels very sluggish.

That being said, I have no complaints about the actual content of the video lessons. The explanations are in-depth and precise. Moreover, this is a comprehensive course, so depending on how much time you have between test day and your starting day, you will be taken through every topic tested on the GMAT.

What are the Available Plans?

As online test prep courses go, The Economist isn’t going to be for everyone due to the overtly expensive cost. You essentially have three options:

Genius Plan

This is the most high-end plan offered. It costs close to a thousand dollars and is valid for only 6 months. You get 6 full-length practice tests, 6 essay reviews, 4 live tutoring sessions, and 2 expert assessments. You also have the option to ask an unlimited number of questions from a tutor.

Premium Plan

The premium plan is the middle of the road option and is suitable for only 4 months. You get the same features as the Genius plan but in reduced quantity. For example, instead of 6 full-length tests, you get only 4. Essay reviews are also 4, and live one-one-sessions are 2. However, one option is completely missing; you cannot submit for any expert assessments at all. Moreover, you can only ask 100 questions from a tutor.

Quant Only Plan

As the name suggests, this is not a complete course but only quant. You don’t get any verbal lessons or AWA lessons, and it is valid for 2 months. You cannot submit any essays for review, but you still have one live call. You also get 4 full-length practice tests and 50 ask-a-tutor-questions.

PROS

Adaptive Learning Technology Works Great

The one thing that The Economist does better than perhaps any other online course is its use of AI to gauge your performance and then customize the learning experience to your needs. It keeps track of every mistake you make and continually changes how you receive the lessons and the practice questions.

The AI is also quite apt at providing an optimal study plan depending on how much time you have till the test day and your goal score.

Moreover, the course’s full-length practice tests are also computer adaptive in the same way as the actual GMAT test is. This means that questions will adapt to your abilities depending on how many preceding questions you either get right or wrong. This will give you a real GMAT experience making you all the more prepared for the actual test.

In-Depth Video Lessons

The GMAT Tutor is, by all means, a comprehensive solution to your GMAT prep needs. It contains complete coverage of all the topics that are tested on the GMAT. Moreover, the video lesson themselves are highly detailed and explore every nook and cranny of a given topic with examples and illustrations where needed. The instructors featured in the videos are all 99th percentile scorers, and their teaching style reflects that.

Live One-on-One Sessions

Sometimes you come across a problem that can only be solved by talking to an actual person. Thankfully, GMAT Tutor offers live call sessions for all of its plans. However, depending on which plan you opt for, the number of live calls you have can vary.

Money-Back Guarantee

You know for sure that a company stands behind their product when they offer you a money-back guarantee. The Economist claims that you will see a 70-point improvement over your previous score when you take their course. If you fail to do so, then they will refund every penny you spent. However, be advised that this guarantee only applies to “Genius” and “Premium” Plans.

One of the best Mobile Apps

Unlike some other companies, The Economist’s GMAT mobile app is not watered down. It contains the same functionality as the web-based utility. You will have access to all the lessons on the go; you can ask the tutor a question and use many of the same tools like the web-based version of the course.

5000 High-Quality Practice Questions

Both in terms of the quality and the quantity, The Economist delivers when it comes to practice questions. With 5000 high-quality questions, you will be practicing for days on end without consulting other sources.

The questions closely resemble actual GMAT questions; however, there a few questions now and then that don’t hit the mark, but that is somewhat expected since only official GMAT practice questions are 100 percent authentic. No third-party course or book provides practice questions that are identical to the real thing. Hence, overall I’d say The Economist’s GMAT practice questions are satisfactory.

Essay Reviews

AWA section of GMAT and GRE is the only section that you cannot self-learn a hundred percent. The reason is simple; a prep book can only guide you on how to write the essay, but it cannot grade it for you. You are left to your judgment to figure out if you did well or not.

This is where The Economist’s essay review feature comes in handy. You will be able to send your essays to an actual GRE expert for review, and they will give you feedback on what you can improve.

CONS

Very Expensive

One of the biggest problems I have with this course is the sheer cost. It starts with $539 for the quant only plan that lacks so many useful features that it makes you wonder if it’s worth it. Moreover, if you want both verbal and quant prep, which of course, most people would, you will have to shell out close to $800, and even then, you get fewer options from the most expensive plan that comes out to a thousand dollars.

Other options in the market are significantly cheaper and offer the same quality with slightly fewer features. i.e., Magoosh. If you are tight on budget, then you may want to look someplace else.

No Separate Question Bank

Although there are 5000 practice questions, I was surprised to find out that they are not offered as a standalone resource. The only time you encounter these questions is when you go through your lessons and solve the practice questions at the end of each topic. It would have been nice to have a separate bank to access these questions and not be confined to the video lessons.

Bottom Line 

The Economist GMAT Tutor is a practical online GMAT course that offers high-quality video lessons, thousands of practice questions, and a plethora of other useful features that make it one of the best learning platforms online. However, all of this does come at a substantial cost, which puts it out of many students’ reach.

If you don’t mind spending close to a thousand dollars on a GMAT prep course, then sure get this one. For your money, you do get lots of great features and live support. The UI is entirely adaptive and easy to use, the full-length practice tests are high quality, and you get to schedule one-on-one live sessions with actual GRE experts. There is a lot to love.

However, do keep in mind that you don’t get access to a question bank as you would in many other prep courses, some even a lot cheaper than this.