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Which GRE prep is better? Magoosh or Kaplan?

GRE online courses generally offer a much more versatile prep experience than books. This is why many students opt for these courses since they provide a customized learning experience. Two…

GRE online courses generally offer a much more versatile prep experience than books. This is why many students opt for these courses since they provide a customized learning experience. Two of the biggest names in online prep are Magoosh and Kaplan. Both companies are sought-after choices amongst test-takers and offer quality content. However, it is essential to know what each course offers to make an informed decision.

This article will compare both companies’ GRE courses and draw a conclusion depending on their features and price points.

Price comparison

One of the biggest concerns students have is the pricing so let’s begin with that. Magoosh is known for its competitive pricing in the test-prep industry. They offer two plans.

Magoosh 1 month plan

The one-month plan costs $149 and is ideal for those doing a last-minute study. You receive all the features that you would in the six-month program but at a relatively higher price.

Magoosh 6 month premium plan

This is their most popular package for apparent reasons. The six-month plan only costs $179, although they claim it’s a discounted price from $800. This is primarily a marketing thing as I have never seen this package go for that price. 

The 6-month program offers a plethora of features that are enough for anyone looking for quality prep. 

Kaplan, on the other hand, isn’t as budget-friendly. Firstly, their plans are complicated to interpret as there are so many options. Kaplan offers eight different packages at varying price points. However, what you need to know is that even their cheapest plan, the self-guided course, costs $450 for six months of access.

Kaplan self-guided course

This plan costs $449 and gives you six months of access. This is their cheapest GRE online course and lacks many of the features provided in the much-expensive plans. 

Kaplan online course plus 

This plan costs $1299, and you get access to live classes on top of all the other features. This only their second most expensive course as the other one costs close to $2299 and comes with in-person tutoring.

Conclusion: Magoosh is the clear winner here due to its affordable nature. Kaplan does offer more features, but if budget is a concern, Magoosh comes on top.

Lesson Delivery

Right of the bat, Magoosh has a traditional approach to delivering their video lessons. There are no live classes. Instead, everything is taught through prerecorded videos. The instructor uses the marker-on-white-board approach while explaining the problem. You cant interact with the screen in any way, and all you see is the whiteboard.

Kaplan, on the other hand, is in a completely different ballpark. Kaplan not only provides much better production quality than Magoosh, but it might be the industry top-dog rivaled only by Manhattan.

Kaplan’s videos are interactive, high-definition, and lack that mundane PowerPoint feeling that Magoosh has. The instructor appears on the screen and uses a luminous marker to explain the different steps in detail.

Every aspect of Kaplan’s lesson delivery is simply superior to that of Magoosh. Kaplan gives you the feeling of personalized tutoring even though the lessons are prerecorded, the same as Magoosh. Unlike Magoosh, Kaplan’s video instructions are more engaging and are far from boring.

Conclusion: Kaplan wins this one due to its far superior production quality. The lessons are interactive and engaging, while Magoosh offers a slide-by-slide experience.

Practice and Course Material

It is a bit tricky to compare the two in terms of practice and course material since Kaplan has many different plans. However, the core offerings remain the same across all plans.

Kaplan offers:

  • 5,000 practice questions
  • 7 practice tests
  • 180 hours worth of lessons in the video library
  • 4 GRE textbooks/workbooks

Magoosh provides the same material for both of its courses

Magoosh Offers:

  • 1400 Practice questions
  • 3 practice tests
  • 21 hours of video lessons (5-minute video x 250)

If we are to go by numbers, then Kaplan is the clear winner here. They offer far more practice questions and 4 more full-length tests. Moreover, Kaplan gives you four of its GRE prep books when you sign up for a plan.

As for the course material, there is nothing wrong with the 250 video lessons that Magoosh provides. You will learn every topic that is tested on GRE. However, Kaplan does go into more detail in each lesson and explores many different aspects of a problem.

Conclusion: Kaplan is the winner here due to more practice questions, video lessons, and full-length tests. Moreover, it also provides textbooks and more detailed video lessons.

AWA Help

The Analytical Writing Analysis section of the GRE requires you to write two essays. Unlike the verbal and quant sections, there is no one-word answer to tackle AWA. This is why you need to write convincing essays that get your argument across backed by evidence.

During your GRE prep, you will face difficulty assessing your writing. You need someone to critique your essay and give you pointers as to what to do.

Kaplan is one of the few companies that allows you to send your essays for evaluation to a GRE expert. You can send two essays and get detailed feedback from the rater.

This feature is not available in Magoosh. Instead, you receive video lessons and blog posts detailing what GRE examiners look for in an essay. You would have to use your judgment without any outside help.

Conclusion: Kaplan wins this round because it provides essay evaluation by experienced GRE experts. You receive detailed feedback on what to improve and what to keep. Your essay is also graded on the same scale that GRE uses.

Score Guarantee

Magoosh offers a 5 point score guarantee meaning that if you fail to improve your previous score by 5 points, they will return your money. To be eligible for this, you must have taken GRE at least once before signing up for the course.

If you don’t improve at least 5 points over your previous GRE score, Magoosh will return all the money you spent on the program. No questions asked.

Kaplan, on the other hand, also has a score guarantee. However, it isn’t as straightforward. Kaplan has a myriad of conditions to be eligible for the score guarantee, such as:

  • You need to be a first-time Kaplan student and enroll in an HSG (higher score guarantee) eligible program.
  • You need to complete the course entirely and take the official GRE right after completing your course.
  • You have to share your GRE scores within three months of completing the program.

There is some other finer print associated with Kaplan’s HSG policy that you can read all about here. It is apparent that Kaplan, unlike Magoosh, is not too keen to give you your money back. They have a variety of different conditions that makes the process a lot more complicated.

Conclusion: Magoosh wins “Score Guarantee” easily due to its hassle-free and no-strings-attached return policy. Kaplan has way too many conditions.

Refund Policy

Again, Magoosh has a clear and straightforward refund policy. If you are not satisfied with the course for any reason, you can apply for a full refund within a week.

Kaplan, as expected, has many different conditions broken down by each course. I am not going to get into it because it is too comprehensive a policy. You can read about it here. All you need to know is that you have three days since purchasing a course to apply for a full refund. Between 4 and 7 days, you will only get a 75% refund. After eight days, no refund.

Conclusion: Kaplan easily wins this round due to their clear-cut and tension-free refund policy. 

Final Verdict

Here is the straight answer, If you are on a budget, there is absolutely no reason not to go for Magoosh. As far as I am concerned, Magoosh is the overall winner simply because it costs a fraction of Kaplan’s courses and promotes trust by offering back your money without and loopholes.

If you don’t have much use for Kaplan’s extra features and production value means little to you, you will be satisfied with Magoosh. The course covers every aspect of GRE, and the videos, while old-fashioned, provide detailed insight.

Moreover, Magoosh has a more straightforward catalog, so you don’t spend too much time picking the course and instead can start instantly.

However, I cannot deny that Kaplan provides higher quality course overall. If money is no concern to you, then the extra practice material and video lessons are worthwhile. Moreover, with Kaplan, you get to send your essays to be graded by a GRE expert. This isn’t available on Magoosh, and if AWA is your concern, you know what to choose.

Many people have scored above the 90th percentile time and again with both courses. If Magoosh were an incomplete course, It wouldn’t be regarded so highly in the test-prep circle. Hence, you should choose whichever program you can afford. They are both quality courses in their own right, and the primary distinguishing factor is the cost.

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