Magoosh or Kaplan test prep

[psychgirl44]

Hello,
I am preparing to apply to PhD programs in counseling psychology, and I'm working on prepping for my GRE this summer. I have a very high GPA (3.94), but I am awful at standardize tests. I did mediocre on the SATS. So I'm wondering what will prepare me for the GRE more: Magoosh, an online program that's a little over $100, or Kaplan, an IN PERSON review program that's a little over $1,000 dollars. Money is not a problem. But of course I don't want to waste. I'm just wondering how much better is Kaplan compared to Magoosh. Are in person courses much better than online? Thanks everyone!

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[Member6677]

Hello,
I am preparing to apply to PhD programs in counseling psychology, and I'm working on prepping for my GRE this summer. I have a very high GPA (3.94), but I am awful at standardize tests. I did mediocre on the SATS. So I'm wondering what will prepare me for the GRE more: Magoosh, an online program that's a little over $100, or Kaplan, an IN PERSON review program that's a little over $1,000 dollars. Money is not a problem. But of course I don't want to waste. I'm just wondering how much better is Kaplan compared to Magoosh. Are in person courses much better than online? Thanks everyone!

I believe I did Princeton review in person classes for $1000 and they did nothing for me. I still performed mediocre. I bought the Kaplan books and taught myself at home and did better. I too am awful at standardized tests. I am n=1, but I say save the $1000. Also, if you choose to do in person, read the fine print for money back guarantee. There were only like 3 practice tests so I took them over and over. For that reason, I didn't have the 'baseline data' to show I didn't improve and thus did not get a refund. Good luck!

 

[psychgirl44]

I believe I did Princeton review in person classes for $1000 and they did nothing for me. I still performed mediocre. I bought the Kaplan books and taught myself at home and did better. I too am awful at standardized tests. I am n=1, but I say save the $1000. Also, if you choose to do in person, read the fine print for money back guarantee. There were only like 3 practice tests so I took them over and over. For that reason, I didn't have the 'baseline data' to show I didn't improve and thus did not get a refund. Good luck!

This is super helpful thanks so much!

 

[biscuitsbiscuits]

Magoosh is fantastic. Two thumbs up. I studied with a combination of about 4-5 books plus flashcards (ended up doing fine). I didn't look into Magoosh until about a month before my exam. But when I finally did, I was kicking myself for not just joining Magoosh in the first place and calling it a day. Depending on how much time you have, I'd try Magoosh first, see if it works for you and decide then if you need a more expensive, in-person course.

 

[psychgirl44]

Magoosh is fantastic. Two thumbs up. I studied with a combination of about 4-5 books plus flashcards (ended up doing fine). I didn't look into Magoosh until about a month before my exam. But when I finally did, I was kicking myself for not just joining Magoosh in the first place and calling it a day. Depending on how much time you have, I'd try Magoosh first, see if it works for you and decide then if you need a more expensive, in-person course.

Great advice! Very insightful. Thank you biscuitsbiscuits !!!

 

[SmallTownPSY]

Hello,
I am preparing to apply to PhD programs in counseling psychology, and I'm working on prepping for my GRE this summer. I have a very high GPA (3.94), but I am awful at standardize tests. I did mediocre on the SATS. So I'm wondering what will prepare me for the GRE more: Magoosh, an online program that's a little over $100, or Kaplan, an IN PERSON review program that's a little over $1,000 dollars. Money is not a problem. But of course I don't want to waste. I'm just wondering how much better is Kaplan compared to Magoosh. Are in person courses much better than online? Thanks everyone!

Do Magoosh. I took a Princeton Review course, studied for 3 months and did exactly the same on the GRE as I did the first time. Then, I did Magoosh for 3 months and improved my combined verbal and quant by 18 points. I have zero hesitation saying Magoosh played a big part in helping me get into my first choice program.


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[iPsychlops]

Magoosh saved my life. It's worth every penny, and it's almost exactly the same as the actual GRE.


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[metalpsychperson]

Magoosh saved my life. It's worth every penny, and it's almost exactly the same as the actual GRE.


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I think it's significantly harder than the actual GRE. I consistently scored several points lower on the Magoosh tests than I did on the real thing or the ETS practice tests (which are most like the real thing). I think that helped me even more though because it left me overprepared.

 

[iPsychlops]

I think it's significantly harder than the actual GRE. I consistently scored several points lower on the Magoosh tests than I did on the real thing or the ETS practice tests (which are most like the real thing). I think that helped me even more though because it left me overprepared.

I meant in terms of format and feel, but I agree that I felt over-prepared.


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[lightwater]

I thought that Magoosh's verbal was easier than the real GRE (so not very helpful), but Magoosh's Quant was decent. I mean, my Q only increased by a couple points, but I think if I had a better study regiment I would have improved much more.

 

[DailyJoy]

I always sound like a groupie, but I recommend Magoosh to everyone. I'm pretty bad at standardized tests and did badly on my first GRE. I studied for 3 months with Magoosh and increased my overall score by 19 points. I felt terrible while doing the math programs on Magoosh since they were very challenging but when I got to the real test, I flew through the math section with ease. It worked wonders for me but you have to be self motivated with any online-based learning.

 

[jmiah717]

I like Magoosh as well. I use their flashcards and some other apps I've found. For math, I really like Manhattan Prep. Each book you purchase from them gets you practice tests. Between them and the GRE book (purple one called ETS or something like that), I have about 10 practice tests to use, maybe more. I have decided to save the $1000 for potential interviews, applications, etc.