Kaplan GRE Prep Course Review: Is It Helpful and Should You Buy It?
The Kaplan GRE Prep Course is one of the most popular GRE prep courses available. It offers multiple course options which include live online, in-person, and self-guided courses. Kaplan, Inc. guarantees that if the test taker does not score higher than their baseline, they can request their money back.
What is Kaplan Test Prep?
Kaplan offers prep courses for more than 100 standardized tests, including the SAT®, ACT®, LSAT®, MCAT®, GRE®, GMAT®, USMLE®, NCLEX®, and Bar exams. These courses are available in various formats such as live online, in-person, and self-study to cater to potential students’ needs. Kaplan, Inc. also offers a wide range of study materials and resources to support student learning. While Kaplan, Inc.’s preparation courses can be pricier than those of some competitors, students have the option to purchase individual components instead of enrolling in a full course. Established in 1938, Kaplan, Inc. provides testing and review services in over 36 countries.
What’s offered in Kaplan GRE Prep Course?
What is offered in the Kaplan GRE prep course is as follows:
- Detailed study guide.
- 2,500 practice questions.
- Seven practice tests.
- Official Test Day Experience.
- 180 hours of learning and practice.
- 40+ hours of live and recorded lessons with expert GRE instructors.
- 500-word flashcard bank.
As listed above, the Kaplan GRE prep course offers a diverse range of study options, including private tutoring, a live online prep course, traditional classroom instruction, and a self-guided online course. The private tutoring option provides one-on-one sessions with an expert, available either in-person or online. The live online GRE prep course consists of real-time classes delivered in a live online format. The traditional classroom GRE prep course is conducted through in-person classes. Meanwhile, the self-guided online course offers teacher-led lessons and study plans for students.
What are the study materials of Kaplan GRE Prep?
The Kaplan GRE Prep offers a broad array of study materials, including updated GRE books (such as GRE Prep Plus 2023), guides, a bank of review questions, video lessons, and free resources like the GRE question of the day, free online practice tests, and questions tailored to specific GRE sections.
Do the Kaplan GRE prep courses come with books?
Yes, the Kaplan prep courses come with books. The books are GRE Prep Plus 2023, GRE Math Workbook, GRE Verbal Workbook, and the GRE Pocket Reference. The online courses seamlessly connect with the content of the textbooks to complement each other.
What can be found on Kaplan GRE Books?
The following contents can be found in Kaplan GRE books, specifically the Kaplan’s GRE Complete 2023:
- Kaplan’s best-selling GRE Prep Plus 2022, GRE Math Workbook, and GRE Verbal Workbook provide expert strategies and ample practice on each GRE question type and math skill
- Access to five full-length online tests helps you practice in the same computer-based format you’ll see on test day
- Two mini-tests, one math and one verbal, online to help you get off to a fast start
- One printed practice test is in GRE Prep Plus 2022 when online is not an option.
- More than 2,500 practice questions with detailed explanations cover the Verbal, Quantitative, and Analytical Writing sections.
- Video explanations of selected questions.
- Customize your practice with a 1000-question online Qbank that lets you select problems by topic and difficulty.
- Chapters on each GRE question type and math skill, with practise sets for each.
- Questions have been reviewed, revised, and updated by Kaplan’s expert faculty.
Students will be given two hardcopy prep books to assist with their studies. These books will be mailed to students once they have purchased the course, but if they prefer e-books, they can also obtain these in PDF versions.
How much is the cost of Kaplan GRE Prep?
Around $450 up to $1,200 is the price range of the Kaplan GRE Prep Courses. The self-guided course is the cheapest, and the in-person/traditional classroom course is the most expensive.
Does Kaplan have a Mobile App?
Yes, Kaplan offers a mobile application for its students. However, it is not a replacement for the online content or platform. The Kaplan mobile app simply contains a collection of 500 vocabulary flashcards that provides vocab studying opportunities on the go.
How Long are Kaplan GRE Classes?
The Self-Guided Kaplan GRE course features 180+ hours of online instruction and practice, and 40+ hours of exclusive live and recorded lessons on the GRE Channel; the Live-Online course features 21 hours of live instruction and 40+ hours of additional live and recorded lessons on the GRE ChannelThe In-Person course features 21 hours of core classroom instruction, and 40+ hours of exclusive live and on-demand lessons on the GRE® Channel for a customizable curriculum.
How Long Is The Video Instruction of the GRE Prep Course?
21 hours of live instruction, and 40+ hours of additional live and recorded lessons on the GRE Channel are featured in the Live-Online course; 180+ hours of online instruction and practice, and 40+ hours of exclusive live and recorded lessons on the GRE Channel for the Self-Guided course; and 21 hours of core classroom instruction, and 40+ hours of exclusive live and on demand lessons on the GRE® Channel for a customizable curriculum for the In-Person course.
How long is the content access period of Kaplan GRE Prep Course?
6 months is the access period for the Kaplan GRE Self-Guided course. The Live-Online and In-Person courses, on the other hand, give students content access for the duration of their course.
Does Kaplan GRE Prep Course Provide Better Score or Money Back Guarantee?
Yes, Kaplan GRE Prep Course offers a money-back guarantee if the student does not achieve a higher score than their baseline. This means that if the student’s score on test day doesn’t improve compared to their baseline score after they have completed the program, they can request their money back.
How many Practice Questions do Kaplan GRE Classes have?
Kaplan GRE Prep Courses feature over 5,000 practice questions. Every question in both the Qbank and the practice tests includes in-depth answer explanations. This means, that every mistake is a chance to learn something new.
What Is The Difference Between Self Guided And Online courses offered by Kaplan GRE Prep Course?
Here are the differences between the self-guided and the online course offered by Kaplan:
| Self-Guided Course | Live-Online Course |
|---|---|
| Self-paced GRE preparation course | Students attend real-time classes |
| 6 months of access to all test prep course materials | Content access for the duration of the course |
| For students who have an inconsistent or irregular schedule. | For students who want to stay on schedule with regular classes but still prefer the flexibility of online learning. |
| Price range: $449 – $699 | Price range: $999 – $1299 |
The Self-Guided course is a self-paced GRE preparation course, whereas the Online course features live and interactive lectures with an expert instructor; the Self-Guided gives students 6 months of access to all test prep course materials, whereas the Live-Online gives students content access for the duration of the course; and the price range for Self-Guided is $449 – $699, whereas the price range for the Live-Online is $999 – $1299.
Pros and Cons of Kaplan GRE Prep
Here are the pros and cons of having the Kaplan’s GRE Prep Course:
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Multiple course options are available. | Courses can be expensive, pricier than many competitors |
| Print materials available | Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, in-person classes are currently unavailable in many places. |
| Many practice questions and tests are accessible. | Lack customer support |
Kaplan GRE prep courses have their advantages and disadvantages. Multiple course options are offered, but some of these courses tend to be expensive. Kaplan offers in-person courses, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, these classes are currently unavailable in many places. Kaplan appears to have the advantage in terms of the number of questions and tests available, but the course lacks good customer service.
How Accurate Is The Kaplan GRE Prep?
The practise tests from the GRE Prep Courses have an interface that matches the actual GRE. This gives the students a realistic view of what the actual exam consists of. Furthermore, Kaplan’s GRE tests are also section-adaptive, just like the real GRE. This means that each measure’s initial operational section (i.e., verbal and quantitative) is of average difficulty. The difficulty level of the second section of each of the measures is determined by how well you did in the first section.
Is Kaplan GRE Course Worth It?
Yes, Kaplan GRE Prep Courses are worth it. The courses are very comprehensive and in-depth, with plenty of textbook resources, flashcards, and interactive videos to accompany learning. Because Kaplan offers a self-paced course option, students who have an inconsistent or irregular schedule can enrol. Moreover, students can always request a refund if their test scores on test day do not improve after completing the program.
Is Kaplan GRE Prep Course effective?
Yes, the Kaplan GRE Prep Course is effective. Given Kaplan’s extensive coursework and high-quality lectures, there’s a good chance that students who take a Kaplan prep course will improve their actual GRE score on test day.
Are Kaplan’s Lessons Effective?
Yes, Kaplan’s Lessons are very effective. Kaplan is so confident in the success of their students that they give money-back guarantees. If students’ GRE results do not increase, students have the option of receiving a complete refund. They can also retake a course if they are dissatisfied with their results.
Should you use Kaplan GRE Prep?
Yes, students who are planning to take the GRE test should use Kaplan Prep Courses for their test preparation. Kaplan has a wide range of courses to choose from and provides textbook resources, flashcards, and interactive videos to help students learn more effectively. They also offer a money-back guarantee or free reactivation of the course if the student does not achieve a higher score than their baseline.
