Anna Maria Richards
Are you planning to further your studies and enter graduate school? Great! A graduate degree opens up more job opportunities in your career. With increased job prospects comes more earning potential. However, there are a few hurdles you have to overcome before you can enter graduate school.
Passing the GRE is one of the biggest challenges you have to face to get accepted into a graduate school program. You have to obtain a top-tier score, so better prepare for it by having a great GRE prep course.
In this post, we’ll dive deeper into what the GRE is all about, why hundreds of people are taking it yearly, how hard it is, and what your top prep options are for the GRE.
What is the GRE Exam?
The acronym GRE stands for Graduate Record Examination. It is a common graduate school admissions requirement that evaluates writing, verbal, and quantitative reasoning abilities. Created by the Educational Testing Service (ETS), it is a three-part multiple-choice computerized exam. Numerous graduate schools expect applicants to submit high GRE scores.
More than 500,000 students take the GRE every year. It is designed to predict success in graduate school, and those who seek a structured study approach that gives guaranteed results invest in GRE courses. Typically, this exam is considered more difficult than the ACT and SAT. The GRE has trickier math problems and more challenging vocabulary and reading passages.
To increase your chances of successfully passing the GRE with a high score and getting into the graduate program of your choice, it is essential to use a GRE prep course. It allows you to improve your analytical, verbal, reading, writing, and quantitative skills. Many GRE prep courses ensure at least a six-point improvement in GRE scores. Thus, you have to take the preparation seriously.
Here are the top GRE prep courses you can check out online:
1. Kaplan
Kaplan provides live instruction on the GRE channel. Experienced teachers instruct here to give you individual attention.
This online GRE prep course offers a free consultation service to those who want a high score on GRE. You may attend a free sample GRE class to see if you like Kaplan’s approach. There are cheaper options that include practice tests and question-bank packages.
Additionally, you can choose from one-month, one-to-three-month, and three-month prep timelines or take live online GRE courses or on-demand GRE courses with or without one-on-one tutoring options. Test-takers who do not achieve higher GRE results can reactivate their Kaplan study access for 12 weeks or receive their money back.
2. Princeton Review
Princeton Review is a reliable GRE prep course that supports in-person, self-paced, and live online learning and includes a library of supplementary materials. Learners benefit from its adaptive drills designed to adjust the practice questions’ difficulty in real-time to your answers.
Princeton Review also offers an option that ensures a score of at least 162 or your money back. You can have one-on-one tutoring at an hourly charge, too. It lets you keep track of progress using a user-friendly dashboard and provides interactive reports to know your score. You can review your performance by time, subject, category, and difficulty.
3. Achievable
Achievable is the best option for an affordable self-study GRE prep course, and leverages technology to help you succeed. This trusted GRE prep site makes it easy for you to fit studying into your schedule. It optimizes study time by tailoring its GRE practice questions according to each learner’s strengths and weaknesses. There is also a personalized memory model created for you to track your mastery and retention of GRE learning objectives. Plus, it is one of the most affordable with modern approach GRE prep sites.
With Achievable GRE prep courses, you can generate unlimited quantitative questions, build up your vocabulary by learning words in clusters with related meanings, and use artificial intelligence to score GRE essays. In addition, it lets you enhance and work on your weak spots. This GRE course also offers an online textbook designed with accessibility and is mobile-friendly. It covers all the sections of GRE, such as verbal and quantitative reasoning and analytical writing.
4. Magoosh
Magoosh provides video lessons, practice tests, a large body of practice questions, and live online GRE classes. You can study on any device, such as a smartphone, tablet, or computer. Practice sessions are also adaptable and customizable according to your strengths and weaknesses. Magoosh offers a score guarantee of 5 points with Magoosh GRE prep courses.
Other features include providing feedback, taking notes, tracking progress, and reading detailed text explanations. You can choose among 11 study schedules that accommodate different learning preferences and test-taking timelines. Also, there is an available seven-day trial period with a money-back guarantee.
5. Target Test Prep
The Target Test Prep offers a lot of GRE practice questions, video explanations, individual lessons, and a personalized study plan. You can benefit from its strategy, tools, and techniques to get a high GRE score.
This website also provides intelligent analytics to target your weaknesses and turn them into strengths. It has one-time free offerings for those looking for cheaper yet quality courses. You get comprehensive GRE instruction, such as test-taking strategies and tips. The platform also features personalized learning options for a better prep experience.
6. Manhattan Prep
One of the signature marketing campaigns of Manhattan Prep is that they make studying for the GRE more enjoyable. The video lessons include playful cartoons, skits, and jokes. However, it still delivers serious and quality courses. This New York-based prep company provides targeted and comprehensive GRE prep options. It offers live and in-depth GRE classes that include interactive video components.
Only experienced and skilled instructors create and update the curricula at Manhattan Prep. It keeps class sizes small to promote individualized attention and lets learners focus more on the course. More so, it has a one-day workshop that aids learners be prepared for the GRE.
7. PrepScholar
Customize your learning according to your strengths and weaknesses with the help of PrepScholar. This GRE prep option provides affordable test prep courses and materials. Learners can enjoy a free, five-day, full-access trial, and after taking a diagnostic test, you will receive a personalized study plan that targets your weak spots. Also, you can access GRE practice questions at different levels.
PrepScholar tracks the learners’ improvement and notifies them of their strengths and needs. There are interactive lessons with quizzes and practice tests, and you have to complete a 20-part vocabulary course. You are guaranteed to score seven points higher on their course, or your money back.
8. The Economist
One of the best ways to point out the areas where you struggle with the GRE is by taking practice tests. It helps you feel more confident when it is time to take the test. So if you are looking for a prep course with lots of practice exams, The Economist can be a great option. It offers the Genius class five practice tests and other test prep options, like interactive lessons through live support.
The Economist runs six-week, three-month, and six-month GRE prep courses. Interested applicants can try it for free for seven days. And those who completed the three-month or six-month courses but did not score at least six or seven points higher on their GRE get a refund.
Bottomline
Choose the best online prep course that suits your needs and preferences. If you are eager to get into graduate school, then prepare for it by taking any of these above mentioned online GRE prep courses. Check out these options and you are sure to get a high GRE score in no time!
