Kaplan has a wide choice of GRE prep options so you can find one that suits your needs and will help you get the GRE score of your dreams.
Is Kaplan a Good Prep Option?
Kaplan offers a wide variety of GRE prep options. Even though Kaplan is a bit more expensive than some of its rivals, you have the option of enrolling in their self-paced, live online (lecture or small class), in-person programs, and tutoring programs. If you just want to go through practice GRE questions, you can simply get Kaplan’s Qbank [1] that is full of custom quizzes.
No matter where you are on the path to test day, Kaplan is a great option and offers something that will fit your needs. In this article, we will outline all of the features that make Kaplan a course that needs serious consideration as you shop for the best GRE prep course that is right for you.
We have a full list of the Best GRE Prep Course here.
About Kaplan
Kaplan GRE has been a trusted name in test prep for 80 years. It all began in 1938 when founder Stanley Kaplan began tutoring students in the basement of his parent’s Brooklyn home. Today, Kaplan is one of the planet’s biggest educational services providers—with a staff of 12,000 educators employed in 28 countries worldwide.
Kaplan offers its GRE prep course in several options that you can customize to suit your needs. One of Kaplan’s biggest selling points is its wide range of offerings, The GRE Channel, and printed prep books.
Kaplan GRE Prep Pros And Cons
Pros
- Wide Choice of Course Options
- Print Materials
- Large amount of Practice Questions and Practice Tests
- Live and On-Demand Interactive Lessons (The GRE Channel)
- Expert Instructors
Cons
- Pricier than competitors
- Customer Service
Things To Consider Before Buying Kaplan
Kaplan has established itself as an upper-tier GRE prep course and consistently ranks in the top five in head-to-head comparisons with other GRE courses on the market. Kaplan offers a wide variety of prep packages and has earned a reputation as a trusted education services company. You will pay a bit more for their programs, but you can’t go wrong with their in-person classes and tutoring programs. Their educators are GRE gurus and will help you ace the GRE.
Here are some things you need to think about before you buy the Kaplan GRE course:
- Do you want the option of live online in-person or in-person classes?
- Do you want the chance to get in lots of practice before the GRE?
- Do you want hard copy prep books to come with your course?
- Do you want a course that will give to that “test day” experience?
Depending on how you answered these questions, Kaplan could be the right fit for you. We have highlighted the features found in the Kaplan GRE program to help you make this critical decision.
Features And Benefits
A Wide Choice of Course Options
Self-Paced
Kaplan’s six-month Self-Paced GRE prep program starts at $399. You can work online from the comfort of your own home and have everything you need to succeed at your fingertips. You’ll get 180+ hours of on-demand instruction as well as 5,000 practice questions (including the Qbank), seven practice tests, and two of their hardcopy prep books. The Self-Paced PLUS program ($649) gives you the bonus of 35 hrs of live instruction on The GRE Channel as well as two math modules to really beef up your quant score.
Live Online Lecture and Small Class
Kaplan’s GRE Live Online Lecture ($799) is an instructor-led online class where students can ask questions, just like an in-person classroom. You’ll get 21 hours of live online instruction, 35 hours of the GRE Channel, as well as everything that the Self-Paced course offers. The GRE Live Online PLUS program ($1,099) gives you a bonus of three hours of one-on-one tutoring and the math modules.
The GRE Live Online Small Class ($799) gives you the feel of a real class via Zoom, where you can participate and engage with your instructor and your classmates. You’ll get 21 hours of live instruction, 35 hours of the GRE Channel, and all the resources that the Self-Paced course offers. The GRE Live Online PLUS program ($1,099) gives you a bonus of three hours of one-on-one tutoring and access to the math modules.
In-Person Classes
Kaplan’s In-Person Course ($799) places you in the room with your instructor—face-to-face. This program offers 21 hours of live instruction, 35 hours of the GRE Channel, as well as everything that the Self-Paced course provides. The In-Person PLUS program ($1,399) gives you a bonus of three hours of one-on-one tutoring and the math modules.
* Currently, in-person classes are scheduled to begin in June. Make sure to check their schedule ahead of time [2]. If you need to start sooner, check out their online prep courses.
Robust Tutoring Packages
Kaplan’s robust tutoring package [3] gives you all of the features of the In-Person or Live Online course plus access to 10 – 40 hours of one-on-one online or in-person tutoring. Online tutoring runs from $2,099 – $4,699. In-person tutoring is available in person at a convenient location. Just call Kaplan at 1-800-KAP-TEST for price and availability.
Free Diagnostic Full-Length Practice Test
The best way to start on your journey to ace the GRE is by taking Kaplan’s diagnostic exam [4]. This way, you can evaluate your strengths and weaknesses and make a plan to attack the areas where you need to put in more effort. Knowing your baseline GRE score will help you reach your goals.
The practice test will cover Quantitative Reasoning, Verbal Reasoning, and Analytical Writing. It includes the type of questions you’ll see on the exam so you can practice your pacing. You’ll also get to experience their realistic, test-like interface, so you’ll know exactly what test day feels like before it rolls around.
Getting started can be the hardest part of GRE prep, but taking this first step may jump-start your path to crushing the GRE. As an added bonus, you’ll also get two weeks of access to their instructional videos and additional practice. These lessons cover many essential GRE subjects.
Lots and Lots of Practice Questions
Kaplan’s quiz bank offers over 5,000 practice GRE questions, much more than the top five GRE prep courses that we reviewed. This gives you the chance to do what researchers say is the best way to ace the GRE—practice, practice, practice!
When using their quiz bank (Qbank), you can filter the questions by type and difficulty, tailoring your study plan to focus on the skills and types of questions you may be struggling with. To simulate the actual test, use Timed Mode. Use Tutor Mode to review the questions as you answer them.
The Qbank also lets you customize by topic and provides you with progress reports, detailed explanations for every answer choice, and personalized feedback to help you continuously review, improve and learn from your mistakes.
The GRE Channel
GRE Channel streams live or on-demand interactive lessons and instruction and is one of Kaplan’s trademark features. They offer more live and interactive instruction than any of their competitors.
Episodes cover everything from fundamentals to advanced skills. You can choose the difficulty level and topics that you need to work on. The GRE Channel will teach you test-taking strategies for algebra, geometry, vocabulary, statistics, and text completion. Kaplan airs new episodes every weekday, adding 15 – 20 hours of live new programming each week.
The Live GRE Channel is accessible to anyone enrolled in the Self-Paced PLUS GRE courses or any of the live online courses. The live episodes are archived so any Kaplan student can review them anytime, anywhere.
Hardcopy Course Materials
Unlike most of Kaplan’s competitors, Kaplan offers a suite of offline course materials as well. These review materials include the GRE Premier: Course Book Edition, GRE Math Workbook, GRE Verbal Workbook, and GRE Pocket Reference. All of the online courses integrate with the content of the textbook seamlessly to complement each other. You can also buy Kaplan’s print prep books separately from Kaplan or anywhere that test prep books are sold.
Kaplan’s Study App
Kaplan’s Study App has all the features of your Kaplan course. You’ll get on-the-go practice, wherever you happen to be with access to all your course materials. You can do more than just practice questions on the app. If you’re in the live online course, you can experience live instruction and interaction with your teacher. You may find the app a little hard to navigate on a phone, and the experience is not as enjoyable as experiencing the lessons on a PC or tablet.
Full Test Day Experience
Even if you have taken several full-length practice tests, and reviewed your heart out, there’s nothing like taking a test drive of the actual GRE experience—firsthand. That way, you’ll know what to expect and reduce any test anxiety. This will be a great confidence booster!
Simulating test day will let you take the exam at the same testing center that you’ll sit for during your GRE. It will be just like taking the actual test. You’ll improve your mental endurance taking the four-hours exam under real conditions. Kaplan will provide you with the same post-test results, complete with your score and a section-by-section breakdown with answers and explanations to the questions you missed.
The Full Test-Day experience comes with all of Kaplan’s comprehensive course. It can also be purchased separately for $150 if you want to experience test day for yourself.
Risk-Free Trial Option
To see if the Kaplan GRE course is the right fit for you, Kapkan offers a limited free seven-day trial through their GRE Prep Starter Pack. The trial includes access to many of the resources of their comprehensive courses. Here’s what the Starter Pack gets you:
- On-demand verbal and math lessons from their highest-rated GRE teachers.
- Short quizzes where you can practice what you’ve learned with realistic, test-like questions.
- Complete answers and explanations so you can learn Kaplan’s step-by-step method on how to approach questions.
Higher Score and Money-back Guarantee
After you have completed the entire Kaplan course and you don’t get a higher GRE score from your last attempt, Kaplan will give you a full refund. You’ll have to offer proof of your last test score to qualify for a refund.
Additionally, if you aren’t happy with the GRE course or your test results for any reason, you can retake the same course for free—no questions asked! You may also be eligible for a discount on tutoring if you need it during your course retake. For full details, check out Kaplan’s website.
Free GRE Events and Resources
Kaplan offers lots of free events and resources in an effort to get you to enroll in their GRE prep course.
- GRE Bootcamp is an online teacher-led seminar where you’ll review key content and pick up strategies to help you answer questions quicker. A team of instructors will answer all of your questions in a private chat.
- Attend an online “first class session” where expert instructors will give you an introduction to mastering the GRE. This 90-minute class will cover key content, question-answering strategies, and discuss a study plan. You can even ask questions in a private chat with one of the instructors.
- Watch a seminar from Kaplan on the steps to applying to grad school. A Kaplan admissions consultant will share advice on the application process, including timelines, personal statements, and letters of recommendation.
- Watch free live or on-demand episodes from The GRE Channel. You’ll get a sample of the lessons and gain insight into the skills and strategies their expert instructors use to teach their students. Free lessons are offered on verbal and quantitative strategies.
Customer Service
For any company, keeping its customers happy is essential. Having responsive and friendly staff is the key to great customer service. Kaplan’s prep courses have several ways you can contact them if you have a question or need tech support. Just click on CONTACT US at the top of the webpage and select from a variety of options. For example, you can talk to someone over the live chat function, send an email, message them on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter, or call them at 1-800-527-8378. You can also visit the Help Center, where you can find articles and FAQs to many common questions and issues.
Reaching customer service is only half of the process; they will need to solve your problem quickly and to your satisfaction. Overall, students seemed happy with Kaplan’s customer support, getting four out of five stars on Consumer Reports’ review test prep support. However, several students experienced issues with Kaplan’s customer service. Many said that they were slow to respond, and some students said that they didn’t get a response at all, or the representatives were not helpful.
Is Kaplan GRE Prep Any Good?
The best way to find out the worth of any GRE test prep course is to see what past students have said about their program. Here are just a few testimonials from past Kaplan learners who praise the merits of their GRE course:
Conclusion
Overall, Kaplan is one of the best options for GRE test prep. It offers a wide choice of course options from self-paced to live online and in-person classes and private tutoring. The programs come with plenty of practice questions and practice tests, and their print materials are a great compliment to their online resources.
The GRE Channel is a great way to view live and on-demand lessons. Their tutoring program is a great (but pricey) option with access to up to 40 hours of private one-on-one tutoring. Kaplan offers plenty of free and trial resources to assess your current abilities and lets you test-drive their program.
Try before you buy with Kaplan’s free resources and Starter Pack. Their score and money-back guarantees are okay but not as good as other programs on the market. You can retake a course for free if you are not happy with your test results; or get a full refund if you don’t improve your GRE score.
Even though their overall price tag is higher than many of their competitors and their customer support is spotty, Kaplan would be an excellent pick for you if you want to ace the GRE.
References
[1] https://www.kaptest.com/gre/practice/gre-qbank
[2] https://www.kaptest.com/gre/in-person/scheduler?deliveryStyle=all+Online+and+In+Person+classes&distance=10&sortBy=distance&zip=10018
[3] https://www.kaptest.com/gre/courses/gre-prep-tutoring-selection
