Can Magoosh help with your GMAT preparation? Can you afford it? Is it any good? If you are planning on taking the GMAT and want to take a course to help you do your best, these are questions that will be running through your head.
What we will cover?
Magoosh GMAT
- 7- day free trial. Price varies from $249-$599.
- The subscription lasts for 1 year. 50 points improvement guarantee.
- Online self-paced classes. No live class option.
- 1300+ practice questions. and 2 practice exams.
- Customized study plan, Score predictor and Essay feedback(Not available with most of the competitors).
The Magoosh brand is fairly new in the test prep industry. It was established in Berkeley, California in 2009. Despite only being around for a little more than a decade, they’ve enjoyed a meteoric rise to the very top of the industry. It has received various awards to recognize its achievements, and by 2016 it was identified as one of the fastest-growing private companies in the US.
Magoosh understands that affordability is a key factor in most students’ decision making. That’s why they keep slashing costs for the GMAT prep courses. You may get fewer review resources, but that’s not a bad thing if the resources offered are of good quality and match your learning style. With Magoosh, you get just enough resources without it being overwhelming—and that’s why they offer a score improvement guarantee.
Magoosh GMAT Prep Courses Highlights
Here’s a quick overview of the offered test prep courses, prices, and features:
| GMAT Prep Course | Features |
| Math + IR
· $219 · $175.20 with 20% off promo code |
Self-Study
· Access to Math and Integrated Reasoning (IR) content · At least 175 video lessons · At least 720 practice questions · Study schedules and checklist · 1 year of access · +3 math score guarantee · Email assistance · Pause your plan · Online whiteboard |
| Premium
· $249 · $199.20 with 20% off promo code |
Self-Study
· Access to Math, Integrated Reasoning (IR), and Analytical Writing Assessment (AWA) content · At least 340 video lessons · At least 1,300 practice questions · At least 2 diagnostic tests · Study schedules and checklist · 1 year of access · +50 GMAT score guarantee · Email assistance · Score predictor · Pause your plan · Online whiteboard |
| Tutoring + Premium
· $799 · $639.20 with 20% off promo code |
Guided Study
· Everything that’s in the Premium GMAT prep course · 6 hours of tutoring · 1-on-1 video chat lessons (usually lasting an hour) · Flexible scheduling |
PROs
Here’s a list of the advantages you get from Magoosh:
It’s Extremely Affordable
This is perhaps the main selling point of Magoosh. It unquestionably costs much less than any other GMAT prep courses out there.
The promo code may change depending on which day you visit the Magoosh website. More often than not, there’s some sort of discount any time you visit.
The cost of the Premium Self-Study option is quite attractive, at less than $200 with the discount. Most of the other brands offer their comprehensive self-study GMAT prep courses at double that price. Some brands even offer their basic comprehensive GMAT course at almost $1,000!
Even tutoring, which is often pricey but very effective, is inexpensive when you go with Magoosh. With the other brands, tutoring costs can be inflated to astronomical levels with prices reaching several thousand dollars.
But Magoosh offers 6 hours of tutoring at about $640, and you get the Premium course as part of the package. That means you pay about $150 for each hour of tutoring. That’s not bad at all, considering that with other brands you’ll pay more than $200 an hour for this type of service.
All these prices point to a rather democratic outlook with Magoosh. They prove that proper GMAT preparation isn’t reserved for the lucky few who can afford exorbitant prices. With these prices, everyone who wants to take the GMAT can afford a prep course.
You Get a Lot for Your Money
With these low prices, you might be nervous that you’re getting meager resources that won’t be enough. But these resources are more than enough for plenty of GMAT test-takers. You have a study plan to use, you can track your progress, and you’re working mainly with video lessons and practice questions.
Here, you have a question history you can consult to keep track of what questions you’ve tackled. Magoosh has a system that lets you flag some items and make notes. There’s a blog that offers additional info, diagnostic tests, and a score predictor.
You have even get flashcards and a mobile app through Magoosh. Even some of the more expensive brands don’t offer these features (especially the mobile app) so don’t take these for granted.
With the comprehensive Premium package, you have 1,300 practice questions. Each question has a video explanation and a text explanation about how to answer the question correctly. If there’s a video lesson that pertains to the particular question, you get a link directing you to that specific video lesson for a more comprehensive explanation.
1-Year Access
The industry standard is to let students get 6 months of access to the materials. But with Magoosh you get an entire year to go through all the practice test questions and video lessons. That means that you can take a more relaxed pace if you want. You’re also better able to fit in the lessons and the practice questions with a busy schedule if you’re working or still in school.
There’s even a “pause” feature here that extends the access period. Let’s say you’re been working on a Magoosh GMAT prep course regularly for 8 months straight, but you’re feeling burned out and you need a break. You can then “pause” the access, spend a few months decompressing. When you get back to the Magoosh course, you still have 4 months of access available.
Some students take a GMAT prep course from another brand, and then take a month or two with the Magoosh prep course as a supplementary GMAT review. That’s why Magoosh also offers a 30-day plan, for last-minute reviews after taking the GMAT prep course offered by another brand. You can then access the Premium package for a month, for $175.20 with the promo code.
There’s a Money-Back Guarantee
Some brands (most notably Manhattan Prep) don’t offer any sort of guarantee. But Magoosh really doesn’t want you to risk your money, even if you’re already paying absurdly low prices. Magoosh also offers a 7-day trial period if you are unsure about getting started and want to test out some of the material.
With the Premium package, you even get a guarantee that you’ll increase your GMAT score by at least 50 points. There are some conditions for this to work (and obviously you need to have taken the GMAT before). The conditions are there to help ensure that you actually apply yourself with the lessons and practice test questions.
Even with the partial package (Math + IR) there’s a guarantee of at least a 3-point increase for your Math score. It’s not much, but it’s better than nothing.
There’s a Mobile App
Mobile apps are great since you can indulge in some practice and reviews whenever you have a few minutes to spare in your busy schedule even when you’re not at home. When you’re having a coffee break or eating lunch, you can just whip out your smartphone and continue with your GMAT review.
CONs
With the low prices, it’s not surprising that Magoosh lacks some features that you may find in GMAT prep courses offered by other brands.
Few Options
There are just 3 options here, with one of them merely a partial package. With 3 courses available, you can’t really tailor the course you get to fit your needs. Basically, you get the Premium course, or you get the Premium course with the 6 hours of tutoring. That’s it. You can’t add to the features even if you think you can pay more.
Fewer Questions
Here you get at least 1,300 practice tests. That seems like a lot until you find out that many of the other GMAT prep courses with other brands offer 2,000 to 3,5000 practice questions. There are even brands that offer more than 5,000 practice questions.
Now, you may agree with Magoosh that 1,300 practice questions should be enough. But if you disagree and you want more questions, you’ll have to go with another brand.
Don’t forget that you also have a year’s access to the materials. If you want to spread out your studying that much, it means you only have a little more than a hundred questions a month, or about 4 questions a day.
No Live Instruction
Plenty of people plan on taking the GMAT and then going on to an MBA program because they’ve had great success with school and its usual classroom instruction format. It stands to reason you may want to add some live instruction classes to your GMAT review.
But you don’t have any option for live instruction with Magoosh as they only offer video lessons.
Fewer Diagnostic Practice Tests
With Magoosh, you get two of these tests. That means you may want to take one in the middle of your study plan syllabus, so you can get a clear idea of your progress and then focus on your revealed weak spots. You can then take the other diagnostic test near the end, for last-minute review to shore up any weak spots you’ve missed.
With other brands, it’s usual to get 6 or more of these diagnostic tests, and they’re usually full-length tests. That way, you’re better able to monitor your progress at more points during your study plan period.
No Books
Some students prefer to learn through reading books, particularly physical books they can take notes in. But here, you have no books with your Premium course. You don’t even have a separate package for the book study.
FAQs
Will I get support?
Yes, Magoosh has a 24/7 e-mail support system and they will respond within 1-2 business days.
Who writes the GMAT practice questions for Magoosh?
Expert instructors who have decades of experience in teaching. The questions are very close to questions on the real exam.
Can I purchase tutoring later if I’ve already started the course and realized I need it?
Yes, you can purchase tutoring for $110 hourly outside of your plan, with discounts for bundles of hours.
What if COVID-19 affects my plans?
Remember you can take advantage of the 7-day free trial and the pause feature if you need to take a break from studying. Contact Magoosh directly to see if they are able to work with your situation.
Who Should Buy it?
You’re an Ideal Magoosh subscriber if any of these descriptions match you:
You Are on a Budget
In an expensive industry, you can rely on Magoosh to offer reasonable prices. You won’t be relegated to studying with your own resources.
You Love the Video Lesson Format
With no books and no live classroom instruction, you have the video lessons as your main source of GMAT review. If you prefer learning visually through video rather than through textbooks, then Magoosh will give you what you want.
You Have a Tight Schedule
Other plans from other brands offer a lot more, but they only offer access to their resource materials for 6 months. That means you really need to squeeze in these practices, lessons, and assignments in the time you have.
Even if you have a tight schedule, you’re better able to fit in the Magoosh lessons. You have fewer practice questions and materials to deal with, and you can spread them out over a year.
You can check our comparison of Magoosh with eGMAT here. You can also our top-rated GMAT prep courses for 2022 here.
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Conclusion
It doesn’t always follow that you’re better prepared if you pay more for your GMAT prep course, or if you receive more review resources. Magoosh believes that you don’t have to be rich to prepare well for the GMAT. You only need the right review resources. Beyond that point, the law of diminishing returns kicks in.
Magoosh believes this so firmly that it even offers a refund if you don’t increase your previous GMAT score. Go with Magoosh if you don’t have the budget for the more expensive GMAT prep courses, but know you will need some support. Magoosh is betting that you don’t need to spend more to be ready. You just need to apply yourself to the lessons, and you’ll get your money’s worth.
- 7- day free trial. Price varies from $249-$599.
- The subscription lasts for 1 year. 50 points improvement guarantee.
- Online self-paced classes. No live class option.
- 1300+ practice questions. and 2 practice exams.
- Customized study plan, Score predictor and Essay feedback(Not available with most of the competitors).
Magoosh GMAT’s Official Website
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