Magoosh SAT Review: A Budget-friendly SAT Prep Course

Magoosh, a company that offers Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) test prep program, claims that college admission test preparation should not be that expensive. Its practice problems and video lectures, among other materials, for example, shows that affordability and quality could come hand in hand. And that spending a lot of money should not be the only top option in the first place.

On the flip side, I understand that people often base a product’s quality according to its price. And that you might be thinking right now that Magoosh SAT offers not up to par results.

That being said, that is the very reason why I came up with this in-depth Magoosh SAT review. I will help you clear things out as well as weigh things better to see whether the SAT prep course is the right one for you.

What is Magoosh SAT?

Established way back in 2009 Vikram Shenoy and Pejman Pour-Moezzi, Magoosh Inc. is a test preparation company providing help to all types of students ace their standardized exams. It provides numerous test prep courses like GRE and TOEFL. And, of course, our main topic for this review, SAT.

Having said that, Magoosh SAT is a test prep course developed specifically for highschool-turned-incoming-college-students. Magoosh provides many things that I find truly useful for high schoolers as well.

Essentially, it is known as an all-digital SAT preparation program that lets students study at their own pace and in the comfort of their homes. The test prep course is also known for its affordable study plans that are, in fact, among the cheapest plans available in the market today. And with its study materials and features, it also claims to improve your SAT score by 100 points. 

What does it offer?

As its name suggests, Magoosh SAT is a test preparation coursework that contains study materials specifically for SAT. Integrated with various study features, the company provides a flexible approach to standardized tests together with affordable yet quality materials.

In terms of accessibility, on the one hand, Magoosh made sure to provide a commendable service. It is because aside from the act that it is all-digital and can be accessed online anytime and anywhere, the test prep course company also has two separate mobile applications for students to use.

To take it further, here is an overview of what you will get from Magoosh SAT:

  • Lecture videos
  • Three full-length practice tests
  • More than 1, 750 practice questions
  • More than 200 lecture videos
  • Video explanation for every question
  • Study schedules
  • Personalized practice sessions
  • Personalized dashboard

How does it differ?

Just like any other product, Magoosh’s SAT course shares a few distinct features that make it stand out among other SAT prep coursework.

Its a) market price, for instance, is relatively cheaper compared to its competitors. In fact, you can have a year-round full-access to its program for only $112 Unlike PrepScholar SAT’s 1-year plan, which costs about $400.

Another feature that makes it different from others is its b) mobile applications. The app contains various resources (which I will explain in detail in the next sections) and SAT materials that students can utilize anytime and anywhere they want.

Magoosh SAT also offers c) 100-point score guarantee policy for all its students. Technically, such a policy would allow students to take a full refund of their subscription if their SAT score results did not improve by 100 points. But do take note that the policy is subjected to a few conditions, which I will elaborate on later.

Who are the ideal users?

Wondering if Magoosh would suit your child’s preference? Check out this list of ideal users I came up with.

  1. Students with busy families. Magoosh SAT’s all-digital system is a great solution for busy parents who wish to help their children ace their college admission exams. Given its no in-person classes approach, it is inherently a great help for parents since their kids need not leave the house to review.  
  2. Highschoolers who prefer studying alone. Magoosh SAT works best with students who have no problem studying alone. The test prep course offers no private teacher and is essentially library-like since it does not have a “curriculum.”

    Having said that, introverted students tend to exhibit such characteristics typically. And if your child is, then Magoosh SAT is a good option.
  3. Visual and auditory learner. Given its library of lectures—which are also on-demand—students who are naturally auditory and visual learners will benefit greatly from Magoosh. Each of its SAT practice problems comes with a video explanation too to further elaborate the topic.

The pros & cons

Magoosh SAT shares a perfect balance of good and bad. As such, here’s a quick overview of its perks and disadvantages to help you weigh things further.

The pros

  • Universally accessible and customizable
  • SAT practice questions and tests
  • 100-point score guarantee policy
  • Diagnostic exam
  • Mobile application
  • 7-day money-back guarantee
  • Extensive library of lecture videos
  • Numerous resources

The cons

  • Fewer practice tests
  • No textbooks
  • No in-person and online classes
  • A private tutor is not available
  • It lacks guidance

Magoosh SAT Review: what you need to know

Now that you have seen Magoosh SAT’s surface, dive further and take a closer look at its features. In this section of  Magoosh SAT review, I will discuss more of its tools, study plans, and costs, student support, and a few more perks and disadvantages.

Let’s dive in?

Magoosh SAT’s best features

To deliver up to par services and optimum results, Magoosh has added several features into its SAT program created to further aid its students. Among these tools, on the one hand, are a few that I consider significantly more useful than others.

In other words, these are its best features.

1.  Accessibility and versatility. The first aspect I love about Magoosh SAT is its flexibility and accessibility, which is very crucial these days due to the pandemic. The test prep coursework provides an all-digital approach that, fundamentally, allows students to take their studies wherever they want—even at the comfort of their homes.

Such an approach has also enabled a study-at-your-own-pace option for students. It has also taken the burden of fixed schedule classes away that traditional classroom setting typically has, thanks to its 24/7-available study materials, especially its on-demand lecture videos.

Overall, Magoosh SAT offers more than a test preparation program. But also the freedom to let students manage and personalize their studies according to their preferences.

2.  Practice tests. When it comes to its practice exams, Magoosh’s SAT coursework provides remarkably valuable study materials. In fact, it offers two types of practice test: a set of full-length SAT practice exams and a basket of more than 1, 750 practice questions.

Having said that, here is how two exams differ:

  • Practice questions. Magoosh SAT also comes with over 1, 750 almost-real-SAT-problems practice questions that students can try to test if they improved or not. Each problem is accompanied with both video and text explanations too, which I find impressively handy particularly for students who demand longer and elaborated answers.

    The video is a bit short, however. It takes two to three minutes only and follows the same format that Magoosh lecture videos is using. In other words, it contains a step-by-step explanation of how to solve a specific problem.
  • Full-length practice exams. On the flip side, Magoosh SAT also provides full-length SAT practice exams. As its name suggests, it is a longer type of practice tests that covers all topics.

    On the one hand, users will receive up to three practice tests only—quite a few if compared to other SAT prep course providers like Princeton Review and Kaplan. The questions, on the flip side, are fairly up to par.

    The only problem is that Magoosh does not offer a dedicated SAT practice test, which means all problems you will encounter mostly came from the 1, 750+ practice questions. 

3.  Diagnostic exam. Magoosh also provides a short diagnostic exam—which is included in all premium plans of the SAT prep program—that allows students to check their strengths and weaknesses. The test is available online and will take you up to 60 to 75 minutes to finish.

It might be quite long for some high schoolers. Fortunately, students need not do it in one sitting but can answer it one at a time. The test prep course provides an exclusive practice test as well aside from the diagnostic exam. These tests, on the flip side, will require you to do it under real test-taking conditions.

4.  Extensive library of lecture videos. Another worth noting aspect about Magoosh is its huge library of lecture videos. The coursework comes with more than 200 lecture videos that you can browse through a catalog of modules.

Essentially, these videos take about four to twelve minutes in length. It is an impressive decision for the company’s part as well knowing how short high school kids’ attention span these days are.

But the catch here is the fact that the videos are not that aesthetically good; though neat enough to look professional. In fact, its format sort of resembles a PowerPoint presentation which is very easy to make.

5.  Magoosh flashcards. The SAT prep coursework has also developed a material called “on-the-go” flashcards. Primarily, these flashcards were made to give high schoolers all options they need in terms of where and when to study.

These resources cover topics under the English, Maths and Science subjects. Users can get free access to more than 200 flashcards as well. Aside from that, these flashcards are available in Magoosh mobile app only (which is available both for Android and iOS users).

6.  Mobile applications. Magoosh provides two mobile applications that its students can use. The first app—which is also known as the “SAT Exam Prep and Practice” app—contains SAT materials including practice tests and lecture videos.

Essentially, its purpose is to make your learning experience more accessible and easier since mobile phones are portable and offer faster access compared to web platforms.

The second app, on the one hand, contains flashcards for both Math and English. And just like the first one, its purpose is to deliver the most on-the-go type of study.

The two applications are also available on both iOS and Android.

7.  100-point guarantee policy. Believe it or not, Magoosh SAT offers a policy that lets you take your money back if, in case, your test results flopped. Essentially, such a feature— also known as the 100-point guarantee policy—allows students to get a “full” refund of their subscription payment if their overall score did not improve by 100 points.

The policy, however, applies to certain conditions only. And these requirements are:

  • The student must be subscribed to Magoosh’s premium SAT plans.
  • The student must have taken the old “redesigned version’’ of SAT before.
  • The student’s SAT score must be less than five years old
  • The student should submit a copy of his/her old SAT score report upon registration as proof.

Student support

For SAT-related and other technical inquiries, Magoosh integrated a student support system to aid students to find solutions to their questions or problems. Essentially, such a feature enables you to reach out to any of Magoosh’s representatives. It also is available 24/7 for free.

But the catch is that you can only contact me through email.

On a good note, Magoosh’s agents are not just simply customer representatives but are a team of in-house experts. In other words, these people are proficient in their respective fields. The response time is not fast but not slow either. In my experience, Magoosh’s representatives usually email back not more than 24 hours.

I find the exam prep company’s student support feature a good alternative for private tutoring as well. Because as mentioned, it was developed mainly to help students find answers to their SAT-related questions.

So, if, in case you encountered a confusing problem that needs a little bit further explanation, then you can simply just reach out to any Magoosh’s representatives for FREE.

However, if you are the type that requires in-depth explanation, then I suggest you reconsider Magoosh SAT since it does not provide private tutoring. 

Magoosh SAT plans & pricing

Magoosh SAT prep course’s study plans are among the most budget-friendly programs in the market today.

Its test prep course is divided into three plans only: a one-month plan, a two-month plan, and a one-year plan. Each plan comes with the same complete SAT package too and only varies based on the duration of access. More importantly, the prices for each plan differ as well.

That being said, below is a list of what the Magoosh SAT prep program contains:

  • More than 1, 750 practice questions
  • Up to three practice tests
  • More than 200 lecture videos
  • Video explanation for every question
  • Study schedules

Apart from that, Magoosh integrated several features into its product too. It has, for example, a data-driven score predictor that enables students to see what their SAT score would be based on their current knowledge.

It also provides expert assistance through email if necessary. And, of course, a 100-point score increase guarantee.

Magoosh SAT also offers a 7-day money-back guarantee policy that allows users to drop their subscriptions and, at the same time, get a full refund. The SAT prep coursework accepts payments through numerous means too including PayPal, Visa, Mastercard, and American Express.

Things to take note of

Magoosh SAT is not all roses and inherently shares a few drawbacks that I believe potential students should learn about. Hence, I listed some factors that I think the SAT prep course lacks.

  1. No textbooks. Unfortunately, Magoosh SAT does not provide physical, as well as digital, textbooks. I don’t find it a major flaw but if you are the type of person who prefers to sift through pages of books while studying, I recommend you reconsider other SAT prep programs.

    It is quite disappointing but given its market price, it is understandable why Magoosh doesn’t give textbooks.
  2. No in-person and live classes. Magoosh SAT does not conduct in-person and even live online classes. It is, however, actually one of its perks. But again, if you are the kind of student who prefers attending a traditional classroom setting, then this one might not be for you.
  3. It does not offer a private tutor. Magoosh SAT does not offer a private tutoring package as well. However, as an alternative, it developed a support system that students can utilize and ask experts for FREE whenever they encounter SAT-related problems.

The verdict

College admission is a nerve-wracking transition phase that requires utmost preparation—both for students and parents—that some even spend a fortune just to foolproof their college life.

But is that how it should be?

Magoosh SAT proved that is not how it should be. From its pocket-friendly prices to its quality and on-demand study materials, the test prep provider showed that parents can foolproof their kids’ college life without the need to spend a fortune.

Its study features are well suited for most high schoolers’ lifestyle as well—particularly its mobile apps and on-the-go flashcards—as it makes learning more accessible, versatile, and fun.

All in all, I highly recommend Magoosh SAT given its affordability as well as quality services.