Kaplan Digital SAT Prep Review – Is It Worth It In 2025? 

In this article, we'll thoroughly review Kaplan's new Digital SAT prep courses based on our first-hand experience with the course to help you decide whether or not it's a suitable investment for your student's Digital SAT prep.

In our comprehensive review of the Best Digital SAT prep courses on the market, the Kaplan SAT prep course made it into our picks based on its strong performance, particularly in lesson quality and pricing. 

Here, we'll uncover the pros and cons of their new Digital SAT courses in more detail and answer frequently asked questions associated with the Kaplan SAT prep packages.

Outline

Use the helpful jump links below to skip to any section of this detailed review article on the Magoosh SAT course.

• Kaplan Digital SAT Prep Course Options
• What We Liked
• What We Didn't Like
• Should You Buy A Kaplan Digital SAT Course?
• Our Review Methodology

Video Review of Kaplan Digital SAT Prep Course

You can watch our in-depth video review for a behind-the-scenes peek into the new Kaplan Digital SAT prep course platform. 

In this video, our reviewer Chuky dives deeper into the performance of the Kaplan Digital SAT course from our first-hand experience purchasing and using the course.

Kaplan Digital SAT Prep Course Options

Kaplan’s Digital SAT prep course offerings are quite flexible, when compared to other test prep companies. You will find several course offerings that meet the needs of many families.

At the time of writing this article, they are currently not offering in-person SAT classes.

Live Online SAT Course

Kaplan’s most popular option is their Live Online Course. This course starts at $799.

You can also pay monthly for the course, at $50 per month with 0% APR. This is pretty reasonable, especially given the number of features your student can access. 

The live online course comes with 18 hours of live online instruction, spread over 5 - 6 weeks. Which pegs the price per hour of instruction at $44/hr.

Students can sign up for classes, which run frequently and in various time slots, making it pretty easy to find one that fits into their schedule. 

Kaplan includes about 300 practice questions that have been designed to mimic the new Digital SAT in this course.

In addition to 2 full-length adaptive Digital SAT practice tests, that mimic the test-taking conditions on the College Board's Bluebook app.

Furthermore, Kaplan offers a Live Online Plus option. Upgrading to the Live Online Plus course costs an additional $300.

The Live Online Plus course comes with access to all the materials of the Live Online course, plus 3 hours of 1-on-1 tutoring and their latest Digital SAT prep book.

Kaplan’s Live Online class option is a favorite of students and parents because it offers the structure and accountability that many students need to study effectively.

From my personal experience attending a Kaplan live class led by Melanie Triebel, I found the session to be very engaging. 

While the class size was on the high side, I liked that there were two Kaplan instructors who constantly moderated the chat, answering questions from students.

On-Demand SAT Prep

Kaplan’s most affordable Digital SAT program is their On-Demand course, which costs $199 for a 6-month period of access.

This course provides access to 35 on-demand video lessons covering all the domains tested on the new Digital SAT. 

All on-demand videos on this course have been reshot entirely for the Digital SAT with a new instructor, and not repackaged from their old paper-based SAT course. 

In addition, they also discuss some of Kaplan's proprietary Digital SAT test-taking strategies.

Students also get access to the same bank of 300 new Digital SAT practice questions, and 2 full-length practice tests.

The On-Demand course is designed for students with tight schedules, who don't need much student support.

The program is designed in such a way that students can learn in bite sized amounts - as the majority of the videos on the platform are under 8 minutes long.

The videos lessons in each module are designed with a tutorial section - where one of their teachers can be seen on camera - followed by short 5-question practice drill, and another 5-question quiz to test the student's knowledge of the lesson content. 

But what is striking about their instructional videos is the high quality of production.

Unlike some other competing SAT prep providers, Kaplan goes the extra mile to make the video lessons on their SAT self-paced course very fun and engaging. 

Which is essential when creating a self-paced learning resource for the large demographic of SAT test takers - high schoolers.

In their new Digital SAT video lesson, you'll occasionally find some humorous cartoon characters. You can see an example in the image below.

The structure of the On-Demand class makes it easy for students on a tight schedule to do their prep quickly, without having to plan things out on their own.

One caveat of the On-Demand program is that Kaplan doesn’t have an app, so students won’t be able to prep on the go.

Of course, this isn’t a problem for many students who prefer to do test prep on their laptops, but it is worth noting. 

Finally, the On-Demand program comes with Kaplan’s Higher Score Guarantee. It also comes with a free 7-day trial, so you can quickly try it out and see if you find the materials useful.

One last thing to note is that compared to other SAT prep providers, with 12-month access periods on self-paced SAT programs, Kaplan's self-paced program gives your student access for only 6 months.

While this is enough for some students with shorter SAT prep timelines, it may not be enough for students with longer prep timelines.  

Unfortunately, there are no options to extend access, except for Unlimited Prep, which comes at a much higher price for many more features. 

Unlimited Prep Course

Kaplan’s most comprehensive option is their Unlimited Prep package. This is not a separate course option but rather an all-access pass to their SAT test prep resources. 

Unlimited Prep is available for $1,999. It gives you access to all of the resources of the live online and on-demand classes.

In addition, the package allows you to take as many ACT, SAT, AP, and PSAT courses as you want.

The materials will remain available until your student graduates high school, so this may be a good option for students preparing for multiple tests over a long period of time.

Private SAT Tutoring

The final option that Kaplan offers is Private SAT Tutoring. This comes in packages starting at 10 hours for $1,999 or $167 per month if you choose to pay with a payment plan.

Packages go up from there, with options to choose 10, 20, 30, or 40 hours of 1-on-1 tutoring. 

At the time of publishing this review article, Kaplan's Private SAT tutoring is only offered online and not in-person. 

Kaplan’s tutoring programs come with the access to their bank of new Digital SAT practice questions and full-length practice tests.

Students can also get access to an entire Live Online course, as well as prep books and access to On-Demand practice questions. 

Private tutoring is undoubtedly a pricey option, but it can be worth it if you don't have the time to frequently supervise your child's SAT prep but have the budget for a tutor. 

A private tutor can give your child personalized help to walk you through the process and work on their specific needs and learning challenges.

They can also serve as a guide through the Live Online class, working with them to address challenges or class material they may not understand.

This is the most comprehensive option, as a tutor will be able to walk your child through all the steps and activities they need to excel on the new Digital SAT. 

Pros of Kaplan Digital SAT Prep

Flexible scheduling

No matter which Kaplan test prep option you choose, you'll find options that fit the schedule of your family.

For example, Kaplan’s Live Online classes are held at various dates and times, so you can choose one that works best for your family's schedule.

And if you choose the On-Demand option, your child can gain access to this course whenever they want. 

Numerous study resources available outside of class

Kaplan’s study resources are extensive. They are known for their test prep books, which you can buy individually or get as part of their Live Online course.

Between that and the additional hours of video instruction, your student will be able to review and practice any topic they desire.

Average course prices are more affordable

Kaplan offers more affordable options compared to other top-rated test prep providers.

In addition, with their monthly payment plans and prep starting at just $199, they’re more affordable than many other test prep providers.

Furthermore, Kaplan frequently offers discounts on their SAT course offerings, sometimes as high as 25%. 

Free 1 week trial for courses

Kaplan’s free trials make it easy to try out their products before you buy them. 

The On-Demand course comes with a 7-day free trial, so you can actually see if it works for you - although this only gives you limited access to the course.

If you opt for the Live Online Class, you can sign up for a free class to get an idea of what it will be like. In addition, they offer several free events to help with Digital SAT prep. 

Payment plans available

Kaplan’s payment plans (going up to 12 monthly installments) are another feature that makes their SAT prep courses more affordable.

This can make accessing their Live Online SAT course within the reach of many families.

Cons of Kaplan Digital SAT Prep

Weak score improvement guarantee:

While Kaplan promises a "Higher Score Guarantee" they don't stand behind a specific number of points students can observe after completing their SAT prep courses.

Compared to competitors like The Princeton Review, PrepScholar and Prep Expert with score guarantee promises of at least +150 points.

Check out in-depth head-to-head comparison of The Princeton Review SAT course vs Kaplan SAT course in the video below. 

Lacks instructor support outside live classes

Unlike their competition, Kaplan does not provide any access to on-demand instructors for assistance with their SAT curriculum, neither do they provide live office hours.

1-on-1 Digital SAT tutoring is included for a much higher price

Kaplan’s course offerings focus more on group classes and on-demand prep. 

This covers the material that most students will need. However, if you need any additional help, private tutoring is limited and is much more expensive. 

No study plan

Some test prep providers offer technology or other services to help you make a personalized study plan to address the unique strengths and challenges of your child.

However, Kaplan’s SAT prep has a much more rigid structure, so you’ll need to either customize a study plan for your child or rely on their more general program structure. 

Lacks in-person SAT classes

While Kaplan’s SAT course options are tried and tested, they aren’t as varied as other test prep providers, given the lack of in-person SAT courses and classes.

Should you buy a Kaplan SAT Prep Course? 

While we found the Kaplan SAT prep course to excel in the area of lesson quality - with content that’s very engaging to the demographic of SAT test-takers, we were not very impressed by the depth of SAT specific strategies in their program.

In addition, at the price point of their live SAT prep program, we expected competitive customer policies from Kaplan like a bold score increase guarantee, and money-back refund for unhappy customers.

So if these complaints are important to you, we recommend you find other alternatives from the top SAT courses we've thoroughly reviewed. Such as those from The Princeton Review, PrepScholar, and Prep Expert.

However, if the need for a budget SAT prep course is the most important factor to your family, you could get some value from Kaplan's affordable SAT prep course packages.

Review Methodology

At Sojourning Scholar, we've performed first-hand reviews of over 70 test prep products - such as books and courses - with an eye toward the test prep product's quantitative and qualitative features.

The quantitative factors we assess include the product price, duration of access periods, and quantity of practice material.

Qualitative factors affect how much value a student can get from the product.

They include the qualifications and experience of teachers or authors, the effectiveness of the self-paced or live course curriculum, student support quality, and customer policies.

To perform this review, we first purchased the Kaplan On-Demand SAT course and spent about 22 hours watching video lessons and completing their new Digital SAT practice questions and full-length practice tests. 

In addition to attending their instructor-led Live Online SAT Prep course.

This allowed us to holistically assess the quality of both their self-paced SAT and their Live SAT course curriculum.

FAQs

Is Kaplan SAT Updated for the Digital SAT?

Yes. The Kaplan platform has been completely updated for the new Digital SAT. With a fresh library of high-quality self-paced video lessons, new Digital SAT practice questions and 2 full-length practice tests. 

What is the Kaplan SAT money-back guarantee?

Kaplan offers their Higher Score Guarantee (HSG) with most of their classes. This means that if you don’t score higher than you previously did, you can get your money back or continue your prep for free. 

The Higher Score Guarantee comes with some terms that vary based on what SAT course you’re purchasing, so make sure to read the fine print to ensure that your program will qualify. 

How much does Kaplan SAT prep cost?

The cost of Kaplan SAT prep varies based on what program you choose. Options range from $199 for their On Demand SAT course to over $1,999 for their Unlimited Prep course.

However, the more expensive Kaplan SAT prep courses come with monthly payment plans which makes them affordable for most families.