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3.69 OVERALL SCORE
What we liked
Complaints
Lesson Quality
Student Support
Practice Material
Customer Policies
Magoosh distinguishes itself by offering budget-friendly prep courses. In our review of the best Digital SAT prep courses on the market, we rated the Magoosh Digital SAT prep course as the best for budget test-takers.
But can their budget Digital SAT prep courses help your student get a top score? To find out, we've purchased and spent weeks thoroughly reviewing their new Digital SAT course.
In this article, we'll explore what Magoosh has to offer, the pros and cons of their courses, and whether their new Digital SAT prep offerings can help your student achieve a high SAT score.
Outline
Use the helpful jump links below to skip to any section of this detailed review article on the Magoosh SAT course.
Video Review of Magoosh Digital SAT Prep Course
Watch our in-depth video review for a behind the scenes peek into the Magoosh SAT prep course platform.
Here, we dive deeper into the performance of the Magoosh SAT course from our first-hand experience using the course.
Magoosh SAT Prep Course Options
Magoosh currently offers two self-paced SAT online courses. These are the Premium and Premium + On-Demand Classes.
At the time of this review, they don't offer any live Digital SAT courses or private tutoring.
Let's take a deep dive into what you get with their current Digital SAT course line up, based on our first-hand experience using their platform.
Premium SAT Course
Magoosh Digital SAT Course Dashboard
Magoosh's Self-Paced Premium package is their standard course option. This course offers a complete set of online resources designed to give students everything they need for effective SAT Prep.
At just $129, you'll get 12 months of access to their entire Digital SAT course platform.
Magoosh Digital SAT Math Video Lesson Sample
The Self-Paced Premium course is contains over 1,000 practice questions that have been updated to reflect what you'll find on the Digital SAT.
From this pool of over 1,000 practice questions, students can generate up to four full-length Digital SAT practice tests.
Compared to several other SAT prep courses, their practice question bank is quite extensive.
Magoosh Digital SAT sample full-length practice test
The practice questions are the center of Magoosh's SAT prep courses. And is an area where Magoosh outperforms its competitors.
One of the outstanding features of their SAT practice material is that they provide detailed video and text explanations on most practice questions.
Magoosh's online library includes over 200 video lessons covering various fundamental concepts tested on the Digital SAT.
These videos are shot in a presentation-style format, with voiceovers from an instructor not shown on camera. The typical duration of video lessons is under 10 minutes long.
Magoosh Digital SAT Reading and Writing Lesson Sample
Each video lesson module includes short quizzes to help reinforce what you learned in the video.
In addition, you will also be able to create custom practice sessions with your choice of subject, difficulty level, and number of questions.
Magoosh Digital SAT custom practice quiz feature
Finally, Magoosh offers the perk of email assistance from their expert SAT instructors.
You can email them at any time with a question about coursework, concepts, or the SAT in general, and they'll get back to you in around 48 hours.
Although Magoosh's SAT program isn't as expensive as some other SAT course providers, they're very confident in their results.
And offer a +100 point score increase guarantee on both of their Digital SAT courses.
Premium + On-Demand Classes
SAT math video lessons on Magoosh SAT prep course
In the past, Magoosh offered a live instruction component on this course.
However, they have now reduced this course to a self-paced course, where students receive 16-hours of on-demand video recordings from a previous live class.
This package provides everything in the Premium course, plus the 16 hours of recorded classes for $399.
Magoosh Digital SAT Reading and Writing Section sample practice question
These on-demand live classes were taught by instructors who have achieved SAT scores in the 99th percentile, and have several years of experience coaching students for the SAT.
Pros of Magoosh SAT Prep Course
Detailed Answer Explanations
A standout feature of the Magoosh SAT test prep courses are the detailed answer explanations provided for all practice questions on their platform.
Magoosh Digital SAT Math section sample video and text answer explanation
While other SAT test prep companies might provide these answer explanations in a text-based format, Magoosh goes the extra mile supplementing the majority of their text-based answer explanations with detailed video answer explanations.
This multimedia approach caters to both visual learners and those who learn best by reading.
Range of affordable prices and cool features
Magoosh does give you a great deal for your money. Not only are their SAT courses one of the cheapest, you can also pay for these course using a payment plan.
While you may not receive the most comprehensive or the fanciest materials, you get the basics you need for SAT prep.
The $129 gives you access to practice questions, answer explanations, study schedules, full-length Digital SAT practice tests, video lessons, and on-demand email support.
A remarkable feature Magoosh offers is the ability to pause access to your course once a month.
This way, you can get the most out of your access period if you have several weeks or months of inactivity on the platform.
Accessible courses through a mobile app
Magoosh's mobile app is a great advantage for busy students who may have trouble fitting the 20-30 minute lessons into their day.
For students who have long commutes, spend lots of time in extracurriculars, or work jobs outside of school, an app can allow them to fit test prep into their schedules.
In addition, the app makes it easy to get some studying in during moments of downtime, like a train or car ride or a break during work or other activities.
Magoosh Digital SAT Course Flashcard Feature
A bonus is that Magoosh has two apps. The main one has your whole SAT experience on mobile. The other app is one for English and Math flashcards.
This app allows you to learn offline, creating an excellent opportunity to fit in bits of extra practice whenever they have time.
Bold customer policies
Magoosh promises a +00-point score increase guarantee or your money back to students who meet specific requirements.
This course also offers a 7-day free trial that doesn’t require any payment information to unlock.
In addition to the free trial, there is also a 7-day money-back guarantee. Which allows paid users to cancel their course for whatever reason and get a full refund of their money.
Cons of Magoosh SAT Prep Course
No Digital SAT live classes or private tutoring
Unlike the PrepScholar SAT prep course or The Princeton Review SAT prep course, Magoosh does not currently offer private tutoring or instructor-led live classes.
This can be a drawback for students who need more personalized and dedicated support and may be a reason to choose another provider.
Weak Digital SAT lesson quality
While their library of SAT lessons is vast, only a tiny percentage of these video lessons reference the Digital SAT.
The vast majority of the lessons are duplicates of the content not only on their older paper-based SAT course but also on their other self-paced courses like the ACT or the GRE.
Secondly, the video lessons are created in a presentation-style format with voiceovers from an instructor not shown on camera.
This does not make the videos engaging compared to other courses that show an instructor on camera and use creative elements to hook the viewer.
Overall, if you’re looking for a refresher on general math or reading & writing concepts tested on the Digital SAT, their generic video lessons might be suitable.
However, we found this course weak in teaching effective strategies specific to the Digital SAT.
Video lesson on the Magoosh SAT prep course showing the instructor's annotation
Low score improvement guarantee
Magoosh's score improvement guarantee of 100 points is one of the lowest among popular SAT prep companies.
However, this is somewhat justified given their budget friendly approach to test prep.
Should you buy a Magoosh SAT Prep Course?
With an extensive library of learning resources at an affordable price tag, Magoosh has made a name for themselves in the SAT test prep space.
With 12 months of access to their self-paced platform and the opportunity to add on live classes, the Magoosh SAT program has a lot to offer students and families preparing for the SAT.
After thoroughly reviewing the Magoosh platform, we can say for sure that the Magoosh SAT prep course is a good option for self-motivated students preparing for the SAT on a budget who don't need much instructor support during their prep.
However, if you need an SAT prep program with dedicated support, private tutoring, or more than twelve months of access, you may want to consider another option like the Princeton Review SAT prep, PrepScholar SAT prep, or Kaplan SAT prep.
However, if you're confident that you can effectively prepare for the SAT with minimal supervision, then Magoosh will be a good choice.
If you're still on the fence, you can check out one of their sample live classes, and take advantage of their 7-day money-back guarantee to see if you like their SAT prep course platform.
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 Magoosh Self-Paced Premium SAT course and spent about 20 hours watching video lessons and completing the recommended practice quiz questions, and full-length Digital SAT practice tests.
This allowed us to holistically assess the quality of their self-paced SAT course curriculum.
FAQs
Is Magoosh updated for the Digital SAT prep?
Yes. Magoosh has updated the practice questions on the platform to mimic those found on the real Digital SAT.
However, their library of video lessons still contains a large amount of the videos that were found on their paper-based SAT course.
Is Magoosh SAT prep free?
While Magoosh SAT prep is one of the cheaper options, it is not free. They offer a 7-day free trial, but their most affordable course is $129.
If you're looking for a free SAT prep option, you can check out Khan Academy's free program or helpful SAT YouTube channels.
There are also several practice tests and questions available online for free, so if you want to put together a program from free resources, that is an option as well.
Is Magoosh SAT worth it?
For many students, the resources that Magoosh offers will be well worth the price. Magoosh themselves are very confident in this, so they offer their 100+ point guarantee.
Every student is different, though, so it's essential to consider the information in this article and on their site and decide if this program will meet your test prep needs.
Is Magoosh good for SAT prep?
Magoosh offers a good quality Digital SAT prep program at an affordable price.
After purchasing and thoroughly reviewing their SAT prep course, we ranked Magoosh as the best budget Digital SAT prep on the market.
Their video lessons cover all the fundamental concepts tested on the Digital SAT.
In addition, they offer a high-quality bank of Digital SAT practice questions and answer explanation that rival those found on more expensive Digital SAT courses.
