The Princeton Review Vs. Kaplan ACT: Which Course Reigns Supreme? 

The Princeton Review and Kaplan and are two of the most popular test prep platforms for ACT. So, naturally, deciding on the best ACT prep course for your student from these two test prep giants can be difficult.

To help you pick the course that can boost your student's ACT scores the most, we purchased and spent several weeks using both ACT prep course platforms. Unlike other review websites that have no first-hand experience with the ACT prep resources they review.

We firmly maintain that thoroughly examining the strengths and weaknesses of any ACT test prep material from first-hand experience is the only way of providing a well-rounded recommendation.

Kaplan vs The Princeton Review ACT course video review

Looking to get an authentic behind the scene look into these two ACT prep courses? Watch this video where we peel back the curtain and highlight how the Kaplan ACT course platform stacks against the ACT course platform from The Princeton Review.

Who should buy The Princeton Review ACT course?

• Students who feel more confident after completing several full-length ACT practice tests during their prep
• Families looking for an ACT live course with high quality student support
• Buyers looking for a stronger ACT score increase guarantee promise 

Who should buy the Kaplan ACT course?

• Students looking for the highest quality ACT practice questions in an ACT course

Kaplan and Princeton Review ACT: Similarities and Differences

Main Similarities 

• Both platforms offer ACT courses through self-studying, live classes, and personalized tutoring packages
• Neither platform has mobile app access, meaning you can’t study on the go
• Both platforms reference full-length official ACT practice material

Main Differences

• Kaplan’s self-paced course is sold with six months of access, while access to The Princeton Review’s self-paced platform lasts for a year
• The Princeton Review offers in-person classes in several locations, whereas Kaplan no longer offers in-person ACT prep classes
• Kaplan has the exclusive license from ACT Inc to deliver official ACT practice questions digitally, while The Princeton Review does not
• The Princeton Review offers physical prep books when you purchase a teacher-led ACT prep package while Kaplan does not ship out their ACT prep books

Kaplan vs The Princeton Review: Performance Comparison

Quality of ACT Lessons

The lesson quality is the main contributor to the success of all students. You can’t expect to get a high ACT score from subpar lessons. Hence, we have compared the lesson quality and structure of Kaplan and Princeton Review ACT prep courses.  

The Princeton Review had better video lessons than Kaplan. The video lessons on their self-paced platform are typically shorter than five minutes, and the instructor uses a reverse glass board to teach. 

The self-paced video lessons on Kaplan are slightly longer and shot in a typical talking head style. There are also much fewer video lessons on their platform. In fact, there are over three times more video lessons on The Princeton Review platform.

We liked that both platforms incorporate short quizzes and questions within each video lesson. These add-ons enable you to test your understanding of the lessons immediately. 

The depth of ACT-specific strategies taught in The Princeton Review video lessons makes their platform the winner in this category.

Quality of ACT Practice Material

The phrase “practice makes perfect” is a cliché for a reason. You’ll need access to the best practice questions to improve your ACT score. And so, it’s vital to prepare using official ACT practice material.

The Kaplan question bank has over 2000 online practice questions across all ACT sections. Their practice questions are from official ACT practice material, owing to their exclusive partnership with ACT Inc.

In contrast, The Princeton Review provides nearly 1,200 practice questions that mimic official ACT practice questions, which are by definition unofficial ACT practice questions.  

Kaplan offers five full-length official ACT practice tests online, whereas The Princeton Review references one downloadable official ACT practice test.

The Princeton Review has nine full-length and eight single-section unofficial ACT practice tests. Students can complete this combined set of 17 practice tests in an online or pencil-and-paper environment.

Kaplan provides a more balanced mixture of video and text-based answer explanations, while The Princeton Review only provides text-based answer explanations to the practice questions on their platform. 

In this category of ACT practice material quality, Kaplan takes the win for both quality AND quantity.

Quality of Student Support 

So, what happens when you get stuck while self-studying? Both platforms lack on-demand access to an instructor in the self-paced foundational course. However, students who purchase The Princeton Review’s combined SAT & ACT self-paced course can get 10 hours of on-demand tutoring for an additional $200. 

All Princeton Review live class packages include on-demand chat access to an instructor. Moreover, students get unlimited access to daily virtual classrooms. 

Kaplan does not offer these support features to students using their live online ACT course.

Hence, The Princeton Review wins in the category of student support. 

Live class size 

A smaller class enables more interaction between students and the teacher. The Princeton Review allows a maximum of 25 students. However, the live classes by Kaplan could exceed this size. 

Furthermore, The Princeton Review's live ACT classes are more interactive as students can unmute themselves to speak. While on Kaplan, communication during live classes is limited to a chat feature. 

The Princeton Review is a clear winner in this category.

Pricing 

The Princeton Review’s standalone self-paced ACT course starts at $300. In contrast, Kaplan offers a self-paced course with six months’ access for $119. 

For an additional $200, buyers can access The Princeton Review's combined SAT & ACT courses. The Kaplan ACT course doesn't have this option. The Princeton Review’s ACT Essentials course, with 18 hours of instruction, is priced at $949.

Kaplan's live online ACT package, with 16 hours of classroom time, starts at $549. To help families afford their teacher-led ACT prep courses, Kaplan offers monthly payment plans with 0% APR. 

For their private ACT online tutoring option, The Princeton Review prices start at $180 per hour for three hours of tutoring. The price goes down to $150 per hour for 18 hours of tutoring. In contrast, Kaplan offers five hours of tutoring for $150 per hour. You can sign up for 40 hours of tutoring to lower the price to $110 per hour. 

Kaplan takes the win for having the cheaper ACT prep course offering. 

Customer Policies

We are all familiar with the dreadful experience of being stuck with a prep course that doesn’t work for you. So, we read the fine print for both ACT prep courses. 

The Princeton Review has a 100% refund policy for self-paced courses canceled within the first seven days. However, Kaplan has no money-back refunds for course cancellations.

The Princeton Review guarantees a +5 points score increase when you purchase their ACT prep course. On the other hand, Kaplan has no explicit point score increase guarantee in their ACT course packages.

And so, The Princeton Review ACT takes the lead over Kaplan ACT for having the better customer policies. 

Final Recommendations

We would highly recommend The Princeton Review ACT prep course over Kaplan, particularly for families who are looking for a live ACT prep course.

The Princeton Review offers more options for student support than Kaplan. Although their platform lacks ample official ACT practice material, you can supplement your students' prep by purchasing The official ACT prep guidebook, which includes six full-length ACT practice tests that you can complete online. 

We hope this comparison has helped you make a better decision when purchasing your ACT prep course.