Key Takeaways
- Discover the 10 best SAT tutoring services, including Princeton Review and Magoosh, with options to fit every learning style and budget.
- Take advantage of personalized coaching, score guarantees, and practice tools to get ready for the digital SAT.
- Learn how to choose the right SAT prep by focusing on budget, teaching style, and the quality of practice tests.
Finding the best online SAT tutoring service is more difficult than it first appears. Firstly, the number of virtual tutoring platforms has grown steadily. This makes it challenging to differentiate one from the other. Secondly, there is no clear definition of good or exceptional SAT tutors. And finally, the digital SAT is new, so students need a variety of support and guidance, making the comparisons multi-layered.
Industry research company IBIS pegs the online tutoring market in the US at US$ 1.7BN in 2023. Separate estimates suggest that between now and 2026, the test prep market in the US will grow by 6.39% CAGR. If anything, these figures suggest one thing: students will be spoilt for choice.
After carefully studying the major services, we’ve narrowed down the 10 best online SAT tutoring services. Below is a detailed comparison of these services, including their strengths and limitations.
Top 10 Online SAT Tutoring Services for 2024
1. Princeton Review
Founded in 1981, Princeton Review is a well-known SAT prep company. They have a major presence in the USA, Canada and 20+ other countries. Besides coaching and tutoring, they publish books (print as well as digital versions) and college rankings.
Course options
Princeton Review offers 4 options. All courses include at least 9 full-length SAT practice tests.
1. SAT online tutoring
- Includes a score-guarantee option: 1,400 points or an increase of 150 points.
- Starts at $ 1,899
2. Self-paced
- Includes ACT course as well
- Starts at $249
3. In-person
- Tutoring sessions conducted by tutors re-certified for the digital SAT
- Includes the 1,500-score guarantee, priced at $6,560
4. Private tutoring
- Duration: Private SAT tutoring is available for either 10 or 18 hours.
- Fees: The 10-hour package is available at $2,000
Trial: There’s a 14-day free trial.
Core strength: Wide range of services that includes K-12, SAT, GRE, USMLE, and coaching for professional tests like the CPA and the CFA
Trustpilot rating: 4.3
Limitations
- In-person tutoring is limited to only a handful of locations.
- The score-guarantee courses are expensive.
- The private tutoring option shows two alternatives: live online and in-person. Yet both show identical charges, making it difficult to differentiate between the value they deliver.
2. Magoosh
Magoosh was founded in 2009 when the co-founders were still first-semester students at UC Berkeley. Besides coaching and tutoring for different exams, they also run a foundation in the memory of one of their founders. This foundation supports the entrepreneurial dreams of MBA students from the Walter A Haas School of Business.
Course options:
For SAT tutoring online, Magoosh has two courses:
1. Self-paced
- 12-month access to various resources
- 3 practice tests and 1,750 practice questions
- Email assistance from tutors
- Fees: $129
2. Guided study
- Led by 99-percentile instructors
- Includes 16 hours of teaching for important areas
- Comes with flashcards, score predictor, and study plans
- Fees: $399
Trial: There’s a 7-day money-back guarantee.
Core strength: Simple, budget plans
Trustpilot rating: 4.4
Limitations
- They admit the tutoring videos were meant for the paper-and-pencil SAT, and are now being repurposed. This factor is not insignificant because the digital SAT requires students to prepare slightly differently.
- Their 100-point score increase guarantee is modest. Many players offer better guarantees.
- Magoosh doesn’t offer private tutoring. Their tutoring is primarily an automated prep program, so we do not know how their online SAT tutor will help.
3. Khan Academy
As the official practice partner of the College Board for the SAT, Khan Academy is another great option you must consider. The founder Salman Khan started out small when he began tutoring his cousin over the internet. You might find your best SAT tutor here - who knows?
Course options:
- There are no course variants - everybody gets access to the same resources.
- Periodically, Khan Academy conducts virtual bootcamps. Currently, they are 4-week long. Tutors teach and, in the process, upgrade their knowledge about the SAT.
- Anyone with a sectional SAT score of at least 700 can apply to teach at the Khan Academy bootcamps.
Trial: Since it’s free anyway, there’s no question of a trial period.
Core strength: Official SAT partner
Trustpilot rating: 3.3
Limitations:
- It’s not a for-profit organization, so you cannot expect everything available per your requirements. That’s not to say anything is missing, but some SAT tutoring businesses may offer a level of personalized support that you can’t find here.
- The lessons are comprehensive in theory. However, the number of practice questions may be inadequate for some students.
- It’s not the right place for students who need a lot of hand-holding. For instance, you won’t find much help for college admissions.
- For some students, this can be the only source of coaching. But for the rest, this might be a supplemental resource, because one-to-one tutoring isn’t available.
4. Kaplan
Founded way back in 1938, Kaplan has grown to be a multi-product education company. In addition to education and training, Kaplan also owns and runs financial services training programs, a business school, and a language school, among other organizations.
Course options
1. Standard SAT coaching
- 2 full-length tests for SAT practice, followed by a detailed report for each
- SAT prep book
- On-demand lessons and practice questions
- 18 hours of classroom instruction included
- Fees: $1,700 (discounted from $1,999)
2. Premium SAT coaching
- Choice of private one-on-one tutoring
- Tutors are experienced, 99-percentile achievers
- On-demand lessons and practice questions
- One chat session with an SAT expert
- Fees: $2,550 (discounted from $2,999)
3. In-person course
- 18 hours of in-person instruction
- Eight practice tests
- A question bank with over 1,000 questions
- SAT prep books
4. Live Online SAT Prep
- Teaching with a SAT tutor online
- $680
5. Bootcamp
- $680
Trial: You may take a free SAT class or a free practice test. There doesn’t appear to be a full course trial.
Core strength: Long history
Trustpilot rating: 4.6
Limitations
- Their higher-score guarantee doesn’t mention any numbers. Hence, even if your score increases by just 1 point, a part of the guarantee is no longer applicable.
- Out of the 8 tests they offer in practice, 4 are College Board practice SATs that are free anyway.
- To a considerable extent, your test preparation relies on strategies. There are opinions that many strategies Kaplan suggests are either generic or more suited to the paper-and-pencil version of the SAT.
5. Wyzant
The next on our list of the top SAT tutoring online services is Wyzant, which is technically a marketplace. Their current website is available in both Spanish and English. SAT is one of the many services they offer; other services include subject coaching and academic help. Currently, their parent organization IXL owns a couple of major language sites like Rosetta Stone and Vocabulary.
Courses
Wyzant offers a single style of coaching for the SAT. Here’s how the model works:
- Go through their list of tutors and read the profiles of those you find interesting.
- Read the ratings of the tutor.
- Using the contact form, reach out for a meeting with the tutor.
- If things go fine with the online SAT tutor, you can begin your SAT preparations under the tutor.
- Each tutor charges at an hourly rate. Some are as high as $393 per hour.
Trial: While there is no free trial, they have what’s called a Good Fit Guarantee for the first tutoring hour. If you’re not satisfied, you may request a refund or a new tutor.
Core strength: Fits all budgets
Trustpilot rating: 1.8
Limitations:
- Their low rating on Trustpilot is certainly a cause of concern.
- Because Wyzant is a marketplace, they do not have the kind of quality control over SAT tutoring that the other SAT tutoring online services do.
- The status of the tutor with Wyzant is that of a contractor. Hence, that expert SAT tutor your cousin studied under three months back may no longer be available when it’s your turn.
6. PrepScholar
PrepScholar was founded in 2013 and currently runs test prep programs that aim to improve standardized test scores. They only hire tutors who have scored in the 99 percentile range. Additional services include GRE, GMAT, and academic tutoring.
Courses
1. Complete Online SAT Prep
- Has over 150 hours of online prep, 90 skill lessons and 4,000+ practice questions
- Access for 12 months
- Includes customized weekly plan
- Fees: $397
2. SAT online tutoring+ Admissions bootcamp
- Tutoring and prep as per the basic Complete Online SAT prep plan
- Includes guidance for applications and essays
- Fees:$595
3. Instructor-led classes + Complete online SAT prep
- 9 hours of live instructions
- Small classes for better engagement
- Includes the admissions bootcamp program
- Chance to get your queries answered in real-time
- Fees: $895
4. One-on-one tutoring + Complete online SAT prep
- Covers preparing for the SAT and the ACT
- Includes all instructor-led classes
- Fees: $1,695
- Extra one-on-one tutoring of upto 6 hours complimentary
All the above courses come with a guarantee of a 160-point increase.
Free trial: They offer a 5-day money-back guarantee on most courses.
Core strength: Mixed budget
Trustpilot rating: 4.7
Limitations
- Some tutors and a few past SAT students feel their material doesn’t always accurately mimic the actual SAT questions.
- The score-improvement guarantee requires you should have taken the SAT (or the PSAT) before and after the PrepScholar. Also, both scores should have been sent directly by the College Board. While that appears fair, it certainly is a bit of a hassle.
- The money-back-guarantee isn’t clear on the expensive courses.
7. Testive
Testive, founded in 2011, offers SAT prep services and K-12 academic coaching. It remains a relatively small but significant player in the education industry. Helping with homework is another service they offer, in addition to college essays advising.
Courses
Testive offers only one course and it includes one-to-one coaching.
- Relies on the combination of coaching, technology, and personalized study plans
- Tutor and student are matched after a diagnostic test, phone consultation, questionnaire etc.
- After matching the tutor and student, the two agree upon goals, plans, and mutual expectations.
- Tools used include adaptive technology, a book, and up to 8 practice tests
- Additional services available upon payment
- Fees: Start at $250/hour
Free trial: Students may book a free tutoring session.
Core strength: One-to-one tutoring
Trustpilot rating: 4.7
Limitations:
- As a relatively small SAT tutoring company, Testive may have helped fewer students for the SAT, when you compare Testive with larger companies like Princeton Review or Kaplan. This might mean less experience.
- Despite being priced on the higher side, Testive offers no guarantees for score improvement.
- Their website doesn’t mention anything about their tutors' selection criteria or SAT scores. That is not to say that only achievers of a perfect SAT score can be great SAT tutors, but given that Testive is a bit pricey, this is something students and their parents need to know.
8. PrepExpert
Founded in 2010, PrepExpert is on this list of the best online SAT tutoring services for a variety of reasons. It has a commendable success rate and continues to help students do their best on the SAT. Their appearance on Shark Tank brought them more visibility.
Courses
At a broad level, there are 3 variants of the SAT prep courses at PrepExpert.
1. Founder SAT course
- Taught by perfect-score achiever
- 7-week long
- Live online classes
- Students complete tests and homework between classes
- Online access for 2 years
- A guarantee of a 200-point increase in your scores
- Fees: 4 payments of $749 (totaling to $2,996)
2. 6-week course
- Taught by 99-percentile tutor
- 1,000 practice questions
- Comes with 4 books for the SAT
- A guarantee of a 200-point increase in your scores
- Fees: 4 payments of $249 (totaling to $996)
3. 8-week course
- Taught by 99-percentile tutor
- 1,000 practice questions
- A guarantee of a 200-point increase in your scores
- Fees: 4 payments of $424 (totaling to $1,696)
Additional supplemental courses
- 4-week PSAT course
- Self-paced videos
- Weekend review
Free trial: There does not appear to be a clear free trial offer. However, you can watch a sample video for free. Besides, there are a few free resources available for download.
Core strength: 200-point improvement guarantee
Trustpilot rating: 4.5
Limitations:
- The website doesn’t have any information on whether they train their tutors or how they select their tutors.
- The 200-point guarantee is decent. However, without a free guarantee or a clear policy on fee refunds, it will be difficult for students to blindly trust PrepExpert.
- Some students who took the SAT later felt the preparatory material did not accurately reflect the quality of questions on the actual test.
9. Manhattan Review
The test prep company Manhattan Review was founded in 1999. They started with GMAT preparations but soon added other tests like the SAT, the LSAT, and others. Besides the US, you’ll find Manhattan Review in Italy, Belgium, France, Netherlands, and most other European countries.
Courses
Manhattan Review offers in-person and online courses. The in-person courses are offered across multiple locations, including international locations. As a result, the pricing varies considerably.
1. SAT online tutoring
- 1-on-1 online tutoring
- Packages come in sets of 12, 24, 36, and 48 hours
- Official SAT Guide is used as the course book
- Fees:$2,200 to $5,450
2. SAT private tutoring
- 1-on-1 in-person tutoring
- Students get personalized time schedules
- Packages come in sets of 12, 24, 36, and 48 hours
- Official SAT Guide is used as the course book
- Fees: Depend on location
3. SAT Private Course
- 12 hours
- Personalized 1-on-1 course in-person or live online
- Fees: Varies with location. For instance, at Scottsdale, the fees are $1,590
Free trial: There does not appear to be a clear free trial offer. However, there are a few free resources like:
- Free SAT questions
- A free consultation session, and
- Free SAT practice test
Core strength: Online as well as 1-on-1 in-person tutoring options
Trustpilot rating: There are too few ratings to mention.
Limitations:
- We couldn’t find any score-improvement guarantee. Since most other players offer some form of assurance, this is a bit of a downside.
- There’s no clear mention of how they select and train tutors, or whether all tutors are 99-percentile achievers.
- There are almost no Trustpilot ratings. Hence, you can’t get to see student feedback on a third-party platform. Reviews on other social media platforms are too polarized to draw a clear conclusion.
- We’re not sure how important this is, but during our quick search on the site, we didn’t see the phrases ‘Digital SAT’ or ‘adaptive SAT’. We’ll assume they haven’t updated the site, but we do think it’s unusual.
10. AJ Tutoring
AJ tutoring was started by two friends in 1986. Today, they have grown to serve from multiple locations. In addition to test prep, AJ Tutoring also helps students for maths skills building and runs winter and summer courses.
Courses:
While there is no explicit guarantee of score improvement, the website says 80% of their students have experienced a score improvement of 150 points.
1. Private SAT tutoring
- 1-on-1 SAT tutoring
- Ten sessions, each of 90 minutes
- Homework includes tests and assignments
2. Small group SAT classes
- In-person and online options
- Available at multiple locations in California
- Fees: $1,280
Free trial: There’s no free trial available. Students, however, may contact AJ Tutoring for a free SAT test.
Core strength: Moderate pricing for one-to-one coaching
Trustpilot rating: No reviews
Limitations:
- Their in-person coaching is restricted to California (Bay Area in particular). Hence, students from other locations may be unable to access their services.
- Their website lists several tutors. However, there’s little to no mention of the tutor’s own SAT scores.
- There’s no satisfaction guarantee or a clear assurance of improving your test score.
Things to consider while choosing the best online SAT tutoring services
Despite the many variations across different SAT tutoring programs, certain factors are central to making the correct choice. Here are the seven things to keep in mind while choosing the best SAT online tutoring service for you:
- Your priorities: Understand what you need the most. More tests? More practice problems? More coaching? More personal attention?
- Track record: The weaker your academic base, the more you should care about the track record of the tutoring service.
- Your budget: More expensive isn’t necessarily the most suitable plan for you. Balance the pros and cons carefully.
- Test prep resources: Check the number of tutoring sessions, tests, teaching style, and other resources you’ll get.
- Time constraint: If you’re starting late, you might need extra support and resources.
- Your strengths: And weaknesses. Which of the tutoring services will best complement your profile?
- Quality of practice tests: Perhaps the most important factor. Unless the SAT practice tests closely resemble the actual SAT exam, you won’t be able to get your dream score.
Conclusion
Remember the famous quote from the iconic movie Fight Club “May I never be content”? Things aren’t too different when it comes to setting a target score for the SAT and finding the tutoring service that best meets your requirements.
Doing well in the digital SAT is more than acing the math or reading and writing sections. It’s about rock-solid test preparation, qualified tutors, test-prep resources including the mock SATs, and the student’s self-discipline.
For an online SAT tutor, the technology partner to create and deliver the tests is vital. Why not talk to an edtech expert and learn how you can help students achieve greater success?
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