If you plan on going to a private or special high school, you’ve probably picked up a test-prep book by The Princeton Review with the word “Princeton” bolded on its cover. Despite its title, however, Princeton Review has nothing to do with Princeton University.
Princeton Review offers test-prep services, tutoring and admissions resources, online courses and books published by Random House. With 4,000 instructors across 14 countries, it’s a mega all-in-one prep house for the SSAT, SHSAT, ISEE, and TOEFL.
Founded in 1981, Princeton Review is one of the earliest brands that helped create the industry. Since then, the industry’s gotten a lot bigger and students can now choose out of a much wider set of test-prep options. Amidst many other burgeoning and already settled competitors, Princeton Review promises its students adaptive study material to your difficulty level, 24/7 on-demand help from expert tutors, and in-person tutors from a local Princeton Review center near you.
With our comprehensive list of every program offered by Princeton Review, consider your choices, look into what it offers, and choose the best option for you.
SSAT Prep
The Princeton Review SSAT Prep offers one-on-one expert tutoring experience, available in person and online, for the SSAT, short for Secondary School Admissions Test, a standardized test required for admission to private prep high schools.
- Practice tests: Varies by course options
- Free service: No free trial
- Customization: Choose out of three different tutoring options. Each option comes with an expert tutor matched to your goals, a customized dashboard, informative score reports and a custom-built app for managing progress and communicating and scheduling sessions. Every option is available in person and online, and is divided into two levels of difficulty — middle and upper levels.
- The SSAT Comprehensive includes 18 hours of instruction at $167 per hour, three progress meetings, and tutor-satisfaction guarantee (if not, you’ll get another session for free).
- The SSAT Targeted option includes 10 hours of instruction at $180 per hour, but doesn’t include progress meetings or tutor-satisfaction guarantee.
- The SSAT Intro option includes three hours of instruction at $190 per hour, but doesn’t include progress meetings or tutor-satisfaction guarantee.
- Variety of content: Though the SSAT prep only provides tutoring options, you will still get access to online study tools, such as a dashboard and score reports.
- Price: Varies by course options, from as low as $570 or as high as $3,000
SHSAT Prep
The Princeton Review SHSAT Prep offers comprehensive prep programs for the SHSAT, short for Special High Schools Admissions Test, a standardized test required for admission to all special high schools but one in New York City, such as Stuyvesant, Bronx Science, and Brooklyn Tech.
- Practice tests: three full-length practice tests
- Free service: No free trial
- Customization: Unlike other programs, Princeton Review SHSAT has only one option. However, within that one option, you will still enjoy highly customized dashboard, study plans, weakness analysis, score reports, and online and in-person tutoring.
- The SHSAT Prep includes 24 hours of classroom instruction, 24/7 On-Demand online tutoring, 3 proctored practice tests, review books, online lessons, and 3 hours of in-person tutoring with additional cost at $450.
- NOTE: This option lasts for six months, but the countdown begins from the date your in-person class starts. So, the earlier you enroll, the sooner you can get access to all the online studying materials.
- The SHSAT Prep includes 24 hours of classroom instruction, 24/7 On-Demand online tutoring, 3 proctored practice tests, review books, online lessons, and 3 hours of in-person tutoring with additional cost at $450.
- Variety of content: Though there is only one SHSAT option provided, you will still get access to all of the online study tools, such as a dashboard and score reports.
- Price: $1,199
ISEE Prep
The Princeton Review ISEE Prep offers one-on-one expert tutoring experience, available in person and online, for the ISEE, short for Independent School Entrance Exam, a standardized test required for admission to private middle and high schools.
- Practice tests: Varies by course options
- Free service: No free trial
- Customization: Choose out of three different tutoring options. Each option comes with an expert tutor matched to your goals, a customized dashboard, informative score reports, and a custom-built app for managing progress and communicating and scheduling sessions. Every option is available in person and online.
- The ISEE Comprehensive includes 18 hours of instruction at $167 per hour, three progress meetings, and tutor-satisfaction guarantee (if not, you’ll get another session for free).
- The ISEE Targeted option includes 10 hours of instruction at $180 per hour, but doesn’t include progress meetings or tutor-satisfaction guarantee.
- The ISEE Intro option includes three hours of instruction at $190 per hour, but doesn’t include progress meetings or tutor-satisfaction guarantee.
- Variety of content: Though the ISEE program only provides private tutoring options, you will still get access to online study tools, such as a dashboard and score reports.
- Price: Varies by course options, from as low as $570 or as high as $3,000
TOEFL Prep
The Princeton Review TOEFL Prep service offers one-on-one expert tutoring experience, available in person and online, for the TOEFL, short for Test of English as a Foreign Language, a standardized language proficiency test required for non-native speakers wishing to enroll in English-speaking schools.
- Practice tests: Varies by course options
- Free service: No free trial
- Customization: Choose out of three different tutoring options. Each option comes with an expert tutor matched to your goals, a customized dashboard, informative score reports, and a custom-built app for managing progress and communicating and scheduling sessions. Every option is available in person and online.
- The TOEFL Comprehensive includes 18 hours of instruction at $167 per hour, three progress meetings, and tutor-satisfaction guarantee (if not, you’ll get another session for free).
- The TOEFL Targeted option includes 10 hours of instruction at $180 per hour, but doesn’t include progress meetings or tutor-satisfaction guarantee.
- The TOEFL Intro option includes three hours of instruction at $190 per hour, but doesn’t include progress meetings or tutor-satisfaction guarantee.
- Variety of content: Though the TOEFL program only provides private tutoring options, you will still get access to online study tools, such as a dashboard and score reports.
- Price: Varies by course options, from as low as $570 or as high as $3,000
Conclusion
While Princeton Review provides an ample quantity of practice questions for most tests, especially high school prep tests, you should definitely compare the features it offers against those of other competing services and see if it’s worth the money. Depending on the test you’re prepping for, it may or may not.
*For more student resources, check here.
