Choosing between LSAT prep courses can be difficult – especially when the two courses you’re considering are as similar as Kaplan and Princeton Review. Both companies have been around for decades, give you stacks of tried and tested study material, and have nearly identical price points. So how do you decide? We help you make an informed decision in this detailed review comparison.
Since this is a lengthy comparison, below find jump-to links for easy navigation:
Kaplan provides four course options for its LSAT prep:
All four course options track the same core curriculum designed by Kaplan’s experts; it is just the format of the course that generally changes. For those students that prefer to learn at their own pace and at various times, the self-paced DIY Course will likely be best. For other students who need structure or the benefit of watching an instructor teach a course live, one of the other three formats will likely be more fitting.
In terms of price, the Kaplan DIY Course is in the ballpark of $800, while the Online Course runs for around $1,300 and the Online Course + Tutoring will cost nearly $2,400. And the Bootcamp option costs an eye-watering $4,000. On average, these price points are more expensive than you’ll find with Princeton Review.
Course options and pricing current as of date of publication.
Kaplan piles on the study materials with its LSAT course. Combined, Kaplan provides over 200 hours of video lessons (including its LSAT Channel videos), 80+ practice tests and thousands of practice problems. And that doesn’t even include the drills, explanations and material in the prep books. There is no doubt the quantity is top notch.
The quality of its coursework also rates out very high. The lessons are detailed and provide actionable strategies for attacking problems. The lessons work methodically though LSAT sections in a logical fashion, oscillating between topics so not to become too dry.
All of the various problem types and concepts are covered throughout the coursework. That said, while the instructors are extremely knowledgeable, they weren’t the most enthusiastic or engaging bunch we have seen throughout our course reviews. In addition, the onscreen digital whiteboard could be become cluttered at times, making it hard to follow the lesson. Otherwise though, the quality and quantity of the coursework for the Kaplan LSAT course is rock solid.
Kaplan’s flagship in-person course provides roughly 32 hours of core instruction. While negligible, that is 2 more hours than Princeton Review’s comparable in-person class. The Kaplan instructors are knowledgeable and do a great job of breaking down complex subject matter. While it was our experience that they weren’t the most enthusiastic or fun people we’ve ever learned from, they were nonetheless effective.
To follow the course lessons, Kaplan provides each student with a set of hardcopy prep books. The books track with the lessons, and provide strategies, practice problems, and drills. We found these books to be thorough and very helpful overall in working through the core lessons. Unsurprisingly, Princeton Review follows a similar structure.
If you want to learn more, find our full review of the Kaplan LSAT prep course here.
The Princeton Review course options, while similar to Kaplan’s, do take a slightly different approach. Princeton Review offers 3 basic course options:
The Self-Paced course is priced right around $800, which is on par with Kaplan’s analogous DIY Course. So for students seeking a flexible self-study program, this will make the decision a little tough.
The Fundamentals class prices in around $1,100, while the LSAT 165+ course, which is a more robust prep option designed for students targeting a very high score, costs around $1,400. It is worth noting that Princeton Review also offers a Private Tutoring Program starting at around $1,800.
Course options and pricing current as of date of publication.
Similar to the Kaplan LSAT course options, Princeton Review offers some high-end coursework for its LSAT students. The Princeton flagship in-person class (the Fundamentals course) offers 30 hours of in-class lessons with an LSAT expert, which is supplemented by over 150 hours of additional video lessons and online content.
We found the Princeton Review lessons, both in person and on demand, to be highly effective. The lessons were thoughtfully designed and provide incredible levels of detail. And while we found that the lessons were effective, at least with respect to the videos, the lack of onscreen instructor was a little bit of a letdown. Without a face to connect a voce to, the lessons felt a little cold and as a result, unengaging at times.
Princeton Review’s coursework around the lessons was also top tier. While you don’t get quite the same level of study material with Princeton Review as you get with Kaplan, there is plenty to go around. Between the assigned homework, practice problem sets, drills, prep book material and explanations, I never ran out of material to work on. Both Princeton Review and Kaplan each boast 8,000+ practice problems taken from real, past LSATs.
The Princeton Review dashboard and user experience is, well, a little Plain Jane. While other test prep companies have snappy and modern interfaces, Princeton Review’s is not – but that’s to say it’s bad. For most everyone, the Princeton Review dashboard and user experience will get the job done – it’s simple, clean and effective, though a little outdated.
What Princeton Review lacks in user experience, it makes up for in its prep books. The Princeton Review LSAT books that accompany its course are super high quality. They provide detailed explanations of concepts and strategies, well placed practice problems that exemplify points being made, and an abundance of prep material to help reinforce what you’ve learned. We found their books to be an awesome complement to the lessons, and on the whole, slightly better than Kaplan’s books.
If you want to learn more, find our full review of the Princeton Review LSAT prep course here.
Kaplan and Princeton Review offer VERY similar LSAT prep courses, and we hope this comparison has been helpful. If you’re still unsure of which one to go with after reading, here is a final review of some of the main deciding factors:
Both companies offer comparable pricing for their prep courses. The self-paced options are about the same at around $800 all in, while Princeton Review offers slightly better prices on their live courses.
Yes, both companies’ prep courses come with a set of their signature hardcopy lesson books.
Both Kaplan and Princeton Review each employ top notch instructors. While it is not clear if their instructors must score in a certain percentile to teach at each company, it is clear from our experience that they are LSAT experts and great communicators.
