Target Test Prep has been getting a ton of hype on reddit and other GMAT forums as being one of the best GMAT prep courses out there. And we get it. With an affordable price tag, smart tech and bite-sized learning modules, this course has instant appeal for students. But is the Target Test Prep GMAT course effective? We answer just that question in this detailed review.
Given that this is a long, robust review, we’ve included jump-to links above for your convenience.
In the video above, Lara – a 700+ GMAT scorer from the TPI team – breaks down everything you need to know about the Target Test Prep GMAT course. She covers key features, pricing, and who it’s best suited for. Keep reading for the full review and analysis.
To provide some context for my full review, let’s cover Target Test Prep’s pricing and course options. And I’ll just start by saying what everyone likely already knows – Target Test Prep is a value-driven GMAT prep provider. Their offerings are a fraction of the cost of other GMAT prep companies, and that’s likely why they have such wide appeal.
Target Test Prep offers several different packages, including:
The main difference between the different options comes down to how you prefer to do your learning. The Self-Study plan is best for big readers and text-based learners who are very independent and highly motivated. While they do throw in video solutions for practice problems, the lessons themselves are all based on written material, with practice tests and AI support also included.
For auditory and visual learners who prefer watching videos, the OnDemand course adds in 400+ hours of smartboard masterclass video lectures led by TTP founder Scott Woodbury-Stewart. You’re getting visual instruction straight from one of the best GMAT experts out there, which makes this a pretty good deal.
Next up, Target Test Prep’s live class package gives you 40 hours of live online classroom instruction. You still get access to the masterclass video lectures, with the added benefit of real-time feedback and the accountability of a set class schedule.
At about $1,800, the live class costs more than Princeton Review, but the self-paced online course format is very reasonable. I actually think the monthly subscription model offers a ton of value if you have the bandwidth to blast out your studying in just 60 to 90 days. It’s also worth noting that they include a score improvement guarantee, which takes a bit of pressure off if you’re doing a retake or aiming for a higher band.
Finally, the GMAT Bootcamp option delivers 45 hours of live instruction within less than a month, although you still get full access to all video lessons and course materials for a full six months. This is one of their priciest options, so it’s only recommended for those trying to cram in last-minute prep before a pressing exam date.
If you do decide to go with Target Test Prep for your prep, make sure to snag a discount code, as they’re almost always running some sort of promo or deal. In my experience, you can sometimes pick this course up for 10% off.
Alright, now that we have the basics out of the way, let’s get to our thoughts on this Target Test Prep GMAT prep course.
The first thing you realize when you login to Target Test Prep’s platform is that they are a digital-first company. And I don’t mean that simply because there are no prep classes in brick and mortar buildings or hardcopy books.
What I mean is that it’s clear Target Test Prep has gone all in on designing a super sleek prep platform with an awesome user interface and smart approach rooted in data.
Unlike other old school prep companies that have been doing GMAT prep for years, Target Test Prep leans into the digital wave and has made a smart course rooted in tech. With digital lessons, quick-hit video lectures, and stacks of data and analytics reports, it just feels like a smartly designed course.
In terms of curriculum, Target Test Prep structures their course around “missions,” which are effectively just learning modules. Each mission covers a specific topic tested on the GMAT, and is generally built around 4 components.
It starts with a quick review quiz that reinforces subject matter from previous modules and leans on spaced repetition methods to ensure you’re retaining material as you move through the course.
Then you move into that particular mission’s lesson chapters. This is the meat of your learning. Each lesson chapter is built around a series of short passages that are filled with notes, example problems, videos, and occasionally illustrations.
You read a little on the topic, see how things play out with a sample problem, work a couple example problems yourself, and watch some quick videos that demonstrate how to solve for certain question types.
It’s a really effective learning approach that our team loved, as they balance lots of written materials with excellent video-based content similar to what Magoosh and Princeton Review offer.
Then you move into a series of “chapter tests,” which are essentially review quizzes to test the material you just learned. These are delivered through varying levels of difficulty, including easy, medium and hard. And finally, you review your answers from the quizzes to learn from your mistakes.
All in all, it’s a very comprehensive approach to instruction that incorporates everything you need – text and video instruction, spaced repetition for retention, quizzes to reinforce learning, etc. In short, I was really impressed.
If there’s one thing to keep in mind, it’s that the Self-Study plan doesn’t offer any video lessons. Honestly, the Target Test Prep instructors are great. They’re clearly gurus who do an awesome job breaking down problems and giving you solid test taking strategies, but if you go with the Self-Study package, you never see them. You do get 2,200+ short videos at every level, but they focus mainly on working sample problems and demonstrating key points, and you never see the instructors on-screen in these problem explanations.
For me, I’d say that this makes the OnDemand and LiveTeach courses worth the extra investment, just because I really value the expert video instruction you’re getting at that level. So that’s something to keep in mind.
Beyond the missions, you also get a set of practice tests, custom question bank for building quizzes, and tons of data in the form analytics on your performance. More on the practice work below, but the custom quiz builder is a very nifty tool.
It’s definitely not unique to Target Test Prep, but it’s a solid addition to the course that allows you to hammer your weak spots through narrow quizzes outside of the missions.
And the final highlight worth mentioning here is the score reports. Target Test Prep delivers crazy levels of data on your performance. Honestly, it’s probably deeper analysis and more data than we’ve seen with any other GMAT prep company, including Manhattan Prep and PrepScholar.
They give you behavioral trends through error analysis, metrics on how you stack up against peers, pacing issues, and a ton more.
You can seriously spend hours digging through all the performance data once you’ve logged a good sample size of questions. In my opinion, this is major value add and totally surprising given the affordable price.
To quickly sum up, all in all, our team was very impressed with the Target Test Prep course. It’s not the most robust GMAT prep package we’ve seen, but it gives you everything you need: detailed written lessons, hundreds of short video lessons, thousands of practice problems, mountains of analytics on performance, a personalized study plan, and a bunch more.
Honestly, we had very little to complain about, especially at this price point.
One of the keys to GMAT success, beyond consistency in your prep, is practice, practice, practice. And luckily, Target Test Prep provides some really solid practice material, including 3,000+ quant questions alone.
In my experience, I found their GMAT problems (both quant and verbal) to very closely resemble real GMAT questions. The testable topics covered were all present, and the structure, difficulty and word count of their problems was a close replica.
This is always a major point that I look for, as practicing under exam-like conditions with realistic material is always a crucial aspect of improving your score. So I was happy to see that their material stacks up.
Keep in mind, however, that they’re not using official problems from GMAC, the makers of the exam, like Manhattan Prep does. While the practice questions do a good job more or less imitating the structure and style of the actual test, they don’t provide that extra layer of security that comes with knowing you’re prepping with questions from previous tests.
That said, I also liked Target Test Prep’s accompanying problem explanations. Every practice question comes with a detailed answer solution that breaks down the topic being tested and each answer choice.
These text explanations add a lot of value, as reviewing the problems you missed (and sometimes the questions you get right), is where the real learning comes in. And in many cases, at least through the meat of their lesson work, many of the practice problems Target Test Prep has you complete comes with video breakdowns.
These graphical explanations are a massive benefit to visual learners, and I really liked them. There are hundreds throughout the coursework, and I was a huge fan.
So one of the unique things about Target Test Prep, and frankly, why they’re able to keep their cost so low, is that they don’t offer prep books.
This is a different approach than most GMAT prep providers like Kaplan or Princeton Review, which always provide students with prep books.
However, while Target Test Prep doesn’t offer hardcopy prep books like many others, their digital text lessons are great.
These are at the heart of their “missions” and are a great resource. They are clearly written, concise and do a great job covering tough GMAT topics.
Plus, because they are digital, you can color code certain passages and drop in notes. So though there is no comprehensive hardcopy prep book, we were fans of their digital lessons.
Similar to other test prep providers like Magoosh, Target Test Prep offers a lot of extras to make sure you’re getting the support you need.
They give you a detailed equation guide for the quant section, some flashcards, and a reference book on idioms for verbal. Plus, they’ve recently added in AI integration to personalize your study experience a little, and the platform works well on mobile if you’re someone who studies on the go. This means you get 24/7 support from their TTP AI Assist tool, which is great for getting instant feedback and answers to your questions so you don’t stay stuck.
The personalized study plan and smart analytics help create a more efficient study experience that’s easier to keep up with, and if you’re on the OnDemand or LiveTeach plan, you also get access to weekly live office hours. For students on the Self-Study plan, you’re limited to email support.
All in all, this is a pretty good bundle of resources, especially considering the value price point,
Target Test Prep advertises that they offer students live customer support, through both chat and email. After putting their support to the test, we found it to be mainly true.
When you send their chat function a question, you get an auto-response saying that they’ll respond in the chat box and send you an email within 2 hours. I did this twice and in my experience, the first response took 3 hours, and the second around 1.5 hours.
So I wouldn’t say their response times are lightning quick, and definitely not “live” (with someone sitting on the other side eagerly awaiting questions), but still pretty dang good. And I liked their response.
They clearly put thought into their replies and it was a lot more than a simple one-word answer. Again, for the money you’re spending on this course, it’s a solid resource.
The length of your access to Target Test Prep’s materials directly ties into what package you choose. Buy the flex plan, and you get on-the-go access month-to-month. Buy the 4 month plan, get 4 months’ access. Buy the 6 month plan, and well, you get the idea.
Now, I have mixed feelings when it comes to TTP’s score improvement guarantee. On the one hand, they promise a 130-point increase for anyone on the Self-Study plan and an astonishing score of 715+ for everyone enrolled in the OnDemand and LiveTeach courses. That’s the highest score guarantee in the industry – just looking at the numbers here, it’s unbeatable.
Here’s how it works: if after completing the Target Test Prep GMAT course your score on the GMAT doesn’t increase as much as it was supposed to, they will provide you with a free course subscription equivalent to your previous purchase. Now to be certain, there are some strict terms around this promise.
For example, you have to send them an official GMAT score from your first take within a couple weeks of starting your prep work with them, and you need to complete certain amounts of material. So check the fine print on these requirements.
Here’s my one complaint: if you meet all the conditions and don’t achieve the guaranteed score, you don’t get a monetary refund. So it just depends on what kind of compensation you prefer. It makes sense to instead offer continued access to one of their courses, as your main goal is simply to do well on the GMAT. Still, it isn’t the same as getting your money back.
Basically, it’s a nice guarantee that provides a little insurance, but if I could improve the Target Test Prep package a little, I’d prefer to see a money-back guarantee.
So, is Target Test Prep GMAT worth the hype? In my opinion, yes – despite the value price, Target Test Prep offers a surprisingly good GMAT prep package. Their realistic practice questions and hundreds of sample problem video breakdowns are invaluable for hands-on learners, and their thorough lesson modules mean you’re getting really comprehensive review.
With that said, they’re not perfect. I wish they included a money-back guarantee, and there aren’t any physical review books or official practice problems from previous exams. If you’re looking for the most in-depth program out there that includes all the bells and whistles, you might have to consider a more premium alternative.
Otherwise, I consider this a highly effective GMAT prep option for independent personality types who feel confident directing their own studies. They’re especially helpful for anyone who needs extra support preparing for the quant section of the GMAT. Plus, the smart analytics provide truly useful feedback while adapting the course to your specific needs.
Overall, I couldn’t find much to complain about with their course. If you’re looking for a solid set of resources at a reasonable price, Target Test Prep GMAT delivers.
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In our team’s opinion, Target Test Prep is a rock solid GMAT prep option. Their GMAT prep materials are very good, with realistic practice questions and thorough lessons.
Yes. In my experience, Target Test Prep offers effective prep material that is more than capable of helping you score a 700+. Their quant material is especially good.
Target Test Prep ranges in price from around $300/month for their Self-Study package, up to about $1,800 for their live online course. You can always try it out for five days for free.
Yes, especially if you’re aiming to improve your quant score. Target Test Prep has built a strong reputation for its GMAT course, particularly in the Quantitative Reasoning section.
It depends on your learning style. If you want step-by-step guidance across every section, you might prefer a more traditional course with live classes. But if you’re comfortable studying solo and want to focus mostly on quant, Target Test Prep is a strong option even for first-timers.
If quant is the section that’s holding you back, then yes — Target Test Prep is probably one of the best platforms out there right now. It’s built almost entirely around quant-focused GMAT prep, with smart, structured modules and a heavy emphasis on content review by section, test-taking strategies, and lots of adaptive drills.