The Economist GRE Tutor Prep Course Review 2023: [ + COUPON ]
Our Rating
Highlights
Despite its shortcomings, The Economist is a decent test prep program. What I love most about it are its adaptive learning benefits, being able to work with real tutors and the convenience of studying on the go.
Course Effectiveness
The Altius MCAT has shown more than just promises with its results and is one of the leading MCAT prep courses for a one-on-one learning style.
Price
The Altius prep review comes off quite steep in the price range but with the guarantee of value they provide, it’s a decent bargain for many students.
Ease of Use
The user interface looks outdated and some videos attribute to low audio and video quality. However, their online content material is highly informative.
Student Reviews
Altius reviews are a mix of good and bad. While a good number of students recommend and love the course, there are some who also express disappointment.
About Economist and Their GRE Prep Course
The Economist GRE review prep program is one of the newer prep services in the GRE test market.
Compared to leading prep companies such as Magoosh, Kaplan, and Princeton Review, The Economist is still in its infancy, but it offers an online-based learning experience that’s adaptive to the student’s needs.
With relatively affordable prices and a solid GRE tutor online service, we take a closer look at the courses offered and the company itself.
Unlike most test prep companies that offer a wide bracket of help in the GMAT, LSAT, ACT, and even MCAT, the Economist stands uniquely focused on the GRE program.
The teaching style follows similarly a live online approach where the lesson plans are done mostly through mobile learning, together with live support from tutors to help you along the way.
A standout feature about the program is that it also provides GRE advice such as tips on how to master GRE text completion, time management advice, and important statistics you need to know about the GRE.
What Makes This Prep Course Unique?
AI Technology/Online learning
One of the best features of this program is the mobile responsiveness of its app and platform. This not only offers convenience as a benefit but also drives online learning as the primary learning experience.
To help you with your online-based learning experience, the team in Economist created an adaptive AI technology called “The Economist Tutor.” This program studies your learning approach and needs, then adapts to fit your preferred user experieence.
You’ll be given the appropriate subjects to study at an optimal difficulty level; thus, providing efficiency in your learning experience to help you master concepts in the least amount of time possible.
7-Day Free Trial
With the 7-day free trial, you can gauge your needs better, get better input about the program in general, and see whether it’s really for you. I’d say, why not?
Tutor Functionality
The Economist’s “Ask a Tutor” system is an online chat feature that is part of its mobile platform where you can connect with a GRE expert if you need help with certain lessons and work alongside them.
The biggest advantage you have here is the in-app messaging system, which saves the messages you exchange with your tutor. You can then use these as a reference, which will prove a lifesaver.
The abundance of Practice Questions
You’ll have access to over 5,000 practice questions that will help improve your test-taking skills so you’d feel confident on exam day.
It’s worth noting that even Magoosh only comes as close to 1,000 practice questions, so the Economist really dominates in this area.
Curriculum Overview & Effectiveness
The Economist GRE prep course review offers three study plan packages:
- Basic
- Premium
- Ultimate
Basic
Course Overview:
- 3 practice exams
- 3 essay feedback markings
- 3 live 1-on-1 course sessions with an instructor
- 5,000 practice questions
- 25 Ask a Tutor questions
- 1-month access
Despite having 5,000 practice questions and 25 “Ask a Tutor” questions, the basic plan is limited overall. It’s not enough for a student starting from scratch and wants to capitalize on the fundamentals or even master the concepts.
This is a decent plan for a student looking for additional GRE resources or practice material, however. With the essay markings and Ask a Tutor questions, it’s invaluable to the right user.
Choose Basic If:
You’re confident about your GRE fundamentals and more or less have a solid understanding of different GRE subject areas.
Premium
Course Overview:
- 5 practice exams
- 6 essay feedback markings
- 5 live 1-on-1 course sessions with an instructor
- 5,000 practice questions
- 100 Ask a Tutor questions
- Money-back guarantee
- 3-month access
The premium plan offers a better package plan, especially the Ask a Tutor feature. It also provides better guidance, support, and quantity for the student to master GRE concepts.
You also have the money-back guarantee where you’ll get your money back if your score does not improve by 5 points.
The 3-month course access provides a more balanced timeframe and study schedule for the student to learn and to go through the exams/questions at a steadier pace. Compared to the basic plan, the premium plan is a far more flexible and balanced option. Although, you might need a few extra resource materials to add diversity into this program.
Choose Premium if:
You want an affordable study plan to learn GRE concepts and establish a solid foundation on key subject GRE areas in the verbal and quant section.
Ultimate
Course Overview:
- 6 practice exams
- 7 essay feedback markings
- 6 live 1-on-1 course sessions with an instructor
- 5,000 practice questions
- Unlimited Ask a Tutor questions
- Money-back guarantee
- 6-month access
The two greatest advantages to the ultimate program are unlimited Ask a tutor questions and the money-back guarantee if your score doesn’t improve by at least 7 points.
6 months is also a lot of time to study and prepare for the GRE so the questions and exams might feel redundant over a 6-month study plan.
This plan, however, is comprehensive on its own and provides the most effective plan for students who want to establish a solid foundation of the GRE topics.
Choose Ultimate if:
You’re looking to target a high GRE score and want to maximize your study schedule. If you want a comprehensive review to make the most out of your GRE fundamentals, this is an ideal option.
Course Pricing Options
Course Option |
Price |
Basic |
$229 |
Premium |
$349 |
Ultimate |
$529 |
The Economist provides relatively affordable pricing options and, at the very least, roughly meets the budget-friendly bracket.
The only downside is the limited features of the basic plan for a price of $229, seeing as how it can be lacking for a student with low understanding and foundation on GRE concepts.
Ultimately, the price levels of the Economist extend strong value in the premium and ultimate price brackets and are worth commending for the features and benefits provided.
Platform’s Ease of Use
I found the system to be mobile responsive and highly intuitive.
The navigation system might take some time to get used to if it’s your first time enrolling in a program that uses online-based learning. The design is clean and the interface also drives a great user experience that makes this perfect for students who prefer learning through online study materials.
The only drawback I found was the lengthy text formatting. When confronted with thousands of words on one page, some people might lose interest. This is especially true after studying for a couple of hours.
This makes it hard to maintain your focus or concentration levels throughout the study sessions. There was also a lack of video tutorials or physical materials to help you in the learning process.
Is The Economist a Reputable Online GRE Prep Course? (Not a Scam)
While the Economist GRE test prep program is fairly new to the market, you’ll find a number of reviews on its website showing legitimate testimonials of how the program helped shape the users’ success for the GRE.
They’ve also recently expanded on social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, which proves it’s a growing prep service company.
Reviews and Real Unbiased Text and Video Testimonials:
You won’t easily find a high number of Economist GRE reviews online compared to leading prep giants like Kaplan or The Princeton Review; however, The Economist still has a few of its own to share.
— Julie (gre.economist.com)
— Verified GRE Prep Club Review (gre.economist.com)
Final Verdict & Recommendation
I give The Economist GRE a total score of 3.87 out of 5.
The strongest elements of this program are the GRE tutor online program and mobile responsiveness. Not only is it intuitive, but it also offers an ingenious approach to learning.
Considering how The Economist uses an online-based learning style, it’s only fair to say its online platform is a key element to the program’s effectiveness.
I recommend The Economist to students who prefer learning online and find books or physical materials as less effective resources to study for the GRE.