PrepScholar vs. Princeton Review SAT Prep: Which Is Better in 2026?

With college admissions becoming more and more competitive, you need top SAT scores in order to stand out. And one of the best ways to boost your SAT scores is by working with an experienced test prep company.

PrepScholar and Princeton Review offer two of the most popular and effective SAT prep programs on the market today. While both use research-backed SAT prep methods that guarantee results, there are some significant differences between these two programs.

Understanding the differences between test prep programs can ensure you’re choosing the right study system for you. When a study system fits your unique needs, it’ll translate to better prep…and better scores. Keep reading to find out which SAT prep program comes out on top–and which one has what it takes to help you achieve your SAT score goals!

Section 1: Rationale

Section 2: The Best SAT Prep Winner

Section 3: Comparison of Core Offerings

Section 4: PrepScholar vs. Princeton Review Comparison Table

Section 5: Comparison Point 1 - Instruction Quality and Feedback

Section 6: Comparison Point 2 - Personalization and Adaptive Learning

Section 7: Comparison Point 3 - Test Updates and Alignment

Section 8: Comparison Point 4 - Value

Section 9: Overall Pros and Cons

Section 10: FAQs

How We Picked Our SAT Prep Winners

We’ve spent hours researching, testing, and reviewing real student feedback on both PrepScholar and Princeton Review’s SAT program offerings to give you a thorough comparison of what they have to offer.

As a test taker, you need to know that the core features of your SAT prep program will create a prep experience that fits your needs and guarantees your success on the real exam. To help you find the best program for you, we reviewed both SAT prep companies’ based on the following features and offerings:

• Value
• Offerings and Update
• Price
• Score guarantee
• Variety of products
• Real student reviews

Knowing what you’re buying before you commit is the key to choosing an SAT prep program that gets you the results you’re looking for. Keep reading to find out which SAT prep program is the winner for the kind of student you are!

Princeton Review vs. PrepScholar: Which Has the Best SAT Prep?

For its adaptive, personalized prep, guidance from 99th percentile SAT scorers, and 160+ point improvement guarantee, we rank PrepScholar as the overall winner when it comes to SAT prep programs.

Overall Winner: PrepScholar

PrepScholar delivers quality experiences and consistent results that are carefully tailored to the needs and goals of each student. Built on adaptive tech, PrepScholar’s programs provide personalized study plans in a suite of self-paced courses to one-on-one tutoring, offering customization for every student that’s backed by one consistent score guarantee for all of its SAT prep programs.

Although Princeton Review also offers strong services, the comprehensiveness of PrepScholar’s offerings and the ability to tailor prep to each student’s needs gives it the edge in a head-to-head competition.

Best for Busy, Self-Motivated Students: PrepScholar

With its adaptive, self-paced courses that re-route work based on student performance, PrepScholar’s SAT prep programs fit seamlessly into the busy schedules of self-motivated learners. Students who are seeking flexible customization and are eager to put in the work to maximize their score improvement will find that PrepScholar SAT prep is the best fit for them.

Best for Students Who Want In-Person Instruction: Princeton Review

Although PrepScholar offers high-quality online courses, students who want in-person help may prefer Princeton Review’s in-person courses and tutoring options. With over 40 years of experience and one of the strongest legacies in the test prep world, Princeton Review is a great fit for students who focus and learn most effectively in a traditional, physical classroom setting.

Comparing Core SAT Prep Options

Every SAT prep program has one main goal: providing the guidance and support you need to master the SAT and earn the best score possible. However, different SAT prep programs approach SAT prep in different ways.

To help you grasp exactly what these SAT prep companies offer, we’ve put together a complete breakdown of the key features of PrepScholar’s and Princeton Review’s SAT prep programs. That way, you’ll know exactly what’s included in each SAT prep program and can start thinking about which features are the most important for you.

PrepScholar SAT Prep Overview

PrepScholar offers four digital SAT prep options to fit the needs of every type of student: Complete Online SAT Prep, Complete Online SAT Prep + AI Assistant, Live Instructor Led Classes, and 1-on-1 Online Tutoring.

Complete Online SAT Prep, PrepScholar’s most popular offering, is a self-paced adaptive program that comes with a smart diagnostic test, more than 90 skill lessons, 4100+ practice questions with explanations, and six official SAT exams to test your skills. You’ll get 12 months of access to all program materials.

Complete Online SAT Prep + AI Assistant includes everything in the Complete Online package, plus PrepScholar’s new AI Learning Assistant. AI Learning Assistant is an always-available personal aid built into the SAT prep program. It’s designed to provide 24/7 guidance, similar to an SAT tutor.

PrepScholar’s Live Instructor Led Classes provide up to 36 hours of interactive online classes with a live instructor and small groups of up to 9 students. It also includes everything in the Complete Online SAT Prep program, plus an admissions bootcamp, for free.

The 1-on-1 Online Tutoring program offers 4, 12, 20, or 36 one-on-one tutoring hours with a 99th percentile-scoring tutor. Students choose the tutoring package that fits their schedule and receive personalized instruction that’s tailored to their needs, learning styles, and goals.

All of PrepScholar’s SAT prep programs come with a 160-point guarantee, customized weekly prep plans, and 150+ hours of SAT prep content.

Princeton Review SAT Prep Overview

Princeton Review offers multiple tiers of live, online, in-person, and self-paced SAT prep courses, as well as private tutoring packages. These offerings include: the SAT 1400+ Course, SAT Essentials course, SAT 1500+ Tutoring, and SAT Self-Paced test prep.

The SAT 1400+ Course provides 36+ hours of live, online classroom instruction. This program includes 24/7 on-demand tutoring, 9 practice SAT exams, and a full year of access to course materials. As the name implies, this course guarantees a score of 1400 or higher or 150 points added to your SAT score, depending on what score you started with.

The SAT Essentials package includes 18+ hours of live, online classroom instruction, 9 practice SAT exams, and a year of access to course materials. This program dedicates nine hours to SAT Math prep, four hours to SAT Reading, and three hours to SAT Writing and Language.

Princeton Review also offers multiple tiers of tutoring packages. SAT 1500+ Tutoring provides 18+ hours of customized, one-on-one, online tutoring sessions designed to help you score a 1500 or higher or raise your score by 180 points. This package includes all of the same materials as the 1400+ course.

For students with a wider range of score goals, there are also the Comprehensive Tutoring package (18 hours) and the SAT Targeted Tutoring package (10 hours). These tutoring packages offer the same one-on-one customized format as the 1500+ Tutoring package, but allow students to set more flexible score goals.

And finally, SAT Self-Paced is an online, self-paced prep program that comes with one year of access to five practice SAT exams, online video lessons, and drills and practice materials. In-person SAT prep courses and tutoring may also be available, depending on your location.

Princeton Review’s SAT prep courses all come with thousands of practice SAT questions, digital eBook materials, and detailed score analysis for each practice exam.

PrepScholar vs. Princeton Review Comparison Table

Before we get into a detailed breakdown of how these two SAT prep companies compare, here’s a side-by-side comparison of the services offered by PrepScholar and Princeton Review.

Comparison Point 1 – Instruction Quality and Feedback

An SAT prep program is only as good as the quality of its instruction and the feedback it provides students. Here’s how PrepScholar and the Princeton Review compare to one another.

PrepScholar

PrepScholar shines when it comes to instruction quality and feedback. Not only do their SAT prep courses and tutoring packages provide general test taking strategies, but they also delve deeply into the most common ways that the SAT tends to trick students, providing targeted strategies that students will master in order to maneuver around those tricks.

PrepScholar provides over 7,000 top quality practice questions and drills. Every program integrates seven official digital SAT practice tests and can integrate with Bluebook app to import and analyze your results. The 4,000+ additional practice questions you’ll have access to were designed by SAT top scorers and experts to replicate the language, difficulty, and logic of the real exam so you get the best practice possible.

And because PrepScholar is focused on helping students eliminate their weaknesses to maximize score improvement, each question has both a written and video explanation so you understand why you got it wrong–and how you can get similar questions right next time. In customizable tutoring sessions, you’ll work through your wrong answers and drill your weak areas, which is the best way to see a real difference in your SAT scores.

While PrepScholar’s SAT prep programs provide flexibility for students who prefer self-guided learning, each course follows a proven structure and process that focuses on setting your baseline SAT score, diagnosing your problem areas, and engaging in prep work that targets those weak spots. As you progress through lessons and drills, you’ll take seven practice tests and receive detailed feedback on your results so you can gauge your progress incrementally over time.

As you work through PrepScholar’s course materials, you’ll know that you’re getting the best guidance from tutors and instructors along the way. All of PrepScholar’s tutors are 99th+ percentile SAT scorers who've taken the SAT many times and are up to date with the newest changes to the test. The experience they’ve built over time equips them with cutting edge expertise on what it takes to ace the SAT. They’ll use what they’ve learned to tailor your SAT prep plan to your needs and goals.

Princeton Review

Princeton Review has extensive experience designing and delivering SAT prep. Their courses follow a curriculum that’s built around their “test cracking” philosophy, which emphasizes efficiency by focusing on drilling content that’s most likely to appear on the actual SAT.

Princeton Review provides a high volume of SAT practice materials, including practice questions and exams that mimic the content and structure of real digital SAT questions. Practice questions can be accessed through drills that accompany lesson modules, but the number of practice questions you’ll have access to varies depending on which prep program you choose. If you want lots of practice questions, you’ll have to shell out for the more expensive prep programs.

When it comes to question explanations, Princeton Review’s are provided in a text-only format, with no accompanying video walking students through the question and answer process. Princeton Review also lacks grading for the optional essay section. To supplement the lack of more interactive question explanations, some premium prep packages include 24/7 access to an instructor via a chat feature, where students can review their results.

Princeton Review provides four custom-built SAT practice exams, with additional practice exams available for supplementation. While these practice exams differ from official SAT practice exams, which are the gold standard for SAT prep, Princeton Review’s practice exams emulate the features and environment of the digital SAT. After taking a test, students receive a detailed score report, which they’re encouraged to review in order to identify areas for improvement and ongoing practice.

Princeton Review also offers packages with SAT tutors. While they provide no guarantee that their tutors were top 1% scorers on their own SATs, Princeton Review tutors must take a qualifying exam and go through training. Students who participate in higher-tier Princeton Review SAT prep have the benefit of hours of direct, live instruction from these tutors, which provides more one-on-one opportunities to work through difficult questions.

While PrepScholar’s online courses and tutoring can be accessed anywhere, anytime with an Internet connection and a digital device, Princeton Review offers opportunities for in-person courses and tutoring in a physical classroom. These opportunities may be limited based on instructor availability and location, but where in-person prep is available, it’s an option for students who prefer learning in a traditional classroom.

Winner: PrepScholar

While Princeton Review provides top-notch access to live instruction in multiple formats, PrepScholar’s approach to answer explanations is unique–and the feature that sets them apart from other SAT prep programs. PrepScholar treats answer explanations like mini-lessons that guide you through your mistakes, which is the most effective way to improve your SAT scores. This emphasis on guiding students through why answers are wrong is distinctive–and it’s what makes them the clear winner when it comes to instruction quality and feedback.

Comparison Point 2 — Personalization and Adaptive Learning

Personalized learning plans and adaptive learning put students on the fast track to mastery of SAT content and better scores.

Below, we cover how PrepScholar and Princeton Review compare on adaptiveness, including implementation of AI to enhance their prep programs’ personalization to each student’s needs.

PrepScholar

PrepScholar’s entire approach to SAT prep is built around personalization and adaptiveness. Their programs use a skill-by-skill approach to learning that adapts to each student individually, allowing them to focus on areas where they need the most improvement.

At the beginning of PrepScholar SAT prep programs, students take a 60-question diagnostic test that allows PrepScholar’s adaptive technology to gauge their skill in each area that’s tested on the SAT. This allows PrepScholar to design a prep program that gives students the right lessons for their skill level.

PrepScholar’s adaptive technology adjusts to the student’s performance with each question, which allows you to make more progress in less time. As you complete quizzes and practice tests, your weekly study plan continually updates to keep you focused on the skills and content that will help you progress quickly.

Because of their meticulous approach to adaptive modeling, PrepScholar is able to provide students with highly personalized learning through one-on-one tutoring. Students are matched with tutors who specialize in the areas of the exam that diagnostic testing shows they need the most help with. They’ll build you a fully personalized prep plan based on your goals and meet with you for four to 36 hours, depending on the package you purchase.

Accompanying the personalization from adaptive testing and one-on-one instruction is PrepScholar’s Genius AI Tutor, an always-available personal aid that’s built directly into the SAT prep programs. Unlike general purpose AI tools, PrepScholar’s is specifically designed for SAT prep. It’s modeled after how human PrepScholar tutors teach, built to ask questions, challenge assumptions, and reinforce reasoning through ongoing interactions. This helps students learn the thought processes that lead to mastery of SAT content, which leads to better scores.

Princeton Review

Princeton Review’s custom-built online practice SAT exams are built to simulate the adaptivity of the real digital SAT. Like the SAT, which adjusts the difficulty level from one module to the next based on your performance, Princeton Review’s practice exams work similarly.

At the beginning of Princeton Review courses, students take a diagnostic exam to determine their strengths and weaknesses. With each lesson you complete and practice exam you take, your study plan is adjusted to keep your prep focused on the areas where you need the most improvement.

Built into Princeton Review’s program is an AI system that analyzes student performance and creates a Study Planner. As students complete drills, question difficulty adjusts in real-time based on student performance, providing even more experience with the format of the digital SAT.

The adaptivity of Princeton Review’s programs is paired with teaching students how to adapt on their own. By learning to identify which questions to skip and which ones to tackle first, students will develop the skills they need to make choices under pressure in real-time on the exam.

Like most SAT prep programs, Princeton Review offers increased personalization through its highest-tier tutoring packages. These customizable learning programs offer up to 36 hours of one-on-one instruction and 24/7 access to live tutors to ensure that students are making continuous progress toward their SAT goals.

Winner: PrepScholar

Both Princeton Review and PrepScholar offer increasing degrees of personalization with higher-tier SAT tutoring packages. In both programs, students benefit from one-on-one guidance that’s tailored to their performance and goals. Its adaptivity is where PrepScholar sets itself apart.

While Princeton Review’s adaptivity is heavily focused on ensuring that students gain experience with the adaptivity of the SAT through practice exams, PrepScholar’s program adapts lesson by lesson, recalibrating in order to meet the unique learning needs and goals of each student. With its deeply adaptive learning system, PrepScholar’s SAT prep programs comes out on top.

Comparison Point 3 — Test Updates and Alignment

The SAT has changed over the years, which means that SAT prep companies must continuously update their materials in order to stay relevant and useful. Keep reading to learn more about how PrepScholar and Princeton Review compare on test updates and alignment.

PrepScholar

PrepScholar has long recognized that when the SAT shifted to a digital format, it was more than a change from pencil-and-paper to a computer-based test. It was also a transformation of the SAT’s content and question format. That’s why PrepScholar has spent thousands of hours developing brand new content tailored to the new, digital SAT.

Rather than update paper-based prep materials that were designed for the paper SAT, PrepScholar produced over 4000 practice questions designed to mirror the Digital SAT’s content, format, and tricky answer patterns. They also designed over 40 hours of skill lessons and explainer videos that cover digital SAT concepts and test-taking strategies.

Thanks to these updates, PrepScholar is able to provide a fully emulated digital SAT prep experience, with an interface that’s designed to mirror the College Board’s Bluebook app, where students take the real SAT.

Princeton Review

Each year, Princeton Review releases a new, updated edition of its SAT prep books. Each updated edition reflects recent changes to SAT content and format, and Princeton Review explicitly encourages students to use the latest edition in order to receive the most up-to-date prep.

Princeton Review also reevaluates and updates its SAT prep programs when there are major changes made to the SAT itself, like when the SAT shifted to a digital format from a paper version in 2023. However, rather than develop a new repository of practice questions for digital SAT prep, it appears that Princeton Review adapted its existing content and questions to align more closely with the digital SAT.

Winner: PrepScholar

Both Princeton Review and PrepScholar provide a near-perfect emulation of what the digital SAT environment looks like through their online practice and testing systems. But because of the way that PrepScholar fully revamped their SAT prep content and materials in tandem with the shift to the digital SAT, they edge Princeton Review’s loosely reworked old SAT prep materials out on this one.

Comparison Point 4 — Value

SAT prep programs can cost hundreds or even thousands of dollars. It’s important to know exactly what you’re getting before you commit so you can choose a program that brings you the most value.

PrepScholar

PrepScholar offers four core programs for SAT prep: Complete Online SAT Prep, Complete Online + AI Assistant, Live Instructor Led Classes, and One-on-One Tutoring. Higher-tier programs offer more personalization and customization, and they increase in cost accordingly.  

As the base tier offering, Complete Online SAT Prep provides full online access to all of PrepScholar’s SAT prep content, including a diagnostic test, and their entire repository of thousands of practice questions, drills, lessons, practice exams, and feedback and answer explanations. This is PrepScholar’s self-paced option, which means your study program will be customized and tailored to your strengths and weaknesses, but you won’t receive live or one-on-one instruction and feedback as you work through the program.

The Complete Online SAT Prep program is at the center of PrepScholar’s SAT program offerings and is included in each higher program tier, all of which add more personalization on top of the adaptivity you’re already getting from the base study program. At each program tier, students can easily add on additional services, like the AI Learning Assistant, Admissions Bootcamp, or bundling SAT and ACT prep.

Because each student’s learning needs are unique, both the Live Instruction and One-on-One Tutoring packages include flexible options for program hours, difficulty, and cost. Live Instruction packages range from 9 hours to 36+ and offer Beginner, Essentials, and Advanced courses that vary in difficulty and are designed to help students achieve specific score goals. Students who choose one-on-one tutoring can pick from 4, 12, 20, and 36 hour packages.

Because PrepScholar’s programs are fully online, students can access them from any location as long as they have an Internet connection and a digital device. While you’ll complete the self-paced program on your own time, you’ll have the option to choose live instruction and/or tutoring sessions that fit into your schedule. Once you sign up for a program, you’ll have a full year to access and use it.

The one caveat here is that PrepScholar doesn’t have a dedicated mobile app. While its programs are accessible on a mobile device, they weren’t explicitly built for a mobile experience.

Because of PrepScholar’s built-in adaptive technology and focus on personalization, students who sign up for an SAT prep course will receive more value from the get-go because each program is heavily tailored to their learning needs and goals. The more personalized an SAT prep program is, the more effective it’s going to be–and the more value you’ll get out of the service you pay for.

Reviews back this up. Students who have completed PrepScholar’s SAT prep programs say that the week-by-week personalization built a clear picture of their progress, which helped them stay motivated and engaged.  

Most users claim that customer service is quick and responsive, but a few have noted difficulty in getting help with a refund when their student didn’t meet their score goals. That’s why it’s important to understand the requirements for the 160 point money back guarantee and make sure you meet them before requesting a refund.

Princeton Review

Princeton Review offers a broader range of SAT prep programs that come with more tiers, which also means a wider range in price points. The core SAT prep program offerings include the most basic SAT Self-Paced, SAT Essentials, SAT 1400+ Course, SAT 1500+ Tutoring, and customizable tutoring packages ranging from a couple hundred dollars to over $7,000.

As the wide range in pricing indicates, Princeton Review’s program offerings differ significantly from one tier to the next. Whereas the self-paced course is essentially a recording of past live instruction sessions with little to no personalization, students opting in for the 1400+ Course or one-on-one tutoring will benefit from one-on-one, individualized coaching and intensive, transformative prep. Because of this significant gap in pricing and format, it’s important for students to know exactly what their SAT score goals are so they can match with a prep program that will help them achieve those goals.

From the self-paced course to live instruction, Princeton Review’s offerings are in-depth and comprehensive, and users report that the focus on teaching students how the SAT works brings an engaging, logical flow to the curriculum.

However, the time commitment, scheduling, and format may be overwhelming in some instances. Many live instruction sessions last for up to three hours at a time a couple of times per week, which provides little flexibility for students with busy schedules. In order to see results in their SAT scores, students must attend these live sessions.

Some users also report that the volume of SAT math questions is beyond the scope of what can feasibly be studied in the program time frame. While the comprehensiveness is commendable, for students who are already struggling with the Math section, this content overload may be more of a hindrance than a help.

When it comes to bundling multiple program offerings, Princeton Review makes it quick. For instance, you can combine SAT and ACT self-paced courses into one package, or add 10 hours of SAT tutoring onto your self-paced course at a discounted rate. Eligible add-ons pop up when you’re viewing any Princeton Review program that they apply to, so you don’t have to wonder how and when to bundle.

Some reviewers note that Princeton Review’s score guarantees can create issues. Not only do the score guarantees vary from one program to another, but the stipulations for qualifying for a refund or course re-do are not consistent across programs. It’s crucial that students read the fine print on all Princeton Review score guarantees and understand that all requirements must be met in order to qualify for money back.

Winner: Princeton Review (Premium Content), PrepScholar (Affordability)

Princeton Review stands out for designing a comprehensive suite of SAT prep programs that target the needs of students in every score range–and for making it easy to bundle products when needed. For students who are willing to pay a premium for programs that target elite scores, Princeton Review may be the right choice. For students seeking a program that adapts to their needs at every tier, even the most accessible price points, PrepScholar is the clear winner.

Overall Pros and Cons

While both PrepScholar and Princeton Review offer solid SAT prep options, they both have their drawbacks, too. Looking at the program pros and cons next to each other can help you make a more educated decision about which program is best for you.