Best GMAT Prep Courses of 2026

For those who dream of attending business school and obtaining an MBA, achieving a high score on the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) is essential but also daunting, as the most sought-after programs have become more competitive than ever. Working with a reputable and established test prep provider is key to mastering the GMAT, but with every company positioning themselves as “the best” or advertising courses “guaranteed” to help you reach a certain score, how do you know who to work with? We understand the importance of preparing with experts who understand and can easily accommodate different learning styles, deadlines, and budgets, so we’ve taken the guesswork out of preparing for your exam by reviewing the best GMAT prep courses of 2026.

Princeton Review

Princeton Review is an established name in the world of test preparation courses, and they have been supporting students and providing quality education services since 1981. The company currently offers test preparation, tutoring, and admissions resources, and they offer several highly rated prep courses designed to prepare students for the GMAT:

• GMAT Focus 645+ (from $1,999): this option includes 30 hours of expert-led live instruction, flexible attendance requirements, and a money-back guarantee. Students have access to Office Hours where they can ask questions, 6 full-length practice exams, adaptive drills that match the real GMAT difficulty, concept slides for quick and easy review, 365 days of access to online resources, 4 GMAC e-books, and 3 Princeton Review e-books.
• Self-Paced (from $799): this option provides on the go access to video-based lessons and adaptive drills. Students have access to 6 practice exams, an online question bank, an official GMAT e-book, video-based lessons, and quick review exercises.
• Core Concepts (from $999): this option includes 18 hours of expert-led live instruction. Students have access to adaptive video lessons, live Office Hours where they can ask questions, 4 practice exams, quick review exercises, a question bank, and an official GMAT e-book.

Students who prepared for the GMAT with Princeton Review appreciated the highly structured nature of the GMAT Focus 645+ course, including the exam-style questions and the adaptive drills. Instructors were noted to be knowledgeable, and the interface was reportedly well designed and intuitive to navigate.

Some users did not find the courses to be comprehensive enough and felt that there was a greater focus on high-yield questions rather than foundational basics.

Best for: users who want a comprehensive prep course with adaptive drills and extensive study materials.

Not the best for: users with a solid foundation seeking flashcard-style or Qbank review.

Magoosh

Magoosh has steadily risen in popularity since it was founded in 2009 by graduates from the Haas School of Business at the University of California at Berkeley. Created from a desire to revolutionize the test prep industry, Magoosh GMAT prep has become well-known for its affordability, high-quality video content, and strong math focus. Magoosh offers three GMAT prep course options:

• Premium – 6 months ($249): this course includes more than 200+ video lessons, over 800 practice questions, at least 2 diagnostic tests, up to 70-point score increase guarantee, 6 months of access, access to Ask an Expert, score predictor, and the ability to pause your plan or switch to preparing for the GRE.
• Premium – 12 months ($349): this course includes more than 200+ video lessons, over 800 practice questions, at least 2 diagnostic tests, up to 70-point score increase guarantee, 12 months of access, access to Ask an Expert, score predictor, and the ability to pause your plan or switch to preparing for the GRE.
• Premium – Admissions ($449): this course includes everything in the Premium – 12 months course, plus an application tracker, insider advice on building an MBA brand, tips on writing essays and creating a resume, over 30 MBA application videos, more than 70 applicant profiles from real students, step-by-step guided essay writing, and 12 months of access.

Magoosh GMAT videos are known for being both informative and engaging with high-quality production values. Reviews describe the user interface as being easy to use and user-friendly, and their explanation videos were reportedly praised for being comprehensive, easy-to-understand, and especially strong on Quant and Data Insights. Busy professionals, in particular, appreciated the opportunity to study when it was most convenient for them without needing to attend live online classes.

Users occasionally expressed a desire for live instruction options, as opposed to only on demand videos. Some learners also expressed a desire for more practice exams, and it should be noted that there are no additional e-books or study materials included in the course.

Best for: users seeking an affordable way to prepare for the GMAT at their own pace who learn best through video lessons.

Not the best for: users who learn best through live instruction or benefit from extensive study materials.

Manhattan Review

Manhattan Review is a global test preparation company that provides both in-person and online tutoring, classes, and admission consulting for major exams through customized study plans and the proprietary, “TurboCharge Your Prep” book series. The company was founded in 1999 by Joern Meissner, a graduate student and instructor at Columbia Business School, after students praised his accessible explanations of complex ideas and suggested he create prep materials for the GMAT. The company offers several GMAT prep course options:

• GMAT Online Classic Course ($990 for 28 hours): this option includes 28 hours of live online instruction, 5 practice tests, course books in e-format, and the opportunity to view lectures afterwards on demand.
• GMAT Online Private Course ($1,590 for 12 hours): this option includes 12 hours of live, personalized, 1:1 instruction based around the student’s desired study schedule, as well as 5 practice tests, and course books in e-format.
• GMAT In-Person Classic Course ($1,590 for 28 hours): this option includes 28 hours of live, in-person instruction in cities around the world, as well as 5 practice tests, and course books in e-format.
• GMAT In-Person Private Course ($1,590 for 28 hours): this option includes 12 hours of in-person, customized, 1:1 instruction based around the student’s desired study schedule, as well as 5 practice tests and course books in e-format.

Manhattan Review has grown from a boutique test prep company to an international educational services provider with a reputation for helpings students achieve real results. What sets this company apart from the others on this list is their commitment to hiring only the best instructors who are not only high-scoring test-takers but skilled instructors capable of teaching complicated materials to students with vastly different learning styles.

Reviews raved about the knowledgeable and personable instructors, and students found the included course books to be both thorough and easy-to-understand. Users appreciated the structured curriculum, as well as the provided techniques for learning to think like a test maker. Some learners desired more in-depth practice questions, while others wished they had access to more advanced performance analytics.

Best for: users seeking structured, comprehensive GMAT prep taught online or in-person by experienced instructors.

Not the best for: users on a budget or those who are seeking to improve specific weaknesses.

PrepScholar

PrepScholar is a familiar name in the test prep industry, and the company has developed a dedicated and highly satisfied user base over the last decade. PrepScholar was founded in 2013 by two Harvard graduates with a mission of providing personalized, high-quality test prep and college admissions guidance. The company offers two different GMAT prep course options:

• GMAT Online Prep ($139): this option is recommended for students who wish to start their GMAT prep with a skill-by-skills diagnostic assessment. It includes 3 months of access, 2 practice tests, 750 practice questions, a diagnostic assessment, 30+ GMAT skill lessons, and 5 GMAT strategy lessons.
• Complete GMAT Online Prep ($259): this option is recommended for students who are ready for a fully adaptive and customized GMAT learning experience. It includes 4 months of access, more than 1,000 practice questions, a diagnostic assessment, a customized study plan, 2 practice tests, 10 GMAT strategy lessons, and a 60-point score increase guarantee.

PrepScholar offers a 5-day free trial, and all video lessons are taught by instructors who scored in the 99th percentile on the GMAT. Reviews raved about the highly customized and adaptive study plans, and students greatly appreciated the opportunity to focus only on what they needed, particularly their weaknesses. Students frequently mentioned the affordability of the courses, and several found the targeted skill building feature to be excellent and effective.

While learning is interactive, this is accomplished through video lessons rather than live instruction, and some users expressed a desire for live intstruction options. Lessons were noted to be text heavy, and some users found this to be a customizable review rather than a comprehensive course that focuses on the basics of GMAT prep. While both courses contain hundreds of practice questions, only 2 practice tests are included with the course purchase.

Best for: users seeking an affordable prep course that is highly customizable and adaptive to their particular strengths and weaknesses.

Not the best for: users who learn best through video, rather than text, explanations or who prefer live or comprehensive courses.

Target Test Prep

With hundreds of 5-star reviews, it’s no wonder Target Test Prep has become known for providing exceptional GMAT preparation. Target Test Prep was founded in 2008 to specialize in online, structured, self-study courses for graduate-level standardized tests. The company offers self-study, on demand, and live online GMAT prep courses:

• Self-study: this option includes access to a personalized study and daily study calendar, over 2,000 video solutions, more than 1,500 lessons, 4,000+ practice questions, 1,200 digital custom flashcards, custom GMAT practice test builder, performance analytics, AI assist, and a 130-point score increase guarantee.
  • Monthly access from $299
  • 4-month access from $949
  • 6-month access from $1099
• On Demand (from $1,599): this option includes everything in the self-study course option, in addition to 6 months of access, 400 hours of live masterclass video lectures, and a guaranteed score of 715 (99th percentile) or higher.
• Live Instruction + TTP On Demand (from $2,199): this option includes everything in the On Demand course, in addition to 6 months of access, 40 hours of live online classes, weekly live office hours with top-scoring GMAT instructors, personalized homework for each class, exclusive Slack channel for class, and a guaranteed score of 715 (99th percentile) or higher.

Target Test Prep offers the largest score increase guarantee of all the prep courses on this list. Boasting thousands of 5-star online reviews, Target Test Prep consistently provides excellent and effective GMAT prep materials. Reviews almost always mention the functionality and user-friendly design of the interface, as well as the sheer amount of practice questions and video lessons. Students appreciated that the course was both comprehensive yet approachable, allowing learners to strengthen their foundational knowledge while targeting areas of weaknesses through high-quality test performance analytics.

In some reviews, users expressed the desire for more structured study plans based on different timelines. Some learners wished the explanations for Verbal practice questions were more thorough, with some finding it to be more rule-based than focused on improving foundational understanding of concepts. While users were overwhelmingly satisfied with their ultimate GMAT score, Target Test Prep was noted to be very time intensive and challenging.

Best for: motivated users seeking comprehensive GMAT prep through a mixture of on demand and live instruction options.

Not the best for: users seeking to focus only on high-yield topics or who have limited time to study for the GMAT.

Conclusion

Whether you prefer self-paced and on demand learning, live online instruction, or in-person instruction, we’ve reviewed and analyzed the best GMAT prep courses of 2026 to ensure you are informed as possible when selecting the best prep course for you. All of the companies included in this review frequently offer impressive discounts or time-limited sales, so we encourage interested learners to visit the websites, as prep course prices change frequently.