Why choose Advantage Point over Kaplan and Princeton Review?

(Hello, visitor! Please note that the article below refers to our classroom, small group, and private tutoring services available in the Cleveland, Ohio area. If you're looking for our nationally available products, please click here.)

All of us have spent at least three years at Kaplan, Princeton Review, or Huntington Learning Center and we know those services provide fantastic test prep for many students. However, with the creation of Advantage Point, we’ve tried to add several elements we felt were lacking in those programs:

1) Affordability

We know that many people simply cannot afford $2875 for tutoring (Princeton) or $999 for a classroom course (Kaplan). Our prices are more than 50% below other leading test prep companies.

Price Comparison: (Note: the below comparison evaluates live teaching time only. All three programs include 4 testing sessions as well, for an additional 16 hours of proctoring).

Private Tutoring
Kaplan: $2399 for 20 hours = $119.95/hr
Princeton Review: $2875 for 23 hours = $125/hr
Advantage Point: $1200 for 20 hours = $60/hr (or $75/hr --pay as you go)

Small Group Tutoring
Kaplan: $1499 for 20 hours = $74.95/hr
Princeton Review: $1440 for 24 hours = $60/hr
Advantage Point: $600 for 20 hours = $30/hr

Classroom Course
Kaplan: $799 for 20 hours = $39.95/hr
Princeton Review: $1049 for 30 hours = $35/hr
Advantage Point: $460 for 21 hours = $22/hr

Remember that at Advantage Point's reasonable rates, you are actually getting a former Kaplan, Princeton Review, or Huntington teacher!

But…what if I still can’t afford that?

Advantage Point is committed to making test prep affordable for as many students as possible. So far this year, 21 students have taken advantage of our need-based sliding scale fees and tuition waivers. To be considered, please contact us today.

2) Personalized Service

Every student is different. At Advantage Point, we get to know students exceptionally well to ensure that their needs are successfully met. We are the only test prep company in the business that includes a FREE half hour consultation with students and parents prior to session 1 of our programs. Instructors meet with students and their parents and discuss students’ future plans, specific testing goals, and particular learning needs.

3) Our students take REAL SATs and ACTs

Kaplan and Princeton Review administer four company-created practice tests to students using their services. While these tests are supposed to give students practice taking the actual tests and increase student confidence, we found that more often, these SAT/ACT imitation tests actually made students more anxious. As instructors at these companies, we were often asked questions such as, “How do I know that the Kaplan version of the SAT is really like the real one?” or “I don’t trust these results as true predictors of my performance on the actual test…how can I take an actual ACT?” In our program, all four practice tests are actual ACTs or SATs. Students can thus be assured that their results are indicative of their true readiness to take the test.

4) More Perks

By enrolling in our programs, students have automatic access to the Advantage Point Resource Room, which contains over 25 different supplemental materials. Want to try out the latest SAT-vocab romance novel? (Yes, they really do exist!) Want more practice tests? We have it all, and students can check out materials for up to 4 weeks.

Coming in 2009: Advantage Point On-Call. Through partnership with a California test prep company, Advantage Point will be able to offer a 24-hour on call service for students the week before each SAT or ACT test. We know that however much we tell you to get a decent night's sleep... you'll still be up studying at 3 a.m. And if you get stuck, you can call us. How's that for great service?

5) More focus on the Mind/Brain connection

Uh..oh, you’re thinking. Mind/brain what? Am I dealing with a bunch of aging ex-hippies? (Actually, no). Here’s the deal: whether you bought into “The Secret” or not, even modern psychology supports the idea of self-fulfilling prophecy. And in our experience, we have seen that time and again, the students who believe they CAN and WILL succeed score higher than those who don't. Kaplan and Princeton have 10-minute modules that focus on some relaxation techniques, but otherwise focus only on test prep. Maybe we should, too, since we are a test prep company, but we have seen that for many students, there may be deeper issues that prevent them from scoring as impressively as they would like. Therefore, after each session, we offer all students a few minutes of positive affirmations and guided visualizations for peak performance. Since this topic makes some people a little nervous, these exercises take place immediately AFTER each class is over and are completely optional.

6) Advantage Point gives back

Each year, Advantage Point donates 10% of all revenue to charity. We work hard to ensure that the majority of this money stays in Cleveland, Ohio.