GMAT is one of the most popular entrance tests amongst people who are about to finish their graduation. So, you know you're not the only one to make this Google search. When you search online for GMAT tutors, one of the very first names is Economist and there is a reason behind it that we will unfold in this Economist GMAT Review.
There are quite a few options out there for preparing for GMAT online but a lot of people have chosen Economist and there are various reasons. It's good at a lot of things and quite mediocre at others. The key to finding the right tutor is seeing what fits your style of learning and not just blindly following what others do.
Read on in this review to find out if what Economist has to offer matches your style of learning and whether it can actually help you ace this test.
Economist GMAT Review 2020- Is It Worth Your Try??
A technique of teaching or learning works for a lot of people but that does not mean that it necessarily works for you as well. Like I said previously, you need to find out if it really works for you or not because GMAT will be one of the most important tests that you take in your life, and it is crucial that you do really well in it to get into the College that you want.
Economists have a very peculiar style of teaching and it can really be a hit or miss in a student's case, completely depending upon how they like to learn things. But there are a few things worth checking out before you make your decision that can help you come on top of this test.
Do you know how you like to learn? If you do, this article will make the decision quite simple for you. If you do not, I will try to make the decision as easy as possible.
Economist GMAT Tutor uses the latest tech available to help you find a way to overcome your weaknesses in the prep. The idea is to use tools like Artificial Intelligence to identify where you might fall short and on these areas of weakness to ensure that you give the test your best shot on the day of examination.
The company has tried to keep things as simple as possible to keep the entire process intuitive but this is also quite a bit of hit or miss depending on the student. Overall, the company has given its best shot to help students (and they should, considering how much they charge you for the prep but we will come to that) and the only thing that remains to be seen is if it is compatible for you.
Pay close attention to this article because it can help make or break your career. Now let us dive into it and find out if you should choose it or not.
Economists have a pretty unique style of teaching and it can be quite polarising among students. We have been used to quite conventional methods of teaching and this is slightly out of the box and thus can feel uncomfortable at the beginning but be assured that the company has your best interests in their minds when they design this for you.
The website teaches you using chat bubbles which are continuously monitored by their AI system in the background. This AI system records every conversation and uses it to help alter the course to find your weakness and focus on it and if you want my opinion, it works very well.
It was able to find my weaknesses instantly and started to focus the course on it so it gets better at it with practice. As soon as I started getting better at it, the focus shifted to my other weaknesses. So, it is quite easy to say that it works very well.
My Experience-If you are not a beginner and know the basics, or at least are aware of them, the AI can help you become better at sections that you don't know too well but if you are a beginner, the system gets confused as to what it should focus on.
You need to judge your position before you make a decision about using Economist. The bubble-like teaching style also makes it feel more friendly but only to a certain extent. After a while, it tends to get monotonous and can be really discouraging when you are preparing for such an important junction of your life.
For GMAT, students start preparing about a year in advance so that it gives them enough time to understand the types of questions in each section as well as to solve enough of each type in order to get better along the way.
Economists offer two types of plans. One which can help you get ready for the test in about three months and the second one which can help you ace the test in six months. Both these types of plans take into consideration that you have already understood the basics and have spent some type practicing it and thus aim to complete your prep in three or six months.
If you follow the course well from the beginning to the end, the time that you invest in the course is totally worth it. You can increase your score in the mock tests that the course includes by up to 70 points which can make a huge difference in your career.
The Economist backs up its claim of increasing your score by up to 70 points by throwing in a money-back guarantee. Their guarantee depends on the type of package that you choose, and we will get to it, but it promises that your score will increase between 50 to 70 points depending upon the package you choose.
A lot of the students looking to learn online choose to go with Economist simply because of this money-back guarantee that they offer which not only shows their confidence in their course but also offers a protection net for the students.
A 50 to 70 point increase in your score can really help you get into the college of your liking and the confidence that the company shows in its course is definitely worth giving a shot.
My Experience-The money-back-guarantee will not be required if the teaching style works for you. If it does work for you, it can do wonders for you and figuring whether it does or it does not really help you. The focus remains on the teaching style and investing 3 months or 6 months of your life into the Economist to make your career is a really small price to pay.
Economists have a well broken-down understanding of the test and thus they know exactly what works for what kind of a student. They have structured the course on the basis of their understanding of the test which all of their students can agree to is quite thorough and is very reliable.
The website has broken the course into smaller sections, just like the test, to help you get better at each and every one of them. The website for sure focuses on the identification of your weak parts and improving on them but it ensures that your overall growth in the test as well.
This method of teaching is what helps you grow your score by over 50 points and is a methodology that has worked for the last few years for the website. This methodology helps the website get new students over and over every year.
Each section of the test is quite well organized and there is no point that you will feel that you are missing out on when you are going through the sessions or the other features that they are offering.
With any package, they offer a different quantum of the features. The basic features include access to the entire online course, free practice exams, Ask-a-Tutor questions, Live Sessions with the Tutors, Essay Marking, Practise Questions, and an Economist Digital subscription.
My Experience-Personally, I feel that even for someone who has taken the test, Economist has a lot to offer not just in terms of the course but also in terms of the other features. These other features are a highlight of what the website has to offer.
The Economist has gone one step over the other websites for GMAT course prep to help the students that register with them for their online course and it can be seen through how thorough their AI system is.
Even if you are a beginner or someone who has taken the test before, there is something or the other that you can learn from the Economist. It is something that you should give a try.
Economist GMAT Pricing Review-
The pricing is a point that might make you reconsider the decision that you have previously made of choosing the Economist. The price is not exorbitantly high but it is something that definitely makes choosing this website harder than it should have been. In general, a comparison with the other GMAT course prep websites that offer similar tutoring services, the pricing is a bit on the premium side but the website also has a lot to offer.
And lest we forget the money-back guarantee that the subscription comes with. The biggest selling point might be the money-back guarantee. There are a few terms and conditions that come with the money-back guarantee but those are quite standard to the ones with other such offers.
The Economist has three different packages that the students can choose from. But before the students even have to choose a package, they can give the website and its teaching methodology a shot by availing its 7-day free trial.
Anyone can take the free trial and all it takes to avail it is to simply register on their website with an email. Once you take the trial, you will understand if the teaching style is compatible with you or not, and which are crucial in making the decision.
The 7-day free trial is a boon for the people who are on the fence when choosing whether to go with the website or not and it is most likely to convert you to buy their subscription for your GMAT prep.
The three packages that the website offers are $799, $899 and $1099. Each package offers all the features, including access to their mobile application but the number of times you can use a feature varies with each package that you choose.
The basic $799 package gets you to access to the full course online, 50 Ask-a-Tutor questions, free practice tests, 4 Essay markings, 4 One-on-One sessions with tutors, and over 5000 questions across all the sections.
When you upgrade to the $899 pack, you get all the above features plus 100 Ask a Tutor question, 5 practice tests, five essay markings, and six live sessions with the tutors. This upgrade might not make a lot of sense right now but it is something that can definitely come in handy.
The above two packages are the ones that take 3 months to complete like I have mentioned earlier and offer an increase in points by up to 50 points. The below package takes 6 months and offers a lot more features. It also offers a guarantee of increasing your points by 70.
The third and the most premium subscription comes in at $1099. With all the above features, it also offers unlimited Ask Tutor questions to the student along with 8 live sessions, 6 essay markings, and 6 practice exams.
The third option might sound very expensive but if you have the money to spend or what to invest in quality learning, that is the subscription that you should go for. But if that is something that you cannot afford or are unwilling to invest that much, the other subscriptions can work for you too.
What it comes down to is how much you are looking to spend, does the teaching style of The Economist suit you and how serious you are about the test.
If you are a beginner, I would suggest that you invest the first six to nine months in understanding the basics of the test. Once you are past that, you can take one of the first two packages for your prep which can be enough for your overall preparation.
If you are someone who knows the basics of the test, I would suggest you go for the third package which gives you an edge over all the other competitors and brings you as close as possible to your dream college.
My Honest Review- Economist GMAT Review- Is it really worth the Effort?
I feel that the Economist is one of the most solid offerings that the online GMAT tutoring world has to offer as of now. There quite a few competitors but no one comes as close as this one when it comes to the all-round growth of your test-taking skills.
There are a lot of features that the other platforms are years away from incorporating and that is something that not only gives the platform an edge but also to all its subscribers.
However, there is a catch. The teaching style. The teaching style is very unique and it can make or break the deal completely for you. This is where the free trial shows its importance. 7 days is enough for any student to understand if the teaching is compatible with them or not.
You should take the maximum advantage of this to understand your compatibility with the platform. Figure out if it works for you and if it does, congratulations on finding your partner for your adventure. If it doesn't, your search for your test partner will go on.
Quick LinksFAQs
The decision totally depends on you. Does the website work for you? That is the question that you need to ask yourself at the end of the trial. If you ask for my opinion, the creators of the platform have done a wonderful job when it comes to building it and creating the content.
Where they fall short is in making it fun and usable for all the students that come to their free trial. The platform can go a long way into helping you in your career and they can make the platform a bit more intuitive as well so that it becomes easier for all the students to learn.
If you simply want my decision on this Economist GMAT Review, I say invest in your preparation with $1099 and take the best that the platform has to offer. Believe me when I tell you that it will not let you down when the day of the test and the day of the result comes.
So tell me, how much are you willing to invest in your future?
