Magoosh MCAT Review (2025): The Budget King

Let’s be real: Medical school applications are expensive. Between primary apps, secondaries, and travel for interviews, you are looking at thousands of dollars.

Magoosh is for the student who wants to stop the bleeding.

For roughly $399, Magoosh gives you a comprehensive MCAT course that covers every topic on the exam. Compare that to Kaplan ($2,699) or Princeton Review ($3,499), and you have to ask: Is the expensive course really 8x better?

For many students, the answer is no. Here is why Magoosh is the smartest purchase for the budget-conscious pre-med.

The “Secret Weapon”: Video Explanations

In most QBanks, when you get a question wrong, you get a text paragraph explaining the answer.

Magoosh gives you a video. For almost every single question in their bank, there is a 1-3 minute video where an instructor walks you through the problem step-by-step.

• They show you how to break down the passage.
• They show you the math shortcuts.
• They explain why the wrong answers are wrong.

This is incredibly valuable for visual learners who struggle to learn from text explanations alone. It feels like having a tutor sitting next to you, explaining your mistakes in real-time.

The Guarantee: +10 Points

This is the feature that makes Magoosh a “safe” bet.

If you have a previous MCAT score (or a baseline score), Magoosh guarantees you will improve by at least 10 points after completing their premium course. If you don’t, they give you your money back.

• Example: If you scored a 495 on your first attempt, they guarantee a 505+.
• The Catch: You have to actually do the work (watch the videos, take the quizzes). But if you are studying for the MCAT, you were going to do that anyway.

What You Get (and What You Don’t)

It is important to manage expectations. Magoosh is a budget product, and it feels like one in certain areas.

The Good

• 380+ Content Videos: These cover everything from Physics to Psych/Soc. They are simple (whiteboard style) but clear and accurate.
• Study Schedules: They provide detailed schedules (1-month, 3-month, 6-month) that tell you exactly which videos to watch each day.
• Mobile App: Their app is excellent for studying on the go (flashcards, videos).

The Bad

• Only 3 Practice Tests: This is the biggest weakness. You absolutely need more than 3 tests to be ready.
  • Solution: Use the money you saved to buy the AAMC Official Bundle ($268). Magoosh + AAMC is still thousands of dollars cheaper than Kaplan.
• No Books: You don’t get physical textbooks.
  • Solution: Buy a used set of Kaplan or Examkrackers books on eBay for $50.

Pricing & Value

Pros and Cons

Final Verdict: The Smart Student’s Choice

Magoosh is the best value in MCAT prep, period.

If you have $3,000 to spend, go with Blueprint or Princeton Review. They offer more practice tests, better analytics, and higher production value.

But if you are paying for this yourself, or if you just want a solid course without the fluff, Magoosh is fantastic.

My Recommended “Budget Stack”:

1. Magoosh Course: $399 (for content review and strategy)
2. AAMC Official Bundle: $268 (for the real practice tests)
3. UWorld QBank: $319 (for the extra practice questions) Total: ~$986

This combination gives you the best of everything-videos, official exams, and the best QBank-for less than half the price of a standard Kaplan course.

• Overall
  4.5
• Ease of Use
  4.8
• Features
  3.8
• Support
  4.2
• Value
  5.0

Scale 0-5. Ratings are our own weighted assessments.