Magoosh GMAT Review 2025: The Best Budget Option?
Best for: Best Value Updated 11/21/2025Price: from 249 USD/course
Pros
- Unbeatable price (often under $200 on sale)
- Every single question has a video explanation
- Excellent mobile app for studying on the go
- 1-year access (most others are 4-6 months)
Cons
- Fewer practice tests than competitors
- Less structure (you have to motivate yourself)
- Quant is good, but not as deep as Target Test Prep
Not everyone has $1,500 to spend on a GMAT course. For over a decade, Magoosh has been the champion of the self-studier, offering a high-quality course for the price of a few textbooks.
But “cheap” doesn’t always mean “good.” We tested Magoosh’s updated GMAT Focus Edition course to see if it can compete with the heavyweights.
Magoosh is the best value in GMAT prep, period. If you are a self-motivated student who needs flexibility, Magoosh gives you 90% of what the expensive courses offer for 20% of the price.
The Secret Sauce: Video Explanations
The single best feature of Magoosh is that every single practice question has a video explanation.
In other courses, if you get a question wrong, you might get a text paragraph explaining the answer. In Magoosh, you get a 1-3 minute video where an expert walks you through the problem step-by-step.
For visual learners, this is invaluable. You don’t just see what the answer is; you see the process of solving it.
Course Structure
Magoosh is entirely self-paced. There are no live classes (unless you pay extra for tutoring).
- Dashboard: Shows your estimated score and progress.
- Lessons: Short, digestible videos covering every concept (Math, Verbal, Data Insights).
- Custom Practice: You can build quizzes based on difficulty, topic, and timing.
The Focus Edition Update
Magoosh has updated their question bank for the 2025 Focus Edition.
- Data Insights: They have added a dedicated section for DI questions.
- Score Predictor: Their algorithm now predicts your score on the 205-805 scale.
- Study Schedules: They offer new study plans specifically for the shorter exam format (1-month, 3-month, 6-month).
Magoosh vs. Target Test Prep
This is the most common comparison we hear. Both are self-paced, online courses.
- Choose Target Test Prep if: You need a massive Quant score improvement. TTP goes much deeper into the math theory and has way more practice questions.
- Choose Magoosh if: You are on a budget, you want a more balanced approach (good Verbal + good Quant), or you prefer learning through video explanations rather than reading text lessons.
Pricing
Magoosh keeps it simple.
- Premium Plan: ~$249 for 1 year of access.
That’s it. No confusing tiers. Sometimes they run sales that drop the price even lower.
Pros
- Incredible value for money
- Video explanations for every question are a huge learning aid
- Score improvement guarantee (+70 points on old scale, adjusted for Focus)
- Great customer support (email responses are detailed and helpful)
Cons
- Practice tests are assembled from the question bank (not separate)
- Dashboard is functional but looks a bit dated compared to TTP
Final Verdict
Magoosh proves that you don’t need to break the bank to get into business school. It is a fantastic, flexible, and effective tool. We highly recommend it for students who are disciplined enough to study on their own.