ExamPAL GMAT Review: Is it worth it?

Unsure what GMAT prep course you should take? My ExamPAL GMAT review can help you.

ExamPAL, one of the leading test prep providers in the industry today, can help you in preparing for your Graduate Management Association Test. It consists of various contents as well as features that you will need to ace your exam.

My in-depth ExamPAL GMAT review could aid you to determine whether it is the right program for you or not.

Let’s start?

What is ExamPAL?

Known for its innovative learning experience, ExamPAL is an educational company providing GMAT and GRE digital courses, as well as one-on-one private lessons. It was launched way back in the 2000s and has continued to influence the industry since then.

It was developed through the help of more than 50 people who are professionals in their respective fields—from teachers and data scientists to programmers and video creators.

ExamPAL is also known for its self-paced GMAT and GRE courses, which gives students the freedom to control the pace of their studies. It is also popular for its unique AI algorithm—which I discuss more later in the next sections—called PALgorithmn.

What does ExamPAL GMAT offer?

ExamPAL GMAT is an all-digital course that, as what its name suggests, provides study materials and features for Graduate Management Association Test. And just like any other all-digital educational companies, it a variety of contents that are readily available on the Internet only.

The exam prep course company specifically offers self-paced courses. It means students have control over their studies since ExamPAL do not give fixed study schedules. Instead, they will have to take each lesson by watching a video lecture.

Having that said, here is an overview of ExamPAL GMAT’s contents and features:

  • A library of video lessons
  • Approximately 1, 500 practice questions
  • Four full-length practice tests
  • Private tutoring
  • Admission consultancy

How does it differ?

All test prep companies share different aspects that make them unique. And typically, it concerns the study materials and features it offers.

ExamPAL, on the other hand, focused on developing unique learning system. That being said, here are a few features that I believe make the GMAT prep course provider stand out against its competitors.

  • The PAL approach. ExamPAL uses a system called PALgorithmn. Through it, students will be able to determine which route or solution is the fastest to solve a problem. And will continue to practice it until the student realizes which solutions works best for him/her.
  • Credit system. The test prep providers came up with a unique way to let students decide their learning experience by creating a “credit system.” Essentially, the system gives each student “credit points,” that may vary depending on the plan they are subscribed to.
  • They can then use these points to “purchase” or gain access to a particular content or feature like essay reviews or one-on-one private lessons. 

Who are its ideal users?

ExamPAL, although it basically suits everyone’s preferences, was created specifically for a few groups of individuals. Thus, to put things into perspective, I enumerated a number of ideal students that would fit into the GMAT prep course provider’s radar.

  1. Busy professionals. For busy professionals who are planning to attend graduate school, preparing for the admission exam is quite troublesome. It typically requires you to attend in-person classes with fixed schedules.

    With ExamPAL, on the other hand, students need not attend in-person classes since it offers all-digital courses only. Simply put, all its courses are accessible on the internet which in return enables you to study whenever and wherever you want—be it in the comfort of your house or your office.
  2. Those who prefer to study alone. Since ExamPAL provides all-digital programs only, it rids the nuisance of people who prefer to study on their own: group classes. In return, it gives students the freedom to learn at their own pace too.
  3. Folks who prefer budget-friendly GMAT courses. If you are searching for an affordable GMAT prep program, ExamPAL is a good choice. Its basic plan, for instance, costs around $600 for 6-month access.

    Not bad if compared to its competitors such as Veritas Prep, Kapla, and Princeton Review.
  4. Auditory and visual learners. ExamPAL’s study materials come with a handful of lecture videos. Hence, ideally, it works best for students who are visual and auditory learners. 

What are the pros and cons?

To know things better, I listed ExamPAL’s benefits as well as drawbacks below.

The pros

  • All-digital approach
  • Uses PALgorithmn approach
  • High-quality video lectures
  • Offers budget-friendly plans
  • Gives students the freedom to study at their pace

The cons

  • No mobile application
  • No in-person and live classes

Everything about ExamPAL GMAT

In this section of my ExamPAL GMAT review, I will talk about more of its features particularly those who I think are unique. I will discuss its perks and disadvantages as well as plans and pricing.

Let’s begin.

ExamPAL GMAT’s top features

ExamPAL offers a variety of features that are important and handy for all GMAT reviewers. However, among these tools and contents, are a few that I believe are the test prep company’s best features.

In other words, these are the things that make ExamPAL unique from its competitors.

1.  PALgorithmn approach. Lead by ExamPAL’s CEO Jack Oren Jackman, the test prep company developed a unique system called PALgorithmn. PAL—which stands for Precise, Alternative, and Logic—teaches students how to efficiently solve GMAT questions.

Palgorithmn, on the other hand, is a test preparation system tailored to train your mind to use the PAL method (which I discussed in the earlier sections of the article). And using the PALgorithmn, the GMAT course will help you boost your decision-making skills through the following steps:

  • Diagnostic. The initial step is to measure your PAL level. In this phase, ExamPal will try to determine which “solution approaches” or “specific tools” are the ones you use effectively for answering GMAT questions.
  • Improvement. Once the system determined your level, ExamPAL will suggest tools and approaches that works best for you.
  • Optimization. The system will then compare your approach to other students with the same characteristics. It will then provide tips or solutions other students are using to help you solve problems correctly and fast.

2.  Essay review. Another feature to look forward to about ExamPAL is its Essay Review. You may think that the Analytical Writing Assessment (AWA) is only a small portion of the test. However, essay writing is not a piece of cake, especially if you are not born with skills that are innate to writers.

That being said, Premium and Genius plan subscribers have the privilege to consult and ask for feedback about their essays at least three times. It gives students access to their practice written assignments scores too together with a list of writing tips.

3.  Credit system. Another unique but remarkably handy feature of ExamPAL is its credit system. Each subscriber is given “credit points” that they can use to buy, or rather, get access to some ExamPAL’s features that are not included in their chosen course plan. And depending on the points given, students can purchase access to ExamPAL’s features like private tutoring, essay reviews, and admission consultation.

Such a feature enables students to choose to add new contents as they progress.

4.  Admission consultancy. ExamPAL provides a 60-minute one-on-one consultation with professional MBA coach admissions too. Such a feature is not new to test prep providers like ExamPAL. However, since your journey to graduate school is important and equally not easy, little guidance will be helpful.

But do take note that this feature is only available for Premium ad Genius plan subscribers.

5.  Video lessons. Apart from its unique learning approach, ExamPAL’s library of video lessons serves a crucial role in where it stands today too. Although it is only comprised of 24 interactive videos and 22 introductory videos—quite a few compared to what other test prep companies provide.

ExamPAL’s video lectures are built differently. It uses PALgortuhmn which helps students learn efficiently and, at the same time, keep their interests intact.

To give you an idea, each lesson is divided into three parts.  The first phase is an introduction that covers all terms, equations, and rules. After that, reviewers will get interactive lessons that will teach you how to find the quickest route or solution to each problem. Lastly, students will have to answer practice questions.

Each lesson comes with a number of practice questions. Each problem then comes with an in-depth explanation of how each answer was derived.

6.  70+ point score increase policy. The GMAT prep course provider offers a 70+ points score increase guarantee, which is also the highest points among other providers. Essentially, the feature enables you to ask for a tuition fee refund if your exam results flopped and did not improve by 70 points.

Plans and pricing

ExamPAL offers three plans: the quant, premium, and genius. Each program comes with a different set of GMAT contents and features. Ad depending on the plan, the price varies as well.

That being said, here’s a breakdown of each plan:

1.  Quant. ExamPAL’s basic plan is called Quant. For a one-time payment of $599, subscribers will receive 6-month access to its study contents and features. However, since it is only a basic plan, do take note that the quantity of materials is limited.

Essentially, what you will get is full access to its library of video lectures and an AI-powered practice system (Quant + IR). Aside from that, you will get a total of 4 practice tests provided by GMAC. These practice exams are then divided into two categories: GMAT Prep software tests and GMAT Prep Exam Pack 1.

Lastly, subscribers will receive a total of 675 ExamPAL points that they can use to purchase additional materials.

2.  Premium. The Premium plan is ExamPAL’s best-selling course program. It basically has everything one needs to prepare for MAT. And for a onetime payment fo $899, students will receive full access to the following features:

  • Quant + IR
  • Verbal + AWA
  • 4 full-length practice tests
  • 3 essays reviews

On top of that, Premium and Genius plan subscribers will get a chance to talk to a professional MBA admission coach too; thanks to its 60-minutes admission consultancy feature. A total of 1110 credit points and a 70+ score increase guarantee will be granted to the said subscribers too.

3.  Genius. For those who wish to have access to ExamPAL’s advanced and premium GMAT content, the Genius plan is a perfect choice. For a one-time payment of $1, 299, you will receive 6-month full access to all materials and features included in the Premium plan. The only difference is that the quantity of content for the Genius plan is much more compared to the first two.

But apart from that, you will also get 2 expert assessments and 3 one-on-one private lessons.

Furthermore, do take note that all plans give 6-months access only. All subscribers are entitled to use ExamPAL’s 30-day money-back guarantee policy as well.

Things to take  note of

1.  No in-person classes. For an all-digital GMAT prep course, it is already given that in-person classes would not be provided. For ExamPAL’s case, the situation is true. In fact, it does not offer live online classes too.

Although it is being only true to its aim, I think it would have been great if they integrated an online class.

2.  No mobile application. For an all-digital course, it is quite fortunate and disappointing at the same time that ExamPAL does not have a mobile application. Its competitors like Magoosh, for instance, have one.

I believe that a mobile application is necessary for students, especially these days that everyone is using their smartphones wherever they go. It would be a great addition and a perk for ExamPAL to have something that students can use whenever they want.  

The verdict

Do ExamPAL’s contents and features worth its price? My answer is yes.

Would I recommend it? Definitely.

However, do take note that it is only worth the purchase if you meet the criteria of why it was created in the first place. In other words, you must be comfortable studying independently and less to zero guidance.

It is an excellent choice for professional folks as well who need a flexible study schedule. When it comes to its price, it is cheaper compared to its competitors like Veritas Prep and Kaplan. Hence, I find it cost-effective.

Overall, ExamPAL’s GMAT is a great prep course.