EMPOWER GMAT Review

Introduction

If you are preparing for the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) and are looking for some extra support to boost your score, you may have come across the EMPOWERgmat prep course. 

This affordable course promises an efficient teaching method focused on tactics and test-taking strategies to maximize your chances of succeeding on test day.

But does it actually deliver?

In this Empower GMAT review, we will dive deep into the nitty-gritty of the course, taking a closer look at all its features while analyzing its strengths and weaknesses.

Hopefully, you will end up with a stronger picture of what this course is all about and if it’s worth your time and money. Let’s dive right in.      

Summary Table

Empower GMAT Overview

EMPOWERgmat, a Silicon Valley startup, is a test prep company founded by Rich Cohen and Max Peterson with the goal of helping students conquer the GMAT using strategic approaches and effective study methods.

This company knows that the GMAT is essentially a mental exam, or as some students have put it, a critical reasoning test. EMPOWERgmat uses verbal and quant tactics to help you beat the GMAT.  

Although it’s not as comprehensive as other GMAT prep courses out there, it still offers a very solid amount of content and material. Here’s an overview of what you can expect from the Empower GMAT course:

• 1000s of expert-led video lessons and practice questions
• 1000s of practice questions
• 100+ modules that break down all content and tactics required to crush the GMAT
• All 6 Official GMAT Practice Tests (included in 3 Month Plan, and 22% off for other plans)
• Adaptive and personalized Study Calendar
•  Detailed analytics engine with detailed improvement advice
• Master GMAT content PDF
• Podcasts
• Email support from your EMPOWERgmat Advisor
• 1, 2, or 3 Month Study Plans
• 1 Day Full Trial for $1
• Up to 120 score improvement guarantee

Empower GMAT Review for 2025

The GMAT exam, administered by the Graduate Management Admission Council, is an important test for those who aspire to get into business school, particularly for those eyeing admission to MBA (Master of Business Administration) programs. 

The Empower prep course is a comprehensive, on-demand, strategy-focused GMAT prep course designed to help you master the GMAT exam.

Compared to other test prep companies, this is also the only course in the market that is completely engineered around real GMAT Official materials, which is something we like.

Let’s review what it has to offer.

Course Structure and Curriculum

EmpowerGMAT offers a pretty straightforward course structure where materials are structured progressively, broken down into modules based on the subject areas and question types that appear in the GMAT. 

It outlines what to study each day and keeps you on track.

The course covers:

• Quantitative Reasoning: This module is split into sections such as Arithmetic, Algebra, Geometry, and Word Problems. Each section covers the necessary concepts and strategies and includes practice questions tailored to those specific areas.
• Verbal Reasoning: You’ll see sections such as Sentence Correction modules, Reading Comprehension, and Critical Reasoning. Again, each section teaches you the necessary strategies and then provides you with practice questions to solidify your understanding and speed.
• Analytical Writing Assessment and Integrated Reasoning: These modules cover the necessary approaches and provide practice questions to prepare you for these sections of the GMAT.

“Tactics and Practice Tests” isn’t just about taking practice tests.

It guides you through strategic insights like “how to correctly guess,” “how to manage stress,” and “how to debrief after practice tests.”

It’s about developing a keen understanding of the test’s nuances to help tackle the exam and better handle test day anxiety. 

“Test It and Triage” is a unique approach developed by EMPOWERgmat.

Here, you’ll learn the ‘Test It’ tactic to quickly eliminate wrong answer choices or verify the correct one.

The Triage technique is all about time management – helping you decide which questions to solve, guess, or skip to maximize your score and finish in time.

Each module in the course is dynamic, allowing you to revisit modules as needed or skip those you’re already comfortable with. This ensures an efficient and personalized study experience.

With the introduction of the GMAT Focus Edition, the course has been updated to accommodate the new emphasis on Data Insights, combining principles from Integrated Reasoning and Data Sufficiency.

This ensures you remain ahead of the curve in your exam preparation.

Practice Questions & Practice Tests

The course has incorporated a substantial number of practice questions across all modules, providing students with ample opportunities to apply and reinforce the concepts and strategies they’ve learned.

They range from basic to advanced levels, allowing students to build their skills and confidence gradually. 

In addition, detailed explanations accompany each question.

We liked that the explanations were quite clear and easy to follow. 

We also enjoyed the fact that the questions were designed to reflect the real GMAT in terms of both content and difficulty level.

When it comes to full-length practice tests, the Expowergmat prep course uses real past GMAT exams, which are the most accurate representation of the actual test day experience.

They include questions across the Quantitative, Verbal, Integrated Reasoning, and Analytical Writing sections, just like what you’ll encounter on test day.

Plus, this practice test is computer-adaptive, just like the real GMAT.

This means the difficulty level adjusts based on your performance, which provides a realistic indication of your readiness and areas that need improvement.

Unfortunately, the 6 full-length practice tests are only free on the 3-month plan.

For the other plans, namely the Self-Study and Full Training plans, access to the 6 GMAT Practice Tests isn’t included as part of the monthly subscription.

Instead, once you purchase the “3 Months & Tests” plan, EMPOWERgmat provides you with access codes that you can use on the official GMAC website to unlock these practice tests. 

Video & Text-based Lessons

The EMPOWERgmat program offers a comprehensive and flexible learning experience through two primary types of lessons: Video Lessons and Text-Based Lessons.

These are fully on-demand, with no live class option. 

The lessons are organized in a systematic, step-by-step manner that aims to build your skills progressively.

They are split into the key areas of the GMAT: Quant, Verbal, Integrated Reasoning, and Analytical Writing Assessment. 

Within each of these sections, the course breaks down the lessons further into specific topics.

For example, in the Quant section, you’ll find lessons on topics like “Number Properties”, “Algebra”, “Geometry”, and more. Each topic has several lessons – both text and video – covering various subtopics and tactics. 

The video lessons are led by Rich and Max, the founders of the course and GMAT experts. 

Most lessons range from 5 to 20 minutes, which allows you to dig deep into specific GMAT topics without feeling overwhelmed. 

The production value of these videos is a bit lacking, we have to say, but it still does the job.

The videos often include on-screen annotations, diagrams, and step-by-step explanations, while we hear the instructors off-screen explaining the concepts and problems. 

The video lessons often pause at key moments to allow you to solve problems on your own before revealing and explaining the solution. 

The text-based lessons complement the videos and are designed for those who prefer a more traditional, reading-based approach to learning.

These lessons provide thorough explanations of GMAT concepts and strategies.

They’re designed to be interactive and to reinforce the material you’re studying effectively.

Other Prep Materials & Tools

In addition to what we described before, Empowergmat also offers a few extra resources that can help you on your GMAT journey and boost your final score. 

• Downloadable study plans (1, 2, or 3 months)
• EMPOWERgmat Score Booster (Total, Quant, and Verbal) – a master plan designed specifically to help you boost your GMAT score significantly in a short time period.
• Content and tactical summaries that summarize the key concepts and principles you’ve learned in the EMPOWERgmat lessons – whether it’s Quant, Verbal, or Integrated Reasoning.
• Podcasts that cover a variety of GMAT-related topics, physical and psychological tactics, and strategy discussions.
• Detailed Analytics Engine –  a powerful tool that helps you track your performance throughout your GMAT prep, providing detailed analysis of your strengths and weaknesses, your timing, accuracy, and more.
• Mistake tracker – a spreadsheet where you log the questions you answered incorrectly during your CATs, quizzes, and other practice questions.

These resources are very useful as they help you understand how to effectively tackle the test, learn from your mistakes, and constantly improve.

User Interface & UX

The EMPOWERgmat interface is clean and straightforward, which is something we really like.

You can easily navigate through the platform, with all the key resources just a click away. It’s just very simple and user-friendly. 

This makes it easy for you to track your improvement and focus on areas that need attention.

We also really like the detailed analytics engine. It provides an in-depth analysis of your performance, showing your strengths, weaknesses, and timing.

Customer Support

EMPOWERgmat offers student support by email or live chat.

In general, students seem to be quite happy about the support given by the Empowergmat team.

The team typically responds within 2 hours.  

If you have a complex question that may require a more detailed explanation, you should reach the team by email.

If it’s a quicker query, the live chat is a good option. The team is known to provide in-depth explanations.

Pricing & Score Boost Guarantee

EMPOWERgmat is a fairly priced test prep for all that it offers.

It’s definitely not an extremely expensive GMAT prep compared to other test prep services. 

The pricing is quite straightforward, with 3 different plans.

At the moment of writing this article, the plans were at a discounted price. The regular prices are the following:

• Self-study plan – $99/month (currently with a $10/month discount) 
• Full Training plan – $149/month (currently with a $50/month discount) 
• 3 Months & Tests plan – $600  (currently with a $271 discount)

The guarantee coverage varies based on your starting score:

• Scores 200-580: If your starting score falls in this range, Empowergmat guarantees an increase of 120 points.
• Scores 590-640: For starting scores in this range, they guarantee an increase of 70 points.
• Scores 650-790: If you’re starting in this range, there’s a 10-point guarantee. 

If you don’t increase your score, you’ll get a full refund of your month’s tuition. Make sure you follow the necessary steps to get the refund. 

If, for any reason, you choose to cancel your score, you’ll get a free month of EMPOWERgmat prep. Proof of cancellation has to be submitted within the first month after course deactivation. 

Empower GMAT Pros & Cons

Verdict 

The EmpowerGMAT prep program is a cost-effective solution for those gearing up for the GMAT, especially if you are looking for effective strategies to maximize your probability of success. 

The absence of practice tests and live lessons can be a bit of a bummer, but if you can overlook those, this online GMAT course has some solid perks.

We love the stellar verbal tactics and math hacks that can really help you boost your verbal and quant score. 

The quality of the lessons is very good, and the language is clear and engaging. The tutors are great at simplifying complex grammar rules and difficult algebraic problems.

It also offers a few great resources like podcasts and content summaries that really elevate the learning experience.

While this may not be the ideal course for someone who really needs to practice their math and verbal foundations, if you are looking to fine-tune your skills and nail those tricky GMAT questions, this may be just what you need. 

All in all, this is a very solid course that packs a punch in strategic GMAT preparation.

If you’re on the lookout for a cost-effective solution with a focus on strategy and skill enhancement, EmpowerGMAT deserves serious consideration.

Empower GMAT FAQs

How good is the Empower GMAT course?

The Empower GMAT course is a solid choice for cost-effective GMAT preparation, offering effective strategies and high-quality content.

It’s an ideal choice for those who already have a good grasp of math and verbal foundations and want to fine-tune their skills and employ strategic approaches.

What is the Empower GMAT guarantee?

Depending on your initial score, you can have a score guarantee of up to 120 points.

If you don’t see that increase, you get a full refund on your first month’s tuition. 

How good are Empower GMAT’s QR explanations?

Quantitative Reasoning (QR) explanations are known for being clear, concise, and highly effective.

They focus on practical, straightforward approaches to solving problems, and you’ll learn a few math tactics and hacks that simplify complex quant problems.