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Achievable GRE Review (2025) An Unbiased Report

William Cohen
Published by William Cohen
Last Updated On: January 6, 2023

Compared to some other Graduate Record Examination (GRE) prep courses out there, Achievable is relatively unknown to a large number of students.

But, they’ve been quickly building a name for themselves.

Achievable brings a lot of new features to the GRE prep space, including but not limited to their adaptive tech.

I’ve been trying out their GRE test prep courses for several months and had other students take the course as well. I also did a couple of surveys with students going through this course.

Today, I’ll talk about all Achievable GRE prep features you should know about, so you can make an informed decision if this is the GRE test prep course for you.

Here’s my Achievable GRE review.

What is the Achievable GRE Prep Course?

logo of achievable

Achievable was founded in 2016 in San Francisco by Tyler York and Justin Pincar.

The founders believed they needed a more straightforward GRE prep course and wanted to include technology as much as possible to support students' study habits and aid memory retention.

As a result, they created the Achievable GRE prep course.

Moreover, they wanted to make the test prep industry more accessible, which is why one of their goals is to offer affordable test prep courses.

Since then, Achievable has helped thousands of students get ready for the GRE, SIE, FINRA Series 7, and USMLE exams.

Achievable GRE Prep Course Highlights

The Achievable course has several highlights, including the following:

1. Achievable Adaptive Technology

group of friend having fun using a computer

The company claims they have the only GRE prep course that employs science technology to help students reach their goals. They achieve this through a personalization algorithm.

Many online GRE prep courses have an algorithm that suggests which concepts students should study next.

Achievable takes this a step further — they have an algorithm that maps out the timing of each student’s GRE prep to optimize their memorization.

The algorithm is based on memory loss research — when and how you first learn something determines the time when you’ll start to forget it.

While this sounds great, I admit I had my doubts if it actually works and how much it helps when getting ready for the GRE.

I was pleasantly surprised to find it’s real, and most importantly, it works.

The algorithm tracked my progress as I went through quiz questions, practice tests, and reviews, and it relocated the lessons in my queue and assigned different reviews based on my performance.

I found this to be immensely useful in helping me recognize my weaknesses and identifying the material I should review.

Apart from the personalized algorithm, they also use machine learning and AI to grade the practice essays.

The AI grades essays as soon as they are done and does a good job of identifying bad sections and missed issues.

All of this contributes to creating a very efficient GRE prep course.

2. Digital Textbook

hand view of a person on his ipad

This GRE prep course is structured around a digital textbook. The textbook contains 89 chapters, which present learning modules.

Achievable says this is how it works: 

  • Read a chapter in the digital textbook
  • Do the practice questions
  • The algorithm assigns you a GRE review session based on your performance.

I found all this to be true, and it works well. I liked that the book was written in a simple conversational style. Even complex and technical concepts are easy to understand.

This helps students remember the material for longer.

Also, the chapters are short. You won’t need more than 20 minutes to read the longest chapter.

Another pro is how the chapters are structured. It’s not just a block of text.

Instead, the text at the beginning explains a certain concept, followed by sample problems that aid in understanding the idea discussed. The sample problem is explained in detail.

The digital textbook is on par, if not better than what other top GRE prep courses offer.

3. Practice Questions

book being read by students

Achievable claims they have an unlimited number of quant practice questions. In terms of questions, this may be one of the best GRE prep courses.

Once again, I was skeptical. How is this possible? But, it’s true. They achieved an unlimited number of quant problems by creating about 100 templates based on the quant questions that most commonly appear on the GRE.

They created a database of concepts and figures, and once again, used their smart technology to swap the variables when each problem is generated.

Apart from the unlimited quant questions, they also offer about 200 verbal problems.

For students who are struggling with math, Achievable guarantees they’ll have more than enough new questions.

This helps students understand the concepts instead of memorizing the answers.

Also, I was happy with the answers and explanations. They were detailed enough without going too much into depth.

As for the verbal questions, 200 is a decent number, but I think it would be better if they added at least 100 more.

However, even though the number of verbal questions isn’t the highest, their approach to learning vocab makes them very effective.

Achievable GRE prep course organizes vocabulary building and review by presenting words in clusters.

I found this to be highly effective for learning the differences between words, especially words that are similar.

4. Modern Platform

man reading books and working

Another area where Achievable excels is its digital platform. By this point, it’s safe to say, if it’s anything related to technology, Achievable takes the prize.

When you log in to some test prep websites, the first thing you’ll see are video lessons or questions created years ago.

Many GRE test preparation courses don’t have updated question strategies, and the students won't be getting the most out of the program.

It is one area where it’s good that Achievable is a new test prep company.

They have a new platform designed by Silicon Valley guys, and it shows. The platform is equipped with up-to-date GRE info and digital trends.

I liked that it works equally well on computer and mobile devices, so test-takers can study on the go.

I didn’t experience any glitches or lagging loading pages.

Pros:

  • Endless quant questions
  • Adaptive learning techniques
  • Vocab building by grouping words in clusters
  • Score improvement guarantee

Shortfalls

I’ve sung Achievable GRE prep course praises, now let’s take a look at some shortfalls.

1. Practice Tests

student taking an exam paper

The official website says there are 10 practice tests available under exam-like conditions. Technically, there are 10 practice exams, but there’s a catch.

Practice tests use the same questions as the verbal questions practice bank.

So, you’ll get 10 practice exams with completely new questions, as long as you don’t do any of the verbal questions.

For example, if you do half of the verbal questions before taking a practice test, you’ll have five practice exams with completely new content.

While I wasn’t thrilled with this, I didn’t find it too big of an issue.

The limitation is only for the verbal practice questions. Besides, 10 practice tests is a lot.

There’s a good chance you won’t go through all of them. I didn’t.

2. No Video or Live Online Classes

male student holding his temples stressed

The Achievable GRE course only comes in one format, i.e., the digital textbook, and it doesn’t offer any video or audio materials.

It means students will have to do a lot of reading. This may not be the best option for students who are visual learners and like graphics and animations.

It’s also not an ideal solution for those who like to have instructors assigning and supervising their work.

Achievable GRE prep is mostly about self-driven studying that’s completely self-paced and flexible.

However, the digital textbook does include some of the graphics, so it’s an alright substitution for videos.

Not to mention, reading is one of the most effective ways of retaining information.

Cons:

  • No video lessons
  • No GRE tutor

Real Student Results from Taking This Prep Course

I wanted to check if students who took the Achievable GRE course had a real improvement in their test scores, so I did a survey.

I talked with five students and asked them to take a GRE prep test before and after taking the Achievable GRE course.

I checked their quant and verbal reasoning results and turned the improvement into percentages.

I found the students showed a noticeable improvement in their results after taking the Achievable GRE.

achievable

TEST SCORE PREDICTOR (QUANTITATIVE + REASONING)
Baseline (Before taking the course)
After taking the course
Improvement
 
Student 1
305
335
9.8%
Student 2
296
324
9.5%
Student 3
269
311
15.8%
 
Student 4
323
339
4.9%
Student 5
282
326
15.6%
 

GRE Logo

The Achievable GRE Prep Estimates VS. Real Test Scores

When getting ready for the GRE, practice tests are invaluable.

The best practice tests will help you identify your weaknesses, build your test-taking skills, and give you an idea of what score you can expect on the actual exam.

I also wanted to check if the Achievable GRE practice tests have a similar score as the real GRE, so I did another survey.

I asked five students to study for the GRE using only Achievable prep and note down their results on the practice and the real test.

Here are the results for the quant section: 

achievable

QUANTITATIVE REASONING
Before (Test score predictor)
Real GRE Test Score
%Accuracy 
 
Student 1
168
170
99%
Student 2
161
166
97%
Student 3
154
153
99%
 
Student 4
170
165
97%
Student 5
163
157
96%
 

GRE Logo

Here’s what I found for verbal reasoning:

achievable

VERBAL REASONING
Before (Test score predictor)
Real GRE Test Score
%Accuracy 
 
Student 1
167
167
100%
Student 2
163
162
99%
Student 3
157
163
96%
 
Student 4
169
168
99%
Student 5
163
161
98%
 

GRE Logo

The questions on the Achievable practice test were worded and weighted similarly to the real GRE exam.

Because they were similar in difficulty to those on the official exam, you can expect your Achievable practice test to accurately reflect what you’ll get on the actual GRE.

Comparison to Other GRE Prep Courses

laptop being used and a piggy bank with cash and coins

I’ve talked about the pros and cons of Achievable’s GRE prep course.

Here’s how it compares to other best GRE prep courses:

  • The price —  Achievable is the second most affordable GRE prep course. Magoosh GRE starts at $149, and Kaplan GRE's most affordable course is $449.
  • Video lessons — While Achievable has a great online textbook, they don’t offer any video lessons. Even Magoosh, closest to them in price, has decent quality video content.
  • Practice tests — Another important feature is the practice tests. Achievable has 10 tests, while PrepScholar prep course has only 2. Even if you consider that Achievable uses questions from the practice bank to make the test, they’ll have more tests available compared to PrepScholar.
  • Practice explanations — While Achievable has decent-quality explanations, Magoosh takes the cake here. Magoosh offers explanations in both test and video format for any learning style, and they are available after every question.
  • Prep books — Achievable offers only one digital textbook, but it’s the winner here. It’s very well written, and the conversational style makes it easy to understand.

Check out our other GRE reviews:

Where to Buy Achievable Prep Course?

man on his laptop and credit card

You can buy the Achievable prep course on their official website.

Achievable offers only one GRE prep course priced at $199, and it is one of the most affordable options for a GRE course. Many other courses go up to $1,000 and more.

Students get 12 months of access, which is more than enough to get ready for the actual test and reach the GRE learning objective.

Moreover, if you get a GRE score you aren’t happy with, you’ll have enough time to do more GRE practice questions and practice problems and take the exam again.

Another thing you get when buying Achievable’s GRE prep course is the score improvement guarantee. If a student doesn’t achieve a higher score than on a previous GRE exam, they will get their money back.

I’ve seen various money-back guarantees, and Achievable offers one of the best — if your score isn’t higher by at least 7 points, you’ll get a refund.

Other Users’ Experience

Jack from Texas

In his GRE review, Jack said he loved the website design. He claims that reviewing the material after the initial read-through is easy because each section has an outline and key points.

He also found full-length practice exams helpful in his GRE prep experience.

Katie from Nebraska

Katie used Achievable to get a good GRE score for enrolling in graduate school. She stated that the material was presented in a logical and easy-to-follow manner.

Her favorite part was using the suggested study method highlighted in the intro.

FAQs

Will Achievable Help Me Raise My GRE Scores?

Yes, Achievable will help you raise your score if you study enough.

It offers enough practice material and practice problems and can help you get a high GRE test score.

Does Achievable Have a Free Trial?

Yes, Achievable has a free trial. You can check out several chapters for free.

Does Achievable Have an App?

No, Achievable doesn’t have an app. However, their online course can be viewed on mobile devices.

Is Achievable the Right GRE Prep Course for You?

The Achievable GRE prep course will certainly help get you ready for test day.

While it doesn’t offer private tutoring, it more than makes up for this with a good quality digital textbook.

It covers GRE concepts and has some of the best course materials I’ve seen in GRE online courses.

Best of all, it has unlimited quant sample questions, year-long access, and a score increase guarantee.

You can buy Achievable prep knowing you’ll get your money back if your score doesn’t improve.

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We Recommend

Achievable GRE

  • Endless quant questions
  • Adaptive learning techniques
  • Vocab building by grouping words in clusters
  • Score improvement guarantee
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