Outliers 34+ vs. Princeton Review 34+
Both programs promise elite ACT results and can provide resources for up to a year. The differences are in the price, amount of live instruction, practice opportunities, everyday access to help, parent visibility, and what families must do to qualify for the guarantee.
The Short Answer
Two 34+ programs. Two very different models.
Princeton Review offers 18 hours of personalized private tutoring with an experienced instructor. Outliers combines up to 96 hours of live group classes with a year-long coaching system, near-daily access to coaches, more than 22 complete practice tests, recurring proctored Mock ACTs, interactive learning tools, and a dashboard through which parents can monitor their student’s progress.
The comparison is not perfectly one-to-one: Princeton Review concentrates its live support into private appointments, while Outliers surrounds students with instruction, coaching, technology, accountability, and testing opportunities throughout the program.
At-a-Glance Comparison
What does each program include?
The table separates scheduled instruction from the broader support system available throughout preparation.
| Feature | Outliers ACT Prep 34+ | Princeton Review ACT 34+ |
|---|---|---|
| Current price | $2,110 | $7,560 at $420 per hour |
| Maximum duration | Up to one year | Up to one year of resource access |
| Primary live instruction | Up to 96 hours of live group classes | 18 hours of private tutoring |
| Complete practice tests | More than 22 | 5 |
| Proctored Mock ACTs | Opportunity almost every month | Primarily self-administered practice tests |
| Coaching model | Dedicated team of coaches | One primary private tutor |
| Student environment | Top students prepare together, compete on effort, and learn from peer outcomes | Primarily individualized preparation with one tutor |
| Daily study plan | Adaptive app tells students exactly what to do and continually diagnoses gaps | Homework and resources assigned according to the tutor’s schedule |
| Coach qualifications | Every coach earned a 34+ ACT superscore | Experienced, extensively trained ACT tutors |
| Access to help | Students can interact with coaches most days | Primarily during scheduled tutoring sessions |
| Office hours | Weekly | Not listed as a standard weekly feature |
| Individual meetings | Weekly opportunity for a 15-minute Zoom with a coach | Included within the 18 purchased tutoring hours |
| Question explanations | Video explanations for almost every ACT test question | Written explanations and instructional resources |
| Interactive AI Math help | Available for almost every ACT Math question | Not listed as a program feature |
| Parent dashboard | Parents can watch progress throughout the program | Not listed as a comparable program feature |
| Guarantee | Six-point increase up to a 34, plus a satisfaction promise | Six-point increase or a 34, subject to detailed conditions |
The Price Difference
$5,450 separates the two programs.
Princeton Review currently lists its ACT 34+ program at $420 per hour. At 18 hours, the total is approximately $7,560. The Outliers 34+ Guaranteed Program costs $2,110.
Outliers costs approximately 72% less while including much more scheduled live instructional time, more complete practice tests, recurring Mock ACTs, interactive AI assistance, a parent dashboard, and an entire coaching team.
A Year of Support
More than a collection of tutoring appointments.
Princeton Review’s strength is personalized private tutoring. Outliers uses a different approach: students receive group instruction, but the support surrounding that instruction continues throughout the week.
Up to 96 hours of live classes
More than 22 complete ACT practice tests
A proctored Mock ACT almost every month
Video explanations for almost every ACT test question
Interactive AI explanations for almost every ACT Math question
Weekly office hours with the coaching team
A weekly opportunity for an individual 15-minute Zoom
Personalized assignments based on each student’s results
The ability to ask coaches questions throughout most of the week
A parent dashboard for monitoring progress
Group Classes, Individual Support
Students do not have to wait until the next class to get help.
Outliers’ live classes are taught in a group setting. However, students can interact with their coaches on most days of the program, ask questions throughout the week, attend weekly office hours, and schedule a weekly 15-minute Zoom meeting with a coach.
The coaching team monitors completed work, reviews performance data, helps students decide what to study next, and intervenes when a student begins falling behind.
Princeton Review provides private tutoring, but access to the primary tutor is generally concentrated within the 18 purchased tutoring hours. Ongoing access to a coach on most days of the week is not listed as a standard feature of its 34+ program.
With Outliers, the classes may be group-based, but the support surrounding those classes is individualized and available throughout the week.
A Team of 34+ Coaches
Instruction, accountability, and immediate help.
Every coach has done it
Every coach working with Outliers 34+ students has personally earned at least a 34 ACT superscore. They understand the content knowledge, pacing, accuracy, and discipline required to reach that level.
Progress is monitored
Coaches review completed work and performance data, help determine what students should study next, and provide encouragement and accountability throughout the program.
Video help on almost every question
When students miss an ACT question, they can usually watch a video explanation immediately instead of waiting for the next scheduled meeting.
Interactive Math explanations
For almost every ACT Math question, students can ask follow-up questions and work through the problem with interactive AI support—similar to having access to a tutor 24 hours a day.
Team-Based by Design
Top students become stronger when they are surrounded by other top students.
The Outliers 34+ Program is not simply a collection of lessons assigned to individual students. It is a team-based program in which motivated, high-scoring students prepare alongside peers pursuing similarly ambitious goals.
Students compete in a healthy way on effort—not just natural ability. They can see what disciplined preparation looks like, be inspired by the breakthroughs and scores of their peers, and recognize that difficult goals become achievable when other students around them are doing the work.
At the same time, every student’s actual preparation remains individualized through the Outliers app and coaching team.
Exactly what to do each day
Almost all student work is completed through the Outliers app. Students do not have to design their own study plan or guess what to practice next. The app tells them what needs to be done; their responsibility is to do it.
The plan changes with the student
The app continually modifies the student’s assignments based on results, progress, upcoming test dates, and individual needs. Two students in the same program may receive very different daily work.
Diagnosis from foundations to 36-level skills
The system continually looks for gaps—from middle-school foundations that may have been missed years ago to the advanced content, precision, and timing required to earn 35s and 36s.
Technology plus human coaching
The app identifies and assigns the work while coaches monitor progress, answer questions, provide accountability, and help students respond when the data reveals a new obstacle.
Visibility for Parents
Parents can watch the progress—not wonder about it.
Outliers parents receive access to a parent dashboard where they can follow their student’s progress throughout the program. Families can see whether the work is being completed and how the student is developing instead of waiting until the next official ACT score arrives.
This visibility makes it easier for parents, students, and coaches to work as a team. It also helps identify consistency problems early, while there is still time to correct them.
Practice Under Real Conditions
Five practice tests vs. more than 22.
Princeton Review includes five full-length practice tests, four of which must be completed under specific conditions to remain eligible for its guarantee. Outliers students have access to more than 22 complete tests and an opportunity to participate in a professionally proctored Mock ACT almost every month.
Princeton Review
Five full-length practice tests, with four required for guarantee eligibility. Practice tests are primarily completed independently according to the required schedule.
Outliers ACT Prep
More than 22 complete practice tests plus recurring proctored Mock ACTs that recreate pacing, pressure, distractions, and the mental demands of an official administration.
The purpose is not simply to complete more questions. Each result helps identify patterns, target weaknesses, retest skills, and prepare students to reproduce their best performance on an official test day.
Read the Fine Print
Princeton Review’s guarantee requires several specific steps.
According to Princeton Review’s current program page and official guarantee terms, students must satisfy the following requirements to remain eligible.
Attend every scheduled tutoring session.
Begin tutoring at least 30 days before the first official ACT.
Complete at least 18 tutoring hours before that ACT.
Complete all four required practice tests before the first official ACT.
Take each practice test in one sitting while observing official time limits and breaks.
Ensure every qualifying test produces a score report in Princeton Review’s online dashboard.
Complete and enter all assigned homework according to the tutor’s schedule.
Take the first official ACT within 30 days after the final tutoring session.
If the guarantee is not reached, submit a guarantee request within 30 days of that first official ACT.
Take a second official ACT within 60 days of the first.
Submit the official score report and another guarantee request within 30 days of the second official test.
The guarantee can ordinarily be used only for the first Princeton Review program the student purchases for the ACT. Students beginning with a 34 or higher are not eligible.
Princeton Review Refund Levels
Finishing below a 34 does not always mean a full refund.
After all eligibility requirements are satisfied, the refund depends on the student’s final superscore. Students who improve by six or more points receive no refund, regardless of the final score.
These conditions do not make Princeton Review’s guarantee illegitimate. They do make it important for families to understand that “34+ guaranteed” does not necessarily mean a full refund whenever a student finishes below a 34.
The Outliers Guarantee
A score guarantee—and a broader satisfaction promise.
Outliers guarantees a six-point increase, up to a 34 superscore, for students who put in the recommended work. If a student puts in that work but does not earn the guaranteed improvement, the family may request part or all of its tuition back—whatever the family believes is fair.
Our goal is to provide a program families genuinely believe was worth the investment and to treat them fairly when they do not.
How the Outliers 34+ Program Works
An intensive foundation followed by flexible, targeted preparation.
The program can last up to one year, but it is not designed to keep students working at maximum intensity for 12 uninterrupted months. The structure changes after the initial 13 weeks so students can prepare around school, activities, and the ACT dates that matter most.
Build the foundation intensely.
The first 13 weeks establish the knowledge, habits, data, and testing strategies students will use throughout the remainder of the program.
Prepare strategically and flexibly.
After the intensive opening phase, students shift into targeted work based on their remaining gaps and upcoming official test dates.
Which Program Is the Better Fit?
The right choice depends on the kind of support your student needs.
Princeton Review may appeal to families who prefer a nationally recognized company and want 18 hours of concentrated private tutoring with one experienced instructor.
Princeton Review may fit students who want:
A limited number of intensive one-on-one appointments with one primary tutor and a nationally established test-preparation provider.
Outliers may fit students who want:
A substantially lower price, far more live instruction, near-daily access to coaches, parent visibility, AI and video help, more testing opportunities, and a year-long accountability system.
A 34 superscore usually requires more than a few strategies or tutoring appointments. It requires expert instruction, targeted repetition, accurate performance data, accountability, immediate access to help, and enough time to turn weaknesses into strengths. That is what the Outliers 34+ Guaranteed Program is built to provide.
Explore the 34+ Program
Build a plan for an elite ACT score.
Review Outliers’ program options or schedule a consultation to determine whether the year-long 34+ Guaranteed Program fits your student’s goals.
Real Student Results
See what Outliers students have achieved.
These are real examples of students who committed to the process and produced extraordinary ACT score increases. Individual results vary, but these students show what focused preparation, strong coaching, and sustained effort can make possible.
Davis Garrett
Lansing Christian 
Samford
Score increase:
26 36 10 pts
Percentile increase:
84 th 99th
Total scholarships:
$68,000 /4yrs
Bobby Nicholson
Farragut Maryville College
Score increase:
26 36 10 pts
Percentile increase:
84 th 99th
Riya Patel
Maryville Vanderbilt
Score increase:
32 36 4 pts
Percentile increase:
99 th 99th
Total scholarships:
$80,000 /4yrs
Crawford Hovis
Webb Dartmouth
Score increase:
33 36 3 pts
Percentile increase:
99 th 99th
Amelia Wedemeyer
CAK Lee University
Score increase:
33 36SS 3 pts
Percentile increase:
99 th 99th
Macy Hudson
L&N UTK
Score increase:
34 36 2 pts
Percentile increase:
99 th 99th
Total scholarships:
$52,000 /4yrs
Emily Seibel
Karns
Score increase:
34 36 2 pts
Percentile increase:
99 th 99th
Talan Mullins
LCHS
Score increase:
34 36 2 pts
Percentile increase:
99 th 99th
Primary sources and further reading
The Princeton Review: ACT 34+ Tutoring The Princeton Review: Better Scores Money-Back Guarantee Terms Outliers ACT Prep Programs Outliers Proctored Mock ACTsProgram features and prices were reviewed on August 23, 2026 and may change. Confirm current terms with each provider before enrolling.
