average user rating
3.67 stars3.67 stars3.67 stars3.67 stars3.67 stars
67% 2 votes 33% 1 vote

Does Verbal Advantage Really Work?

English is widely considered to be among the most important languages of the world, and with Verbal Advantage, dramatic changes are promised in one’s life, they claim.  According to them, with just 15 minutes a day, Verbal Advantage states that a user can get the equivalent of a Harvard graduate’s vocabulary.  Verbal Advantage also professes to make it more fun and enjoyable to learn English whether for business, personal, or professional purposes.  Also, it is useful whether one is preparing for the SAT tests, or simply wants to be a more effective or more charming communicator.  The Verbal Advantage resources include a range of materials for Speaking Skills, Communication Skills, a Vocabulary CD, Vocabulary Program, Grammar, Business Vocabulary, English Vocabulary, Vocabulary Builder, and Improve Vocabulary, among others.

Verbal Advantage Reviews

Yes - Verbal Advantage works!
5 stars5 stars5 stars5 stars5 stars

I’ve listened to the Verbal Advantage Success edition and it worked for me. I did not find it too difficult at all. Consistency is the key. Make sure to get in those 15 minutes a day. I listen while I’m on my morning walks and I have been amazed at the results. I think that the program works if you are serious about wanting to make the change.

Erica Harris
October 23rd, 2012
Temecula, CA.
7 of 8 people found this review helpful.
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No - Decent vocabulary program
2 stars2 stars2 stars2 stars2 stars

I used Verbal Advantage and found it to be a decent vocabulary program, but it is EXTREMELY tedious. It takes a very long time to get through and has a lot of words that are much too advanced to actually use, even in a professional setting. For example, denouement, recrudescence, cynosure, and rodomontade. Several of these words are so rare they don’t even show up in Microsoft Word spellcheck – what’s the point in learning them?

I have since purchased Overnight Vocabulary at the recommendation of another reviewer, which I found to be more to my liking than Verbal Advantage. The two programs actually have a lot of similarities, but to me Overnight Vocabulary is geared more toward professionals who want to learn advanced words that they can use at work or in everyday conversations to sound intelligent. Additionally, I was able to more easily learn and apply the new words with Overnight Vocabulary. Because Verbal advantage is so academic, I found it hard to actually apply the words I learned in real life. I would highly recommend Overnight Vocabulary instead. I’ve gotten compliments on my vocabulary and I attribute them to that program.

Jordan Gardner
January 23rd, 2012
St. George, Utah
11 of 11 people found this review helpful.
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Yes - Excellent Vocabulary Builder With a Few Caveats
4 stars4 stars4 stars4 stars4 stars

I purchased the Verbal Advantage Success Edition when I was in college. This program helped me gain a much better vocabulary and definitely works. The program comes on 24 CDs and is replete (guess where I learned that one?) with sophisticated vocabulary words. The program is entertaining and easy to listen to. I regularly get compliments on my vocabulary and genuinely feel that my improved vocabulary has helped me advance in my career.

While Verbal Advantage is an amazing program, there are some cons. 1) It is quite expensive (I paid $199 for it. 2) It is extremely long – over 23 hours! 3) About 35% of the words are way too advanced to use under any circumstance (crepitate, sciolist, plexiform). There is simply too much emphasis put on obscure literary words. 4) It does not come in MP3 format so it takes a lifetime to upload all those CDs to your iTunes/iPod.

To really understand how good a product is, it is best to understand how it stands up against similar/competing products. There are a few other audio vocabulary builders out there and I have purchased several of them. Verbal Advantage is hands down the most comprehensive and challenging of them all. This is a good thing but it is also a two edged sword, as alluded to above. It took me over 8 months to get through the whole program! If you don’t want to shell out $200 and you want quicker results, your best bet is to look into an audio program called Overnight Vocabulary, which is an instant MP3 download. Overnight Vocabulary is a great affordable alternative that is extremely effective. Princeton Review’s Word Smart audio CDs are perhaps the next best choice. Executive Vocabulary is another audio program that is quite expensive and not as effective any of the other programs mentioned.

In conclusion, Verbal Advantage is an excellent program that I have not regretted purchasing. That being said, for many people it is too comprehensive, challenging and impractical. Try Overnight Vocabulary or Word Smart for a more affordable and practical alternative if you aren’t ready for a major time and money commitment.

Happy Vocabulary Building!

Jamie Huish
April 29th, 2011
Los Angeles, CA
27 of 27 people found this review helpful.
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