Which MCAT Prep Company is the best?
MCAT Preparation Method Ratings and Opinions (Get other students' perspectives on commercial MCAT prep courses and self-study materials.)
Well everyone has their own style of studying. I can't answer which is better for you, but I will tell you what is out there and what you should expect from it. Other books as well as these can be found on the
SDN Bookstore. An SDN user attempted to answer this question before with his own opinion
here but keep in mind this is all subjective. Also check out this link to see how others have rated each company:
MCAT Preparation Method Ratings and Opinions
Kaplan
Kaplan adapted pretty well for the new MCAT CBT (computer-based test) and has made virtual everything online. The syllabus contains 25 Quizzes, 20 Subject Tests, 41 Topical Tests, 27 Section Tests, 11 Kaplan FLT (Full-length Tests) and access to the 8 AAMC tests. This is all online and also includes a Kaplan Q-bank that allows you to create a quiz by picking topics you want questions on. The review books are fairly detailed and the classes go over the more important topics of the MCAT. The lesson book does go over very important topics, however, the instructors go over the main concepts and refrain from going too much into detail. Most of their strength relies on the volume of their practices. Their FLT scores are quite inflated and give a false sense of hope, but they are still quite good practices. Many on SDN compare Kaplan and AAMC to the difficulty of the real test and you can read more about that here:
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=524676.
Princeton Review
Many have taken note on the extensive detail The Princeton Review books and classes have. That being a pro or a con is quite debatable, however, knowing too much information is never an issue with the MCAT. The Princeton Review also has 9 Online Diagnostics and a great feature that has been implemented is an online writing grade. This means that you can submit your writing online to be evaluated by Princeton Review experts (normally takes 24-48 hours). The Prince Review also has a Science Workshop book which contains 800 pages (including solutions) of passage based and stand-alone questions. These passages are actually quite good and many people have found the Princeton Review bio and G-chem to be great, however they lack the same support for their verbal passages. Their Online Diagnostic scores are quite deflated, but their practices are well worth it.
Berkeley Review
There are ten class books: two for biology, two for general chemistry, two for organic chemistry, two for physics, one for verbal reasoning, and one for the writing sample. Each of the science books is divided into sectional lecture topics. Each section begins with information important to the MCAT and ends with MCAT-style passages and questions and detailed solutions. The verbal reasoning book contains ten practice sets of ten passages each, and the writing sample book has twenty essay topic statements, suggestions for good essay composition, and numerous samples of good writing. Taken together, these books contain about 2,600 pages of material, including more than 550 MCAT-style passages. The books can be bought separately and can be used as supplementary practice or as a complete prep (includes classes as well) package. The Berkeley Review has excellent G-chem and Physics practice, but I have not found the same support on their biology. There are also three full-length practice tests if you would like to purchase and after taking the first one, they give the same vibe as the other simulated tests. This thread thought very highly of Berkeley Review, however, remember that it is only an opinion and everyone is DIFFERENT... you must find what is best for you:
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=466138
Examkrackers
For those of you who prefer the self-study approach,
Examkrackers is an excellent self-study prep. They have been noted as one of the best verbal practice book from those of us on SDN; however they do not receive the same recognition on their other books. They include the EK Bio, Physics, G-Chem, and O-Chem review books and the, 101 VR, 1001 bio, g-chem, and physics book. The bio review book is amazing in the fact they hit on the key MCAT topics and basics with easy to read visual illustrations and mnemonics, however they lack the thorough detail that is needed to score well on the MCAT. Overall, the EK bio review is a great supplemental book for those who just started and have a hard time understanding those thick textbooks however it will need to be reinforced later down the line with more detailed resources. I did not have the experience to use the EK 1001 science practice problems and will leave that for others to comment on. They do have simulated practice tests, 1g (1h if you bought the complete package), 2f, and 3g. They are good practices but are more like the old paper-based test than the new CBT and have been known to have a few print errors. To find more information about Examkrackers, it has been discussed more over here:
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=280566
Gold Standard
I did not have the privilege in using Gold Standard MCAT, however, from most previous poster it seems like a last option when most of your resources have been exhausted. There are 10 GS CBT, all of which are curved very unfavorably. They do present unique approaches to solving problems in the sciences, however, others have noted that their verbal passages are short and not like the real test. Yet, the tests are cheap and good to use if you are low in cash and remaining tests. They also have a complete study package that includes review books, DVDs, and more however I am unfamiliar with them and you can find more information here:
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/forumdisplay.php?f=409.
Audio Osmosis
Using the philosophy of listening is sometimes better than reading yourself, Jordan and Jon use humor and charm to sink in the MCAT concept in a 12 set CD called
Audio Osmosis. You can listen to it in your car, at home, or even in your sleep. I am a little skeptically of this approach, since I prefer reading however others have testified that this approach does work and it was helpful. This, however, would be more of a supplemental tool since visualizing diagrams and practicing problems would be key in doing well on the MCAT but I could be wrong. I did not actually use Audio Osmosis but others have commented on its success here:
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=490819.
Nova Press
Actually, I don't know much except that it does exist and it can be purchased here:
The MCAT Physics Book If you are interested in finding more detail I advise you to do a Google search or ask around on SDN.
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Also a good thing to note is that most companies allow you to take a free practice test. Try one from each company and see which you prefer best. It sometimes pays to be a little choosy.
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