Hey guys, I'm a july test taker and prepped with Kaplan class and books. (subbed with some Khan, a TPR FL, and ALL aamc materials for the new test)
I answered a question someone asked me about Kaplan scores and such in a conversation but figured it would be helpful to post here.
"Yes, I did use Kaplan. I had originally planned on taking the MCAT in April so I took a Kaplan in person prep class that rand Nov-Mar every sunday for 3 hours. So I did all the assigned readings and PBQs each week which ended up being about 10 hours a week including the 3 hour class on Sunday.
I did not feel confident at all after the class was over, it helped me learn strategies and timing, but I ended up realizing I needed to kick my content review into overdrive. I also took 2 Kaplan FL practice tests and did terrible, like a 489 and a 494 so I was crushed. (Don't let these scores get you down, they are so far off as you can tell from my Kaplan average of about 504 the month before the test and my 516 actual score). Anyway, I decided to take the summer to study and put in about 8-10+ hours per day every day May-July 17th. In total, that's about 600 hours from when I started the class. That is just me, mind you, many people study much less than that depending on how recently they took biochem, ochem, etc. I read through every book again, highlighted, took notes, made notecards of concepts/equations I didn't already have down pat. It was an insane amount of work but I really felt confident with the details which translated into a good understanding of the big picture concepts that the MCAT actually tests.
The PBQs are VERY difficult and not representative of the actual exam. It helps identify the topics you need to focus more on, but the questions are worded weirdly sometimes and the explanations often don't make sense. Nothing is that convoluted, so don't let it get to you like I did (so many mental breakdowns...)
I used the qbank a little bit, but eventually just chose to do the AAMC question packs instead because they are much more helpful for identifying weak content areas and won't make you feel like a failure.
Kaplan FLs are frusteratingly hard, but helpful for stamina, practice, etc. Just don't take the scores to heart. I went over each test thoroughly and took notes on things I didn't already know to go over later on. Do the AAMC FL for sure and official guide questions, that will tell you better where you're at. They are very similar to the actual MCAT, although the actual thing was more difficult IMO. I did 7 full length exams the month before the test in addition to those two really terrible ones I did earlier in the year, so 9 total. I don't think doing that many is necessary, maybe 5 kaplan and then the AAMC FL.
All in all,if you're breaking 500 on Kaplan FLs and scoring 75%+ correct on the AAMC FL and official guide, then you will be in a good spot to get that 508 everyone is hoping for. Don't underestimate the power of a lot of content review, memorizing equations slowly but surely, and trying to stay relaxed!
Sorry this ended up being so long!! I just know how crazy hard it is and if I can help out then that's great! I know it was super tough for me getting crushingly low Kaplan scores, so I'm more than happy to let other people know that those scores are WAY off, but doing the tests and PBQs were still helpful in the long run."