mcat course vs. practice books

[threemusketeers]

Hi,

I have heard a lot about the major advantage of taking a prep course being the access to study materials. I was just wondering what people think about using the practice books available in bookstores instead of taking the class. How do they compare?

Thanks a lot for the help.

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[Arsenic]

Hi,

I have heard a lot about the major advantage of taking a prep course being the access to study materials. I was just wondering what people think about using the practice books available in bookstores instead of taking the class. How do they compare?

Thanks a lot for the help.

the kaplan comprehensive review book is 95% identical to the notes you'd have if you were in the course. the only thing is that you wouldnt have access to all the practice materials, those are gold.

 

[penguinophile]

If I were you, I would just buy materials off of someone you knew who took the classes. Much cheaper, and if you can learn independently then you're set. Only thing that would have helped me would have been to have someone to grade essays....how was I supposed to know I sucked...damn N

 

[Mike MacKinnon]

From all the posts ive seen on here on various threads many people seem to feel that you dont need a prep class unless you are not disciplined enough to study. All the home review stuff is apparently as good and you can tailor it to your weak areas. In the class, you dont get to tailor, you go through everything so much time may be spend on information you already know.

 

[UMMedM1]

Now, I'm biased because I both took and taught a course by Kaplan, but I really think the course helps a lot. Even if you sit there in class and say "I know this already, this is stupid," you've still made yourself brush up on a subject that you probably wouldn't have touched if left on your own, both by doing the homework and by showing up and absorbing what your instructor says. Verbal reasoning and Writing Sample are two of the toughest subjects to study for, and if you don't take a class, I believe you will be a bit behind in these areas as well. There are definitely ways to succeed on those sections, and those are taught in class. The practice tests and other materials offered by the test prep companies to those who take classes are also priceless, as others have said already on this thread.

If you have any questions about the Kaplan course specifically, feel free to send me a message, since I just got done teaching one.

 

[Will Hunting]

I agree with the above quoted.

Off topic, but to the poster I quoted......

What does CEN and CFRN stand for?????????????

It really depends. If you look the 30+ mcat thread you'll see people have done well with/without prep courses.

 

[threemusketeers]

ok thanks a lot for the help.

i am an independent learner and was kind of shocked about the price of a class. I think getting outside input about the essays is a really good point. I didn't think about that.