MCAT Video Review/Recommendation/Thoughts Thread

[arz734cpmpg]

Hey SDN! I thought I would start a thread where people can discuss the different online video prep options, so we can find all the info on all the options in one spot. Feel free to put any thoughts you have on specific videos, what's good, what's lacking, or even just on using videos to help studying in general.

Here's all the relevant online video resources I could find:


https://www.khanacademy.org/test-prep/mcat



https://www.mcat-prep.com/mcat-videos/ (Gold Standard) (Included in study packages; starts at $50/month)



https://www.coursesaver.com/video/category/mcat-videos ($50/month)



https://jcoreview.com/mcat ($79/month)



http://study.com/academy/course/mcat-test.html ($50/month)



https://www.youtube.com/user/Leah4sciMCAT/videos



http://www.wikipremed.com/course_videos.php?syl=04&video_code=020700_01


There are also a few other resources, but they seem quite subpar:
https://www.clutchprep.com/mcat: ($99/month)
Just watching someone fill in the blanks on a pdf in front of a class.
http://www.mometrix.com/academy/mcat-test/
Just watching someone fill in the blanks on a whiteboard. Seems to be content for the old MCAT.

https://www.premedhq.com/mcat-2015-prep-course
Just a collection of videos on different sources on each topic. Doesn't seem that bad as an aggregator, but doesn't provide a concise, uniform curriculum for the MCAT.

If you've used any of these resources, please comment what you thought about them. I'll update this original post as it goes along, and try to get some sort of consensus on the different options.

Also, if you think this thread is of questionable utility, or has been done before, let me know and I'll take it down.

I'll put my thoughts on the different options in the next post to try to avoid early influence.

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[arz734cpmpg]

Khan academy:
These videos use very good explanations, and simple, effective, and non-distracting videos. The drawback is that they are rarely MCAT-specific material, and the explanations are unnecessarily drawn out (and Sal has a tendency to ramble a bit).

Gold Standard:
I couldn't watch these videos since they are behind a paywall, but from what I could tell they don't have any P/S material.

Coursesaver:
These are simply 'Chad' from Chad's videos talking in front of a class (around 30 mins - 2 hrs each). Chad is engaging and a good speaker and explainer. The videos are not specific to the 2015 MCAT, and don't cover P/S. A video of a lecture is not the most efficient way to study from videos.

J Co Review:
These videos have clear and concise explanations, though the speaker goes quite slowly and has a somewhat irritating speaking style. The visuals are fairly cartoonish, and somewhat distracting and irritating.

Study.com:
These have good explanations, though they contain a lot of superfluous information and examples (since they don't seem to be created specifically for the MCAT). They are good for learning about a subject for interest, though they lack the conciseness and MCAT-style thinking require for efficient studying and success on the MCAT.

Leah4Sci:
These cover only organic chemistry topics, but they are very good explanations for the topics. The drawbacks are that they are a little too long, and the visuals don't do the greatest job of tracking and reinforcing what she is talking about.

Wikipremed:
These seem to be an older style of video, with someone talking to a webcam while Powerpoint slides are shown. It seems like the videos are part of a larger curriculum on the website.

Sorry if these seem a little terse, I'm trying to find what videos are worth recommending to others, so I just glanced through a couple videos on each site to see how they stacked up. I wrote the MCAT last year and only used some (very few) Khan videos to supplement the EK texts. Let me know if I'm way off the mark, if you agree, or if there's anything I missed.

 

[Regina Mills]

I think I found another youtube channel that does MCAT prep called PremedHQ MCAT Prep. I have watched a few of their videos and liked them, but I'm still not sure how effective they are in preparing for the MCAT. If anybody knows for sure, please let me know. Otherwise, they seem really good to me!

 

[PigsHaveWings]

Any new thoughts on whether any of these videos are worth it or not relevant for the new MCAT

 

[deleted872555]

for free and competent lectures on all topics covered in bio, physio, gen chem, ochem, biochem, and physics.... AK Lectures is the best.

https://aklectures.com/

 

[JimKimSlim]

I only used KA as my video resources and found them more than sufficient for the exam. Their practice problems are not good though.