Kaplan Live Course Ratings and Opinions

1) Tallahassee, FL/Spring '06

2) Planned out study schedule, proctored full-lengths

3) Live session was too rigid

4) The proctored FLs were invaluable...I felt prepared, but I also used other materials (EK, etc)

5) Only if they lowered the price to about $500

I didn't feel that FLs were representative of the real thing. Instead of taking the Kaplan FLs during the proctored time, I would take the AAMCs then.

Voted a 7

1) When/where did you take your Kaplan course?

-Took the course from November 2005 to April 2006. The site was located near my school but they offered classes on campus also.

2) What would you say were the strengths of your course?

They outlined the materials to study and gave good amounts of problems. Also, the passages they offered were much harder than AAMC ones so I was able to improve on my reading skills.

3) What were the weaknesses?

Some of the student teachers were horrible. Some of them read directly from the teaching manual they get. You can't depend on classrooms to help you at all. Also, the fact that they continue to push the subject of the green dot irks me, and not in the good way.

4) Do you feel that Kaplan prepared you adequately for the MCAT?

Yes. It motivated me to study and gave me lots of problems to practice on.

5) Would you recommend that future MCAT students take the Kaplan course?

Yes. Or any other type of preparatory course. Take any (Kaplan, TPR etc) if you are sure you will definately NOT be able to study on your own. If you are having problems with the course financially, talk to the Kaplan site director about financial aid! I only paid $800 for my Kaplan Classroom course (Value of $1599). It's still a hefty sum of money but at least it was more affordable.

1) When/where did you take your Kaplan course?

January-April 2006. Charlottesville, VA (on UVA Grounds)

2) What would you say were the strengths of your course?

I like that you work up gradually, from "Topical Tests" that are one or two passages on the same topic, to "Section Test" which are full-length BS and PS sections. By Test Day, you've done like, a million passages... Also the Flashcards they give you are really helpful for things like Physics formulas and the hormones. I carried them around and flipped through them between classes on days I didn't have time to do a lot of MCAT studying.

3) What were the weaknesses?

Kaplan Verbal is a little easier than the real deal, so make sure you get your hands on some AAMC tests to make sure you can finish their verbal sections and are happy with your score. Also, the teachers aren't that phenomenal. If I had to do it again, I'd take the on-line course and save $100.

4) Do you feel that Kaplan prepared you adequately for the MCAT?

If you need the structure, then go for it. But you actually have to do the assigned readings and passages. They don't put due-dates on the assignments, and I know a lot of people who put off doing passages and reading until the weeks before the MCAT and ended up screwed. Just because you pay 1500 dollars, doesn't mean your prepping is gonna be any easier.

5) Would you recommend that future MCAT students take the Kaplan course?

See Above. If you're gonna do the work, then yes, Kaplan helps you make efficient use of your time.

1) When/where did you take your Kaplan course?

for April 2k6 test. Akron, OH

2) What would you say were the strengths of your course?

lucked out with a good teacher so the lectures were helpful

3) What were the weaknesses?

verbal for sure
and the full lengths and section tests didn't really help much

4) Do you feel that Kaplan prepared you adequately for the MCAT?

scope seemed to be off. alot of things seemed extraneous. i don't feel like i would've been ready if not for using the EK Audio osmosis and (of course) the AAMC full-lengths (which they only recommend and so many people didn't)

5) Would you recommend that future MCAT students take the Kaplan course?

i'm not encouraging my friends to take it. i'm recommending that they look into EK and the AAMC full-lengths if they can discipline themselves to study

1) When/where did you take your Kaplan course?

Pittsburgh, last summer (June-August 2005)

2) What would you say were the strengths of your course?

Gave me structure, the practice and online materials were great, one of the teachers was really helpful, the full-length practice tests were really good at giving me an idea of what the real thing will be like and setting a routine.

3) What were the weaknesses?

I didn't need as much review as they provided, so I was bored in class most of the time, thought it was a waste. The teachers (although I'm auditioning to be one, ironically) weren't always qualified in my opinion - just because someone does well on a particular section, doesn't mean s/he knows the material well or in depth or can teach it to others.

4) Do you feel that Kaplan prepared you adequately for the MCAT?

Yup

5) Would you recommend that future MCAT students take the Kaplan course?

Yes. However, if you have completed all your prereqs recently - just take the online course to get access to practice materials and strategy stuff, and save yourself time and money. That way you can go at your own pace, but still have an outline of when and what you should be doing and in what order.
Also, Kaplan recommends not doing too many of the practice materials until the halfway point. But everyone's starting point in preparing for the MCAT is different. I felt I knew the material well enough early on and should have focused myself differently. That said, I did well, my score between the diagnostic and the actual test improved, so I'm happy. Was it worth the money? Could I have done it on my own? I'm not sure. But I'm too much of a procrastinator, my study habbits aren't the best, so Kaplan's structure worked for me because I had "assignments" to do. If you need help with that, or if you need a tutor to be available to you to ask questions about the material, then Kaplan is a great course. Hope this helps.

QofQuimica said:

1) When/where did you take your Kaplan course?

Click to expand...

Cambridge, MA Jan-Apr 2006

QofQuimica said:

2) What would you say were the strengths of your course?

Click to expand...

-Practice exams!!! These were HUGE!!!
-Extensive online resources helped me reinforce the subjects in which I needed the most help.
-Structure: which areas to study, how in-depth to study them... as a highly stressed-out physics grad student, I might have put off the MCAT studying while it was a non-emergency; Kaplan at least got me off my butt and studying MCAT twice a week.
-My fellow students... I'm not MA's biggest fan, but there's no denying that Cambridge furnishes good students to study with.

QofQuimica said:

3) What were the weaknesses?

Click to expand...

-Poor test writing in places. I didn't detect the real MCAT in any questions that I could affirm were badly written, and only 2 or 3 that I wondered about... Kaplan's practices contained 10-15 questions each that I had some degree of issue with, and 1-2 that I thought were flat-out wrong.
-Classrooms are inherently unfocused. Obviously, the biology that was useful to me was probably boring to many people in the classroom, and most of the physics they needed was tiresome to me. With worse fellow students, I could have spent hours listening to slow explanations of concepts that I thought were basic, but as I've already said, I lucked out there.

QofQuimica said:

4) Do you feel that Kaplan prepared you adequately for the MCAT?

Click to expand...

Yes... *knocks on wood* ... okay, ask me in a few weeks

QofQuimica said:

5) Would you recommend that future MCAT students take the Kaplan course?

Click to expand...

Overall, if they need structure and don't mind the time they'll spend on things they already know, yes. If they have sufficient time and energy to create their own structure, I would recommend something with extensive online resources and less classroom time. Bear in mind that everything we say may be different now that the computer version is coming in.

Good thread, QoQ.

-Pemberley

1) When/where did you take your Kaplan course?

Summer 2004 - in my hometown (NY)

2) What would you say were the strengths of your course?

Tests, tests, and more tests.

3) What were the weaknesses?

Instructors. Mine left halfway through my course to go to medical school and then after that different people doing different subjects. One or two were truly amazing, but these people were wary of Kaplan. They suggested other study guides to use instead of Kaplan (and I agree with them on some subjects). For the most part they just read straight out of the book, which I could have done on my own. Looking back, I would rather have gone over the online lessons than actually going to class, but you have to go to class for the guarantee to take effect.

4) Do you feel that Kaplan prepared you adequately for the MCAT?

It gave the materials I needed, but not the motivation.

5) Would you recommend that future MCAT students take the Kaplan course?

I recommend Kaplan for the test bank, and the test bank ONLY. Teachers will vary understandably, but you have to know for yourself just how you study best.

1) When/where did you take your Kaplan course? Chicago, IL, Jan '06-April '06

2) What would you say were the strengths of your course? Good review of material, nice to have a pre-organized review schedule, review books good without being too basic.
3) What were the weaknesses? I had two instructors, who varied quite a bit in their abilities. If you get stuck with a crap instructor, you are sunk. For your money, Kaplan should provide Med School students to teach the classes. Also, there was not enough access to previous AAMC tests and they my center didn't have AAMC 7R, 8R, etc.

4) Do you feel that Kaplan prepared you adequately for the MCAT? I think it definitely helped! I have been out of school for awhile now. If I was still in school it probably would not have been very helpful. I supplemented with the EK 1001 questions books and the 14 mini-mcats and found that Kaplan +EK was very well-rounded.
5) Would you recommend that future MCAT students take the Kaplan course?
I think it was good for me since I had been out of school. If the pre-med is organized enough, they could probably do the prep and organize themselves, just as well and for about half the price.

Depending on how this thread goes, I will be adding future threads for other test prep regimens, so stay tuned.[/QUOTE]

I voted a 7.

1) When/where did you take your Kaplan course?
2001, Davis, CA.

2) What would you say were the strengths of your course?
Tests were similar to the real thing offered that year. I found my real MCAT to be easier overall, but the VR was actually harder than I thought. There was only one instructor for the course, but he appeared to be knowledgable about the course so I give it .

3) What were the weaknesses?
Limited amounts of take home practice problems. We were given the opportunity to come in and use these practice problems sheathed in clear plastic, and used a grease pencil to work out the problems. I would've been happier to have a huge workbook like the one offered by Princeton Review.

4) Do you feel that Kaplan prepared you adequately for the MCAT?
It is adequate, but could've been better. I believe one can do well, but the style of studying through this program may not mix well with others.

5) Would you recommend that future MCAT students take the Kaplan course? Yes, aslong as they know what they're getting into. I don't know if its the same at all Kaplan courses, but like with school, the teacher makes the difference, and practice makes perfect. If one is better at studying at home with a huge problems book, Princeton Review may be better (which I took in 2003...see review)

QofQuimica said:

This is a thread for people who have taken the Kaplan live MCAT prep course to rate the course on a scale from 1-10 (with ten being the best) and to post their thoughts and comments about the course. Please do NOT vote if you have not already taken a Kaplan course, but anyone can feel free to post questions for previous course enrollees. Posters, you might want to comment on some of the following questions, but feel free to disregard some of these and/or add others of your own:

1) When/where did you take your Kaplan course?

2) What would you say were the strengths of your course?

3) What were the weaknesses?

4) Do you feel that Kaplan prepared you adequately for the MCAT?

5) Would you recommend that future MCAT students take the Kaplan course?

Depending on how this thread goes, I will be adding future threads for other test prep regimens, so stay tuned.

Click to expand...

1) When/where did you take your Kaplan course?

American University, Washington DC (Fall, Spring 04)
Bethesda, MD- Whitfield Mall (Spring, Summer 04) - used the higher score gurantee for a free second round


2) What would you say were the strengths of your course?

Awesome teacher that taught the whole course first time around, average teachers after that. I wound up switching into the classes specifically taught by the first guy.

The higher score gurantee was good too. I knew I was taking the test in august, but I took an April class, me the requirements and then got to take a second class for the August test for free.

Testing Materials- The center, the massive test library, these were incredibly helpful. I made use of these to no end. The flashcards were helpful as well.

3) What were the weaknesses?

There were some teachers that were not nearly as good as others. (as mentioned above)

4) Do you feel that Kaplan prepared you adequately for the MCAT?

Absolutely. I was really struggling and I beat 30 by a few points.

5) Would you recommend that future MCAT students take the Kaplan course?
Kaplan, TPR, it's probably 6 of one half dozen of the other. I for one think the testbank and centers make Kaplan worth it but I have friends that say TPR is the way to go. Either way, I recommend taking a class. There is just too much strategy involved in this test not to.

Notes to anyone that takes Kaplan:
1. don't be discouraged by the diagnostic, it's designed to make you feel like you need the class, I went up 17 points.
2. The Kaplan practice tests all cover specific material to show you where you're week, you need to take the AAMC tests to get a real feel for the MCAT. The scores on those tests aren't the most predictive, go for the AAMC if you want to know how you're doing.
3. don't worry about score until right before test time. 3 months before the MCAT is not the time to worry about being stuck in the teens or twenties. You will improve fast.

1) When/where did you take your Kaplan course?
Chicago, december 2004 through april 2005

2) What would you say were the strengths of your course?
repeatedly taking full length exams on saturday mornings so that the real mcat just seemed like another saturday practice

3) What were the weaknesses?
the classroom reviews were pretty worthless for me, but the practice exams were well worth it.

4) Do you feel that Kaplan prepared you adequately for the MCAT?
yes. i don't think any type of classroom review can really help with the mcat, so repeated practice tests were more than sufficient preparation

5) Would you recommend that future MCAT students take the Kaplan course?
sure. take any class where you can take multiple proctored exams. taking practice tests at home is not the same. taking tests with official timing and the lunch break and everything is key to getting ready for the real day.

1) Where/when - New Orleans - 11/2003 - 4/2004 (repeat in summer 2004)

2) Strength - My class and instructor were very relaxed. I liked the structure, but I couldn't keep up and was always behind. (This was my own procrastination). I loved the amount of material that is provided when you sign up for the course especially the flash cards and equations page. The instructor did give great tips for test taking/what appears on the test that you can only get via word of mouth. Being able to sit down and take a full length test under "real" conditions was worth every penny. You have all of the distractions as you would in the testing center. You are forced to learn to pace yourself and finish on time.

3)Weakness - The books were very boring. They were like reading my textbook. The instructor would skip over parts that he thought "everyone already knew." I found the course was hard to take while also taken a full load of classes. There was so much material that I often felt overwhelmed.

4) Did it prepare me - No, I got overwhelmed and burned out before the course was over.

5) Recommended - No. I liked the online portion better. If I had it to do over again, I would have either A: solely used examkrackers of B: the online Kaplan class

1) When/where did you take your Kaplan course?
San Antonio, TX Oct '05--Apr '06

2) What would you say were the strengths of your course?
I had this one tutor who has been working for years and he really knew his stuff. He takes standardized tests for fun so he was able to provide good test-taking strategies. I also liked the higher score guarantee deal, which will let me retake the course for free assuming I attended all of my classes. The practice material such as the Topical Tests were excellent. It was good practice for certain areas that I was weak in. The books were helpful and concise, too.

3) What were the weaknesses?
It's luck of the draw with the tutors. As I said in the previous question, I had a really good one. But I also had some apathetic ones. But that happens at any test prep you go to. I don't feel that the classes really helped me. We skimmed over the material. I think I would have used my time more efficiently by just staying at home and reading about it on my own.

4) Do you feel that Kaplan prepared you adequately for the MCAT?
Maybe. I wish I had more time to do all of the study materials that they provided.

5) Would you recommend that future MCAT students take the Kaplan course?
Now that I reflect on it, I'd rather just take the online portion of Kaplan rather than the classroom and most of my peers that took the same class with me would agree.

voted 7

1) When/where did you take your Kaplan course?
Norman, OK, Jan-Apr 2005

2) What would you say were the strengths of your course?
-convenient online materials. kaplan provides all the practice tests and subject reviews along with all the question answers online. so all you have to do is take your laptop to the library and you are set. very cool.

-structure. i liked having a suggested timeline for what subjects to study what week. that wasn't all i studied (I used EK books as well). but i liked having that certainty to build upon.

-class-room style proctored exams. there is really no substitute for waking up at 7 and driving to some strange place and sitting with a bunch of near strangers taking a test with your stomach grumbling and your mind on the bball game you are missing...really good preparation for the real thing (which is even longer, believe it or not )

3) What were the weaknesses?
-my teacher was only OK. really for any prep course, the teacher makes the experience, and that goes for Kaplan as well as anyone else. research the teachers in your area, ask around. i'm really not a classroom learner (i have a hard time paying attention), so i don't think it would have made much difference for me who was doing the lecturing, but it does matter for a lot of people.


4) Do you feel that Kaplan prepared you adequately for the MCAT?
Kaplan or any other company doesn't prepare you, you prepare yourself. If you aren't willing to put in the time, don't waste your $1500. That said, I went from a 28 to a 38. Whether that was because of Kaplan or the EK books I used or just because of my inherent skillz I don't know. I just wanted to be able to look back on my MCAT experience and say, "I did everything I could". And I can do that.


5) Would you recommend that future MCAT students take the Kaplan course?
if you are a classroom learner or your need structure, go for a course. ask around, do your research, and you won't be disappointed. i don't know that it really helped me that much (at least the classroom portion didn't), but maybe it added 2 or 3 points to my score. if so, it was worth it.

1) When/where did you take your Kaplan course?
Summer 2005. Pasadena, Calfornia

2) What would you say were the strengths of your course?
Practice Exams allowed you to practice pacing which is crucial so you don't run out of time.

3) What were the weaknesses?
Although I liked my instructor, he would be the first to admit that he is no expert in any of the subjects. The course is not meant to teach the subject matter, merely review. Kaplan instructors are not always the best people to ask if you slept through the lectures when you took Physics or O-Chem.

4) Do you feel that Kaplan prepared you adequately for the MCAT?
Sure

5) Would you recommend that future MCAT students take the Kaplan course?
Only if they need the motivation from a class to study and review. If you're disciplined enough to go through the material on your own and practice taking exams, then do so alone and save the money.

1) When/where did you take your Kaplan course?

Palo Alto, California in Spring of 2006.

2) What would you say were the strengths of your course?

All of the study materials (review books, topicals, full lengths) were really helpful. I also found it really helpful since it forced me to study every topic.

3) What were the weaknesses?

My teacher was only ok. You could tell that he didn't want to be there just as much as his students.

4) Do you feel that Kaplan prepared you adequately for the MCAT?

Yes. I would definitely recommend taking AAMC full length to supplement the Kaplan ones b/c as has been discussed the tests are different.

5) Would you recommend that future MCAT students take the Kaplan course?

Only to certain type of students. If you are someone who needs structure and motivation to study (like I did), I would definitely recommend taking the class since it forces you to stay on top of things. If you are very self-motivated I think you'd be fine doing the online version. Also, my class was once a week starting in November for the April test. I'd recommend taking a later class start date that meets twice a week since I had to review all the stuff I learned in the beginning. Also, it dragged out the MCAT process a lot longer than it had to be.

Bump

bump

1) When/where did you take your Kaplan course?
Columbus, Ohio and I'm tehcnically still taking it because I have at least one more practice exam.

2) What would you say were the strengths of your course?
This is a hard question. Strenths maybe are the resources availble to you.

3) What were the weaknesses?
Very dependent on the teacher, some are amazing and others are very boring.

4) Do you feel that Kaplan prepared you adequately for the MCAT?
Honestly, It could, but for me, I'm not great at studyingoutside of class. So I wanted more teaching on the basics and I didn't get that.

5) Would you recommend that future MCAT students take the Kaplan course
Yes, but be prepared to do tons of work outside of the class just to keep up with it.

QofQuimica said:

1) When/where did you take your Kaplan course?

Click to expand...

May 2006 - August 2006 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

2) What would you say were the strengths of your course?

Click to expand...

The biggest strength was the feedback on the essay preparation, the amount of online resources (there were A LOT), and the difficulty of the PS and BS; I found them much harder than the real thing.

3) What were the weaknesses?

Click to expand...

Verbal reasoning for sure. Some of the instructors were sometimes unprepared for lessons, and the conceptual explanations of the books and those provided by the instructors were weak.

4) Do you feel that Kaplan prepared you adequately for the MCAT?

Click to expand...

They gave me the nudge, but I would say I received more preparation from practice tests, EK, or my own efforts. People say that Kaplan should be used as a review (which was certainly true), but the explanations of some key concepts I felt were weak.

5) Would you recommend that future MCAT students take the Kaplan course?

Click to expand...

Only for those who have difficulty studying on their own. Aside from that, save some money and buy the Exam Krackers package.

1) Berkeley, Jan-May 2007

2) Strengths were definitely the materials. The books and online materials were great.. so much practice material! So many full lengths!

3) weaknesses--honestly, the classes. I didn't get that much out of them. my teacher pointed out a few helpful pneumonics that i might have missed in the book, but that's about it.

4) Do you feel that Kaplan prepared you adequately for the MCAT--YES

5) Would you recommend that future MCAT students take the Kaplan course--YES

bumping for some more recent opinions.

Voted an 8.
1) When/where did you take your Kaplan course?
I took it in Madison, Wisconsin from October, 2005-April, 2006.

2) What would you say were the strengths of your course?
The study materials and the ability to take full-length practices were the strongest parts of the course. Also, my O-Chem and Verbal teachers were amazing. They were both experienced and very engaging.

3) What were the weaknesses?
I sometimes didn't learn much during the actual classes. Also, my Gen. Chem teacher was rather boring. Lesson from the above is that who your teachers are actually affect your experiences with the class greatly.

4) Do you feel that Kaplan prepared you adequately for the MCAT?
Yes. I cannot complain with my performance. I think that I may have gotten a good score with the practice materials alone, but Kaplan just gave me a bit more.

5) Would you recommend that future MCAT students take the Kaplan course?
Yes. If you cannot afford to take the class, I would at least try to get access to the online materials. That really is the best part of the class.

Bump!

Just a quick question: how many practice problems/exams did you get and were they worth it?

If I get the online Kaplan course, do you recommend any supplementary coursework? I've heard that the final scores can be inflated.