$1700 MCAT courses

[DDolderer]

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What are your experiences with these courses? I think the one they have here is Kaplan.

I had 2 friends study independently and do well and I don't see why I cannot do the same.

What are the benefits of these courses? Right now I'm leaning towards not taking one.

 

[BerkReviewTeach]

What are your experiences with these courses? I think the one they have here is Kaplan.

I had 2 friends study independently and do well and I don't see why I cannot do the same.

What are the benefits of these courses? Right now I'm leaning towards not taking one.

The first thing you should do is assess what you need. How do you best study: independent or group? How do you like to learn: live instruction or reading? Do you need to be pushed or are you self-motivated? Be honest with yourself here, because you want to set up the best situation for your success. Some people waste time sitting in classes reviewing things they already know well. They should be spending that time studying on their own. Other people really need the classes and the insights and mnemonics they provide. They build confidence from the classes and learn techniques they might not have discovered on their own. There's a solid argument both pro and con for courses. It really is individual.

There are many examples like the two people you mentioned that do quite well without a course. There are also cases of people bombing this way. Success comes down to confidence, self-discipline, and doing tons of passages. If you can get these without a course, then you should definitely study on your own. If you choose the self-study method, then be sure to get a couple different sources of review materials. The AAMC on-line exams are a must for exposure to the CBT format, but be aware that they are not an identical simulation of the real thing. You should ask people here who have taken the AAMC exams and the real thing in the Prometric center about the differences in the experience. If you self-study, start by setting a realistic calendar that has you finishing your review at least a month before your exam date, so that you can thoroughly test.

One thing you might want to do is find a few people who took the different programs in yoru area and ask them specific questions that concern you. Every program is a little different at each center (ours certainly is), so seeking input here will not necessarily get you feedback about the class you're considering.

Once you have your mind made up, committ to it full speed ahead. No matter what, you are going to work hard and putting many hours into this exam. Course or no course, it still comes down to you.

Best of luck!

 

[brianmartin]

I considered taking a course but finally decided it was a waste of money. I ended up just getting some Examcracker books and doing review on my own for a month before the exam.

I think it depends on what your needs are. In my case, I had just finished physics and ochem, and A&P and gen chem the year prior, so everything was fresh. All I needed was some light review and to practice the exam format....didn't need to spend $1700 to do that.

BUT, if you need more comprehensive or in-depth science review, or you have bad test-taking skills, the class might be worth it.

Ask yourself, do you generally rock standardized tests and also feel confident about your science knowledge? Don't take a class.

Are you not such a good test taker and need more help on the material? Take the class.

 

[gilbertjgreen]

I considered taking a course but finally decided it was a waste of money. I ended up just getting some Examcracker books and doing review on my own for a month before the exam.

I think it depends on what your needs are. In my case, I had just finished physics and ochem, and A&P and gen chem the year prior, so everything was fresh. All I needed was some light review and to practice the exam format....didn't need to spend $1700 to do that.

BUT, if you need more comprehensive or in-depth science review, or you have bad test-taking skills, the class might be worth it.

Ask yourself, do you generally rock standardized tests and also feel confident about your science knowledge? Don't take a class.

Are you not such a good test taker and need more help on the material? Take the class.

Good reply. That about sums it up, my friend. How fresh are you with the material? I would use that as your primary barometer of need. Also, if you're going to self-study, how much time are you giving yourself, 1 month or 5 months? You're going to probably need a little more time unless you're very organized, the class would provide that.

That said, I guess example is probably the best guidance at this point. I didn't take a class. Studied for two months, took 8 practice tests with an average score of 29. Felt like I was going into the test alright with that average, but wondering if I couldn't have done more or done it better. Got a 31 on the real thing. I'm very happy about that, but I'm not sure if I'm representative of the average student. I had a two-year-old child to contend with during the study process, and a one month break during the middle of this 2 month study period to take O.Chem II during the summer. Definitely not ideal.

Ask yourself if you're the type of person who will be confident going into the test having self-studied. And more than anything, take practice tests, and lots of them! And when you're done with the test, pick that thing down to the bone as you review! You'll glean more information in this process than in any other way.

 

[jochi1543]

I think it's a waste unless maybe you have issues with motivation and self-discipline (in which case, is med really for you? I don't know) or if you are lacking foundations (e.g. missing a bunch of pre-reqs). As long as you put in the work, you'll be fine. A friend took a TPR course this summer and scored 4 points lower than I did, studying on my own - and he has a science background, unlike me (scored lower in science sections than I did).

 

[DrJD]

Everything the above posters have mentioned is true. One more thing for you to think about is the strength of the various programs. I took a princetonreview course, and taught for Kaplan so I am familiar with both of the big players.

Kaplan - Their strength is NOT content review. If you want that I would suggest a different company. Kaplan prides themselves on their "strategies." Personally, I never used the Kaplan strategies because I am an okay test taker without them! However, if you suffer from test anxiety or struggle with tests, their strategies can be very useful! ONLY take Kaplan if you want to learn all about passage mapping, Stop Think Predict Match, etc. etc...

Princeton Review - There is practically no strategy but your classes are dedicated to TONS of content review. If that is what you need go for it!

I have heard NOTHING but good things about examkrackers though, so if they offer a class in your area I would definitely recommend taking it.

So, add this info with the info about your study habits and I think you will have a pretty good answer for yourself!

 

[durrrr]

I think all MCAT prep courses are a complete waste unless you have never learned the material before.

In my Princeton Review classes, I felt that the teachers were simply summarizing the main points from the book. The worst was Verbal, since their strategies are horrible.

 

[BrokenGlass]

What are your experiences with these courses? I think the one they have here is Kaplan.

I had 2 friends study independently and do well and I don't see why I cannot do the same.

What are the benefits of these courses? Right now I'm leaning towards not taking one.

The quality of the course depends on company and location. For instance, you may take Kaplan and have Q teach your classes. Needless to say, she's awesome. Or you can take a course where instructors are clueless. It's up to you to ask people around about whether or not they were happy with the course. I took Berkeley Review and I am glad I did (I don't know my score yet). The course doesn't merely rehash what you have learned in your undergard courses. You learn MCAT-specific reasoning and shortcuts. This saves you a ton of time on the test.

 

[littlealex]

I took the Princeton review class and I thought it was pointless. I self-studied with the Examkracker books and did much better than my performance after completion of the PR series.

Taking classes really just pushes you to study. They do not offer you anything you can't find in a book. Of course, the same is true for large lecture classes, but we all pay for universities anyway.

 

[gilbertjgreen]

My biggest inspiration to go it alone, without a review course, came from my post-bacc physics teacher, who said, laughing, "$1800 for a review course?!!! You're just paying for the motivation!!" He seemed to have something of a point there.

 

[pingouin]

try this-
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=280445

 

[smuwillobrien]

I studied by myself, and I did fine.

 

[Karen12345]

I took Kaplan and wasn't thrilled with it. I wouldn't do it again.

 

[xrevision]

On the other hand, I took kaplan and really liked it. I ended up with a 35.

 

[meddy15]

I want to take Kaplan online course but its like 1500 bucks, but the thing is I already have thier books when i took the course like a year ago so i dont need any books and just want all the online test and full lenghts and what not. is there a way just to get the online tests and not the books for a cheaper price, any one know? that way i can get all their full lengths plus all the AAMC full lengths.

 

[greg1184]

Kaplan's content was outstanding. I had a great teacher for more of my classes. Their practice material is great as well. There is so much practice material that it is overwhelming. 11 full length exams, tons of topical, subject, and section tests. Their review notes are very good as well. I like how they are organized and presented better than Examkrackers. It is a matter of how much energy you put into the course and if you will follow their syllabus to the teeth. They have pre-class and post-class work. Some of it required, some strongly recommended. I did the majority of the strongly recommended work.
Only con: I don't buy into the passage mapping strategy.

Last year I used Examkrackers (but did not finish): 26M
This year I took the Kaplan Course in the summer: 32M (11ps 10v 11bs).

I am satisfied.
If you are not going to take a course, AT LEAST get the Kaplan Comprehensive book.

 

[DDolderer]

Thank you for all your responses.

I'm pretty set against a course now provided the criteria some gave for making a decision.

 

[ocwaveoc]

One more opinion here.....what many of you have said is correct.

But, I think what a member named RPedrigo (can't remember exactly) said nails it down. In a paraphrase, he said that what you need to do in MCAT is to read the passage, understand it and answer the question. If that's what the test prep courses told you, you'll say F*** you and give me my $$$ back. So, they must justify their existence by coming up with all kinds of gimicks like the Kaplan passage mapping stuff (I took the in class Kaplan and went over all the mapping strategy....doesn't work, believe me).

As jochi mentioned above, if you have a serious motivation problem and need to GO INTO a class room to review the material and keep you on a certain time track, by all means do the in class review course. Otherwise, it's just as effective doing it on your own with EK, Kaplan, Nova or other reputable review books.

In terms of the review course teachers are concerned, some test centers will have good ones while other ones (2 of mine) will suck and are just in it for the money simply because they scored well on the MCAT (which doesn't mean they know the material well enough to teach the class).

I regret having spent $1600 on Kaplan.