Anyone else hate TPR classes?

[Elysium]

---

Members do not see this ad.

I feel really guilty because I don't like the TPR classes and I feel like they're a collasel waste of time (especially verbal) so I don't go that much. I'm older than all my teachers (who are all seniors in college). None of them are true "professors" just kids that happened to score well on the MCAT and then spew back the information TPR gave to them. If you ask them any kind of in-depth question, half the time they don't know. Now I realize that they're only there to "review", not to instruct, but even still it's useless.
I like the books and the practice tests, which is why I decided to pay for the course in the first place.
Anyone else have an opinion?

 

[Trek]

They don't know the indepth questions because they don't need to. And neither do you. These companies spend millions of bucks figuring out exactly what you need to know to score well, and then feed you that stuff, and that stuff only. "in depth" BS is for your professors. --Trek

 

[Dr. Don]

HEY TEDILLARD03, I TOOK TPR, AND I THOUGHT THEY WERE GOOD, SPECIALLY VERBAL!, BUT DID YOU KNOW THAT YOU COULD HAVE JUST BOUGHT THE BOOKS AND NOT TAKE THE COURSE? THAT'S WHAT A LOT OF MY FRIENDS DID, AND THEY SCORED WELL IN THE MCAT. I AM ACTUALLY A BAD EXAMPLE OF HOW GOOD THEIR VERBAL PROGRAM IS SEEING THAT I SCORED BELOW AVERAGE, BUT I THOUGHT THEIR PRACTICE EXAMS WERE GREAT! ANYWAYS, MAYBE YOU CAN GET A REFUND OR AT LEAST A DISCOUNT?

 

[jargon124]

Man I couldn't stand the thought of sitting through a prep-course. That's why I didn't.

 

[nray]

Those prep courses are a complete waste of time. The only reason they are good is they force you to study. The only reason to take the prep course is so that psychologically you don't feel you are at a disadvantage compared to individuals that have taken it. Personally, I scored a lot better when I studied on my own two year later versus when I took the course. The books and passages were the only useful items.

 

[Coolio30]

Speaking of TPR Practice items, I just took TPR Test A in the A-D booklet, the verbal did me in. I got a seven. Add that to the fact that they say verbal is getting harder on the MCAT, and I am on a one way ticket to podiatry school.

 

[Optimistic]

•••quote:•••Originally posted by TEDillard03:
•I feel really guilty because I don't like the TPR classes and I feel like they're a collasel waste of time (especially verbal) so I don't go that much. I'm older than all my teachers (who are all seniors in college). None of them are true "professors" just kids that happened to score well on the MCAT and then spew back the information TPR gave to them. If you ask them any kind of in-depth question, half the time they don't know. Now I realize that they're only there to "review", not to instruct, but even still it's useless.
I like the books and the practice tests, which is why I decided to pay for the course in the first place.
Anyone else have an opinion?•••••I feel exactly like you do about my Kaplan course and I dont go to their classes either,so you are not alone.Infact I feel guilty if I go to the classes for wasting 3 hours and hear those people reading from their instructor's manual.

 

[Bevo]

i actually find them helpful, the kaplan courses that is. Granted the quicked paced teaching is kinda bad. But at times it becomes more of a question and answer session which I find real helpful.

But what the classes are too short for what they try and teach.

 

[Mutterkuchen]

I like my classes and think that they will be helpful. Ask again in June.

 

[Elysium]

I sort of want to start yelling at my TPR verbal instructor because my verbal went down from my 1st diag to my 2nd diag because I started using their lousy strategies. The verbal is actually the only section I have any ability in, so it really pisses me off. Their reply is "wel, you'll start getting better at it". I just can't believe that not doing 2 passages is really the world's greatest idea.
Friggin' four days a week of this BS and nothing to show for it. What a waste of time!

 

[brandonite]

I read their strategies, and tried them. I really didn't like them. So, I just stopped using them. And I did great on VR.

Moral of the story: do what works best for you!! The model they've made works for some, but not for everybody! Just do a pile of practice tests, and get a feel for what works best for you.

Of course, I like to do things my own way. 😀 Probably one of the reasons I never would have considered taking a prep class...

 

[Street Philosopher]

Scores going down the first time you try their techniques should be expected. You need to get used to playing within their system. It's like the Lakers trying to play with the triangle offense. Early on they were completely clueless, but once they got used to it, they ended up winning the championship. <img border="0" alt="[Laughy]" title="" src="graemlins/laughy.gif" /> So give it some time before you abandon certain techniques. But this is not to say that TPR's technique is good... there's way too much emphasis on mapping in my opinion. Mapping did not help me at all.

Lectures are useless unless you need a quick review. If you count that as your studying, then it won't do any good. I don't remember anything from those lectures at all. At least I still have my books though.

 

[matthew0126]

welp, guess i was lucky

my TPR was awesome!!!! i took it in orange county, CA, and all my instructors were top-notch. not a single one was bad. the great thing was they were either 1. super geniuses in their subject so they knew EVERYTHING, or 2. the actual authors of the study guides. crazy huh?

dunno about you guys, but i was very very very satisfied. the class combined with studying the study guides raised my score 15 points. thats definitely worth $1000 to me.

plus my ochem instructor was hot 😀