Anyone not take the diagnostic prior to starting the classroom course?

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grindtime1

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Whether it's for Kaplan, Princeton or any other company, did any of you choose not to take the diagnostic?

Do they have a problem with this or do they not care?

I know I'm going to bomb it because I haven't done any content review yet, so is there any good reason for me to take it (that's unrelated to the refund policy)?

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Do they have a problem with this or do they not care?

so is there any good reason for me to take it (that's unrelated to the refund policy)?

First question, no, not really. If you don't take the diag it is not really an issue (as least for TPR).

But there is a good reason. Several, actually. One big one is it gives you a good idea what the MCAT is going to be like and when one of your teachers refers to a feature of the exam, you will know what they are talking about. Another big one is the fact that you will get an idea of where you need the most improvement before you start.
 
Hmm well I know Kaplan gives you the diag on the first class. TPR however recommends you do the diagnostic..but you do them on your own time..so it is really up to you when you start. Personally I didn't do it when it was scheduled, I did it on my own schedule.
 
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I would also recommend doing the diagnostic to secure your Better Score Guarantee.
 
Whether it's for Kaplan, Princeton or any other company, did any of you choose not to take the diagnostic?

Do they have a problem with this or do they not care?

I know I'm going to bomb it because I haven't done any content review yet, so is there any good reason for me to take it (that's unrelated to the refund policy)?

I want to apologize in advance for any attitude I exude, because you've hit my wild hair.

In general, I tend to think studying is studying when it comes to material. A class is meant to teach you how to think about questions, do certain types of questions faster, and help you recall your information under stressful conditions. I strongly believe in the way BR does things, but fully acknowledge that other methods work too. But when it comes to giving students a diagnostic on the first day (or in the first few weeks), what an absolute load of *#%$!!! BR doesn't do this for a simple reason: it doesn't tell you anything useful. You already know you need to review and taking a full length test with some arbitrary score that comes from a scale that may or may not be realistic is harmful.

All a diagnostic on the first day does is demoralize you. You don't need to take a full exam to know what the exam is like. You need to see a couple sample passages and have the time to analyze them thoroughly (which taking a full length exam unprepared doesn't allow for). BR's first class is spent going over the MCAT timing and strategies and showing what a passage is, so you know what we're talking about when incorporating test strategies. Exposure to three to four passages and some questions to get an idea of what you're up against is perfect. That allows us to talk about strategies and test skills in the context of the exam.

IMO, exams are given on the first day for self-serving statistical purposes only and are not in the best interest of students. CBTs at BR are available to students at their first request, but it is strongly suggested that you don't take one until you've reviewed at least half of the material. Then you are prepared enough to realize what you need to adjust to be more prepared for the test taking aspects.

Randomly guessing on questions on your opening day does no good whatsoever. Students know what they are weak in for the most part without an exam that can't be truly diagnostic with so few questions. A diagnostic exam that contains maybe two fluids questions on which you luckily guess correctly to get feedback that you are perfect in that subject harms you in terms of developing overconfidence in a critical area. Likewise, making a careless error on one of two questions in genetics tells you you're 50% on something you may know well. If you plan your studying to spend more time on that topic instead of something you don't know as well, it could be mis-spent time.

Sorry for the rant, but diagnostic exams on opening day are a crock!
 
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