Are MCAT Prep Course Really Worth the Price?

[screwedpremed88]

Some MCAT courses cost 1000ish dollars. What do you learn from these courses that aren't in the book. Are they really worth it? Have some of you taken the MCAT without one of these prep courses and still done well?

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[silverhorse84]

I thought it was really helpful, but that's partially because I don't learn well from just reading a book. I am a more visual/kinesthetic learner so having a teacher in front of me with a white board works a lot better than sitting my butt down in a chair and reading. 😳

Plus, it gave access to practice exams which also definitely helped.

I took it with several of my friends which made it nice and more fun. Really all I did to study for the MCAT was go to the prep course and take a couple of practice exams. I should have studied more outside of the class, but oh well 🙄

 

[EpiPEN]

Yes



The class provides you with resources that you normally have to search high and low for (like loads of previous MCAT exam questions and practice tests). Also, it's nice to have someone to answer your questions even though it will be probably pretty rare since you have alread learned the information once upon a time. And finally, and personally, I think it's a good motivation to study. Sadly, while you CAN study on your own, I personally tend to study on a more regular basis and consistantly study more if I'm paying and attending regular classes.

They promised a 10 point improvement on my MCAT (from my first mock test) and I got the 10 points of improvements on the real test they advertised at Princeton Review. So it was worth it for me.

 

[RySerr21]

i've heard mixed reviews about paid courses. Some love it. Some wisb they had their 1K dollars back. If you have the extra money and the time, I'd say you have nothing to lose. If its a crappy course, at least you got material and practice tests that you can study on your own with. If you don't have the money, don't sweat it. Plenty of people do well studying on their own.

 

[chemolupusMD]

All depends of the type of learner that u r. If u can study well on ur own and u r a book worm, then dont waste ur money with the courses. Get urself a couple of practice test either online from AAMC or other sources and u ll do well. Now, if u r one of those ppl that needs the presure of being in a class to remind focus i ll say take a review course. The reality is that the classes itself is not what is worth the money, is the online material what makes it so expensive. I remember that the difference between the kaplan online and the course was like $100 or so. If u apply urself u will do good with or without the review courses.

 

[SiR99]

I would also like to get some opinions about the OP's questions.

I hear alot of people say that it did not help them out, but maybe it did help them and they just dont realize it? I dont know

Also to the OP: which prep companies are ~$1000 dollars, most that I have looked into are $1600-2000

 

[chad5871]

This discussion is better suited for the MCAT Discussions forum, where you may receive more responses. I am moving it there now.

 

[scaredoflife]

Dude I hated my kaplan course it was great, but you would have to no classes and just that prep course. It was time consuming and it was okay. Kaplan is not the course I would recommend paying 1800 bucks for, maybe princeton or something.

 

[screwedpremed88]

I just threw that price out there. I wasn't sure. I just know they are ridiculously expensive. I guess they are more around $2000 dollars. I definitely can't afford that 🙁.

 

[scaredoflife]

I just threw that price out there. I wasn't sure. I just know they are ridiculously expensive. I guess they are more around $2000 dollars. I definitely can't afford that 🙁.

yeah no the prep course definitely more than 1300 dollars. Sometimes pre-medical organizations will get deals from prep-courses and auction them off so maybe look for that at your college?

 

[Hyperstudyosis]

I definitely don't have the money to do a prep course and I think it will be okay in my case because I do very well with "self-learning." If you are able to motivate yourself and teach yourself, then you will probably be okay without a prep course. My pre-health advisor told me he's seen a lot of people score in the upper 30s without a prep course. I have been buying the AAMC practice tests and taking those, along with studying from my Princeton review book and some Kaplan books that my pre-health advisor let me borrow.

 

[SN2ed]

You need to gauge the competency of the teachers in YOUR area. Some places have awful "teachers" that do not help and, in the worst cases, hurt your score. Other times, the teacher can really motivate you to study and help you achieve your target score. Ask other pre-meds in your area if they've taken a course and sit in on a lecture if possible.

If you don't have good teachers, then the class may still be worth it. You could easily form a group with some of the students which will help in studying and provide camaraderie.

However, the main reason to take a prep course is the sheer amount of practice material they give you. Note that I didn't say content review material. This is because there are usually better options than Kaplan or TPR for the different subjects. Still, if you need practice material and only practice material, sign up for an online course and save a little money.

The last aspect of this decision is whether you need to be paying for a class to study more. If it helps, then do it.

As an aside, never pay attention to the guaranteed score increase because they are typically gimmicks. In other words, they give you an abnormally hard test your first day which is designed for the majority of students to do badly.

 

[mcant]

I took a Kaplan classroom course here in Montreal and would recommend it to anyone. I'm horrible for cramming all my studies into the 3 weeks before finals so this class forced me to keep up with the material as it was taught. I also took it with 3 friends which made it much more tolerable.

Apparently it's hit or miss with the teachers though, I lucked out with mine. Then again I haven't received my scores yet so my opinion might change in two weeks

 

[student1799]

The MCAT is absolutely brutal, and I think you could be asking for trouble if you don't take a prep course. I took the Kaplan online class. It costs a lot of money (about $1700), but I think it's worth it. I just finished a 2-year postbacc program in mid-May, spent 8 weeks studying like mad for the MCAT using Kaplan online, and took the MCAT on 7/8. Hopefully on Monday I'll find out how much good it all did me.🙂

I took the online class for 2 reasons: 1. My schedule and learning style.
2. Students who took the classroom version last year told me that they ditched class and ended up doing it all online anyway.

Besides the flexibility of the online class, the most important benefit of Kaplan is all the ONLINE tests. There are probably close to 100 tests available in the course, including quizzes, subject tests on specific topics (e.g. carbonyl reactions), practice MCAT sections, and 11 full-length practice MCATs. You probably can't or won't want to take every test, but they're there if you need them. My friends stressed again and again how important it was to do your practice tests online, so they'll get you used to the format of the real MCAT, and I tend to agree. Taking computerized tests is a big adjustment compared to the paper kind, and the sooner you get used to it the better.

I'm not saying Kaplan is perfect--far from it. Their verbal materials are abysmal (don't follow their methods, or your score may go DOWN), and I was shocked how many mistakes I found in the science tests (especially G Chem and orgo). But I'm not sure that PR would be much different in this respect. All in all, I still wouldn't have wanted to take the MCAT without having done the course.

 

[BerkReviewTeach]

Some MCAT courses cost 1000ish dollars. What do you learn from these courses that aren't in the book. Are they really worth it? Have some of you taken the MCAT without one of these prep courses and still done well?

I would say that you have answered your question by asking it. If you have a doubt about a course, then I'd be willing to say that a prep course is not for you. But to answer your question in general, I'd say it completely depends on the person.

For about half of the students I see in classes, I'd say that the course was absolutely necessary for them and without the strategies and review we offer, they wouldn't do nearly as well.

For about a quarter of the students, they get utility out of the class but I can't necessarily say that they couldn't have done it on their own with the same efficiency and proficiency. The course just made studying more convenient and gave them guidance.

For the remaining quarter, I think many of them could have invested their time better than being in class. I think our course gets more of these types of students than other programs, because our marketing person actively recruits from a very select pool of overachievers. The people who would get a 35+ cold.

So who I think our course benefits is:

• the person who gets more out of lecture than reading.
  the person who likes to laugh and appreciates/wants/needs a supportive environment.
  the person who needs to be forced to sit and take timed passages and learns while going over them right afterwards.
  the person who can comprehend and use short cuts without overthinking them.
  the person who needs test-taking strategies incorporated into the material rather than as a separate lecture.
  the person who starts mid-20s to low 30s.

Who I think our course does not benefit is:

• the person who gets more out of reading than lecture.
  the person who doesn't like a supportive environment (loner types).
  the person who doesn't want to do many passages and prefers to read text.
  the person who just plain doesn't understand most of the subjects. (I don't think any course benefits them, as harsh as that may sound.)
  the person who makes rude comments in class. (We rarely get these types, but when we do the boss trusts our suggestions as teachers to remove such students from class and refund their money.)
  the person who starts in the teens or in the mid-30s.

As for whether the materials offer the same things as the class, I hate the fact that there are things we teach in class (and have in the in-class handouts) that are more useful than what appears in the books. There are many short cuts we teach that don't appear in the books. The author of the books (Todd) told me that he fears that the cool tricks will be stolen and find their way into other printed materials. I guess that's life.

 

[nevinleiby]

You need to gauge the competency of the teachers in YOUR area. Some places have awful "teachers" that do not help and, in the worst cases, hurt your score. Other times, the teacher can really motivate you to study and help you achieve your target score. Ask other pre-meds in your area if they've taken a course and sit in on a lecture if possible.

If you don't have good teachers, then the class may still be worth it. You could easily form a group with some of the students which will help in studying and provide camaraderie.

However, the main reason to take a prep course is the sheer amount of practice material they give you. Note that I didn't say content review material. This is because there are usually better options than Kaplan or TPR for the different subjects. Still, if you need practice material and only practice material, sign up for an online course and save a little money.

The last aspect of this decision is whether you need to be paying for a class to study more. If it helps, then do it.

As an aside, never pay attention to the guaranteed score increase because they are typically gimmicks. In other words, they give you an abnormally hard test your first day which is designed for the majority of students to do badly.

Did Kaplan...instructors definately make a difference.

My gen chem and organ prof had a phd in chem (she took kaplan for her gre's, etc, but never did mcats...her 2nd time teaching), but most of the class thought that she was an idiot or at the very least, all over the place in lecture - on a few occassions I felt like I was dumber after going to her classes. Never answered her email...

Verbal prof was okay, but how can you teach verbal anyway? Her residency started after 60% of the class was through, so we ended with verbal 3 1 month before everything else...wtf...

on the other hand, my phys/bio guy was an outstanding teacher and individual...solid examples (pulling from his tests, med school), patient, answered emails, gave you advice, calmed you down, etc...

but regardless...the materials, pace, and being exposed to everyone else doing the same was a great motivator...still recommend, but just expect that will be hit or miss

 

[Success0808]

I just took Princeton Review and it was $1700 or something like that. It was worth every penny. We had 42 classes each 2.5 hours. All the tests came with it. All my teachers except one was great!!! I spent more time in those classes than I would have in a class at school that cost $2000+. Plus we covered 5 topics and the teachers were there for both extra help and support. I had all my teachers cell phone numbers and they would always respond to my texts or emails immediately.

I hadn't seen alot of the material in a while and I was lucky that PR really goes through every subject and breaks them down. They even had mandatory office hours.

I will say my experience was so great because my teachers were great. If you get horrible teachers you might regret signing up for the course.😀

 

[mcant]

I improved 12 points from my diagnostic (22 ---> 34) in 3 months. It's worth it!

 

[LaCasta]

I just took Princeton Review and it was $1700 or something like that. It was worth every penny. We had 42 classes each 2.5 hours.

I would like some opinions on this... it seems like PR offers almost twice as much class time as Kaplan. Is there anything they do which Kaplan doesn't?

 

[Barts]

I took TPR, it was the biggest waste of money and time that I've ever endured. I went to every class, studied, did everything they said. We even had students (that paid for this garbage) correcting the TPR teacher's on a regular basis. Needless to say, I bombed my first MCAT. I then decided to study on my own using primarily EK, and I did very well on my 2nd MCAT (38P).

I'm sure the experience can vary, especially by location, but since the OP wanted opinions, I thought I would share mine. I wouldn't pay $5.00 for the TPR course, and to this day I still regret throwing that money away.

 

[jamesrick80]

If anyone is interested in buying the TPR review books 2007-2008 from me or the EK complete study set with verbal 101 and bio 1001 included let me know. I also have the EK audio osmosis for sale. All three of these packages are $100 each plus $10 shipping and handling.

 

[BRRF]

I somehow want to get all the internet practice stuff that TPR offers, but I have NO interest in the course. I don't learn much from lectures. Always textbook.

Any advice?

 

[HiFi09]

Short answer...No it is not worth the money. Period. I dont really find this open for interpretation. I think it is undeniable that even a below average pre med student can do perfectly fine by studying on your own.

Is the class helpful? I'm sure it is to different degrees for different folks. You get teachers, their own practice tests, etc. However, it being helpful does not mean it is worth the kind of money they ask you for. Couple that with the good possibility of having crappy teachers (who could still be undergrads themselves) and it definetly isnt worth it.

To each his own though. With half the money you can come across some great resources and do great. My personal recipe:

1. Ek Verbal 101
2. Ek bio + 10001 Q's
3. BERK REVIEW CHEM + PHYSICS
4. EK or Berk Orgo
5. AAMC tests + A free gold standard test or pay $100 for ten gold standard tests.

If you must buy something, I suggest kaplan's online stuff. I paid a kid a hundred bucks for his password and it was a nice resource.

 

[manickamosu]

Do the online version of a prep course, if you choose to go that route.

Don't pay extra for the classroom sessions.... it's torture. I'm the kind of guy that doesn't really like skipping lectures during school and even I didn't go to half of my classroom sessions. I took Kaplan by the way. Their online practice materials are GREAT. They tests and quizzes are tough, but the explanations are terrific. Also, their workshops are very handy and nicely put together.

One more word of advice. I have not taken the MCAT yet, but whichever you choose... Kaplan/Princeton/Self study.... dont worry about your scores on practice tests and how they compare to the AAMC or the real thing or what you hear from other people on this forum. Just continue to study study study and polish up on your weak areas. I've figured the best way to tackle this exam is to have no weaknesses.

 

[osuguy]

wanna hear a bad tpr experience? im sure not everyone would experience this lol

first, i signed up for classes at night mon thru thurs during this summer. then about 2 weeks before, i found out it was cancelled because only like 4 people signed up so i had to take a class on the weekends from 12 to 5:30. then they decided to cancel some random classes here and there. one time even, we showed up and the teacher wrote on the board that class was cancelled without even bothering to let us know beforehand. to top it off, to make up the random classes they decided to cancel, they made us do 4 days where we had 8 hrs of class in a row(dinner provided of course). one weekend it was both sat and sun for 8hrs each. actually to really top it off, on the last saturday (the weekend before my mcat), the stupid verbal teacher told me what i was doing was wrong and that i should only do 6 passages and guess on the 7th instead of trying to pace myself as i have been doing all along. needless to say, i skipped her last class on sunday .

the only good things i think are the amount of practice tests and the review books. 2 of my teachers sucked but the other 3 were awesome. i think its hit or miss pretty much though.

ill see if it was worth it come friday...