Are the MCAT prep courses worth it? What are some other worthwhile materials to use when studying?

[Yazo]

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Hi everyone. The MCAT courses are very expensive (as all of you know) and I think I'd rather put that money into applying to more schools. Is that a good plan?

While we're on the subject, what materials should I be getting for this summer? I'm hoping to take the MCAT in January of 2018.

Thanks!

 

[Nave]

The question has been asked ad nauseam. Use the search function on Student Doctor Network.

 

[partypantss]

Hi everyone. The MCAT courses are very expensive (as all of you know) and I think I'd rather put that money into applying to more schools. Is that a good plan?

While we're on the subject, what materials should I be getting for this summer? I'm hoping to take the MCAT in January of 2018.

Thanks!

What do you mean by "courses?" You mean the actual classes they offer? I personally never bothered with those since I'm a self learner anyway. There really isn't any concept on the MCAT that's so mind blowingly complex that you can't figure it out on your own. Courses are a waste of money IMO unless you are awful at sticking to a elf-directed study plan or learn best by being lectured to I guess. Just buy a content review series (I personally prefer EK over Kaplan) maybe buy access to the "coursesaver" videos if you need further explanation of some tough concepts and buy every AAMC resource you can get your hands on. Plus practice tests of course.

 

[westsidestoryz]

online resources are worth it. the in-person was a waste

 

[Yazo]

What do you mean by "courses?" You mean the actual classes they offer? I personally never bothered with those since I'm a self learner anyway. There really isn't any concept on the MCAT that's so mind blowingly complex that you can't figure it out on your own. Courses are a waste of money IMO unless you are awful at sticking to a elf-directed study plan or learn best by being lectured to I guess. Just buy a content review series (I personally prefer EK over Kaplan) maybe buy access to the "coursesaver" videos if you need further explanation of some tough concepts and buy every AAMC resource you can get your hands on. Plus practice tests of course.

online resources are worth it. the in-person was a waste

Thanks for the advice, guys. I'm the type of learner that shows up to lecture just to get the notes and I study at home (I also avoid studying with friends). My parents think the courses are something that's required to be successful (both of them work in the medical field and they know some volunteers that took the courses, but only 1 or 2 of them actually got into med school), but I think our money would be better spent if we spend it on study textbooks and applications down the line.

 

[Welshman]

you're absolutely going to need some sort of access to many practice FLs. As for in person, I'd say it depends on who the teacher is. Mine was great and really taught me a lot of tricks, the others I've heard about not so much...

 

[optimisticcynic]

I did an online MCAT tutor with NextStep Test prep. I thought it went quite well. I would also recommend the Exam Krackers for subject reviews.

 

[ready2go2]

Definitely self study. Use the MCAT forum on here and on reddit as helpful resources (also super great for discussion with fellow test takers). Start here to read about ways that people who scored 80+ percentile studied to achieve such a score. You'll quickly notice that the majority of people in that thread went course-less for their prep. Use the advice in there to come up with a personalized study schedule and figure out which study material will work best for you.

 

[efle]

not worth for the course. moving at their pace instead of your pace is a big disadvantage imo, better to be flexible and able to spend more time on your weak spots, less time on your strong topics. Just get the book set an all the AAMC materials, make yourself a schedule, and self-study

 

[pseud0]

Kaplan online was pretty useful i guess.

The inclass portion was more than a waste, i believe i would have performed better if i just did more dedicated alone study time with more practice exams.