So I'm studying to retake the MCAT in January. The first time I took the MCAT I used Kaplan and some AAMC materials. Right now, I'm using Examkrackers and Princeton Review books. I was considering taking an online course, but a lot of people on here are saying it's not worth it. I feel like you would get some test taking tricks with a course. Any of you who have taken a course, what course did you take and what was your experience with it? Do you think it was helpful? Do you think it would be more helpful to get another book set and just self study?
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- Thread starter mpa19
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I chose not to take a course and instead spent that money on the best passage-based books available, all the good commercial FLs I could get, and all of the AAMC material. For science practice, nothing beats TBR. Get their biology, chemistry, organic and physics books. For CARS, EK and TPR are both very good. Get both. For P/S I think anything will work. The 300 page review packet is a must. Definitely buy everything AAMC releases. When you're ready, get FL packages from EK, Altius, and TBR. Whatever you don't use in an actual FL practice sitting do for homework. All that material is still about half of what it costs for a prep course.
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deleted931910
I personally didn't take a course and spent my money on Kaplan books and some AAMC materials (like the flashcards and FLs) instead. If you don't mind me asking, what did you score on the first test? What is your target score? Why are you choosing materials from an alternate source instead of using Kaplan again?
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There have been a lot of people posting disappointment about low scores that used the materials the OP used. That is probably the case here. I personally think it's a good idea to change things up, especially since the most important thing is practice passages.
lekarsz_90
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So for some people taking a prep course is the missing key to their studying. If you are using a book series, read the reviews before buying that book. I made the mistake of using a book someone had gifted me and it was full of wrong outdated information. If money is an issue check blogs with tips or free questions, def saves you money. I used this for CARS CARS Practice Passages, Questions & Answers super helpful.
Group study can be helpful too if you have some classmates that are also prepping. Check to see what they have used and what they suggest or if they are willing to share notes. Doesn't hurt to ask. Good luck!
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Prep course isn't worth it. Princeton Review is garbage. Wayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy too many details. I used examkrackers, the khan academy MCAT prep, and official AAMC tests. Got a 510 (I was super weak in biochem and that's my own fault, had I done better in that we'd be talking 513-515 range).
So I did take a course and found it to be very helpful, but I think it just all depends on the person. I really liked the schedule and the materials that came with the course. I did Altius. It was a lot of work, but I honestly think it helped me score higher than I would have been able to by myself. Again, it's not for everyone, but I would strongly recommend at least looking into it.
Some folks are incredibly independent, resourceful, and effective self-studiers. If this is you, I do not reccommend taking a prep course. If you know yourself well enough that you need a bit more direction and hadn holding (not a bad thing at all), then a prep course may be better. Either way, I think it is good to supplement self-studying wth FL exams from private companies (i.e. Kaplan, Altius, Next Step, etc.)
Also, keep in mind that no matter how hard a test prep company tries, it is really hard to mimic the CARS section of the MCAT. I took an Altius prep course and found that, as good as their material can be, the CARS material was sometimes overly complicated compared to the AAMC material and it caused me to overthink questions. I recommend using the AAMC's CAR practice books and reading difficult material on your own.
Whatever you decide to do, know thy learning style. Once you identify this, then either pursue a program, or create the most effective self-stufy program you can.
Good luck!
