How accurate is KAPLAN/PR???

[laavp]

This is a question to all of my fellow SDNers
who have taken Kaplan or PR.

How accurately do your practice MCAT exams taken while enrolled in the courses reflect on the actual score you will get the day of the real thing?

I got a <img border="0" alt="[Wowie]" title="" src="graemlins/wowie.gif" /> 15 (5s on all 3 sections) on my
Kaplan diag. and in 6 weeks brought that to a 23 (8s V and PS, and 7 on Bio)on my first full length. With 6 more weeks til 4/20, I am confident that my scores will go up with prepping.

Any feedback is appreciated. Thanks!

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[SHIBBY]

Hey--
The first kaplan test is by FAR the toughest you will EVER take, including the one you take for the real deal. The reasons, twofold:
1) You have a bigger improvement from the first to the last m-cat (thereby showing Kaplan's might!)
2) To scare you into taking the stuff seriously.

How accurate are they: I took the M-CAT once and scored a 33, although my biology section was quite low...this was within 1-2 points of the final two practice M-cats I took with Kaplan.
So, they are fairly accurate at the end of the review process.
A couple of words of advice...Kaplan is great, but you get what you put into it...great job on your improvements...keep going and you will notice the difference (I think I made a 19 or so on that first review M-Cat. Hope that helps! And good luck!
Oh, and one more thing--the best advice I ever got for the MCAT was from Kaplan. The guy suggested that we wake up at 6 am every day until the test day. The first thing we were to do was to read critically at 6am...Newsweek, J.R Tolkien, the BIBLE, anything to get your mind working critically early in the day...my verbal scores skyrocketed with that advice. Also, he suggested we play a puzzle IQ game like Tetris or Dr. Mario---believe it or not, it helps you to not panic during those long introductory passages in the MCAT!!!

 

[Doc AdamK in 2006]

I think you said that you are taking the Kaplan Course.

I can't really comment on Kaplan, but when I took Princeton review twice my diag scores nearing the end were accurate.

Luckily it wasn't accurate to my first diag score. (1,4,7)

My real MCAT was much better (7,9,11)

Good Luck

Have a great day

AK

 

[njdocDO]

I took Kaplan, which in the end was very much worth it I think, especially for the verbal and written sections.

My scores on the practice tests were low (low-mid 20's). I took the real thing and got a 31 (11V, 10B, 10P, writ-R). I believe kaplan normalizes your scores, just as the real test, compared to other students in the class. With Kaplan, you supposedly have the "smarter" group of students, so you have harder competition. On the real test, there will be thousands of people scoring much, much lower, hence your score will go up on the scaled final outsome, hopefully. Just relax. That exam tests your nerves as much as your brains.

 

[fiesty4]

TPR is fairly accurate. 28 on the last diag. 30 on the real thing. Kaplan and TPR are great if you put the work into it. Good Luck

 

[Dr JPH]

My final TPR was the same as my actual MCAT. Overall score was the same, the numbers were just moved around a bit.

I think my first diag was a 12. That proved to be nothing more than a humbling experience in itself.

 

[crystalcompton]

After reading the other postings...I'm going to be the break from the norm it seems.

To me Kaplan wasn't helpful at all. I scored tremendously higher on the practice exams compared to the "real" thing. In fact, there was over a 10 point difference 0) believe it or not!

Also, the comment on reading at 6am, is a good one. I do agree with that aspect. BUT...here's a tip, don't do it on the morning of the exam. It will just make you more upset, and nervous.

Overall, it is true, you get out of it what you put into it. But, where the downfall with me came...I have yet to figure out.

Another great pointer an admissions counselor at the med school told me was to lay off of sugar and caffine in preparation for the exam. Eat brain food! This test is a dooser...8 hrs long. I think it test your stamina more than intellect. So, go with peanuts, granola, rasins, water, juice, etc. a while before the exam. This gets you away from the high stamina from sugar that runs out half way through the exam...and with the brain food, you have energy longer! Which is of benefit when that Bio. section rolls around.

Take care and good luck! Don't psyche yourself out over it (best pointer u can have), you can take it again! <img border="0" title="" alt="[Eek!]" src="eek.gif" />