I took a class back in 2003 when I first took the MCAT (I think it was TPR). Took the MCAT again this past January without a class. There is good and bad to both, but I honestly don't see any reason to take a course. Here's some good and bad points about courses, and the counter to studying on your own.
The Good...
CLASS: organization, helps you stick to a schedule, for those who will slack off without the proper external motivation.
SELF: freedom & flexibility to create your own schedule, and go at your own pace.
CLASS: some courses, like Kaplan, offer TONS of practice material.
SELF: again, flexibility to choose what practice material to use and not use (I suppose you could always supplement your courses' material, but that's more money on top of the ~$2000 you just spent).
CLASS: some courses analyze your full-length practices to help you focus on weak areas.
SELF: AAMC practices sort of does this as well, but again it's up to you to thoroughly go through it, no one leading you by the hand.
CLASS: having an instructor and a classroom of peers to explain tough concepts.
SELF: I've been ~5 years removed from undergrad, nearly a whole decade removed from freshmen year physics and general chemistry. The MCAT material is not so difficult that it necessitates an instructor to teach you. All the material can be self-taught. And if you do have questions you can always find a study group, or do what I did and use the forums to ask questions. My main books were from EK, and they have a great forum (it's a paid membership, but absolutely worth it) with very knowledgeable moderators who will thoroughly explain Q&A's.
The Bad...
CLASS: gives some students a false sense of security that as long as they stick to the schedule and read every page assigned in the syllabus, they'll be fully prepared for the exam.
-- In reality, you need to go over everything multiple times, do lots of practices on your own, and over-prepare regardless of whether you're taking a course or not.
CLASS: again, a false sense of security that this particular courses' books (and instructors) will cover all the topics effectively and have you well-prepared for the exam.
-- In reality, from this forum it seems that most people use multiple sources to study from, there is no single best company for all MCAT topics.
CLASS: in my 2003 course, some of the classroom time was spent teaching verbal strategy and writing essays.
-- Most courses have a "strategy" to the verbal section, but I like EK's suggestion; there is no "strategy," just practice practice practice. So you may be paying for something you won't even end up using on the real exam. And there is almost no reason to "practice" writing essays, however, these courses must do so in order to advertise the "comprehensive MCAT course." Just know the format, look at a few old MCAT examples, that's it.
CLASS: the financial aspect.
-- I know, I know. We're all willing to give up our first year's salary & our first born son for 5 more points on the MCAT. But don't waste money if you don't need to. It's pretty clear that certain companies excel at certain topics, and other companies are great for practice exams, so why pay for a load of books that you'll be supplementing anyways with a better one? Or pay for practice exams when you'll be buying AAMC's as well?
I am wondering the same. Would anyone who didn't take the course and did well on the MCAT like to share their experience and the approach they took when studying on their own?
What books they used + the schedule they created to help them succeed?
I used all the EK study guides, 1001 questions books, and verbal practice book, as well as the aforementioned EK forum. I supplemented physics with NOVA's book, and used AAMC and Gold Standard for full-length practice exams. This was best for me because I hate lectures (I always fall asleep) and strict schedules. I liked making my own schedule, taking a couple days break when necessary, and going at my own pace. I didn't have a strict schedule for myself, just a general sense of where I should be within so many weeks, and it was constantly changing... my personality appreciates flexibility, but it may not suit everyone. Whether or not I found "success" this time around studying on my own, that we won't know until March 3rd.
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