Is Kaplan course going to help that significantly

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I know there have probably been threads like this, however I won a FREE $2000 Kaplan course through a scholarship and was wondering whether or not the amount of work I put into it will pay off. Thanks

 

[Ismet]

I know there have probably been threads like this, however I won a FREE $2000 Kaplan course through a scholarship and was wondering whether or not the amount of work I put into it will pay off. Thanks

If it's free, you should do it! I got a Kaplan course for half off through an auction, and I thought it was a good supplement to my studying. You MUST put in the work and you MUST not fall behind. You get 8 or 10 or something Kaplan full-length exams, which are fairly on par with the real MCAT. You also have access to all the AAMC tests. Plus the content review books, all the topic tests, etc...it's a great resource to have. I would suggest getting an additional verbal practice book if you find yourself struggling in VR, as Kaplan's VR is way easier than the real MCAT.

The classes are a little pointless, especially because half my class consisted of slackers who thought their "study time" was going to class 6 hours/week. You really don't HAVE to go to class, but in order to qualify for the higher score guarantee, you can't miss more than 2 classes.

 

[SN2ed]

Since it's free, just use their better resources like their science practice passages and the first 6 FLs. However, I would still suggest you pick up better material.

 

[JRG]

I was in the same boat as you were, I won a Kaplan certificate through my school and was at a crossroads as whether to do their course or use my own schedule. There are no Kaplan centers around where I live so I opted to do the online on-demand class. Ultimately I decided, after trying their program for a week, to use my own schedule with TBR and EK books because I just learn better through independent study. I have been very grateful, however, that I have access to their materials such as all the AAMCs and their question bank.

I would say if you learn better in a structured classroom setting than it is totally worth it, but if are pretty self-disciplined and prefer reading independently the materials used in SN2ed's schedule are AMAZING!

 

[ridethecliche]

Since it's free, just use their better resources like their science practice passages and the first 6 FLs. However, I would still suggest you pick up better material.

By better material, do you mean content?

The kaplan books aren't bad and their online q bank has tons of passages. Between the 6 FL's, all the AAMC's, and the q bank, don't you think there's adequate material for practice?

That said...
I've found that I (and most others I spoke to) benefited from using a few resources to study. Seeing the same material in 2-3 different ways makes it easier to understand.

I used kaplan for a few gen chem things but deferred to NOVA for physics over both Kaplan and EK. Ek was my main squeeze for bio, but I used kaplan for some neuro stuff since EK was way too convoluted.

 

[MD2BeWpg]

By better material, do you mean content?

The kaplan books aren't bad and their online q bank has tons of passages. Between the 6 FL's, all the AAMC's, and the q bank, don't you think there's adequate material for practice?

That said...
I've found that I (and most others I spoke to) benefited from using a few resources to study. Seeing the same material in 2-3 different ways makes it easier to understand.

I used kaplan for a few gen chem things but deferred to NOVA for physics over both Kaplan and EK. Ek was my main squeeze for bio, but I used kaplan for some neuro stuff since EK was way too convoluted.

RTC, do you mean to say that you think EK bio was sufficient for the MCAT? Or would you recommend reading something more detailed such as the TPRH Bio book ? Thanks for your advice!

 

[MDminded]

By better material, do you mean content?

The kaplan books aren't bad and their online q bank has tons of passages. Between the 6 FL's, all the AAMC's, and the q bank, don't you think there's adequate material for practice?

That said...
I've found that I (and most others I spoke to) benefited from using a few resources to study. Seeing the same material in 2-3 different ways makes it easier to understand.

I used kaplan for a few gen chem things but deferred to NOVA for physics over both Kaplan and EK. Ek was my main squeeze for bio, but I used kaplan for some neuro stuff since EK was way too convoluted.

I agree. I think a cocktail works best, but I personally liked the content review done by Kaplan. I think they could up the difficulty on their practice materials (i.e. physics, bio, organic could be harder). I'd defer to TBR for that.

RTC, do you mean to say that you think EK bio was sufficient for the MCAT? Or would you recommend reading something more detailed such as the TPRH Bio book ? Thanks for your advice!

Details depend on *you*. How much do you remember? Do you need to start from scratch?

 

[ridethecliche]

I think EK Bio has enough to get you atleast a 10-11.

There were a few questions (maybe 2-3?) on my test that I'm pretty sure weren't covered. So I think you can get up to a 13 if you know everything in EK bio. You should be able to reason some of the other stuff, but a 12-13 is pretty awesome. Note that this is assuming that you're doing similarly well on bio as you are on orgo.

 

[Sitagliptin]

I know there have probably been threads like this, however I won a FREE $2000 Kaplan course through a scholarship and was wondering whether or not the amount of work I put into it will pay off. Thanks

I'd take it, but as others have said, SUPPLEMENT the material you get in Kaplan with stuff from other companies, preferably BR or EK. Kaplan material is useful to a point, but I always found that their passages emphasize more calculation and less critical thinking than the real MCAT, and their Verbal is completely unrepresentative. This seems to be the consensus on SDN as well.

Seriously though, do all you can without burning yourself out. Leave no stone unturned.

 

[Whatyousay]

Kaplan....lol.