Kaplan = bad

[ncb]

Has anyone else who has taken the Kaplan course found it to be completely worthless? I feel like my preparation time would have been much better spent reviewing the MCAT material and doing practic tests instead of sitting in class learning about passage maps and quickly reviewing a few topics.

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[IckeyShuffle]

Has anyone else who has taken the Kaplan course found it to be completely worthless? I feel like my preparation time would have been much better spent reviewing the MCAT material and doing practic tests instead of sitting in class learning about passage maps and quickly reviewing a few topics.

i agree, that being said Kaplan has an unbelievable amount of usefull material. including all of the aamc tests and all of the kaplan tests/questions. outside of AAMC material, the kaplan practice material is about as good as anything else you will see. In fact, i remember on one of the kaplan practice tests a passage on buckyballs with a pic of one, and on my real deal i had an entire passage on buckyballs without a pic. after seeing what a buckyball looks like, i was able to answer questions on the real deal that wouldnt have been as easy had i not had the kaplan test. I breezed through the passage without even blinking. so yes, kaplan has some advantages. I do think the class time is pretty worhless except for structure/confidence.

 

[HippocratesX]

hey thanks...now i know what a buckey ball is

 

[DiverDoc]

I got use out of their practice tests and their books, not a whole lot outta lecture sessions. Their VR is awkward too.

 

[BeatrixKiddo]

What is the main thing you should focus on in a kaplan coursE? What about th workshops and that?

 

[Rorasaurus]

It depends what kind of learner you are. If you need things handed to you, and you have money to throw away, take Kaplan. If you have self-determination and know your strengths and weaknesses in the material, for God's sake, save your money!!!! I spent $60 on books, got free practice exams, and studied 8 hours per day for 30 days (DISCIPLINE yourself!)... ended up with a pretty decent score

 

[GreenShirt]

The actual class time is not really all that helpful. We had 3 hr sessions, and I think they easily could have been cut down to 1-2hrs. However, the vast amount of resources they give you to study for are really worth the money, IMO.

 

[BeatrixKiddo]

The actual class time is not really all that helpful. We had 3 hr sessions, and I think they easily could have been cut down to 1-2hrs. However, the vast amount of resources they give you to study for are really worth the money, IMO.

if u leave early or come a few hours late what will they do

 

[wutwinb]

yeah, i think i'd rather have classroom sessions that just focused on strategy (mapping, timing, etc) and then office hours to come in and work on your weaknesses

 

[ncb]

I agree. I would recommend purchasing the practice materials (about $200) rather than spend $1700 on the course. I have found the practice tests, as well as the review material for physics, gen chem, and orgo very helpful. However, I've found that the Bio review isn't as thourough or encompassing as the other 3 subjects.

 

[Hindiana_Jones]

if u leave early or come a few hours late what will they do

The Kaplan instructor is told by Kaplan to mark that an individual came late and left early. I don't know if that affects your money back guarantee.

 

[Mark84]

I am nearing the end of my Kaplan course. I can tell you that the classroom portion is just a very basic covering of the topics you will see. I would not recommend at all that people take the course thinking the lessons alone will suffice. What I found awesome about kaplan is the sheer volume of materials they give you. The online component of the class has tons of topical, subject, and section tests as well as access to online notes and the Qbank. They have 5 required full lengths, and 11 total kaplan full lengths you can take (although 10 and 11 are too hard to be a good indicator of MCAT performance IMO). They also offer all 10 aamc MCAT exams in CBT format. You also get a box of materials and note cards and whatnot that I found to be a very helpful supplement. As with anything, you will only get out what you put into it. If you take the time to utilize all the resources they have available then your money will be well spent in my opinion.
I should say that I find the verbal from kaplan to be kind of awkward. Like most people will tell you I found the annotating to be a waste of time. Compared the actual aamc verbal sections, EK 101 is the closest in my opinion so I would suggest supplementing verbal materials if you do take the course.

 

[killinsound]

I am nearing the end of my Kaplan course. I can tell you that the classroom portion is just a very basic covering of the topics you will see. I would not recommend at all that people take the course thinking the lessons alone will suffice. What I found awesome about kaplan is the sheer volume of materials they give you. The online component of the class has tons of topical, subject, and section tests as well as access to online notes and the Qbank. They have 5 required full lengths, and 11 total kaplan full lengths you can take (although 10 and 11 are too hard to be a good indicator of MCAT performance IMO). They also offer all 10 aamc MCAT exams in CBT format. You also get a box of materials and note cards and whatnot that I found to be a very helpful supplement. As with anything, you will only get out what you put into it. If you take the time to utilize all the resources they have available then your money will be well spent in my opinion.

exactly my sentiments. really really GREAT material... i think you only get the Qbank when you buy their questions online... the truly worthwhile material is everything else you get with the class. this being the topical tests, workshops, subject tests, etc. the material is simply fantastic. (minus verbal)

 

[LC17]

Hey, I'm thinking of doing the MCAT in August and I was wondering what do you guys think about the prep courses. I would much rather save my money and study throughout the summer with books and the practice tests. I'm good with the science aspect however my writing and verbal reasoning could use work. Are there any books you recommend to really prepare you for the MCAT?

 

[noshie]

I went on Amazon and to Barnes and Noble. I found lots of new MCAT books, some with CD's or online access for practice tests. I took Kaplan the first 2 times I took it, but I think I may have done better if I had saved that money and spent it on the AAMC tests online (which is what I really thought was useful about having access to the Kaplan load of AAMC tests at their center).

 

[MeCord3]

For those of you who took the Kaplan course, what suggestions would you make to improve the class sessions?

 

[Mark84]

I would cover the material before you go to class. I used the class in that way as a means to cover the content twice, and reinstate any important details that I may have forgotten.

 

[GreenShirt]

For those of you who took the Kaplan course, what suggestions would you make to improve the class sessions?

More guided practice questions or sections, less lecturing on subject material. Even with these changes, though, I think less class time would be more beneficial by giving students more study time.

 

[IckeyShuffle]

kaplan also was great for taking practice tests in a testing environment. I dont know if it is the same for the computer version but when i did it for the paper based i liked how every saturday i was taking a full length practice test with other testers. it was a great simulation of the real testing enviroment. I also took a real AAMC test for practice test 5 rather than the kaplan which i did on my own.