Kaplan Course

[DrReo]

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👍I was wondering if everyone who has taken this course could submit their opinions about the review course. Was it worth the 1500 dollars, what score did they ultimately receive? Would you give it a 👍 or 👎?

Thank you

 

[xlr8]

I'm taking the classroom course right now, which I like because of my BS teacher. I think the online material from the syllabus is incredible, very challenging topical/section tests. You will never run of out practice material.

 

[SN2ed]

I'm also taking the classroom right now and I must agree that the online resources are amazing. However, the classroom experience is heavily teacher dependent. I've only had one teacher for a day throughout the entire course so far that knew their stuff. All of the other teachers have been horrible. They don't know their stuff and/or don't know how to teach. It's a bad sign when all the teacher does is read off the little sheet Kaplan gives them. So check around your area for opinions on the teachers you'll probably get.

 

[KStateDoc]

I took the class from January to May and I think I really benefited from it. I had a great teacher that explained everything really well...but what I got the most from was all of the online resources. The workshops and quizzes really helped me review.

I think it depends on how you learn. I really need a classroom and structure to study...otherwise, I don't think I would get it all done. But if you study well independently, you might do better w/o it. It's all up to you!

I haven't taken the MCAT yet..but my scores have been steadily improving. My diagnostic was an 18 but my last full length was a 31.

 

[Karen12345]

I took the course and I honestly don't think it was worth the money. It's not like they really give you any tricks. The key is for you to understand the material and practice. The books Kaplan gives as part of the course contain pretty much the same material that you get from their comprehensive review book (only the fonts are different). Many people like their online stuff, but I am strongly convinced that I would benefit more if I invested my money into the AAMC practice tests and a review book only. I think Kaplan's online quizzes were a distraction from really preparing for the test. In my opinion, people fall into the trap of thinking "it costs so much money, it must be good". Expensive does not mean good.

 

[greg1184]

I believe it is worth it. Kaplan's online materials are outstanding. It gives you AMPLE oppurtunity to practice. Full lengths, section tests, topical tests etc. Plus most importantly YOU GET ACCESS TO EVERY AAMC PRACTICE TEST!!!

I was lucky to get an OUTSTANDING teacher to teach most of the classes for the course. The other two teachers are okay, but this one is an amazing teacher.

I don't do their verbal techniques however. I find them too robotic and impersonal for a dynamic section like verbal. However give it a chance and see if it works for you.

 

[ssquared]

Much of the value in the Kaplan course is that it gives you a structured outline of what to study, and when. The amount of material on the MCAT is overwhelming at first (it's akin to studying for 10 final exams at once) so many people benefit from having a guide. Also, having somebody to answer your questions, in person, is a great resource you simply can't get from books alone.

(in the spirit of disclosure, I am a Kaplan instructor)

I took Kaplan myself, and I scored well enough (90th percentile) to teach for them, so there ya go. Take it as you will.

 

[DrReo]

Would it be a possibility to get access to Kaplan's online stuff don't take the course? And what books/flash cards do the distribute?

 

[KStateDoc]

I know that you can get the online stuff for a reduced price...I'm not exactly sure what it is though.

You get 6 books when you enroll in the class. There is one for VR (it has sections on the writing sample in it, too), BS, and PS. Those books have all the review you could ever need! You get a Lesson Book to take to class that you take notes in...it has lots of practice passages in each subject. The last book is a High-Yield Problem Solving Guide and I actually didn't use that one very much.

You get a TON of flashcards...seperated into OChem, Bio, GenChem, and Phys.

Like someone else already said, you get access to all of the AAMC tests and 11 Kaplan full lenghts!!

 

[ocwaveoc]

👍I was wondering if everyone who has taken this course could submit their opinions about the review course. Was it worth the 1500 dollars, what score did they ultimately receive? Would you give it a 👍 or 👎?

Thank you

I started this thread once about the Kaplan in class course. I'm finishing the course now.
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=410420&highlight=kaplan+in+class+course+ocwaveoc

Overall, it was a disappointing experience.
One thing I didn't mention in that thread is that Kaplan full length exam curve gets easier and easier as the class progresses to give you the illusion that you are actually benefiting from the course. I went from Kaplan Diagnostic of 24 to 30, 32 and 33 while on AAMCs CBT 3,4,5 and 7, I've gotten 28, 28, 30 and 27. I got a 13 on a Kaplan full length 3's PS for getting 69% of the questions correctly. Bull @$%&.

 

[KStateDoc]

Maybe it's just me...but I've actually been doing better on the AAMC tests.

 

[ToledoPike]

Im in a Kaplan class right now and I must say that it is definitely worth the money.

The materials provided + the online stuff is incredible...its impossible to do everything online b/c there is just so much (which is a good thing of course). The classroom is also nice if you have a knowledgeable teacher. I have 1 teacher for all subjects (sounds like some ppl have multiple teachers) and he is great all around. It is especially helpful for topics that I havent covered in a while that a book isnt always the best at explaining (like electrochemistry and optics).

When I started the class back in June before I did any studying, I had an 18 on my kaplan Diag (7/7/4. . . I have never taken bio). Now I am doing great all around.
FL1 - 26, FL 3 - 33, CBT 3 - 30, CBT 5 - 33, CBT 6 - 32, CBT 7 - 32 ...keeping around a solid 30+ range now and hoping to bring it up a little bit more.