Kaplan Live Courses

[Idon'tknow??]

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I was wondering if it is useful to enroll in live courses from Kaplan for Step 1 review, or would my time be used more efficiently by just studying from the books?

 

[NorthJerseyGirl]

I've asked this questions and seemed to get no answers. But, I think today I have decided to do the online Princeton Review course, it has more books, more hours, and 3 months of access instead of 2. Instead of a taped professor lecturing it has online lessons where you click on stuff and flash video's and what not. I figure it will keep me more engaged. Anyway... I hope you get some answers about the Kaplan course!

 

[Poesie Noire]

hey,
i agree with north jersey girl...in that so far...no replies to my questions as well. so far...only one person whom i personally know...took the live lecture course for step 2 and said it was well worth it. its interesting that he didnt take any course for step 1 but just reviewed the kaplan notes and q-bank, an got above a 230 on step 1. but for step 2....he took the live lecture course and studied just as hard or more. unfortunately, he did well but not as high as step 1. yet, he remains steadfast about the benefits of live lecture. for step 2, he specified that the live lecture makes more additions to the notes than the videos (tables, charts, etc), an he said he got a lot of general knowledge when he did his sub internships after step 2. yet, keep in mind that another friend of mine who didnt take a live lecture course for step 2 but watched all the videos assured that the videos were just as sufficient and that many of them are taped live lecture courses from the last 2 years. he did very well on step 2 as well. so, after all is said and done, i agree with the universal statement that it comes down to how one uses the time. knowing that everyone works in different ways (lecture setting, sitting at home glued to the chair, watching vidoes, etc), i guess you should just visit some sample lectures, look at the daily course schedule and see for yourself what benefits. take care and best of luck.

 

[ubiquitous]

I have a friend who took the 7-week live lecture through Kaplan after failing Step 1. She said it was absolutely awesome, the instructors were quite thorough, and it was worth her time to make sure that she passed the second time around! The 7-wk course is normally taken by foreign MDs, but my friend is a US med student and had no problem taking the course. Because her school required that she pass Step 1 before moving on to 3rd year, it meant taking a year off from school. But for her it was well worth it!

Unfortunately, I don't know anyone who's taken the 3-wk course geared toward US med students.

Hope this helps!

 

[Red58]

Hey everyone. I know a few people who took the Kaplan live lecture course for step 1 and they loved it. It's not offered where I am so I'm not taking it. I signed up for The Princeton Review online course and it's awesome (if you like interactive learning). The manuels are great and have clear explainations and great diagrams. Although I'm still going to use First Aid and BRS Path in addition to the TPR books. If anyone has any questions about the TPR couse, post your email and I will put you in contact with the lady that helped me.

 

[ktat72]

Hey, about the Princeton Review course, how useful is it in preparation? My schedule will not let me take the live Kaplan classes, and it looks like I might not be able to take the Intense Prep either. Is Princeton Review better than Kaplan in the preparation for step 1?

Email: [email protected]

 

[sicilianmd]

i think so, i took it and the professors are just amazing...its actually a great review, because just reading from the kaplan books is definitly not enough and they can sometimes be confuseing...

 

[Red58]

Hey everyone. Since I'm an anal med student who wants to do well on Step 1, I did some research on the various prep courses out there. Here's what I found.

Kaplan: Their live prep rocks!! From what I've heard they really have their act together and get you ready. However, their live prep courses are only offered in 5-6 cities for US medical students. I think it's different for IMG's, but I'm not sure. Their Web Prep is not very good. Apparently the lectures that you listen to are verbatem in the the books they give you so it's rather redundant.

The Princeton Review: Their live prep is ok. The people I talked who said it was decent, but they were expecting something on the level of their MCAT prep. Their online course however is awesome. It is very interactive with drills, questions, flash demonstrations, etc. I signed up for it, but I haven't used it much since the majority of my prep is going to be in the spring.

Youel's Prep and Northwestern Review (I think that's it's name): don't waste your time or money.

So my suggestion is that if the Kaplan live prep is in your area, take it!! If you are a visual learner and like interactive learning, take The Princeton Review's online course. If you are an audio learner, the Kaplan Web prep might do you well. I hope this helps. Don't take my information as gospel because everyone has different experiences and may have found other info.

 

[ktat72]

hey red58, thanks a lot for the input. I really wanted to sign up for the liveprep (even took off april and may for it) but i have a big rotation in February and March (ends March 31st and my advisor told me I cannot leave early to take the live Kaplan class in Chicago or New York) so I cannot take sign up for. Hey, do you want to study online? If you have AOL Instant Messenger, email my yahoo account and I will give you my AOL IM ID: [email protected]. What school do you go to?

 

[ktat72]

which course is better to take - Kaplan Intense Prep or Princeton Review WebPrep?