Kaplan Review?

[Hawkeye]

Can anyone tell me if taking either the Princeton or Kaplan review is really worth the money? I have heard that these review classes cost a pretty penny, and if I could cut the cost by studying out of a $70 book that would be great. What does one of these review sessions cost and how do they work? Thanks to all in advance.

Go Hawkeyes

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[rhillstr]

Hawkeye,
I know people who swear by it, but I studied out of the Flowers and Silvers book and I did great. It's all a matter of:
A.) Are you motivated and independent
B.) Are you a book learner
C.) Can you afford to thrown down
If you need guidance and something to force you to study, give them your hard earned cash. You can do GREAT without them just the same.
Hope this helps
RH

 

[futuredo]

I took Kaplan and found it to be very helpful.
They have many resources.
Also, you will take practice tests with other students. That will help you get used to the exam atmosphere.
The instructors will tell you what to focus on which is also very helpful. I would highly recommend Kaplan. If it helps you to get a higher score on the MCAT, it is worth the money.

 

[Pepe]

I know opinions will vary on this but I took a Kaplans course and it was just under $1000 dollars and I thought it wasn't worth it. The problem was that the course is just like any other class. There is no magic formula and all they do is give you a structure to work by. If you don't put in the time it won't help you and if you do put in the time you could have done it on your own and saved money. My scores did go up six points but when I started the class I lacked one semester of physics, organic, and biology. This could be the reason my scores went up. The biggest problem I found was that our lectures lasted 3 hours and out of this time I was comfortable with 80% of the material and needed more time on the part I wasn't comfortable with than was assigned. I guess the bottom line is if you need the structure do it, but if you pay your money devote the time to make it work.

 

[DocGibby]

Everyone here has hit right on target, so no need to comment further on that. I'm a kaplan man myself. I do have a 3rd option for you. For roughly $200 (actually I'm pretty sure it's less) you can purchase all the materials including practice tests, review books ect.. from Kaplan. I'm sure Princeton Review does the same thing, but i'm not certain. In anycase, you'll get all the materials you need to score well minus the intructors and use of their laboratory resources. If I could do it all over again, I'd probably have done that instead.

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DocGibby
MSUCOM class of 2004

 

[Hawkeye]

DocGibby:

How do I go about getting those materials from Kaplan/Princeton Review? Thanks for responding!

Go Hawkeyes

 

[vmac]

Take the Princeton Review!!

 

[Susan]

I found Kaplan very useful, not so much the classes but the advise that was availabe on all aspects of the application process, the chance to rehearsal the actual full day test experience with a large group, and finding other students to go through it with (since I've been out of school for awhile).

 

[ntxawmx]

Does anyone know if a person with these Kaplan Diagnostic scores has a ghost of a chance at increasing them for the April exam?

V-8
P-6
B-6

pretty pathetic huh? Can Kaplan help this poor person? Any testimonies?



[This message has been edited by ntxawmx (edited 12-14-1999).]

 

[DocGibby]

Hawkeye,

Call 1-800-kap-test. I think that's the best place to start. Ask them about obtaining the practice materials only. You could check out thier web site also.

ntxawmx,

those diagnostics don't mean anything. First off their shortened tests. Furthermore, I got like a 7 in Bio. When I took the actual test I got a 10 (go figure).

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DocGibby
MSUCOM class of 2004

 

[rhillstr]

The diagnostic is only to scare you into taking the Kaplan course. It's the hardest questions they could find, or at least it seems so. I got 6, 7, 7, on the diagnostic and beat all three by at leat 3 points per section on the real thing. Just study and don't worry about that diagnostic score.
RH

 

[DoctorK]

I did TPR...initial diagnostic scores of 4V, 5P, 6B. I was able to raise that to 10V, 8P, 10B and writing Q for the real thing. I don't swear by the prep courses, but they do force you to study. My prep course classmates and I spent all summer together studying. I know that if I took the test again, I could raise my scores even more. I was terrified of that stupid test, and I know that test anxiety affected my score. I'm a non-traditional student, and the last standardized test I took was the SAT in 1987.

With hindsight, I know I could have studied the same amount on my own, but I think it was invaluable to have taken 12 full-length tests by the test date.

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We are the music makers, and we are the dreamers of the dreams.

--Willy Wonka

 

[Nav]

I agree with DoctorK,
I found the best way to study for the exam was to go over all the science once, maybe a second time for the stuff you have trouble with.
Then, do all the practice exams you can find. The more you can do, the better. Go over the questions you got wrong and maybe study that section again.

 

[IDAHO]

atxawmx,
I scored an 8V,6P,8B on my diagnostic. I ended up with an 8V,10P,11B. Like everyone else said, the diagnostic is not a good representation of the real test or your abilities.

Hawkeye,
I think Kaplan helped a lot. After taking the 5 simulated full length exams, I really felt relaxed on test day. The way I reasoned the $1,000 was; I had already spent X dollars on my undergraduate education, I would be spending XXX dollars on my medical education, and I wasn't able to get a good score on my own. So, it was worth it to me to fork out the $1000 dollars to help me get the score I needed. But, like others have said, it is very possible to be successful without a prep course.

 

[Hawkeye]

Thanks to all who have been responding. I am still unsure what I am going to do at this moment. I would really like to take the course, but am terrifired of shelling out $1,000 for the course and could have done just as well with a $75 book. I am considering contacting Kaplan and seeing if I can get the material like DocGibby suggested. Once again thanks to all for the advice.

GO Hawkeyes

 

[ntxawmx]

Everyone,

Thank you so much for sharing your scores with us. I feel so much better now. I was beginning to think I had no chance.

So how did you study with Kaplan? Did you rely solely on their Review Notes and Pratice materials or did you look at your old texts, notes, etc...? I'm sure everyone's strategy is different but how much studying did you actually do? Hours per week? What helped, what didn't help?

[This message has been edited by ntxawmx (edited 12-15-1999).]