Kaplan vs The Princeton Review

[Sk8er07]

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OK so I took the Kaplan course and thought it was TERRIBLE. My teacher was never prepared for class, always told us the wrong thing (and students had to correct him), and their practice tests were nothing like the real MCAT...


so I am considering signing up for the princeton review because it's

*cheaper (esp. with the new $200 discount)
**more classroom instruction (WAY more hours)
***they use multiple teachers, so each actually knows the subject they are teaching


how do people who have taken TPR feel about it? how much did your scores improve? has anyone taken both and could give me a preference?

 

[Sk8er07]

bump...

anyone? i know SO many ppl on these boards take these classes.... i could really use the advice. Thank you!

 

[Cytotoxic]

How about a third option: don't waste money taking another course. Use your Kaplan review books to study on your own and practice with the eight old AAMC exams (if you haven't already taken them).

 

[Sk8er07]

I wouldn't be spending money on the new course because I somehow managed to score 8 points below my aamc cbt test average and got the same score that i started with... so i get a full refund or I can take kaplan over...

and since i do not want to take kaplan over... i was going to put the money towards TPR (-300 because of our discount and the original price difference)

 

[mandinca]

I took the Princeton In-class course a couple of years ago. It SUCKED! I had the same experience as the OP with the Kaplan In-class course (unprepared staff, faulty info, etc.). So this summer I did the Kaplan on-line course....LOVED it! I was able to make my own schedule, and go at my own pace. There was a plethora of material available. Overall.....very pleased. I would suggest making sure you have enough time to immerse yourself in ALL the work......I didn't and might be doing a re-take of the course next summer. I can repeat the whole thing for only $499!

 

[DocWalken]

Online course definitely

 

[p30doc]

I took TPR live classroom class this summer, it was pretty intense, 4 hours of instruction 3 times a week for two months, I got a 20 on their diag and a 33 on the real thing. My average AAMC CBT score was a 30. I didn't really do anything else to prepare for the exam. I would recommend the course, most of the time is spend reviewing the concepts they say are important to know for the MCAT. This can be boring but it was also good because it forced me to review and listen to everythat that I already 'knew' and some things I didn't. I liked that each subject (orgo, bio, phy, chem, verbal) has a different instructor, all were good and competent except my orgo instructor.

 

[SexyMD]

Has anyone heard of the PRV ultimate MCAT summer program? Or the summer intensive program at Kaplan? And if so,, has anyone participated in it? I myself was thinking of taking it. I need a boot camp setting to study for this test.

 

[cur]

I believe I need a boot camp setting to study for this test.

[edited for snarkyness]

I need a cup of coffee.

 

[Dr. Aibolit]

Yeah, this is the question I ask over and over, still not sure which one to take. Did anyone take both? If so, how was the material in each (not teacher)? I heard kaplan's more strategy ("strategy" as in what? I know verbal, but what about the other sections?), while PR more concept review.
PUUUUUHLLLEEEAAASE someone give a clear answer 🙁

 

[greg1184]

I took the Kaplan course and had 3 instructors. One instructor that taught the majority of the classes was AMAZING. I ended up raising my MCAT by 6 points. The amount of practice materials they give you is overwhelming. 11 full lengths, section tests, topical tests, etc. The subject workshops are great too. I followed the online syllabus to the teeth. This is important, because if you procrastinate with the required assignments and fail to do the "strongly recommended" topical tests... you are wasting your time and money.

 

[pingouin]

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=280445

 

[DrJD]

I heard kaplan's more strategy ("strategy" as in what? I know verbal, but what about the other sections?), while PR more concept review.
PUUUUUHLLLEEEAAASE someone give a clear answer 🙁

I was a teacher for Kaplan for a while. It is definitely primarily strategy. For ALL sections they teach a skill called passage mapping. This is how to organize the information in the passage before answering the questions. And then there are question strategies as well. I will give you an overview quickly. Kaplan has a strategy for each level of the test.

At the Section Level - Triage (Do all the discretes and then do the passages in order of least to most hard. This is in order to get you to reach your "critical mass" which is the number of questions you need right to get your target score.) So Triage.

At the passage level - Passage Mapping - writing down the authors intent for each paragraph. You are tested on the intent of the author not on the info in it.

At the question level - STPM - Stop, Think, Predict and Match. This varies per section, but generally you read the question stem and then Think about it. Then predict an answer, and THEN look at the answer choices and match the closest one to your prediction.

I think that is all of them. Honestly I am having a little bit of a hard time remembering at the moment. Ha.

Hope that was clear for you as far as what Kaplan suggests!!

 

[jklasser17]

If you feel like you do not understand the material very well, TPR is your best bet. They take the time to have an individual instructor for each section. Tons of class time andaccessibility to AAMC tests plus 6 of their own.

 

[Barts]

I've said this in other threads regarding the same subject, but I'll say it again. 😉

I really feel that one of the all time biggest wastes of money I have spent in my life (I'm almost 40 so I've had time to spend money on stupid things mind you) is the TPR class I took. I did everything they suggested and studied religiously, and didn't break a 20 on my first MCAT. I then tossed all of TPR stuff and used EK books and AO and retook the MCAT--I scored more than double on the retake than I did with TPR. I'm sure there could be other factors involved..blah, blah, blah...but I really feel TPR was a monumental waste of money. Also, the first practice I took while using EK wasn't too great, so before anyone suggests it- NO, I don't think that TPR was really useful and it is somehow partially responsible for my second score. 😉 I can't comment on Kaplan as I have never used any Kaplan material.

 

[Barts]

so I am considering signing up for the princeton review because it's


***they use multiple teachers, so each actually knows the subject they are teaching


how do people who have taken TPR feel about it? how much did your scores improve? has anyone taken both and could give me a preference?

Just because they use multiple teachers doesn't mean those teachers know the subject material. When I took the course we always had people in our class correcting the teachers. It was sad, just sad.

 

[jklasser17]

Just because they use multiple teachers doesn't mean those teachers know the subject material. When I took the course we always had people in our class correcting the teachers. It was sad, just sad.

How many of those kids did better than your teachers?

 

[polyfemme]

Has anyone heard of the PRV ultimate MCAT summer program? Or the summer intensive program at Kaplan? And if so,, has anyone participated in it? I myself was thinking of taking it. I need a boot camp setting to study for this test.

Kaplan does have a Summer Intensive Program and while it's not finalized there is a possibility it will take place in Southern California for the summer of 2008. http://www.kaptest.com/mcatsummerintensive

I would also like to bring up the content vs. strategy discussion going on in this thread. Anyone who has taken Kaplan knows that they have TONS of material to cover for the MCAT. While they focus on strategies to score points in class their amount of material blows the Princeton Review out of the water. I say this not just because I am an employee of Kaplan but because it's true and if you actually went to both websites you'd find that out.

The Princeton Review has enough MCAT material to total 23 full-length exams, but not all of that material is in the CBT interface and that includes everything they use in class. They boast a lot of class hours because they don't give you anything else to work on.

vs.

Kaplan has enough MCAT material to total 59 full-length exams. That's all 8 AAMC exams, plus 11 CBT exams IN THE EXACT CBT format (unlike what the first person mentioned in this thread - who either obviously works for TPR or doesn't know a thing about either program), as well as an additional 8,400 MCAT-style questions not found anywhere else.

Do yourself a favor and go to the websites, don't just take what people say on here to be true.

 

[polyfemme]

If you feel like you do not understand the material very well, TPR is your best bet. They take the time to have an individual instructor for each section. Tons of class time andaccessibility to AAMC tests plus 6 of their own.

Again, I'd like to point out that it seems most of you don't do your homework because anyone who thinks TPR has more study material than Kaplan hasn't done their research.

All 8 AAMC's + 11 additional CBTs + 8,400 additional questions = take Kaplan.

As for the multiple instructors, there are some Kaplan centers who use that teaching methodology as well. However, just as someone else mentioned, just because you know physics doesn't mean you know how it applies to the MCAT. For example, did you know that Biology majors score the worst on the Biology portion of the MCAT? Hmmm, makes you think...

 

[foreverLaur]

it varies by area - ask around before choosing a program

 

[jklasser17]

Again, I'd like to point out that it seems most of you don't do your homework because anyone who thinks TPR has more study material than Kaplan hasn't done their research.

All 8 AAMC's + 11 additional CBTs + 8,400 additional questions = take Kaplan.

As for the multiple instructors, there are some Kaplan centers who use that teaching methodology as well. However, just as someone else mentioned, just because you know physics doesn't mean you know how it applies to the MCAT. For example, did you know that Biology majors score the worst on the Biology portion of the MCAT? Hmmm, makes you think...

I'm not going to get into a pissing contest with you. But I work for TPR and am also quite familiar with Kaplan.

I didn't drink the TPR kool-aid and utilized EK material outside of class. Perhaps you should think about not drinking the Kaplan kool-aid. There is without a difference in the way the two different companies approach the exam. Personally, I feel as though TPR is more focused on content review, while Kaplan is focused on strategy. Both have a considerable amount of review materials; if anybody actually does every question offered to them, I'll give them a lollipop. TPR also gives you access to all the AAMC tests, plus their own CBT's and a nice thick student workbook.

As far as multiple instructors goes, TPR's approach is that specialization of the instructor is better for the student. It allows the teachers to spend more time on each lecture. Personally, I'm glad I don't have to teach all of the sections, bc I might actually lower some physics scores 😉. At my training course, my fellow teachers were enrolled in HMS, Hopkins, Wash U. and GTown; take that for what you will, but they are obviously doing pretty well.

 

[ChubbyChaser]

I heard the berkeley review is the way to go!!

 

[Barts]

How many of those kids did better than your teachers?

Considering most of those kids seemed much sharper than me (and much, much sharper than the teachers) and I got in the high 30's after using EK, I'm guessing most of those kids scored very high, regardless of the waste of time/money that was TPR. 🙂


Edit-Unlike jklasser17, I don't work for either company, so I'm just sharing my opinion 🙂 which was formed from actually taking the course- not being paid to teach it 😉 (or in the case of the people I had teaching mine, attempt to teach it) 😛

 

[Barts]

it varies by area - ask around before choosing a program

Good advice! 👍

 

[jklasser17]

Considering most of those kids seemed much sharper than me (and much, much sharper than the teachers) and I got in the high 30's after using EK, I'm guessing most of those kids scored very high, regardless of the waste of time/money that was TPR. 🙂

All I know is, the teachers had to have done well to teach at any of the big companies. However, an individual must decide what is best for them. A lot of people on here are highly-motivated gunners. It does the general public a disservice for them to say that taking any course is a complete waste of time and money. I utilized TPR as a motivation technique; after a long day of work, I did not always feel like studying. However, since I was paying big bucks, I knew I had to go to class.

 

[TheLesPaul]

I'm not going to get into a pissing contest with you. But I work for TPR and am also quite familiar with Kaplan.

I didn't drink the TPR kool-aid and utilized EK material outside of class. Perhaps you should think about not drinking the Kaplan kool-aid. There is without a difference in the way the two different companies approach the exam. Personally, I feel as though TPR is more focused on content review, while Kaplan is focused on strategy. Both have a considerable amount of review materials; if anybody actually does every question offered to them, I'll give them a lollipop. TPR also gives you access to all the AAMC tests, plus their own CBT's and a nice thick student workbook.

As far as multiple instructors goes, TPR's approach is that specialization of the instructor is better for the student. It allows the teachers to spend more time on each lecture. Personally, I'm glad I don't have to teach all of the sections, bc I might actually lower some physics scores 😉. At my training course, my fellow teachers were enrolled in HMS, Hopkins, Wash U. and GTown; take that for what you will, but they are obviously doing pretty well.

I teach for Kaplan, and let me tell you...knowing the test is as important as content (esp on VR). If you aren't efficient, if you read a passage like you read a journal article, or if you read for details, then you're no better off than the person who doesn't know what benzene looks like, simply because you'll run out of time.

I don't know much about TPR, but I do know that you have spotty teachers at times for both Kaplan or TPR...it's not a reflection on either company. Or at least, it's a reflection on both companies. The point is, studying for the MCAT is a primarily individual pursuit (much like med school), and you can't blame either company for a poor score.

I teach every section, and I don't think I'm any less qualified than if I taught a specific section only...it's very much an individual decision on whether or not you have separate teachers for every section or not.

 

[polyfemme]

I'm not going to get into a pissing contest with you. But I work for TPR and am also quite familiar with Kaplan.

I didn't drink the TPR kool-aid and utilized EK material outside of class. Perhaps you should think about not drinking the Kaplan kool-aid. There is without a difference in the way the two different companies approach the exam. Personally, I feel as though TPR is more focused on content review, while Kaplan is focused on strategy. Both have a considerable amount of review materials; if anybody actually does every question offered to them, I'll give them a lollipop. TPR also gives you access to all the AAMC tests, plus their own CBT's and a nice thick student workbook.

As far as multiple instructors goes, TPR's approach is that specialization of the instructor is better for the student. It allows the teachers to spend more time on each lecture. Personally, I'm glad I don't have to teach all of the sections, bc I might actually lower some physics scores 😉. At my training course, my fellow teachers were enrolled in HMS, Hopkins, Wash U. and GTown; take that for what you will, but they are obviously doing pretty well.

First, I believe only guys get into pissing contests and since I'm not a guy I'll happily avoid that. Second, if what you want is content review then buy some books and study on your own. Otherwise, go with the company that not only gives you more content but also gives you the strategy (i.e. Kaplan).

PS - they encourage students to drink Gatorade, not kool-aid. 😉