MCAT Class vs. Go it Alone

[blondiellie]

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I am just curious as to if/how medical schools differentiate between those who take an MCAT class and those who don't. I feel like (for many people) a class could boost their score a point or two so how is it fair to compare a 33 (alone) to a 35 (class)?

I know that those who do not take a class do so for many reasons, but I also feel like the price tag is a fairly legitimate (and popular) reason.

Thanks for any help 🙂

 

[IncognitoGuy]

A score's a score. They won't differentiate.

 

[sinombre]

What incognito said.

 

[Cinclus]

Med schools don't care how you prepped/got your score. Also, for some people, taking a class would be a total waste of time/money, as they do fine motivating themselves to stay on top of studying with prep material.

 

[GrinchMD]

Nearly all schools will not know (or even care) how you prepared for the MCAT. Class or no class, it is your score that matters.

For whatever it is worth, many class takers I know say that the biggest benefit of the class was the practice material and having a schedule to follow. You can get the former for a fraction of the price and the latter with some semblance of a work ethic.

Life is unfair. Best get used to it now.

 

[ClemsonFirst]

SN2ed has a good schedule if you want to do that. It's a good schedule and if you follow along, you should be plenty prepared. You should have gotten all the information from intro classes, and none of the stuff is too difficult to learn on your own/review from prep books. There is no need for an MCAT class, and restating from above, most pre-meds are driven, so a class will be a waste of time because they already have motivation. One thing you will need is a practice book.

 

[NickNaylor]

Unless you just have money to burn I'm not convinced that taking a class is advantageous at all. Spend a few hours reading the big MCAT threads in the MCAT forum and you can put together a schedule that will work for you. As long as you work hard and stick to it, you'll be probably do as well as if not better than you would have in a course.

 

[darkjedi]

I went without a class and did fine on the MCAT. It just depends on your own study habits.

 

[Planes2Doc]

Med schools don't care how you prepped/got your score. Also, for some people, taking a class would be a total waste of time/money, as they do fine motivating themselves to stay on top of studying with prep material.

Definitely this! In fact, I don't think anyone on this board can answer this question for you. Either you are the type that can self-study, or you are someone who needs structure. I definitely am the type of person that needs structure! So I took a class.

There are definitely some good self-study MCAT plans here on SDN, which would provide you with some structure. Check those out, and good luck!

 

[487806]

I am just curious as to if/how medical schools differentiate between those who take an MCAT class and those who don't. I feel like (for many people) a class could boost their score a point or two so how is it fair to compare a 33 (alone) to a 35 (class)?

I know that those who do not take a class do so for many reasons, but I also feel like the price tag is a fairly legitimate (and popular) reason.

Thanks for any help 🙂

To each his own. Do what you want. Med schools don't care/know you took a class.

 

[Irish Football]

how would a med school even know if you took a prep class or not?

 

[Doctor Strange]

Classes are for squares.

 

[saveourpens]

Unless you did poorly in your pre-reqs those classes are a waste of time imo. I'd suggest getting your hands on classroom books and doing your own thing. No need to waste time listening to Betsy asking what an sn1 reaction is..

 

[doctorwho101]

Guess I had some money to burn, cause I went for the class. I loved the online TPR class cause it met late in the evening and I could listen to lectures at home. I liked the structure and how the material was reviewed and it was great that I could ask questions of an instructor, ESPECIALLY FOR THE VERBAL SECTION (which was quite often nonsensical, as a humanities major) and the writing section.

Having said that, the course is most effective if you're going to take the MCAT immediately following. There's not a lot of time for independent study built into the schedule (you have to add it at your own discretion). I ended up having to reschedule my MCAT for three months after the end of my course and I ended up just spending two months studying myself. The access to the materials online/the physical books was the most useful thing, as others have pointed out.

I also bumped my score up by about 5 points from the beginning of the class to my ultimate test day, so take that as you will. If you think you can do it yourself, there's plenty of evidence that it works. If you want a safety net (as I did!)/study more effectively in a guided course, then sign up for a course.

 

[Geebeejay]

I did not take a class, and I did perfectly fine. If I did take a class right before the test, I might (probably) have done better than perfectly fine. And med schools will never know the difference, nor would they care if they did.

 

[Stumpyman]

(sorry to hijack) Do classes give you a set schedule to study/work on? Or is it more of you just doing your own thing while coming to class a few days a week?

 

[ShenanigansMD]

how would a med school even know if you took a prep class or not?

at anybody who puts Kaplan in ECs.

 

[CarlisleBeans]

I took an online Kaplan class and loved it. The prep classes aren't really there to teach you the material on the MCAT - it's more that they teach you how to actually take the test. This sounds silly, but they get you familiar with the format, timing the sections, learning what questions are worth just guessing on, what material is most likely to show up, and taking the test a computer. They teach a ton of easy ways to remember material and the practice they give you with the verbal and essay sections is amazing. The flashcards that come with the class are alone worth the cost. I would 100% say go for the class if you can afford it and if you have any worries about the test at all.

 

[Irish Football]

at anybody who puts Kaplan in ECs.

Wouldn't be surprised if some of those "less informed" premeds have done that.

 

[5lippy]

even if you have money to burn, don't spend it on an mcat class. spend it on a ferrari.

 

[487806]

even if you have money to burn, don't spend it on an mcat class. spend it on a ferrari.

Or spend it to buy a new chimney.

 

[speakwhales]

even if you have money to burn, don't spend it on an mcat class. spend it on a ferrari.

misread ferrari as ferret. which is what i'm spending my mcat class money on.

 

[Cinclus]

misread ferrari as ferret. which is what i'm spending my mcat class money on.

I also misread it as "ferret." They're more interesting than junky, expensive Ferraris.

 

[ShenanigansMD]

even if you have money to burn, don't spend it on an mcat class. spend it on a ferrari.

Or just use it for your app year; that would be a big chunk of the money you spend on secondaries.