MCAT courses for 2016 MCAT

[MD511]

Hello Everyone!

I was thinking of taking an MCAT prep course however I've been hearing mixed reviews such Kaplan includes a lot of unnecessary material and Princeton Review isn't similiar to the actual MCAT at all. I understand that the MCAT has under gone a huge change so I wanted to ask those who took a prep course for the 2015 MCAT and what you all thought and recommend. Also, for those taking the MCAT in January 2016 what do you recommend? Thank you all in advance.

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[premed240]

Hello Everyone!

I was thinking of taking an MCAT prep course however I've been hearing mixed reviews such Kaplan includes a lot of unnecessary material and Princeton Review isn't similiar to the actual MCAT at all. I understand that the MCAT has under gone a huge change so I wanted to ask those who took a prep course for the 2015 MCAT and what you all thought and recommend. Also, for those taking the MCAT in January 2016 what do you recommend? Thank you all in advance.

If you have taken all the pre-med courses necessary for the new MCAT (biochem, chem, orgo, etc) and feel that you have a solid foundation in the general concepts, I would recommend buying the EK or Kaplan books and reading through them on your own. I think the prep courses like Princeton and Kaplan are expensive, and they're not taught by professionals in the subject material. They're simply taught by other students who did well on certain sections of the MCAT, but it does not mean they know how to teach those sections (strategy, how to take the MCAT, etc) to new examinees.
I recommend buying a prep book set and the AAMC official content guideline book. I would make sure to know everything that the AAMC has written down in their book. You should also buy all of the AAMC prep material - sample tests, questions packs, and so forth since that will be the most similar prep to the actual exam. Good luck!

 

[BerkReviewTeach]

MCAT courses vary from location to location, because the instructors are the essential part of any course, and they are different at each location. To find out what course is best in your area, you should ask people in your area. You can also sit in on classes to try them out and see if they match. Just don't bring your credit card so you don't get pressured into signing up on the spot. Take a day or two to evaluate which style matches you best.

 

[Jack Westin]

If you want to be fully prepared for the content on the exam, AAMC material, Khan Academy and several prep books likes those from Berkeley Review and EK are enough. This is especially the case if you do a lot of questions for each topic addressed.

The largest benefit a course offers is the organization and structure it provides. You come to class on certain days, homework is given, etc. Studying on your own can be a problem for some students because of the discipline required. But the teaching courses offer is very hit or miss depending on the teachers you get. In general, you can teach yourself all the content the exam tests.

I think students underestimate the level of reading comprehension required for this exam. To improve on this, I think you should focus on the AAMC MCAT material available (specifically the question packs and sample exam). Try to see how they present the content and ask questions.

 

[nomdeplume1234]

I am sure you will find people who loved either or hated either. Some say TPR goes into too much detail and some say they have more course hours. Some say Kaplan doesn't look like the real test and some say they took Kaplan was fine for their needs.

 

[MD511]

If you have taken all the pre-med courses necessary for the new MCAT (biochem, chem, orgo, etc) and feel that you have a solid foundation in the general concepts, I would recommend buying the EK or Kaplan books and reading through them on your own. I think the prep courses like Princeton and Kaplan are expensive, and they're not taught by professionals in the subject material. They're simply taught by other students who did well on certain sections of the MCAT, but it does not mean they know how to teach those sections (strategy, how to take the MCAT, etc) to new examinees.
I recommend buying a prep book set and the AAMC official content guideline book. I would make sure to know everything that the AAMC has written down in their book. You should also buy all of the AAMC prep material - sample tests, questions packs, and so forth since that will be the most similar prep to the actual exam. Good luck!

Thank you for your great advice. How do you think I can get a hold of all the AAMC material you mentioned?

 

[MD511]

MCAT courses vary from location to location, because the instructors are the essential part of any course, and they are different at each location. To find out what course is best in your area, you should ask people in your area. You can also sit in on classes to try them out and see if they match. Just don't bring your credit card so you don't get pressured into signing up on the spot. Take a day or two to evaluate which style matches you best.

You sure you can just sit in on a class?

 

[MD511]

If you want to be fully prepared for the content on the exam, AAMC material, Khan Academy and several prep books likes those from Berkeley Review and EK are enough. This is especially the case if you do a lot of questions for each topic addressed.

The largest benefit a course offers is the organization and structure it provides. You come to class on certain days, homework is given, etc. Studying on your own can be a problem for some students because of the discipline required. But the teaching courses offer is very hit or miss depending on the teachers you get. In general, you can teach yourself all the content the exam tests.

I think students underestimate the level of reading comprehension required for this exam. To improve on this, I think you should focus on the AAMC MCAT material available (specifically the question packs and sample exam). Try to see how they present the content and ask questions.

Thanks so much for your advice! You think it's better to use prep books from different companies instead of just one for example EK?

 

[MD511]

I am sure you will find people who loved either or hated either. Some say TPR goes into too much detail and some say they have more course hours. Some say Kaplan doesn't look like the real test and some say they took Kaplan was fine for their needs.

How can you know what will work best for you?

 

[Ad2b]

RE: Kaplan ON SITE instructors - yes, they are simply students who did well on MCAT; and by and large - not great (I left after 1st day and got put online)

ONLINE Kaplan = awesome - the instructors have not only done well on the MCAT (whatever release) but have been teaching for years. The tips/tricks/stories all helped me immensely.

There are 3 that I have gotten to know fairly well: 2 are PhD students who have taught PCAT, OAT and MCAT for a combined 15 years, and the other is an MS in biochem/genetics who has been teaching MCAT for 10 years.

Also, the progression to being a live, online instructor is: on site ---> off camera ---> on camera mini sessions ---> on line, live full course. If you don't do well in any of the lead up to live, online, you won't get to teach the online class (hmmm, that kind of looked like epistasis there)

Every instructor I've had ONLINE = fabulous.

That said, I also bought the TPR book for psych/soc, used my old EK books for discrete questions, and Khan Academy for other things where I felt Kaplan fell short.

 

[orgogogo]

I took the in-person TPR course and thought it was quite good. The main reason I took the course was to stay on track with my studying, since I prepped for the MCAT this summer while doing research full time. I'd be happy to answer any specific questions about my experience with TPR's course.

 

[Jack Westin]

@MD511 yes, some books are better than others. It's difficult to know for sure unless you go through them all. I am going to have an MCAT Study Plan posted on SDN which will outline my exact recommendations. For now, I have posted a few of my recommendations on how to study on this specific thread: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/review-material-advice.1164842/