Are MCAT courses really worth the cost? I would prefer not to spend $2,000 to take an MCAT prep course, however, if they really do help significantly I will reconsider...
MCAT Courses
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They are not if you are disciplined and know yourself and can make the adjustments needed to study.
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Absolutely not worth the cost.
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Most people will probably tell you that it depends on the person. If you won't be disciplined enough to study on your own, a course could be worth it because it will make you study. If you will set aside plenty of time and actually study on your own, it probably isn't worth it.
I will take the opposite position on this one.
OP, I'm not telling you to do it. Clearly, plenty of people can do it without, but I found it very helpful.
It breaks down all the info into much more manageable bits and highlights the most frequently tested topics. This was helpful because I did not even know how to start studying with so many potential topics.
Also, the class is more than just material. It is about learning strategies and timing. That is where most people struggle. I am normally a fast test-taker, so time wasn't the huge issue for me. But my Verbal score shot up. You have probably heard (or seen on these boards) that verbal is the hardest to improve on. To me, the class was super, super helpful in terms of improving my verbal score.
Finally, the class offers you so much testing material, it is nearly impossible to do it all. You get all 10 AAMC tests, plus each service (I did Kaplan) offers you another 10 or more tests. For me, practice tests helped me the most and having so many at my disposal was perfect. Also, they have a ton of quizzes and topic-specific tests, so you can work on areas that you need to improve on.
Is this all worth $2,000? Maybe. Know how you study and figure out what you need to do well. Lots of people underestimate the MCAT. Getting all A's in science courses is not enough to do well.
Again, I'm not gung ho about prep courses. Just offering the other side in this debate. I'm glad I did it because I got an MCAT score I was happy with. Plus, $2000 is a drop in the bucket when it comes to the cost of attending med school. It's hard to say that while you are still in college, but it is true.
OP, I'm not telling you to do it. Clearly, plenty of people can do it without, but I found it very helpful.
It breaks down all the info into much more manageable bits and highlights the most frequently tested topics. This was helpful because I did not even know how to start studying with so many potential topics.
Also, the class is more than just material. It is about learning strategies and timing. That is where most people struggle. I am normally a fast test-taker, so time wasn't the huge issue for me. But my Verbal score shot up. You have probably heard (or seen on these boards) that verbal is the hardest to improve on. To me, the class was super, super helpful in terms of improving my verbal score.
Finally, the class offers you so much testing material, it is nearly impossible to do it all. You get all 10 AAMC tests, plus each service (I did Kaplan) offers you another 10 or more tests. For me, practice tests helped me the most and having so many at my disposal was perfect. Also, they have a ton of quizzes and topic-specific tests, so you can work on areas that you need to improve on.
Is this all worth $2,000? Maybe. Know how you study and figure out what you need to do well. Lots of people underestimate the MCAT. Getting all A's in science courses is not enough to do well.
Again, I'm not gung ho about prep courses. Just offering the other side in this debate. I'm glad I did it because I got an MCAT score I was happy with. Plus, $2000 is a drop in the bucket when it comes to the cost of attending med school. It's hard to say that while you are still in college, but it is true.
I never took a prep course, so I can't so how much it would have helped; however, I can say that I was satisfied with my MCAT prep without taking one. I just bought the ExamKrackers books and studied through them on my own. Even as someone who had taken relatively few Biology classes, I found this alone to be sufficient. So I agree with most of the other posters, don't spend the money.
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A guy I went to undergrad with took the MCAT and got a 25---did this Kaplan bootcamp thing that cost $10,000, got up to a 30 only a few months after the 25, got into his top choice.
Another friend got a 24---took a TPR course for I think around $8,000---she got a 29, and got accepted.
You're going to go $200K+ in debt at a 4 year medical school. 2K is a drop in the bucket, if you have it to spend. I didn't have it to spend when I took the MCAT, but was going to work/save it if I had to take a year off.
If you can smash the MCAT without a course, do it. By all means. But if you're thinking you need some instruction, then yes, I definitely think it's worth it. 2K so you can follow your dream? You'll make that 2k back a thousand times over.
Another friend got a 24---took a TPR course for I think around $8,000---she got a 29, and got accepted.
You're going to go $200K+ in debt at a 4 year medical school. 2K is a drop in the bucket, if you have it to spend. I didn't have it to spend when I took the MCAT, but was going to work/save it if I had to take a year off.
If you can smash the MCAT without a course, do it. By all means. But if you're thinking you need some instruction, then yes, I definitely think it's worth it. 2K so you can follow your dream? You'll make that 2k back a thousand times over.
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Taking the Princeton Review course was definitely worth it for me. In regards to the cost, check your student government website to see if you have a deal with either Princeton Review or Kaplan. My school offered $800 off by just putting in a code. I ended up scoring higher than any of the averages of the schools in my state, so it was well worth the cost. Good luck studying!
Can you tell me how the course is structured (the pros and the cons), if you don't mind? I'm enrolled in a TPR course next month. Like you, (i'm assuming here) I'm an Ohio resident so thats good to know!
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*wrong thread
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I've thought about this a lot.
You can buy the AAMC exams for about $200. If you need more online exams, you can buy TBR tests for $150. So for exams you're in for $350.
You can buy the best book for each subject (based on the many lists at SDN it would be EK verbal 101, EK Bio, EK Bio 1001 Q, BR physics, BR chem, and BR organic). That will run you about $300 new (can be found cheaper used, but not worth the hassle).
At this point you're into it for about $700. Courses in my area run from $1700 to $2100, so the question comes down to whether it's worth it to spend $1000 to $1400 for the classroom part of the course. I could hire a good tutor to go over questions with me for maybe $50/hour, so that would be 20 to 28 hours of private tutoring. I'm pretty good at biology, so I'd need maybe 3 to 5 hours to go over questions. I'm worried about physical sciences, so that will be about 20 hours. Organic isn't really tested that much, so I'm not too worried. Verbal reasoning is best learned through practice, so a tutor might not be much help. At this point, studying on my own versus buying the materials and exams and hiring a tutor as needed is about the same price.
For me it comes down to verbal reasoning, quality science teaching, and test strategies in the class. If the class has good verbal teaching and helpful tricks for the exam, then it's worth it to me. I'm not sure how I'm going to get $2K to shell out (actually $1700, because ironically enough the best course where I'm at is actually the chepaest too), but I'm going to find a way. I could study on my own and do fine, but if a course can help me get a couple more points (33 instead of 30), then it's worth the $1000 difference between studying on my own without any tutoring versus taking the class.
You can buy the AAMC exams for about $200. If you need more online exams, you can buy TBR tests for $150. So for exams you're in for $350.
You can buy the best book for each subject (based on the many lists at SDN it would be EK verbal 101, EK Bio, EK Bio 1001 Q, BR physics, BR chem, and BR organic). That will run you about $300 new (can be found cheaper used, but not worth the hassle).
At this point you're into it for about $700. Courses in my area run from $1700 to $2100, so the question comes down to whether it's worth it to spend $1000 to $1400 for the classroom part of the course. I could hire a good tutor to go over questions with me for maybe $50/hour, so that would be 20 to 28 hours of private tutoring. I'm pretty good at biology, so I'd need maybe 3 to 5 hours to go over questions. I'm worried about physical sciences, so that will be about 20 hours. Organic isn't really tested that much, so I'm not too worried. Verbal reasoning is best learned through practice, so a tutor might not be much help. At this point, studying on my own versus buying the materials and exams and hiring a tutor as needed is about the same price.
For me it comes down to verbal reasoning, quality science teaching, and test strategies in the class. If the class has good verbal teaching and helpful tricks for the exam, then it's worth it to me. I'm not sure how I'm going to get $2K to shell out (actually $1700, because ironically enough the best course where I'm at is actually the chepaest too), but I'm going to find a way. I could study on my own and do fine, but if a course can help me get a couple more points (33 instead of 30), then it's worth the $1000 difference between studying on my own without any tutoring versus taking the class.
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It was the best $1200 investment I ever made. I took TPR and loved it. Think of it as an investment though. If you think it will really help, not only will it up your score, but it will potentially allow you to (assuming your score is in a certain range)
1) Get into a 'better school'
2) Get into a school you'd rather go to
3) Get into a cheaper school
4) Get scholarships at these schools
5) Not need to wait and reapply
1) Get into a 'better school'
2) Get into a school you'd rather go to
3) Get into a cheaper school
4) Get scholarships at these schools
5) Not need to wait and reapply
