MCAT PREP Advice please

[PreMeddieRick]

Advertisement - Members don't see this ad

Please tell me what worked for you for prepping for the MCAT. Thank you 😀
1-Kaplan?
2-ExamKrackers?
3-Princeton Review?
4-Barrons?
5-Other?

 

[PreMeddieRick]

Is no one really going to tell me what they are using to study for the MCAT? Come peps, I need advice here😉

 

[docjolly]

Ouch! calm down a bit 🙂

I'm currently taking Kaplan. I'm sure if you ask just about anyone on SDN who has taken Kaplan, they will agree that Kaplan's resources (such as video lectures, practice tests) are phenomenal!However, the teaching isn't that great and class time may seem like a waste of time (this is my own personal opinion)...

I like Kaplan, but some people will swear by PR and Examcrackers as well...I'm not sure if these two programs offer an extensive material library like Kaplan, but people take them and earn high scores anyway..

btw, are there any people that you know at school who've taken any of these prep. classes?? Maybe they can give you better insight into their respective program.

also, are you certain that you want to take a prep program?? I know many people who have successfully studied on their own and done well...

hope this helps!

 

[gschl1234]

I used Kaplan but I don't know whether I may have done better using different review material.

 

[SoonerMed]

I used the Kaplan Comprehensive Review book. The bottom line is, I gained the most benefit from doing practice problems and complete practice tests.

I know you are looking for advice, but I'm not you. If you think you need a Kaplan or Princeton Review class to keep you on a steady study program, then go for it. If you have the discipline to set a pace, define a schedule, and stick to it, then consider saving the $1200 on a class and just buy a solid MCAT review book and make it your biatch.

Good luck!

 

[LP1CW]

Take a diagnostic and see where you're at? I took one online and then based my study plan on my score. You can purchase, I can't remember but like 6 old exams, actual exams from amcas.

I didn't use a class. Friends that did found it helpful because it forced them to study. I felt strong enough, so i just reviewed the material that I hadn't seen in a couple of years. My diagnostic was upper 20's, then after about a month, I broke 30 and kept on reviewing and broke 30 on the remaining exams. So, I didn't do too much.

I think you'll have to see where you're strong at. Take a practice exam, you might find that your verbal is strong. My weakness was biological. I got an 8 on the diagnostic. I worked on it and got a 10 on the other practice ones and a 11 the actual exam. My verbal and physical went up too. I went from a diagnostic of 10, 10, 8. To a 12, 12, 11. That took me about two months of work.

I used Kaplan workbooks to study. They're basic but good because there was material in it that I hadn't learned in any class like some of the anatomy stuff. So, work through the chapters, most are really easy like the chem review was a joke, I thought, but bio required more work for me.

 

[LP1CW]

oh, I forgot. I also listened to audio osmosis whenever I was on the train or driving somewhere. They can be cheesey, but they did help me to remember a few concept.

 

[medhopeful08]

I didn't take any formal prep course, just bought a few books from eBay from various sources- TPR, Kaplan, Examkrakcers - and studied on my own.

Just find out what works best for you and stick to it. Good luck!

 

[hapkidochic]

i took kaplan. Like docjolly mentioned, kaplan's resources are great. However, I personally didn't gain that much from the lectures (and i'm now a kaplan teacher!) but that's just my learning style. I don't absorb much through lectures in general. So evaluate your learning style. If lectures help you, take a class. If not, just get your hands on as many practice questions and full length exams as possible and set yourself a study schedule.

 

[Kalel]

I took Kaplan. I learned nothing from the lectures, but the diagnostic and practice tests were useful in making sure that you are studying. Princeton's Review book was more comprehensive back when I took my MCAT, so I actually borrowed a friends and studied from that more then I did the Kaplan work-books.

 

[peterockduke]

I used Kaplan books. Their physics stinks though, so go ahead and by the MCAT Physics Book by Garrett Biehle. It's awesome. Get the AAMC tests 3-6 and the Kaplan tests w/ answers (1-6). I think if you go through all of that you'll get a 30+.

 

[roja]

I took Kaplan to prep. I taught for PR for 5 years. I got a good score on my MCAT despite Kaplan not because of it. The teaching was okay. The resourses are also overrated because if you have a problem understanding the way an awnser is explained, there is no one to help you out. The one to one time for students to teachers is also not great. But if you are a good self motivtor, it is not bad. Their diagnostics are also curved for higher scores. (ex, I was scoring 39-41's on thier diags and ended up with a 32).

Princeton has solid materials and a lot of class time. Teachers are supposed to be familiar with all the material, including the homework. There is easy access to teachers. (they are paid for office hours so its not hard to get them to come in.)

Like all things, the teaching is key. And limiting what you study. Pick one and stick to it. Also, be familiar with your learning style. This can be crucial.

 

[Rendar5]

Just another vote for Princeton Review here. I had a great PR experience. raised my MCAT score a few points with the review of their classes, and learned all my physiology through it.

Originally posted by roja
I took Kaplan to prep. I taught for PR for 5 years. I got a good score on my MCAT despite Kaplan not because of it. The teaching was okay. The resourses are also overrated because if you have a problem understanding the way an awnser is explained, there is no one to help you out. The one to one time for students to teachers is also not great. But if you are a good self motivtor, it is not bad. Their diagnostics are also curved for higher scores. (ex, I was scoring 39-41's on thier diags and ended up with a 32).

Princeton has solid materials and a lot of class time. Teachers are supposed to be familiar with all the material, including the homework. There is easy access to teachers. (they are paid for office hours so its not hard to get them to come in.)

Like all things, the teaching is key. And limiting what you study. Pick one and stick to it. Also, be familiar with your learning style. This can be crucial.

 

[fuzzylogic]

took pr for their practice materials + examkracker's verbal practice

-> got me the score that i want!!

good luck

 

[lyragrl]

I think I'm the only person on earth who didn't like ExamKrackers. Their question books were not like the real MCAT and were full of errors.

My vote is for TPR. Teachers seem experienced and the books are very good. I used mostly TPR to study (books only actually) and I was happy with my score.

 

[Athena]

TPR here......... i went ffrom a 24 on the first diag to a 35S on the real thing..... the key, regardless of which prep materials you are using, is to do practice problems, and LOTS of them!

 

[jlee9531]

The Berkeley Review stuff is pretty good....but i guess the OP isnt in an area where TBR exists.

 

[chicago13]

i teach for kaplan but swear by PR. in the ends, its what you make of it

 

[fullefect1]

There is a forum dedicated for this type of information, "mcat discussions" you will find much more information then being posted on this thread.

 

[rgporter]

Originally posted by PreMeddieRick
Please tell me what worked for you for prepping for the MCAT. Thank you 😀
1-Kaplan?
2-ExamKrackers?
3-Princeton Review?
4-Barrons?
5-Other?

MCAT prep courses = Big waste of money.

Despite what these services will tell you that is the only equation you need to memorize for the MCAT.

The MCAT has a lot more to do with reading comprehension (even the science sections) than people want to believe. If I were you I would pay the $80 that AAMC charges for the online MCAT. It's a great diagnostic tool. After taking one of these you will have a good idea of what you need to study.
The second piece of advice I would give you is to read a lot of books. If you have the time, one or two a week. Anything you can do to increase your reading speed (without reducing your comprehension) will greatly help you. I finished every section atleast 30 min. early and that gave me a lot of time to go back and revisit the questions that required more thinking. My reading skills are the only reason I scored well on the MCAT, I only studied for about 10 hours during a one week period before I lost interest in the kap books my friend gave me. I am NOT trying to toot my own horn, I am trying to make a point. I can't stress enough how important it is to read fast and well.

In summary:

AAMC online
>= 1 book a week (anything you like, I prefer sci-fi)

 

[elias514]

The best preparation for you depends almost entirely on your motivation and whether or not you're a bona fide self-learner. If you tend to procrastinate and you generally do not prefer to learn material on your own, then I recommend a prep class. On the other hand, if you're highly motivated, disciplined, and inclinded toward self-study, then you'll be better off financially if you study on your own. If you opt for the latter route, I recommend the following resources:

AAMC Full-length Practice Tests 4, 5, and 6
Examkrackers 1001 questions for the science sections (3 different books)
National Public Radio (great source of ideas for writing sample section)
The New York Times OpEd section (good preparation for verbal reasoning section)
The Economist magazine (ditto)
Atlantic Monthly (ditto)
Your notes and textbooks from g. chem, o.chem, physics, and bio classes

Keep in mind the fact that the MCAT is NOT a detail-oriented exam--fundamental concepts are tested. Thus, you should adopt a layered approach to your studying: master the fundamental, global principles first (e.g., the 2nd law of thermodynamics and equilibria), and then you can cram in all the details to boost your score into the upper 30's.

Good luck.

 

[toxin]

Originally posted by rgporter
MCAT prep courses = Big waste of money.

Despite what these services will tell you that is the only equation you need to memorize for the MCAT.

The MCAT has a lot more to do with reading comprehension (even the science sections) than people want to believe. If I were you I would pay the $80 that AAMC charges for the online MCAT. It's a great diagnostic tool. After taking one of these you will have a good idea of what you need to study.
The second piece of advice I would give you is to read a lot of books. If you have the time, one or two a week. Anything you can do to increase your reading speed (without reducing your comprehension) will greatly help you. I finished every section atleast 30 min. early and that gave me a lot of time to go back and revisit the questions that required more thinking. My reading skills are the only reason I scored well on the MCAT, I only studied for about 10 hours during a one week period before I lost interest in the kap books my friend gave me. I am NOT trying to toot my own horn, I am trying to make a point. I can't stress enough how important it is to read fast and well.

In summary:

AAMC online
>= 1 book a week (anything you like, I prefer sci-fi)

I would have to disagree with you. You can not just go in there and hope you will do well becasue your reading speed has increased. You need to KNOW THE MATERIAL. If you go to the official MCAT website they will give you all the info necesssary for you to be able to do well on the exam. Now, to get all the books that you need to extract all the info is going to cost you upwards of 250-300 bucks (minimum 4 books). If you get a set from EK for example you will save yourself time and money. Do a lot of practice exams and keep studying the material. Reading speed takes long time to perfect, you might be able to increase it but it will not help you in the short term anyways (how would it help you to read faster through a physics passage but having no idea what it means). My 2c.

 

[ATPase]

I used the Kaplan Comprehensive MCAT Review Book. I recommend (even more highly) the AAMC practice tests online. I think these are absolutely ESSENTIAL.

 

[sabrinafair84]

My parents pretty much refused to pay for a Kaplan course when I studied for the MCAT because they had known so many people who had taken the course and not done well. That pretty much made the decision for me because I certainly don't have $2000 to shell out. Instead, they got me a bunch of books and I just studied my ass off. Although I used a Kaplan book (very old) as well as some others, I felt that the Examkrackers helped me the best. I did not like the Verbal Reasoning book however, because I found SOOOO many errors in it. I'm a big reader anyways, so I didn't really need it. I also used the MCAT Physics book by Garret Biehle, which was pretty good. I would watch out with it though; the practice problems are great but there are 2 physics formulas missing from the book that I found later in the Kaplan book...... and one of them was on my test! I guess I can't complain though, cause I ended up with a 32Q. The best advice is to practice all the AAMC tests (6 tests is a lot but I found myself wishing there were more) and find out what your weaknesses are. I suck at Physical Science and so I concentrated on those subjects for 2 months.

 

[rgporter]

Originally posted by toxin
I would have to disagree with you. You can not just go in there and hope you will do well becasue your reading speed has increased.

No, you're right, you can't.

You need to KNOW THE MATERIAL. If you go to the official MCAT website they will give you all the info necesssary for you to be able to do well on the exam.

If by "KNOW THE MATERIAL" you mean "Have a solid understanding of the fundamental concepts.", I agree. If you mean memorize every physics equations in your textbook (which is what Kaplan offers), I disagree.

Now, to get all the books that you need to extract all the info is going to cost you upwards of 250-300 bucks (minimum 4 books).

Or you can get it from your textbooks, if you still have them. Check them out from your school library if you don't. If you absolutely must have kap, EK, etc. books they usually have them in your public library system.

If you get a set from EK for example you will save yourself time and money. Do a lot of practice exams and keep studying the material.

Time, probably. Money, no. But it's like SPAM compared to steak. If you like processed meat, I mean information, the more power to you. I prefer to go straight to the source.
Practice exams are a great idea. I think the AAMC online is the best because of how accurately it predicts your score, and how it breaks down your performance into individual subjects. This facilitates studying only the areas where it is most needed; which is important if you study with text books.

Reading speed takes long time to perfect, you might be able to increase it but it will not help you in the short term anyways

Agreed, if you've neglected reading your whole life, a couple of months aren't going to help you very much.

(how would it help you to read faster through a physics passage but having no idea what it means). My 2c.

It helps because the answer is almost always right in the passage, if you can pick it out. I could.
By reading through it quickly I got a sense of the concept without getting bogged down in details. Then I had time to consider the answers carefully.

Please don't take offense. I offer my experience because where I did my undergraduate degree, Kaplan was like a religion. I felt like we were being scammed. People talk about "natural test-takers", you know the ones who just do well on standardized tests. Though I have been lumped in that group by all my friends, I don't think there is any such thing. I understood the concepts (I actually learned them in class instead of cramming for my exams). And I read well enough to pick the important concepts out of the passage. I wish you all the best of luck, using whatever method works best for you.

 

[spumoni620]

i used nearly every test prep book out there, b/c i hadn't finished 4 of the required classes before taking the mcat and i was terrified. here is my take:

for those who don't know the material/haven't taken the classes:
- tpr bio and physics = best by far; i was able to practically teach myself all the material here. i can't say enough good things about these books. keep in mind they're long and detailed though. so if that's not your thing...
- kaplan org chem is ok, and more understandable than tpr's imo (for someone who hasn't taken the class)

for those who know it pretty well/just need a review:
- kaplan materials = no-nonsense, to-the-point. it doesn't take too long to go thru them and they hit the important stuff.

Also, best practice materials = kaplan. they have a buttload of topical tests/practice materials that are really the key to getting you a high score. more so than actual content knowledge.

I also had examcrackers, but hate it. especially audio osmosis, w/a passion. the humor is soooooooo corny and irritating, and i didn't find most of their techniques useful. there are also a ton of mistakes in the books (at least the 2002-3 edition i used) i'm the type of person who needs to *understand* something, not just memorize the shortcuts. so i wouldn't recommend these, although i know tons of people will have different views.

you don't really need a class per se unless you need external motivation to get your butt in gear.

 

[Childe]

Home study ek + aamc tests. Highly recommended.

And just to note that there are NOT a 'ton' of mistakes in examkrackers. Check out their website, it has a specific forum where they post any errors (there are relatively few) and allow students to ask questions and find errors for them. This is in contrast to any errors in other books, where you have no resource.

 

[Suey]

Originally posted by rgporter
MCAT prep courses = Big waste of money.

The second piece of advice I would give you is to read a lot of books. If you have the time, one or two a week. Anything you can do to increase your reading speed (without reducing your comprehension) will greatly help you. I finished every section atleast 30 min. early and that gave me a lot of time to go back and revisit the questions that required more thinking. My reading skills are the only reason I scored well on the MCAT, I only studied for about 10 hours during a one week period before I lost interest in the kap books my friend gave me. I am NOT trying to toot my own horn, I am trying to make a point. I can't stress enough how important it is to read fast and well.

In summary:

AAMC online
>= 1 book a week (anything you like, I prefer sci-fi)

rgporter,

Do you recommend any authors that have a challenging writing style that would help with reading comprehension? How do you find the time on top of school and everything else to find time to write 1-2 books a week?

 

[rgporter]

Originally posted by Suey
rgporter,

Do you recommend any authors that have a challenging writing style that would help with reading comprehension? How do you find the time on top of school and everything else to find time to write 1-2 books a week?

Read is what I said. And no, I certainly don't pick books with a challenging writing style, I pick books I enjoy reading. Reading anything if you do it enough will help your reading comprehension. It's a cliche but your mind is like a muscle, if you exercise it...blah blah blah.

 

[DrBodacious]

Read this advice:

Just get your hands on books. I first bought the Kaplan Comprehensive Review, but then a friend lent me his old PR books. The complete set of PR books beat out the Kaplan Comprehensive Review hands down. They had seperate books for each subject, had ample (but not too much) information and problem workbooks that were helpful. They also had a couple full length practice tests. Luckily I got some extra Kaplan practice tests for free as well.

In general, I sudjest working problems as your main means of studying. These can be in the form of practice tests, workbook problems, or textbook problems (esp for physics). Whenever you take a practice test, go over it thoroughly. If you can't do the problem, learn how, and while you learn how to do that problem, take time to think about related concepts in order to tie your knowledge together. It really doesn't matter what resources you use, but I found the PR books to be solid and well organized. I sudjest NOT using textbooks ONLY however. The test prep companies do a good job of covering the pertainent material. They also had good test taking strategy advise, as well as excellent writing sample advise.

If you do enough problems, and spend time to learn the concepts behind them, you should do quite well. It worked for me anyway.

Also, as far as reading "fun" books: that seems like a waste of time to me. Taking practice tests and reading study matierial (i.e. textbooks and prep material) should suffice and the style of writing you encounter when studying is essentially the same as they style of writing you encounter on the actual MCAT. To clarify -- textbooks and MCAT passages alike, are nothing but a collection of facts that you must be able to use. Even with the verbal section, for which you might have to summarize themes and feelings, such as "What word best describes the tone of the Author's voice in this passage?" reading "fun" books will not help you. Read for fun if you want, it will help some, but not as much as actual studying. If anything, read only books that contain challanging and unfamiliar dialect (e.g. Joyce) and read them critically.

To further argue this point, even if you do read difficult books critically, you will not get ready feedback on your opinions of the "tone" etc. Only by doing practice verbal sections (and other sections for that matter) will you be able to go back, check your answers, and find out why the question's correct answer was what it was. I found when I started studying with practice verbal tests, I was getting a lot of questions wrong that I thought I had answered correctly because I was inadvertantly missing the facts from the passages that supported the correct answer. I had a little trouble with the verbal sections at first, because I thought that many of the questions were subjective to some degree. The bottom line is that you need to learn how to pick out ALL the facts from a passage. I thought the PR verbal book had good strategies for doing that. I think I had a 6 or 7 on my first verbal practice test. I got a 12 on the real deal, the best of my scores.

 

[LA:)]

hey, wassup. i like elias514's list. very nice, dude.

the best best BEST thing i did was go through all of AAMC's published exams. most of the solutions are for sale. solutions to tests 1 & 2 can be found in "The Silver Bullet"--> lame lame book. i actually hesitate to use the work "solutions," rather they offer an answer key, at least.

i took a PR course. and studied kaplan material independently. found that kaplan wastes less of your time. PR's review books are gimungous--way too much info for the short amt of time you have to prepare.

used economist/nytime for all my essays --> suggest memorizing a couple important dates = easy way to look really informed. for those in PR, i really suggest ignoring that whole ranking nonsense for VR--you don't have time to do that!! i found that AAMC tends to put the super hard ones in the middle. so, i did the first couple, did the last couple & then went through the rest as fast as i could.

good luck to all. do awesome! and don't eat anything funky before the exam. woo.

 

[JohnHolmes]

Originally posted by PreMeddieRick
Please tell me what worked for you for prepping for the MCAT. Thank you 😀
1-Kaplan?
2-ExamKrackers?
3-Princeton Review?
4-Barrons?
5-Other?

I took the Kaplan course and enjoyed it. I now teach for the princeton review, and feel that TPR is better for most students. The question really comes down to do you learn better through lecture or do you want to sit in a room at Kaplan and do work all day with an overhead pen and laminated tests.

The bio and verb is better for TPR, imo.

Kaplan has a better PS prep.

The members of this board give rave reviews for EK Verbal. So, that is a good supplement to whatever else you are using.

CCW

 

[JohnHolmes]

Originally posted by LA🙂
hey, wassup. i like elias514's list. very nice, dude.

the best best BEST thing i did was go through all of AAMC's published exams. most of the solutions are for sale. solutions to tests 1 & 2 can be found in "The Silver Bullet"--> lame lame book. i actually hesitate to use the work "solutions," rather they offer an answer key, at least.

i took a PR course. and studied kaplan material independently. found that kaplan wastes less of your time. PR's review books are gimungous--way too much info for the short amt of time you have to prepare.

used economist/nytime for all my essays --> suggest memorizing a couple important dates = easy way to look really informed. for those in PR, i really suggest ignoring that whole ranking nonsense for VR--you don't have time to do that!! i found that AAMC tends to put the super hard ones in the middle. so, i did the first couple, did the last couple & then went through the rest as fast as i could.

good luck to all. do awesome! and don't eat anything funky before the exam. woo.

Pay attention to every word above!

CCW