MCAT prep class for review of old info

[Mike MacKinnon]

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Hey all


I have read the various posts in regards to MCAT prep calls for/against. I am not interested in them so much for the typical reason. I was wondering if people found this a good review of information they had not done in awhile. Did it get you back into the swing of it, relearn you things you had forgotten?

 

[MoosePilot]

Yes.

 

[blee]

Probably not a bad idea if you're somewhat removed from the pre-reqs. I would have given it more consideration had I not been in the middle of my postbac year.

 

[MollyMalone]

My friend was 6-8 years out of his pre-reqs and he thought the review was most helpful. He did well, too. 🙂

 

[Mike MacKinnon]

awesome.

Though I have done well in all my pre reqs to date I still have Ochem and Physics to do. By the time im ready to write the MCAT i will be about a year past bio and inorganic. Since i didnt enjoy inorganic chem im sure ive ejected alot of it from my mind already and expect less with be there after a year.

Thanks. This is really what i needed to know to justify the cost 😉

 

[unfrozencaveman]

awesome.

Though I have done well in all my pre reqs to date I still have Ochem and Physics to do. By the time im ready to write the MCAT i will be about a year past bio and inorganic. Since i didnt enjoy inorganic chem im sure ive ejected alot of it from my mind already and expect less with be there after a year.

Thanks. This is really what i needed to know to justify the cost 😉

I took TPR after doing all the prereqs the year before, and the review was still well worth it.

 

[efex101]

Same here took TPR for sure worth it and I was in the thick of some pre-reqs at that time.

 

[blee]

Oh, you're only going to be a year away from the pre-reqs? I thought we were talking more like 5-10 years. 🙂

Here's my take on it, then. If you think you need the structure and discipline provided by these courses, then they're worth the money as long as you do all of the work they ask of you. If you're a good self-motivated studier, then, you might save some dough by preparing on your own. In your situation, it's going to boil down to what makes you more comfortable. I did it myself using AAMC practice tests and a bio prep book. I won't lie, it felt a little scary to be going out on my own, but I didn't think that the prep courses had much to offer me and I was probably right. I'd consider taking the course and re-taking the MCAT to prove or disprove my point, but unless someone has the money, I'm not buying.

 

[emgirl]

Oh, you're only going to be a year away from the pre-reqs? I thought we were talking more like 5-10 years. 🙂

Here's my take on it, then. If you think you need the structure and discipline provided by these courses, then they're worth the money as long as you do all of the work they ask of you. If you're a good self-motivated studier, then, you might save some dough by preparing on your own. In your situation, it's going to boil down to what makes you more comfortable. I did it myself using AAMC practice tests and a bio prep book. I won't lie, it felt a little scary to be going out on my own, but I didn't think that the prep courses had much to offer me and I was probably right. I'd consider taking the course and re-taking the MCAT to prove or disprove my point, but unless someone has the money, I'm not buying.

I don't think a prep course is *just* for people that need structure or someone to tell them what to do, as if they can't motivate on their own to study- i would take a course because i like the thought of having a teacher that can help me with questions i have or concepts i can not figure out on my own (that is, if they are qualified and know their ****) - if you're studying on your own you may not get something and you could never know it. that said, if i knew i was super smart and i had high confidence in all the pre-req materials i'd skip the class, but i like the idea of having a teacher lead a review of all this stuff.

 

[remo]

The Kaplan material and web site is awesome but I got nothing out of the class itself. In my class we got a basic science review and then spent 2 hours doing passages out loud. 1 person reads the 1st paragraph out loud, then the next person reads the next paragraph out loud, etc... Going to the class is a major time commitment but if you learn well that way then you might want to try it. If you can learn on your own then I say just buy their materials. One caveat is that you can't go to their timed full length practice tests unless you sign up for the classroom course and that might be worth the money by itself.

 

[robh]

Hey all


I have read the various posts in regards to MCAT prep calls for/against. I am not interested in them so much for the typical reason. I was wondering if people found this a good review of information they had not done in awhile. Did it get you back into the swing of it, relearn you things you had forgotten?

Yes, I found it very helpful. I had not done any gen. chem in over 20 years. I did TPR. It was a great review. I don't think you need the class if you are disciplined.

 

[jebus]

awesome.

Though I have done well in all my pre reqs to date I still have Ochem and Physics to do. By the time im ready to write the MCAT i will be about a year past bio and inorganic. Since i didnt enjoy inorganic chem im sure ive ejected alot of it from my mind already and expect less with be there after a year.

Thanks. This is really what i needed to know to justify the cost 😉

Hi, I was 6 years past my gen chem, 5 years past my orgo, & 4 years past my physics courses (I'd been working in labs since my graduation in 2002 so bio was still very fresh and very much in overkill) and I didn't take any classroom MCAT course. I did have all of my notes and textbooks from all of those courses and I did look at them. This was enough for me. The TPR and Kaplan books together covered everything in enough detail (with the exception of buoyancy and specific gravity - and the AAMC practice tests always managed to ask pretty straight-forward questions as long as you knew that concept).
I think the classroom courses will do a good job of prodding you along, if you have problems with organization and with self-motivation then you will benefit from classroom course. Otherwise, I would save your money and buy more test prep books and practice tests.
My problem with what EMGirl said is that you probably know people who know the material and who are willing to explain it to you. You don't really need to pay to get this help. Or even here on SDN, you'll get help explaining concepts to you for free.
But her point about just having a teacher review the stuff makes a lot of sense, too. In the end I think those are the major questions you'll need to answer....