MCAT Prep Courses: Princeton Review vs. KAPLAN

[BulletproofMONK]

Hey everyone, I was thinking of taking a MCAT prep course and I was wondering which course was better the Princeton Review's or KAPLAN's. If anyone who took either course could leave some feedback about how they thought the course was and if it helped at all that'd be awesome. The prices are not the main problem either, I just want to know which one will be worth the 1300 some odd dollars that I'll be dropping for the course. Thanks!

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[canadagirl]

I took TPR; I know lots of people who took Kaplan. I've actually never met anybody who was unhappy with their course. They're both good. They'll both prepare you for the MCATs, and how well you do will ultimately depend on how much time YOU put in, not which prep course you take.

If I were you, I'd pick based on which one has the more convenient location or the more convenient time.

The biggest concrete difference seems to be that TPR lets you keep the books; Kaplan forces you to study in the centre. People who took Kaplan say that they appreciate studying in the centre, people who take TPR say that they'd never want to do that and that they want to study at home. Kaplan seems to have somewhat more material, and Kaplan people tend to say that this makes it all worth it. I've never met a TPR person who "ran out" of material, though.

Seriously - they're both good, and ultimately it's how much YOU prepare, not how much they prepare you. Pick whatever is convenient.

 

[tms]

TPR...hands down.

Better books. Great practice materials and full length tests.

 

[UCLAMAN]

I took TPR/Hyperlearning(as it is called in cali) and currently I teach for Kaplan.

Both will get the job done. However, I think TPR has better review materials. Their science explanations are a lot more thorough than the Kaplan explanations. With the Kaplan books you sorta need to sit through class to fill in the gaps in their science review. For most people...class with both companies is a waste of time. The concepts aren't difficult to understand. One just needs to devote the time to reading the science reviews. TPR's science review is thorough and easier to understand than Kaplan's.

As far as practice problems...Perhaps Kaplan has more because of their test center. However, I've never known anyone to completely finish all the practice problems that TPR gives. Furthermore, most TPR centers also have most of the aamc tests. I think the biggest benefit of taking a course(besides the materials) isn't the class time, rather it is the weekly proctored practice tests. You don't realize how touhg it is to focus for 8 hours until you actually try it. TPR has more proctored tests if I remember correctly. The more proctored tests you go through the better.

If I had to choose I'd go with TPR. While Kaplan isn't bad, I just don't think their review books are up to par with TPR's. Both companies practice questions are great. Just the review material differs IMO.

 

[draven72981]

Kaplan is NOT worth the money. The materials that they send you in the beginning are very helpful, but for me the classes were next to useless and because of this, I ended up going in a lot more than I wanted to.
Also, I don't know how TPR works, but for Kaplan, you have to pay an additional $400 to use the materials if you wanted to take the MCATs again (you took the course for April, but are going to take them again in August).
I ended up studying on my own with their materials for when I retook the MCATs and went up 4 points...

 

[UCLAMAN]

Originally posted by draven72981
Kaplan is NOT worth the money. The materials that they send you in the beginning are very helpful, but for me the classes were next to useless and because of this, I ended up going in a lot more than I wanted to.
Also, I don't know how TPR works, but for Kaplan, you have to pay an additional $400 to use the materials if you wanted to take the MCATs again (you took the course for April, but are going to take them again in August).
I ended up studying on my own with their materials for when I retook the MCATs and went up 4 points...

Actually you get to keep the Kaplan materials that are given to you. however, if you want access to all the stuff they have in their test center or access to old tests that you can't check out you will have to sign up to retake the class and consequently pay the $400.

With TPR if you plan on retaking the class you will have to pay for books which runs about $400. However, the books they give you are the exact same books form the previous session with the addition of maybe a few passages. I actually took the mcat twice but the second time I just reused my TPR books. I never got through all the practice problems and practice tests they gave me the first time so I had plenty to use the second time around.

A lot of people who are complaining that Kaplan lectures suck should also realize that TPR lectures(Berkeley review lectures also suck) suck too. Well...let me rephrase that...the teachers for these companies don't suck(usually)...Its just that the material they are trying to teach is quite simple. One really doesn't need someone to tell them about a concept they could just read about and understand on their own. Thats why people find the classes to be a waste of time. They start thinking to themselves..."wow. i just wasted 20 min with this guy explaining parallel and series circuits when i could have read it in 5 minutes."

 

[neofight]

I'm wondering...after signing up with Kaplan, when do you have access to the old tests and other material at their info center? The day you sign up? Or the day class starts?

 

[scoobie]

I really liked tpr. LOTS of practice material...literally more than most people will EVER need and great instructors. I did very well on all the practice tests but froze up when it came to the real mcat.

One thing I like about Kaplan...they give notecards. I "inherited" my friends kaplan books and notecards and found the notecards very helpful.

 

[phdmed07]

TPR is 100% better than Kaplan. I took both courses and TPR is much better plus you have a workbook that has all the review questions anyone needs.

ECU school of medicine 07

 

[supercat]

Go with Princeton Review. I've done both and i thought PR was better.

 

[banannie]

i loved kaplan. i had a really great instructor. but quality of instructors definitely varies, no matter which program you choose.

anyway, the thing that matters is not what people "liked" better but which program's students ended up with the highest scores.

people at my undergrad definitely seemed to prefer kaplan. i think that if you're already a good standardized test taker, kaplan is better because it nails reviewing the material in a concise way. i didn't think that there was anything on the test that kaplan didn't cover. i also didn't feel overwhelmed by too much material to review. the books, the cards, and the online subject tests were quite enough. the only think i didn't like was their "method" for tackling the writing section.

i've heard TPR is better at teaching test-taking strategies, like how to narrow down answer choices, etc. i haven't taken it so i don't know, this is just what friends tell me. so i guess if you're not good at standardized test, TPR might work better for you.

 

[Wrigleyville]

MCAT review courses are like those abdominal exersizing machines you see on infomercials. They work because they trick you into doing situps and crunches -- but if you'd just do some situps on your own, you could save yourself the money and get the same results.

I advise everyone just to buy one of those giant books and set aside some study time a few days a week for the semester before the MCAT. Pocket the money and do something useful with it.

Wrigley

 

[UCLAMAN]

Originally posted by Wrigleyville
MCAT review courses are like those abdominal exersizing machines you see on infomercials. They work because they trick you into doing situps and crunches -- but if you'd just do some situps on your own, you could save yourself the money and get the same results.

Actually the key to having nice looking abs is to do lots and lots and lots of cardio. Everyone has abs...the only problem is that people never see them because they have layers and layers of fat covering them.

 

[tBw]

Originally posted by Wrigleyville
Pocket the money and do something useful with it.

like buy an ab machine...?

 

[Funshine0123]

What it came down to for me is: How self-disciplined are you? You can very easily save money by just buying yourself practice books and studying on your own if that works for you. I, on the other hand, worked full-time while studying for the MCAT (I'm not sure I recommend that fully, but I lucked out and got to take a two-week leave of absence- thank God!) so a prep course was exactly what I needed. I took TPR and I LOVED it. I got the material as well as sheets that told me which formulas I needed to memorize, etc. What I found most beneficial though, was the practice tests. I was fortunate, too, in that I took TPR near OSU and I took my MCAT at OSU. TPR found out what room the MCAT was scheduled in and all of our Saturday practice tests were held in this room. For the actual MCAT they ended up breaking us up into small groups in classrooms, but it was nice to get prepared in the room we were scheduled to be in - I knew that I needed to dress according to the fact that they "over-airconditioned" and so forth.
I chose TPR over Kaplan b/c there were more practice tests AND it was MUCH cheaper to retake TPR if you didn't like your test scores the first time.

 

[waterbug]

I know that recently Kaplan put all of their library materials online so that you can access the tests (except the AAMC stuff) and the answers now without having to go study at the center. I guess they were trying to compete with TPR in this respect.

I took Kaplan, and I was happy. I didn't find much use out of the classes themselves, but the learning material made it worth it. I agree that no matter which you take - Kaplan or Princeton Review - it will be the effort that you put in that will make the most difference in your scores.

 

[oompaloompa]

I don't really know much about Kaplan, but I took the MCAT prep from TPR and I currently work for them teaching the Biology section. I have to say the materials are top notch and anyone who has actually "run out" of material to study or problems to work is either kidding themselves or they're going to be the most annoying gunner in your med school class. Also, the 6-7 full length proctored test are the best practice your're going to get anywhere, hands down. As for the classes, it can depend on a number of factors as to whether they will help you or not. I found that if you take the summer TPR prep classes(or you are out of school) then they tend to mean more since its probably the only class you're taking. However, if you're still in school and taking the pre-April prep, then its possible that you go to some sort of class every single day. This can wear on even the most dedicated pre-med. So before you lay down that fat $1300 for a course, ask yourself these questions:

Has it been a while since I had these subjects?
Did I make a "C" or lower in any these subjects?
Do I skip my regular college classes? (if you do, this one will be no different)
Am I an auditory learner?
Am I not disciplined enough to set up a good timeline for studying all this material? (many people aren't)
Are my parents going to pay for this?

If you answered "yes" to any or all of the above questions, then you might want to seriously consider taking the course. Otherwise, especially if you answered no to that last question, try at least to secure the TPR materials from an older student, it will really help. Anyway good luck to all the current applicants, you can do it!

 

[LoneCoyote]

I'd vote for TPR. I just took the class and we'll see how I did on the April MCAT, but for the most part it went pretty well. I also really liked the review materials they gave us and I got through a lot of it on a fairly disciplined review schedule, but I don't think anyone in the class really finished it all. It really depends on the instructors, how much you get out of going to the classes. Some of mine were great, and some were terrible. A friend of mine took Kaplan and was upset because they had one terrible instructor who taught everything. She also found having to go to the Kaplan center to do review materials somewhat inconvenient but if you can fit it into your schedule it sounded like they had great stuff there. As for re-taking, TPR lets you retake the course free if you have good attendence and do ALL the homework. If I were you I would ask around and see what people in your area prefer because how well a local office is managed, and how the instructors are can make a big difference. Good luck

 

[jberg4]

I took TPR and I liked it a lot. I had class that was four days a week for 2.5 hours a day. Although it seemed like a lot and there was no possible way to keep up with all the homework they assigned just by going to class I absorbed most of the info. When I had time I brushed up topics that I thought I needed extra reviewing in. I suck at OChem and they helped whittle down the material to a level I felt comfortable with. During the test I felt really prepared, especially since I took it on Sunday and there were only like 8 others taking it with me. It felt like just another practice test, of which we had so many!