Mcat

[Apparition]

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Sorry for not posting this on the MCAT forum but most people there have yet to take it. I'm studying from Examkrackers but it doesn't seem to provide enough depth in the material review and I end up getting a lot of questions wrong on their 30 minute practice exams. Those who scored 30+, what materials did you use? Did you take a course? Is it enough to just study the EK series and take about 5 full length practice tests?

Thanks!!

 

[MedAppGurl]

I used the Princeton review class, and i thought it was perfect for me. I had a lot of friends simultaneously taking Kaplan, which seemed more popular at the time, but it seemed to me as if the Princeton materials were more comparable to the actual exam. my scores skyrocketed (my first full length was a disaster) and in the end i felt very prepared. i whole heartedly recommend it from experience.
Good luck!

 

[Mr. Rosewater]

there's a million threads on this general theme, but I used and liked EK.

 

[josehernandez94]

I've flipped through one exam-krackers book and from I could tell, it wasn't that helpful. It just seemed very repetitive in the types of problems it presented and the problems seemed geared more towards problems you'd see on course exams, not the MCAT. However, that was just what I gathered from a brief overview of teh book, so don't let that sway you too much.

I took a Kaplan review course and it really helped me quite a bit.
Kaplan Diagnostic: PS 7, VR 11, BS 6, T 24
Actual MCAT: PS 12, VR 10, BS 11, T 33R

I dramatically improved both science sections (+5 for each) and I think Kaplan was useful in that it refreshed a lot of the material in my mind and allowed me to get used to the style of the passages and problems. My verbal went down by a point, but I don't really atrribute that to Kaplan as much as I do to the fact that verbal is highly dependent on the types of passages you get.

 

[rgporter]

On a semi-related note, I would reccomend the AAMC online MCAT tests. $80 dollars and it will approximate your real score much better than kaplan diagnostics.

 

[SaltySqueegee]

Here's the general consensus that I have gotten from the three different courses:

Kaplan: Not much for review, strong on test taking strategies (good if you already know the material and need a small review).

Princeton: Strong on review (good if you haven't taken the courses that will be covered on the MCAT), kinda week on test taking strategies (has a good test packet [practice tests A-D])

Exam Krackers: From my limited knowledge, they had excellent common sense tips and techniques for tackling verbal reasoning and math problems. Don't know too much about the quality of coverage for the other sections.

 

[oldtimer]

I took Kaplan. For me, their review books were extremely helpful because I either took the class 8 years ago or I never learned the material. The only thing I was really disappointed about was the coverage on the genetics. The MCAT changed the format this year so that there would be fewer org questions and more genetics one. Unfortunately, Kaplan had not update its books in time. I still managed to squeak by with a 12 on the bio section though.

 

[raincrew]

took kaplan course and also used EK books. IMO, EK books + audio osmosis are FAR, FAR superior and i've recommended them to all my friends. they're the best product on the market.

-raincrew

 

[ForensicPath]

I will also highly recommend Examkrackers & Audio Osmosis. If I had the time, I would have loved to have used their 1,000 question series (I'm not sure what the actual name is). However, the $80 to AAMC for the practice MCATs is a must.

 

[subtle1epiphany]

i used the kaplan comprehensive guide and the 45 book, whatever it's called, in addition to the AAMC practice tests (of course)

altho i kinda wish that i had known about examkrackers, i did fine. just make sure to use the practice tests effectively, ie after you have done plenty of studying so that they arent "wasted"

 

[Amy B]

Originally posted by rgporter
On a semi-related note, I would reccomend the AAMC online MCAT tests. $80 dollars and it will approximate your real score much better than kaplan diagnostics.

I took the $1200 Kaplan course and found their tests to be brutal. I never scored very well at all. But when I paid for the AAMC tests the scores I got on those were almost identical to the real MCAT I took the second time.
http://services.aamc.org/AAMC_STORE/catalog.cfm

I do like the practice material from Kaplan which can be purchased at amazon for only $65.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/reader/0743241509/ref=sib_dp_pt/102-7993928-4722540#reader-link

The material in the big review book is the same that they gave us when we signed up for their course. The only difference was the practice quizzes. I do credit the Kaplan instructor I had for my verbal score. They were able to really help me in that area.