Need Opinions in deciding Kaplan or ExamKrackers in Boston

[ShyD33]

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I am taking the August MCAT and can start a prep course june 16th...

(and I have 2003 Kaplan lesson book with the 4 other books from an old course)

Which prep course should I do? ... here's my updated study strategy / schedule

1) complete the following books @ rate of 30 questions a day until Aug. (this is kinda irrelevant to my issue below)
EK verbal 101
EK 1001 phys
EK 1001 gen chem
EK 1001 orgo

2) 80$ for AAMC tests

3) and a prep course (starting june 16th)

Im concerned about which prep course b/c I want to get the books now and start going through them (taking notes, etc) so by the Start of the course (June 16th) it will be only review (2nd pass) on all the information.

any thoughts???

 

[psrai85]

I am taking the August MCAT and can start a prep course june 16th...

(and I have 2003 Kaplan lesson book with the 4 other books from an old course)

Which prep course should I do? ... here's my updated study strategy / schedule

1) complete the following books @ rate of 30 questions a day until Aug. (this is kinda irrelevant to my issue below)
EK verbal 101
EK 1001 phys
EK 1001 gen chem
EK 1001 orgo

2) 80$ for AAMC tests

3) and a prep course (starting june 16th)

Im concerned about which prep course b/c I want to get the books now and start going through them (taking notes, etc) so by the Start of the course (June 16th) it will be only review (2nd pass) on all the information.

any thoughts???

Hey

You already have some good books. So instead of taking a course, if you can study well at home then just buy EK set all of it. There's no pt doing every single question, instead do every third one, since they are similar.

Try getting EK 5th or 6th edition and all the 1001 books, also try ot get the exams etc from someone or ebay, instead of spending money.

I'm using all the Ek stuff and Kaplan comprehensive review, but u have the Kaplan books, so use those and follow the 10 week study schduel by Ek and ur set to go

Check this listing i found

http://cgi.ebay.ca/Examkrackers-McA...7009118756QQcategoryZ2228QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

PM me if u need help

 

[clarkalexander]

I took Kaplan last spring and was completely unimpressed. I am going to take the test again, and despite the option of taking the class again for free (Kaplan's guarantee if you aren't happy with your score) I won't be taking it. The only thing I got out of the $1500 I spent was some old exams and some books. Self-disciplined or not, I think that you would do better to stick with the books and buy the old "real" mcats.

 

[mj1878]

I agree. The only thing that's maybe more of a rip-off than a review course is the Ronco food dehydrator.

Study at home, taking small bites of material at a time. With EK this is easy since the chapters are all small.

Take the $1500(trust me, you'll need all of it and MORE) and put it towards application fees, secondary application fees, postage, and the cost of flying out to interviews.

PRIMARIES: If you apply to about 12 schools, $480.

SECONDARIES: Most schools charge $50, but some (like my school) charge $100. Let's assume you apply to two schools that charge $100. Then the secondaries would cost you $700.

POSTAGE: This is the sleeper. I sent out most(90%) of my secondaries either priority or overnight mail. Priority was 3.65 per parcel and overnight is around 14.00 per parcel.

INTERVIEWS: Assume you get an interview to half of the schools you apply to, and assume that ALL of them are out of state( and I don't mean one state over, either). You're talking about MINIMUM $200 for the flight, $75 for the hotel, $50 for food/etc. Multiply that times 6 and you're looking at around $2000

Add to THAT the cost of you missing work because of studying/taking the MCAT, going to interviews, and you're looking at a LOT more than $1500, so my suggestion is to save it.

Also, prep courses do little more for you than set a rigid study schedule. Realize that this test is important enough to set your own rigid pace, and don't pay someone else to tell you to "study all week".