Need some MCAT advice for 2018-2019!

[dreamingaboutmedicine]

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Hi all,
I plan on taking the MCAT in December 2018 or January 2019 and would like to start preparing. I am a bit undecided on Princeton vs. Kaplan for self study (the 8 set books), and really cannot afford to spend more than $300.
I was thinking about buying both the Kaplan and Princeton sets, but use an older used version (2015-2016). Would this be wise and if so, should I also purchase any supplemental books for CARS or Psych/Soc? Is there anyoneIf not, which set would you recommend for self study?
In addition, are there certain packages through the AAMC website that would be wise to purchase instead of the whole ~$250 package?

 

[Blanky]

The basic Kaplan is fine. Read the books for content.

You will also want to save for the AAMC online bundle with practice questions and FL 1-3

Look into NS 1-4 FLs also.

 

[dreamingaboutmedicine]

The basic Kaplan is fine. Read the books for content.

You will also want to save for the AAMC online bundle with practice questions and FL 1-3

Look into NS 1-4 FLs also.

By basic Kaplan do you mean the older version? A bit confused there.

 

[Wahkoon]

By basic Kaplan do you mean the older version? A bit confused there.

The older Kaplan should be fine. There are typically minor changes with each edition. If you are using any supplemental material for P/S, I would just recommend Khan Academy videos and the 100 page notes found online. Just using these videos and notes, I scored 130 with no background in the subjects.

I would strongly encourage that you get the complete pack from AAMC. Their content is the gold standard for practicing, and you shouldn't skimp here.

I also second looking into NS 1-4 FLs. I felt like the were good practice and not too far off from AAMC tests. If you want extra practice, I would also encourage UWorld MCAT questions. There are about 1200, and you get a 2 week trial - at 100 questions a day, you can complete all of them within the trial period.

 

[evasive fish]

I plan on taking the MCAT in December 2018 or January 2019

Just FYI, there is no MCAT test date in December; the last date for 2018 is in September. But, according to what I understand, there should be test dates in January.

 

[Zenabi90]

Hi all,
I plan on taking the MCAT in December 2018 or January 2019 and would like to start preparing. I am a bit undecided on Princeton vs. Kaplan for self study (the 8 set books), and really cannot afford to spend more than $300.
I was thinking about buying both the Kaplan and Princeton sets, but use an older used version (2015-2016). Would this be wise and if so, should I also purchase any supplemental books for CARS or Psych/Soc? Is there anyoneIf not, which set would you recommend for self study?
In addition, are there certain packages through the AAMC website that would be wise to purchase instead of the whole ~$250 package?

MCAT dates only run January to September (except in certain cases, like natural disasters).
Pick one book per subject. I have an inclination towards Princeton but many have succeeded just fine with Kaplan. Doing both Kaplan and Princeton is a huge amount of redundancy and will usually just result in burnout.
For Psych/Soc, I highly recommend Khan Academy, with the accompanying Reddit study guides (there are three versions with varying amounts of screencaps, 96 pages, 130 pages, and 300+ pages).

AAMC: just get everything and do everything. QBanks, FLs, everything. Save the FLs for closer to the end though. I even got the flashcards and found some use for them. This is not the place to skimp.

And now is the time to start preparing, but depending on how hard you hit the MCAT material on a daily basis, this may be too early for you to start prep. For example, if you're going to do dedicated prep, I would limit your timeline to three or four months. If you're studying while still in school, then you'll only be doing this for a few hours a day and you will need the full six to seven months to fully prepare.

 

[PlsLetMeIn21]

If you are on a limited budget, find a book that has review and practice passages. If you spend your entire budget on books that only offer review, then you'll be shelling out more money to get practice.

 

[Blitzman]

Hi all,
I plan on taking the MCAT in December 2018 or January 2019 and would like to start preparing. I am a bit undecided on Princeton vs. Kaplan for self study (the 8 set books), and really cannot afford to spend more than $300.
I was thinking about buying both the Kaplan and Princeton sets, but use an older used version (2015-2016). Would this be wise and if so, should I also purchase any supplemental books for CARS or Psych/Soc? Is there anyoneIf not, which set would you recommend for self study?
In addition, are there certain packages through the AAMC website that would be wise to purchase instead of the whole ~$250 package?

I had both the Princeton and Kaplan sets and found the Princeton one covered the information on the actual MCAT better. I used Princeton for general content review and then NextStep for practice tests. Also, it gets kinda pricey but I also used an ExamKrackers book for the CARS section which was really helpful and matched up with the MCAT better.

These books helped me a ton! I studied for four months or so and was able to improve my score a lot by using a variety of specific books without buying any full set.