Next Step & Altius courses?

[PSU56MED]

Hi everyone!

So I am taking my MCAT this August and when looking for prep courses to take both Next Step and Altius have been popping up a lot. I was wondering if anyone has used Next Step or Altius to study for the MCAT? If so would you say it is worth the investment or would using another prep course yield the same results? Thanks in advance.

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[SteyrFWB]

Why don't you start with UWorld for "content review".

Then do Next Step and Altius FL until mid-July. Do them slowly, learn the stuff.
Then after mid-July, switch to AAMC. Don't look back on third party stuff, nothing but AAMC last month.

 

[Altius Premier Tutor]

Dear OP, I'd be happy to answer any questions you have about Altius, just pm me. I'm not a salesman, just one of the Altius mentors who destroyed the exam myself. I can also give you discount codes if you choose to enroll.

As for @curvesetter 's comments, I think he doesn't yet understand the rules of decorum reps like myself and @BerkReviewTeach generally follow. You'll notice we don't usually comment on the value of competitor's courses, nor will we laud the benefits of our own courses in response to a post like yours. We leave those responses up to the general forum members. If you want to know details about our courses, how things works, etc., we'll respond to those. Curvesetter suggesting you should "look elsewhere" if you want "concise" or "cost-effective" options just shows he knows little about what his competitors--including Altius--have to offer. I assure you that we have both concise and cost-effective covered.... Good luck in whatever you choose, there are indeed repeatable and reliable ways to dissect and eventually own this exam!

 

[curvesetter]

Dear OP, I'd be happy to answer any questions you have about Altius, just pm me. I'm not a salesman, just one of the Altius mentors who destroyed the exam myself. I can also give you discount codes if you choose to enroll.

As for @curvesetter 's comments, I think he doesn't yet understand the rules of decorum reps like myself and @BerkReviewTeach generally follow. You'll notice we don't usually comment on the value of competitor's courses, nor will we laud the benefits of our own courses in response to a post like yours. We leave those responses up to the general forum members. If you want to know details about our courses, how things works, etc., we'll respond to those. Curvesetter suggesting you should "look elsewhere" if you want "concise" or "cost-effective" options just shows he knows little about what his competitors--including Altius--have to offer. I assure you that we have both concise and cost-effective covered.... Good luck in whatever you choose, there are indeed repeatable and reliable ways to dissect and eventually own this exam!

My apologies, I certainly should not have used the term cost-effective. I should have clarified and said more affordable instead. As a preface, I have many colleagues who have succeeded with NS and Altius and did not mean for my comments to come off negatively at all.

My knowledge of your offerings come directly from your page: Programs | Altius

On the lowest plan, the number of small group instruction hours alone is 105. There are programs available that have lower overall instruction hours. This is what I was referring to when I mentioned "concise." As far as affordability, the cheapest course on this page is $1,799. Again, there are lower cost alternatives (i.e. Magoosh MCAT) that many may deem as more "cost-effective," though that depends on assessment of efficacy as well, which is hard to determine without a randomized head-to-head trial.

 

[917137]

Hi everyone!

So I am taking my MCAT this August and when looking for prep courses to take both Next Step and Altius have been popping up a lot. I was wondering if anyone has used Next Step or Altius to study for the MCAT? If so would you say it is worth the investment or would using another prep course yield the same results? Thanks in advance.

Hi!

I used Altius to prepare for my exam last June. For me, this program prepared me way past just learning the content. The MCAT is about strategy and problem solving which is different than a lot of exams we have taken in our undergrads that can be conquered simply by memorization and recall. When I first enrolled in Altius my practice test score was a 501, and through the program I jumped 20 points to a 521 on the exam. This is because of the numerous practice exams provided by Altius, the twice-weekly group sessions going over more practice exams, and the personalized 1-on-1 tutoring sessions where I could focus on the specific concepts that I was struggling. The difficult aspect of the MCAT is not simply learning the content, it is learning how to read the test. The practice materials for Altius were very spot on to what I saw on the actual exam and I don't think I could have done as well on my test without all of the practice. If I were going back to take the MCAT again I would definitely re-take Altius. It is an investment but in my opinion it is worth it if you are wanting to get a super competitive score. Good luck and let me know if you have any questions!

 

[curvesetter]

Hi!

I used Altius to prepare for my exam last June and I am now a tutor for the program. For me, this program prepared me way past just learning the content. The MCAT is about strategy and problem solving which is different than a lot of exams we have taken in our undergrads that can be conquered simply by memorization and recall. When I first enrolled in Altius my practice test score was a 501, and through the program I jumped 20 points to a 521 on the exam. This is because of the numerous practice exams provided by Altius, the twice-weekly group sessions going over more practice exams, and the personalized 1-on-1 tutoring sessions where I could focus on the specific concepts that I was struggling. The difficult aspect of the MCAT is not simply learning the content, it is learning how to read the test. The practice materials for Altius were very spot on to what I saw on the actual exam and I don't think I could have done as well on my test without all of the practice. If I were going back to take the MCAT again I would definitely re-take Altius. It is an investment but in my opinion it is worth it if you are wanting to get a super competitive score. Good luck and let me know if you have any questions!

Looks like all the Altius guys came out of the woodwork. Chances that OP with 1 post in 9 months is a plant to re-start discussion about Altius??

 

[DPTinthemaking15]

Hey OP! I don't work for either company, and I am enrolled in NS course. I am a HUGE fan of NS, because of two reasons: 1. They have a study plan generator (which saves SO much time when it comes to your study process. It ask you a series of questions and generates a study plan around your schedule). 2. If your purchase their course they provide you with books, all of their online resources, and this is the statement they provide in the course " If you enrolled in the course on or after November 26, 2017, you are enrolled in the 2018 Next Step MCAT Course, with a regular tuition of $1599. In this case, your Next Step enrollment includes access to all of the available AAMC online practice resources. This includes Practice Tests 1, 2, and 3; the Sample Test, the Question Packs, the Section Bank, and the Official Guide e-practice." Which is like receiving "free" resources.

Anyways, if you have any questions feel free to PM me.

Edit: I also have TBR books, Kaplan, EK, etc... But I choose to use NS, because they have been great so far!

 

[ferrous_wheel_92]

Hi everyone!

So I am taking my MCAT this August and when looking for prep courses to take both Next Step and Altius have been popping up a lot. I was wondering if anyone has used Next Step or Altius to study for the MCAT? If so would you say it is worth the investment or would using another prep course yield the same results? Thanks in advance.

I used Altius and it went really well (I got a >90th percentile). The benefit that Altius offers is really twofold IMO- they offer condensed information and genuinely helpful, non-gimmicky tips for success. Idk. I dabbled with Kaplan and they had all sorts of strategies that were pretty ill-advised. The other thing that was helpful was having a tutor that genuinely cared about me and my performance on the test. She helped me come up with a schedule and then helped with the individual challenges that I was struggling with. Absolutely worth the investment IMO.

 

[PlsLetMeIn21]

@curvesetter and @Altius
Trash talking is a huge turnoff. I am currently debating which FLs to use and I can tell you that after reading comments like these, I have a bad taste in my mouth for both of you.

OP: I chose not to take a course, mostly because there are plenty of good materials out there. There are free review videos that can click on from the AAMC site. You don't need to spend all that money for a class, IMHO. You especially don't need to pay money for a video class or a glorified skype session. Khan gives you review videos that cost you nothing. The only way I would consider a class if it were live instruction and the teachers taught strategies and tricks rather than content. We can study content on our own.

 

[elgoog]

Hi everyone!

So I am taking my MCAT this August and when looking for prep courses to take both Next Step and Altius have been popping up a lot. I was wondering if anyone has used Next Step or Altius to study for the MCAT? If so would you say it is worth the investment or would using another prep course yield the same results? Thanks in advance.

Personally, I am a huge fan of the Altius program. I took the mcat last year and did the altius program (long track) and was able to score in the 99th percentile on my actual exam and am now admitted to a top 20 school. The program provides structure and more importantly, I think they have the best resources such as the question sets for each lesson, and especially the FLEs.
The Altius FLEs are definitely harder than AAMC exams in my opinion but honestly the best practice I ever got. I have the Kaplan and Examkrackers books too and can definitely say I never referred back to the Kaplan books and ended up giving those away but did utilize the Examkrackers books from time to time as an extra resource. Hope this helps with your decision.

 

[PSU56MED]

Looks like all the Altius guys came out of the woodwork. Chances that OP with 1 post in 9 months is a plant to re-start discussion about Altius??

Honestly I was just curious about the course. Been a lurker for a while sorry about that.

 

[PSU56MED]

Why don't you start with UWorld for "content review".

Then do Next Step and Altius FL until mid-July. Do them slowly, learn the stuff.
Then after mid-July, switch to AAMC. Don't look back on third party stuff, nothing but AAMC last month.

Thanks!