Princeton or Kaplan

[gator2005]

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So does anyone know which MCAT review is best known for being more comprehensive? princeton or kaplan??
any other comments from those who have take the course?

 

[ERGreysScrubs]

So does anyone know which MCAT review is best known for being more comprehensive? princeton or kaplan??
any other comments from those who have take the course?

Yeah I was wondering that too...i was looking up Kaplan and saw that they offered review from like April-June for like $1549 for the class...but was wondering if they did anyhting more towards the summer? Does anyone know?

 

[baylormed]

I'm taking a review offered by my school whose grand total came out to be $175 (books included in the price).
These reviews are usually better because they are taught by actual professors as opposed to someone who happened to do well on that section. According to the statistics, people taking Kaplan vs. Princeton vs. Inexpensive School Review average the same scores. It's not which review you take, it's how much work you put into it!

 

[DoctorMoLLY]

I took the Kaplan course for the April 2005 test, simply because the drive to the PR course was 20 minutes longer than Kaplan (which was already an hour).
I did okay on the test in April.

When August rolled around, I studied with a friend's Princeton Review materials and went up 5 points total.


Granted there are other variables too, like I had more time to study in the summer, but looking back, I would have much rather taken Princeton Review!

That's just my experience though, Good luck ;-)

 

[wildcatbio06]

I like Princeton because they had different instructors for each area. I also liked how their material was set up. I have a friend that took Kaplan on-line and I wasn't too fond of his books. I took the April 2005 test and was very happy with the result. I would recommend PR.

 

[nimotsu]

Princeton Review

 

[hpm4]

Yeah I was wondering that too...i was looking up Kaplan and saw that they offered review from like April-June for like $1549 for the class...but was wondering if they did anyhting more towards the summer? Does anyone know?

There is a class with Kaplan that starts in May and goes until the August MCAT. I took Kaplan and they raised my score 14 points higher than my diagnostic and now I am a teacher for Kaplan and ALL the students raise their scores dramatically.

 

[hmack]

So does anyone know which MCAT review is best known for being more comprehensive? princeton or kaplan??
any other comments from those who have take the course?

I did Kaplan for an August test and then Princeton for the following April test and my score improved 8pts!!! And I had not taken any extra classes that would have improved it otherwise. I was really happy with Priceton.

 

[ezmoney1]

From someone who has taken both classes, definately take PRINCETON!

 

[noonday]

If you live somewhere where it's an option (basically, in california...LA/OC/SF) take the Berkeley Review. They only do MCAT, they are amazing and comprehensive and stress information more than test taking skills.

and they sell their books, which i really recommend even if you can't get ot hte classroom classes. best books out there -- tombs, yes, but you can't ever say they didn't tell you something would be on it that will.

plus, they took a chick (me) who hadn't had most of the classes on the mcat in over a decade and in 4 months of evenings got me to a place where I got a 35 (11B, 11P, 13V). they rock. and do free PS counseling if you're taking the course, which is a little less pricy than either PR or Kaplan

no, i don't work for me nor did they pay me to post this. they just really impressed me, and i've tutored test prep (SAT) for another corporation before.

 

[RunnerMD]

Based on the comments in this thread, it seems like everyone here prefers Princeton. However, it has been my experience that everyone I've met has HATED Princeton and LOVED Kaplan (in my city at least). I've taken previous Princeton courses and they've always been fantastic. But the MCAT review was the BIGGEST WASTE of money. Their strategies weren't good either. For instance, I tried their strategy for verbal the first time I took the MCAT and got a 9. The second time I took it, I didn't study verbal at all! I did one practice session the night before, and when I took the MCAT the next day, I just took the test like I normally would, and got a 13 in verbal.

Basically, I would just buy the books from a friend who took the course and study on my own. You don't need to pay $1600 to have someone give you an outline of the chapters.

My Princeton classmates were equally dissatisfied, I heard no complaints from the Kaplan kids.

 

[Hebrew Hammer]

I only took the Kaplan course and was extremely satisfied. boosted my score from the diagnostic by 16 points. I can't honestly make any sort of comparison, but Kaplan was very well organized and taught.

 

[S@xplayer]

I took Kaplan and thought it was a miserable waste of money and time. That said, I had 2 instructors that taught 4 sections.. and one of the 2 was horrible. Therefore, I had horrible physics and gen chem prep. Waste of money in my opinion, unless you have the time to do EVERY online material they have, including all the practice tests. Heh, I saved everything from my Kaplan prep course onto my computer.. I have like 30 full length tests and a good few thousand pages of practice material for each and every section imaginable.

 

[thatguyagain]

So does anyone know which MCAT review is best known for being more comprehensive? princeton or kaplan??
any other comments from those who have take the course?

I've taken them both over the years and have just one thing to say.

Princeton Review should never be compared to the crappiness that is Kaplan.

 

[Scoot]

Based on the comments in this thread, it seems like everyone here prefers Princeton. However, it has been my experience that everyone I've met has HATED Princeton and LOVED Kaplan (in my city at least).

Yeah I've actually asked many people which they prefer and found that it's basically a function of which brand is dominant in their city. Maybe I have the cause/effect relationship reversed but it really does seem to me that whichever company does the best job of advertising will be better thought of.

Anyway, my opinion is that there is no way that Kaplan teachers are as well informed as the PR ones. I was a PR teacher and there is no way I could have known as much about every section/subject on that test as I did about general chmeistry (my subject). As I understand it, Kaplan gives their teachers lecture notes which they pretty much just read from in front of the class. At PR we had t write all our own lectures which forced us to master the material waaay better than I thought possible.

Or maybe I just Like PR better because PR is more popular in my city than Kaplan...

 

[baylormed]

When it comes to books and materials I like the PR better because after each subtitle there is a practice passage, so you practice each concept as you study.
The Kaplan book is just a bunch of information and then a practice test on that section (say, biology or physics). This doesn't help me as much because by the time I get to the end I already forgot a lot of things. I feel it's better to do as you go.
But in the end, it all comes down to you...

 

[princessd3]

I took Princeton Review and was very happy with it. I loved the Science Workbook. I think it's the best. There are so many practice passages you just can't get through it all. Take Princeton Review!

 

[OwnageMobile]

The only comparison I feel qualified to make is between their pratice tests, for I have taken some of each. My ranking is: AAMC > TPR > Kaplan > Not Studying

Maybe one could switch the last two around...

I felt that Kaplan's tests were ridiculous. I can't say much about their teaching, but I was pleased with TPR's materials, and ended up doing great on the actual test.

 

[thatguyagain]

Yeah I've actually asked many people which they prefer and found that it's basically a function of which brand is dominant in their city. Maybe I have the cause/effect relationship reversed but it really does seem to me that whichever company does the best job of advertising will be better thought of.

Anyway, my opinion is that there is no way that Kaplan teachers are as well informed as the PR ones. I was a PR teacher and there is no way I could have known as much about every section/subject on that test as I did about general chmeistry (my subject). As I understand it, Kaplan gives their teachers lecture notes which they pretty much just read from in front of the class. At PR we had t write all our own lectures which forced us to master the material waaay better than I thought possible.

Or maybe I just Like PR better because PR is more popular in my city than Kaplan...

The factual reason that I feel some prefer Princeton and others Kaplan is this. Kaplan teachers are scripted. Yes, scripted. They basically read off of a sheet each lesson for the day. This allows for stupid people to act smart.

Because Princeton does not use this strategy, they are hit or miss. This is the problem. If Princeton Review lets stupid people be teachers, there is no script to fall back on. As a result, you can get a really poor quality of education. I have known this to happen to people, so I would recommend asking around to everyone in your area. Get the inside scoop, and make your decision there.

With smart teachers, Princeton DOMINATES Kaplan. If they suck though, you'll end up extremely unhappy with Princeton.

Also, I think Princeton has WAY better practice materials than Kaplan. I would, however, recommend the Exam Crackers 101 verbal passages book too. It rocks.

 

[ahumdinger]

I took Kaplan and my boyfriend took TPR. We are both teachers now for our respective review courses, so I've seen his class lecture materials. Most people on this thread so far have endorsed one or the other, but really haven't given a solid reason why one is better. Here's my chronological and objective (as much as can be) perspective:

Before I took the course, I heard that "TPR over-prepares you, while Kaplan has a feel-good approach, that is, they are really encouraging." I chose Kaplan because I didn't want to be stressed out too much-- TPR seemed to have many more class hours.

The rumors I heard before I took the class are pretty true. TPR goes into a lot of detailed materials that aren't likely to be tested on the MCAT. Their teachers are given a lot of liberty as to how much detail to go into and what to emphasize. They stress content review, not strategy. Kaplan, on the other hand, has a research-proven product to sell to the students. They've researched the optimum amount of info that must be taught such that the majority of students do a lot better. They stress strategy over content review. (though you do get a great deal of content review)

Although I took Kaplan (my score went from a diagnostic 27 to an actual 36) in retrospect I may have performed better with TPR. This is because I am a great standardized test-taker (My foundational knowledge was really poor, but I still managed a 27 on the diagnostic) so with kaplan, I didn't really benefit that much from their strategy since my own strategy was already pretty good. Had I taken TPR, I would have really solidified my science knowledge and maybe could have gotten a few more points.

So ask yourself these questions:
Are you a good test taker? if so, go ahead and take TPR. If not, go with Kaplan, they'll teach you how to take the test.
Are you easily overwhelmed by a lot of information? If so, go with Kaplan, not TPR.
Do you study well on your own? If so, take Kaplan, they have fewer in-class hours, and have more practice resources for you to work on on your own time.

If you live in St. Louis, take kaplan. The teachers are better, and the center staff is awesome. The st. Louis TPR center SUCKS. (my bf can vouch for that)

 

[Scoot]

The factual reason that I feel some prefer Princeton and others Kaplan is this. Kaplan teachers are scripted. Yes, scripted. They basically read off of a sheet each lesson for the day. This allows for stupid people to act smart.

Because Princeton does not use this strategy, they are hit or miss. This is the problem. If Princeton Review lets stupid people be teachers, there is no script to fall back on. As a result, you can get a really poor quality of education. I have known this to happen to people, so I would recommend asking around to everyone in your area. Get the inside scoop, and make your decision there.

With smart teachers, Princeton DOMINATES Kaplan. If they suck though, you'll end up extremely unhappy with Princeton.

Also, I think Princeton has WAY better practice materials than Kaplan. I would, however, recommend the Exam Crackers 101 verbal passages book too. It rocks.

Very well put

 

[ahumdinger]

to reply to the scripted Kaplan thing-- yes, it's true that we have a teacher lesson guide that walks us through the lecture, but we're really not supposed to read directly from it. Students can always tell when we read straight from the book, and they end up giving us bad evaluations and then we get yelled at by the center staff. Like I said, Kaplan has a product to market, and they will go out of their way to make sure you, the customer, is satisfied. We have student feedback to make sure our teachers are top-notch, whereas TPR does not such a feedback system. Like the previous poster, TPR is hit or miss. But like others have pointed out, it depends a lot on the region, so ask for the word on the street.

 

[Scoot]

to reply to the scripted Kaplan thing-- yes, it's true that we have a teacher lesson guide that walks us through the lecture, but we're really not supposed to read directly from it. Students can always tell when we read straight from the book, and they end up giving us bad evaluations and then we get yelled at by the center staff. Like I said, Kaplan has a product to market, and they will go out of their way to make sure you, the customer, is satisfied. We have student feedback to make sure our teachers are top-notch, whereas TPR does not such a feedback system. Like the previous poster, TPR is hit or miss. But like others have pointed out, it depends a lot on the region, so ask for the word on the street.

Just to clarify: at the PR office I worked at we did in fact have student evals. We had midterm and final evals actually and they were used to great effect--a teacher that taught the same subject as I did was fired after very poor midterm evals and I took over his classes, nearly eveyone that received good evals was given a raise, and we got to read all of the comments

 

[ND2005]

With smart teachers, Princeton DOMINATES Kaplan. If they suck though, you'll end up extremely unhappy with Princeton.

No, because smart Kaplan teachers know better than to just read from the scripted lessons and are actually comfortable creating their own lecture/review style.

Here's my two cents on why Kaplan is better than Princeton, followed up by a few caveats.

-From my impressions, the goal of the TPR reviews is to teach material -- they want you to know all the material you need to know to succeed on the MCAT. This is a nearly impossible goal, and you certainly can't learn that material in the limited classroom hours of a TPR course.
-The goal of Kaplan is, within the framework of teaching a limited amount of v. important content, to teach you how to take the test and work on problem-solving/time-management/test-taking strategies.
-Kaplan also has a nearly endless supply of practice materials. You really could sit in a Kaplan study room from the day you sign up til the day of the MCAT and not get through all of their resources.
-Kaplan's tests. I've seen them get a lot of grief here, and I'm not really sure why. After taking 4 Kaplan full-lengths, at one of the Kaplan staff's advice I looked at (didn't sit down and take the whole thing) one of the AAMC tests. It seemed RIDICULOUSLY easy in comparison. I felt so confident going through all of test day.

Caveats:
-People's experiences will likely color their perceptions. I got a great score, so I'm obviously happy with Kaplan. Others who didn't get the score they wanted are not happy with Kaplan. Take all of our advice with a grain of salt.
-The quality of the tutors plays a large part. If you have a good tutor, you will likely think much more highly of your review program, whichever it is.

 

[PurpleHaze]

Princeton Review

 

[BradenDO]

The quality of the tutors plays a large part. If you have a good tutor, you will likely think much more highly of your review program, whichever it is.

I agree with you on this one! My first Kaplan class is on Saturday, but we got a list of who would be teaching each subject. I was really happy with who we got and I think they'll prepare us well.

As for the diagnostic test...Kaplan has that policy where they'll refund your money if you don't improve on your diag. score. So, is there any truth to the rumor that they intentionally make the diagnostic test harder so that you'll get a lower score than what you'd get on the actual MCAT??

 

[45408]

let's just say that one SDNer got a 34 on the MCAT, taught Kaplan for years and years, and when she decided to go to med school after all (and the score had expired), she got a 43.

It's going to be six of one, half a dozen of the other. I had a good Kaplan experience, as did most of my friends, but some people hate it.

 

[Med01]

Three people told me to take Kaplan: an MD on Admissions, a med student, and an Admissions Counsellor, all who had worked on Admissions Committee at a top-10. It appears a lot of their admitted students took Kaplan.

Years ago, I took Kaplan and their material review organization structure and most importantly,full day practice tests were very helpful and helped me score decently.

My score expired. I had to take the MCAT again. Without Kaplan since none were nearby. Did not do as well. I think the full-day practice tests when you're under real test conditions are REALLY important.

 

[Dingalongdong]

I'm taking a review offered by my school whose grand total came out to be $175 (books included in the price).
These reviews are usually better because they are taught by actual professors as opposed to someone who happened to do well on that section. According to the statistics, people taking Kaplan vs. Princeton vs. Inexpensive School Review average the same scores. It's not which review you take, it's how much work you put into it!

I disagree with the idea that it is better to be taught by a professor than someone who just merely did well at that course. The mcat tests 3 things: knowledge, stamina and critical thinking. While a professor may know more than the student, at lest the student has actually done the test. To illustrate, I bought 2 books for my prep, Barrons and Kaplan. Barrons was written by 6 professors (not MD profs) and Kaplan was written by hired professionals who researched the MCAT. Barrons was knowledge overkill while Kaplan was exactly the amount of knowledge that I needed to do anything that aamc could throw at me. Barrons was all knowledge but know exam strategy, Kaplan had a great deal of exam strategy.

 

[psrai85]

to reply to the scripted Kaplan thing-- yes, it's true that we have a teacher lesson guide that walks us through the lecture, but we're really not supposed to read directly from it. Students can always tell when we read straight from the book, and they end up giving us bad evaluations and then we get yelled at by the center staff. Like I said, Kaplan has a product to market, and they will go out of their way to make sure you, the customer, is satisfied. We have student feedback to make sure our teachers are top-notch, whereas TPR does not such a feedback system. Like the previous poster, TPR is hit or miss. But like others have pointed out, it depends a lot on the region, so ask for the word on the street.

I asked around about the review classes, since most of my classmates took it last year

Kaplan: "I could have studied myself if i had the books"
"The instructor was the same TA who taught me physchem, but she was teaching organic in Kaplan course"
"If you can get teh books and study them inside out, you can do well"

Princeton: "Books are amazing,"
"They push you hard, and have good qualified instructors"
"Very helpful instructors outside of classes aswell"

Personally i think, just depends on how much work you put into it, so get EK package and either kaplan or princeton books and go for it. That's what i'm doing

Check out brett's blog, it's a nice study schduel if ur not taking the course

PR