Question for those who have taken Kaplan

[B Baby82]

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I just took my diagnostic test for the MCAT a couple days ago and scored in the low 20's. I would love to score around a 32 or higher if possible in April. I know that the people at Kaplan say that on average their students improve by 10 points, but from those of you have taken the course, is this a fair statement? What kind of improvements did you all show from when you started? Thanks a lot.

 

[UDbiochem]

I improved by 5 points with Kaplan. Can't say it will be the same for everyone.... I studied harder for the MCAT than anything else in my life.

 

[coharahawk]

I took the class and improved 5 points as well, but I didn't do as many of the study options that I should have. I have a friend that scored significantly less than me on the diagnostic, but scored one point less on the real exam, so it definitely depends.

 

[Dr Turninkoff]

on the kap diagnostic i got a 24 or 25. by the end, i was getting 32+ on the kaplan tests which are supposed to be harder than the real mcat. on mcat day, i got a 32, but after seeing my score breakdown, i know i could have done better. dont get scared. kaplan is all about scaring you into buying their course.

 

[VFrank]

I went up 15 points. It's totally possible.

 

[Nflow]

Kaplan works, if you do all the prctice tests, questions, videos all the resorces they have (August is better than April in this regard). If you are going to go only to the classes, then it's not worth it. I improved by almost ten points, so I know it works.

 

[DrMom]

moving to the MCAT forum...

 

[TheBlackHand]

yeah, all the people i know who took kaplan went up 10+ points, i took kaplan for the august mcat, but watch out for biological sciences, kaplan i feel is really intensive in the physical sciences areas but they don't quite slam home a lot of the BS stuff.

 

[palminator2003]

The strength of Kaplan is in the range of study materials they provide. If you do the bare minimum number of assignments (needed for the Kaplan guarantee), then you won't improve much. If you do all the suggested assignments including the foundation review videos while taking notes and the topical tests, then you can make a dramatic improvements. Personally, I found that going back to your textbooks and redoing text and problems for weak areas really helped boost my confidence. Just make sure you don't do this at the expense of doing your regular Kaplan homework.

 

[Jack_Adam]

Say it with me, now: Topical Tests, Topical Tests, Topical Tests. Do those, and you will be well-prepared. By "doing them," I mean take them AFTER you have prepared for each section, in the time allotted, and then go back and read through ALL of the answers, even if you got them right. Understand why the answers are right - refer to Kaplan books/school books if you have to - and you will improve dramatically! 🙂 Just my $0.02.

 

[fahimaz7]

At my center.. The average diagnostic is an 18 with an avg score of a 27 on the real test.

 

[brats800]

i improved about 5 points (high 20's to a 32) by doing the kaplan classes and full-lengths...you could definitly improve a lot. its easier to improve from a low 20 to high 20 than from a high 20 to low 30, in my opinion, because of the study and test-taking habits that kaplan can provide. also, doing the topicals could help you a lot. good luck and get it done!

 

[New England Dad]

🙁 My daughter got a 26 first time around, took the Kaplan course, studied for 2 months straight including taking something like 5 full-length practice tests, and got the same 26 score including the exact same sub-scores. She got a full refund. But the admissions deans at all the schools she has contacted have said the only reason she hasn't been accepted is because of the MCAT score.

 

[palminator2003]

🙁 My daughter got a 26 first time around, took the Kaplan course, studied for 2 months straight including taking something like 5 full-length practice tests, and got the same 26 score including the exact same sub-scores. She got a full refund. But the admissions deans at all the schools she has contacted have said the only reason she hasn't been accepted is because of the MCAT score.

I hate to break this to you, but there are many factors that may have affected your daughter's performance although she was studying for 2 months. The 5 full length practice tests are part of the normal Kaplan curriculum. Like I said before, doing the bare minimum at Kaplan for 2 months doesn't cut it when it comes to the MCAT. There are many questions that can be asked. Did she do the topical tests and review what she got wrong? Did she use the computer feedback and foundation review to shore up weak spots? Did she follow the test taking strategies suggested by Kaplan on the practice tests? If you are going to blow $1500 on a review course, you might as well buy into the system and utilize every resource they give you. Otherwise, you are wasting your time and money.

 

[dca_55]

I scored 10 points better on the last practice exam at Kaplan compared to my diagnostic. Hopefully, I'll know by tomorrow, if I improved even further! If this is your first shot at the MCAT, and you do all of the recommended practice material and exams, I can't see how you won't show a significant improvement.

 

[Sparky Man]

I scored a 24 on Kaplan's diagnostic and an average of 32 on their full-lengths. I'll know my August scores soon! I know Kaplan helped me improve, but I think their diagnostic might be a little unfair. They gave it to us at ~7 PM, when we were pretty darn tired.

 

[evajaclynn]

From my diagnostic to the last practice test that I took, I improved 10 points (from a 23 to a 33). However, I haven't gotten the real test results back (as we should today), so I don't know how much I really improved over the time period. But I do think that KAPLAN helped a lot. It also depends on your own level of motivation and how much you understood all of the material beforehand. Most of KAPLAN was just a refresher course for me. Good luck.

 

[mr. sparkle]

the kaplan diagnostic is a scam designed to
1. scare you
2. make sure that you sure as heck don't qualify for their refund guarantee at the end of the class. (because any improvement in your score from the diagnostic makes you ineligible.)
take the results from the exam with a giant heaping scoop of salt.

 

[jules454]

I took kaplan, and improved 11 points on my score (27 to 38). It's not a magic fix all - you really have to put in the time studying. They provided lots of extra study materials which I found very usefull to test myself with. You never can really get a handle on what you know until you test yourself, and they've got tests (full-length, subject, diagnostic, ect) comming out of thier ears.

 

[Ypo.]

the kaplan diagnostic is a scam designed to
1. scare you
2. make sure that you sure as heck don't qualify for their refund guarantee at the end of the class. (because any improvement in your score from the diagnostic makes you ineligible.)
take the results from the exam with a giant heaping scoop of salt.

Is this true?

When people talk about improving their score 10 points are they referring to the diagnostic test they take at the beginning of the MCAT course? I hardly think that counts - its not a real MCAT 🙄

 

[docmz]

honestly, i took kaplan my junior year of college (2002-2003) for the april '03 test. i did ok on the mcat (low to mid 20's). this past summer and spring i studied on my own using kaplan books. though we haven't gotten the scores yet, my practice tests were in the 30's. i think it all depends on how you study best. sometimes the classes get so bogged down it is better to focus on the material by yourself. but, in short, some practice tests were better than others. some sucked. i really don't see a rhyme or a reason, they did improve, but don't count your chicks before they hatch. work your ass off and you'll be fine.
good luck!

👍

I just took my diagnostic test for the MCAT a couple days ago and scored in the low 20's. I would love to score around a 32 or higher if possible in April. I know that the people at Kaplan say that on average their students improve by 10 points, but from those of you have taken the course, is this a fair statement? What kind of improvements did you all show from when you started? Thanks a lot.

 

[Ypo.]

Yes, but is it true that when Kaplan says you will up your score by a certain number of points or your money back-are they using their diagnostic test as the point to measure from?

I mean, that seems to me to be a setup for a scam. They should use an actual MCAT as the diagnostic or starting point.

 

[Dr Trek 1]

I took Kaplan and "improved" 3 points. I personally thought it was all a complete waste of time. However, if you actually do everything they suggest and do all their practice materials, I'm sure you'd improve more but you don't need Kaplan for practice materials. Besides, I really didn't have the time since I was taking 18 credits that semester. I retook using only EK and feel I did a lot better.

Save time and money: use EK.

 

[sepaul]

Take your cash and go to Mexico for a week and relax... I took this course and felt like a total nitwit throwing that kinda cash down the drain. Their resources are so 1980's. They are way behind on verbal prep and keeping up with the most recent advances in MCAT testing!

Honestly, the best MCAT prep is taking diagnostic tests. I recommend EK or Kaplan for BS and PS. Only take official AAMC of EK Verbals for accurate scores. Do all the AAMC official exams. The best $80 one can spend on MCAT prep.

After getting a ballpark number. Focus on your weaknesses. Then, Buy review books on basic science. The test only brushes on the basics and then adds some crazy science to see if you have the analytical skills to wade through it. The timing and confidence comes from practice exams. Mastering Verbal early is key, start like 6mo out and do 1 to 2per month. EK verbal strategy is the best.

 

[traki]

I will preface my comments by noting I am a Kaplan teacher.

I have several friends that scored exceptionally well on the MCAT in different ways. One broke 40 w/o taking a prep course; he just bought the AAMC practice exams and used his college text books as prep material.

Another friend of mine took Kaplan and scored a 38 - he attributes it all to Kaplan and their extensive training library (and his teacher).

I have had students that dramatically improved off their diag and others that stayed static. The reasons why will not surprise anyone: it all has to do with how much time & effort you put into the prep. That must be a given to succeed on the MCAT (as well as in any field of life you wish to pursue).

Let us presume that it is a given you will seriously commit to preparing for the MCAT.

Then it is up to how you are more comfortable.
If you are exceptionally self-disciplined and have a 4.0 GPA and really know your sciences then don't take a prep course. Buy the AAMC stuff and review the science on your own.
If you would like some guidance and structure to your prep, as well as some strategy tips and a student community to study with - choose Kaplan.

All test prep companies will have great variability in teacher quality from center to center as well as within a center. Odds are your center will have great teachers, average teachers as well as poor teachers. If you are going to pay $1500 for a class, do not be shy about shopping for teachers. Do not get locked in to a particular schedule; rather, attend several teachers' first class and see who is best and then stick with that instructor. If you don't have that kind of time, ask around. Word of mouth will likely be accurate.
I particularly recommend attending the first class (MCAT Strategy & Critical Thinking 1) - that is a tough lesson to teach and should reveal if your teacher really understands the Kaplan program.

Regards,

DJ

 

[browniegirl86]

I took and checked the explanations for every single practice assignment/test Kaplan had available.

My score went up 10 points from my diagnostic (which was a 30) so yes, I would say it helped me. Then again, I studied 4-8 hours a day every day from June 6 to August 12.

And yes, if you have never taken the MCAT before, you use their diagnostic test as your baseline score for improvement.

 

[45408]

I had an 8 point jump. Ten points is probably an exaggeration.

 

[QofQuimica]

I had an 8 point jump. Ten points is probably an exaggeration.

I went up 9 points, using my first MCAT as the baseline. If you have a previous test, Kaplan will use that as your baseline. If you don't, then there really isn't any choice but to use the diagnostic test.

 

[CalicoKat]

Just my two cents: I think that the area of the MCAT you show the greatest weakness on the diagnostic may be an indicator of how much better you do when you take the actual MCAT. Friends of mine whose weakness was PS or BS had little trouble bringing up their scores, because usually they'd just forgotten content and application. Those friends of mine who had the toughest time in verbal saw less drastic improvements because I think verbal may just be hard to teach. This could be purely an isolated coincidence or something in the drinking water here, but I think there is something to be said for the difficulty of teaching VR as opposed to the other two. I'm all for Kaplan, though--thanks to them, I improved 12 points.