Seriously!!!!!! Kaplan helps you????????

[MissyRXpharm]

I have to decided asap on this. for those of who have taken kaplan pcat course, did it really helped you guys???? how are their tests? i saw that they have like a midterm and a final during their course. Is that really similar to the PCAT, the real test? or is it just helping you to have some idea about the PCAT...?
help me out.. I am also trying to get the dr. collins... but how dr. collins packets and kaplan's course books are different? or similar?? help me out. thanks.

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[diastole]

I haven't taken the Kaplan course but given the expense, I would only take it as a last resort. You don't need any program if you are motivated enough to study on your own with a variety of resources. If you really want a program, I'd try Dr. Collins before I went anywhere near Kaplans. It is much less expensive and lots of people have said nice things about it. The comments on Kaplans has been more negative for the most part. And if you really want a midterm and final, just pay for the real deal and purchase the Pearson's online PCATs. I highly recommend this. It will give you the closest approximation to the test.

 

[CK8652]

Kaplan class is great for information. Unfortunately, it won't ingrain it into your brain like studying will. Honestly, take a couple weeks and pound our the Kaplan 2010 book (~$50) and then take Kaplan practice tests and Dr. Collins practice tests. Dr. Collins is basically all practice tests, it's review is pretty basic and won't teach you much. The $1300 class is good for info, but you'll learn better by just hitting the books hard.

I took the Kaplan class to jumpstart me, it really didn't and I scored horribly on midterm and final. 3-4months later I studied on my own (Kaplan book
& flashcards), took Dr. Collins practice tests, ended up with a 92 on the actual PCAT.

 

[b1234]

Wow, people pay 1k+ for a study course for the PCAT?
I'd recommend taking a practice test and going from there...
I definitely would not spend more than a couple hundred on test prep material.

You really should post more information about how prepared you are now though. What classes you've taken, how long ago you took them/how much of the information you retained, etc.

I spent about $40 on the Kaplan study guide book, looked through the pre-test questions without timing myself and skimmed through the rest of it, taking a bit more time to read over info on the (few) topics that I felt I needed to, and went over some of my old class notes and textbooks for a few topics. I did spend about $10 on a GRE vocab book and for the semester before I took the PCAT I would page through it when I had time between classes but other than that I really didn't study all that much specifically for the PCAT (total of 20 hours or so maybe) and still scored in the high 70's or higher on every section with a 95 comp. I realize I'm in the vast minority here - but I felt like other than a few specific topics I was ready for it without any extra studying and looking through the information the Kaplan book just confirmed that. I probably scored a couple points higher that I would have without it, and if you don't feel ready there is a lot of good information in that book.

 

[rxlea]

Don't even buy the damn book. Get it from the library. You won't ever need it again.

 

[Science Girl]

I don't think you need to take Kaplan class. If you just buy the retail kaplan book and study on your own, you shall be fine. I liked the kaplan book because of the chem, bio, and math sections. Two weeks to a month of thorough studying will prepare you for the PCAT. I also bought Dr Collins too; lots of chem, bio, and math questions. I used MCAT reading part to study for RC...

If you study on your own and commit yourself to a studying schedule, you will do great

 

[rxlove]

I used the Kaplan book and it was helpful since I hadn't had general bio or chem for 4-5 years, but it is fraught with errors. I was seriously thinking of mailing Kaplan corrections for a bunch of practice problems. I was kind of embarrassed for them.