TBR this, EK that, TPR this, NextStep that....yet...?

[impatientcollegestudent]

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Everyone here always mentions these yet when I go to sticky 509+ thread, literally mostly everyone on there said this instead "Kaplan this, Kaplan that, Kaplan my socks off!" =| what gives with this discrepancy?

P.S. Another interesting thing I noticed when people post threads about prep courses they get answers like it's not worth it or its useless...but on the 509+ thread a lot of people seem to have went that route...(with Kaplan too =|) why are answeres in regular threads different than in that thread?

 

[frosted_flake]

I get so **** overwhelmed that I dread even beginning to study for the MCAT when I read that thread 😡
I have the Kaplan 7 book series and I am only going to add additional sources where I can. I feel like this is all one big patchwork quilt of overkill.

 

[OneGoal]

Dude I feel you! I noticed the same thing as well! Hm...

 

[OneGoal]

I get so **** overwhelmed that I dread even beginning to study for the MCAT when I read that thread 😡
I have the Kaplan 7 book series and I am only going to add additional sources where I can. I feel like this is all one big patchwork quilt of overkill.

Yes this is my plan as well, I might even take a self paced Kaplan since some of the folks on the 509+ thread mentioned it.

 

[Doctor Dream]

I posted in the 509+ thread and the only Kaplan I used was an FL. EK and NS worked great for me. I also didn't drop 2K on a prep course. Maybe n=1 here but my point is you can do well without a class if you know your academic self and are disciplined enough to study on your own.

 

[HopefulUnderdog]

There does seem to be discrepancy like you mentioned, I wonder why as well. But at the end of the day I think it really just boils down to how much work you put in honestly.

 

[GrapesofRath]

I dont think Kaplan simulates the real MCAT at all(and many people agree with me) due to its nature of focusing on memory recall and fact regurgitation questions. But everybody is different; some people really love Kaplan and swear by it. I would say though it should be pretty obvious if you compare Kaplan's materials with other companies material that it's EK/Next Step/BR that creates questions in a style that is more similar with the AAMC; I dont even see how Kaplan's biggest fanatics could argue otherwise.

 

[OneGoal]

I dont think Kaplan simulates the real MCAT at all(and many people agree with me) due to its nature of focusing on memory recall and fact regurgitation questions. But everybody is different; some people really love Kaplan and swear by it. I would say though it should be pretty obvious if you compare Kaplan's materials with other companies material that it's EK/Next Step/BR that creates questions in a style that is more similar with the AAMC; I dont even see how Kaplan's biggest fanatics could argue otherwise.

Hm, I do hear that often.

 

[r4y]

I dont think Kaplan simulates the real MCAT at all(and many people agree with me) due to its nature of focusing on memory recall and fact regurgitation questions. But everybody is different; some people really love Kaplan and swear by it. I would say though it should be pretty obvious if you compare Kaplan's materials with other companies material that it's EK/Next Step/BR that creates questions in a style that is more similar with the AAMC; I dont even see how Kaplan's biggest fanatics could argue otherwise.

I posted in the 509+ thread and the only Kaplan I used was an FL. EK and NS worked great for me. I also didn't drop 2K on a prep course. Maybe n=1 here but my point is you can do well without a class if you know your academic self and are disciplined enough to study on your own.

did you personally use the EK and NS practice exams? if so, which company do you feel was a better representation of the real deal? if you were to go back and only have to choose b/w one company, which would you choose for practice full lengths?

 

[Doctor Dream]

did you personally use the EK and NS practice exams? if so, which company do you feel was a better representation of the real deal? if you were to go back and only have to choose b/w one company, which would you choose for practice full lengths?

EK represented the actual thing better than NS I thought, but NS has 10 exams out now for a fair price. EK has four exams and is a little pricier at $50/exam. If I only could pick one, I'd pick NS simply because they have more exams out for a better price. From my experience, I think the more FL's you can take the better off you'll be. Use FL's from test prep companies to increase your mental endurance, iron out gaps in content knowledge. Use AAMC material to get a feel for what the actual MCAT will be like.