The Official Prep Courses Do Not Help Thread

[Scrub MD]

What is everyone thinking? I think it is better to study on your own without a class. Take practice tests, see where you are weak and study those areas. Maybe buy an old edition of a comprehensive review book to refresh your knowledge. Why spend $1500 for someone to make you study or do problems you may already know.

My only experience is on Kraplan (oops, Kaplan). I have heard good stuff about others TPR and EK and how they are filled with disgruntled ex-Kaplan students.

Why not save some cash and work on your own weaknesses?

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[Lindyhopper]

In pretty much every every academic subject I have ever learned, It has been helpful to have a variety modalities. We learn by reading, listening, practicing problems, thinking, & writing notes. All are important. A professional structure is also helpful.
Yes, education is an expense investment. But the Medical College ADMISSION Test is probably the most important test most of us will ever take. It is hard to know how I would have done without taking the EK course. But I was happy with the course. I was happy with my score & do not believe I would have scored was well without the course.

 

[Scrub MD]

I have heard good things about EK (and not the made up statements by Kaplan employees on here). So I ordered some EK material in case I have to retake in August.

 

[MoosePilot]

Why go to college? Why not just buy the textbooks, take some practice MCATs and figure out your pre-med studies on your own?

I think there's a benefit to having someone help you learn. I know I benefitted from that.

 

[chaeymaey]

I think you need to take a class for this test because there are some things on the MCAT that your college courses may not have covered and you wouldn't even know to study it because you've never heard of them in your life. At my undergrad, for example, there is no algebra-based premed physics and in the closest class to that, optics is not covered. In my Gen Chem class, we never learned about the Bohr atom, electrochemistry, or alpha/beta/gamma decay, and in my O Chem class we never covered aldol condesation. You may have done awesome in your class and think that you know everything about the subject, but that's only over things you've covered. You may not have covered everything that's on the MCAT. At least when you go to a prep class you can be sure that they have at least mentioned all the subjects covered on the test.

 

[trillian]

I think the review course materials are extremely valuable. They structure the material you need to know and present it analogously to how it will be tested on the MCAT. In addition, the practice tests are helpful to get you in the mode of test taking - altho I think their PS sections usually involve too much computatoin. So, take the review course if you're not disciplined enough to study on your own, or else just buy the materials and study on your own!

I took Kaplan last summer for the August MCAT, but for the April '05 one I just used my Kaplan books and bought 2 additional Examkrackers verbal books and 3 examkrackers tests along with AAMC ones and thought I studied well.

 

[Shredder]

i concur, i took princeton and skipped the last third bc it was more productive to do things on my own. definitely regret the course looking back, not sure about other prep companies. the books and tests are plenty if you have some discipline.

 

[gujuDoc]

I don't think the in class time in the course helped, but the workbooks, course books, and practice tests were of a great help to me. I think the MCAT is one test where some do better doing it on their own, and others do better by having structure. I like the structure, because without it I would have been overwhelmed.

I think that future MCAT test takers, need to assess how they achieve good standardized test scores best.

Some will do better out of the classroom and just taking review material they can get from people whom have taken the class.

Others will do better with the structure of Kaplan, Princeton Review, Berkley Review, or Exam Kracker's.

Even within those companies and others, there are different styles of learning and teaching the MCAT, so people who consider a course must look at what each course has to offer.

 

[drj2gz]

I am a very self-motivated person. I also do not learn much from lectures at all. I learn best from reading books. Having said this I still believe that I wouldn't have done as well without kaplan. The lectures are supposed to supplement your learning. Don't expect to go to the class and be taught everything. There is not enough time for that. For lectures to be effective you must prepare ahead of time. It seems like a waste of time to go to class if you didn't prepare. I had wonderful teachers (all yale meds). I thought the practice material was great. All in all though, the bottom line is that you have to put the time in yourself. If you have the materials and are consistent in being disciplined enough to study and take practice test, a prep course may not be necessary.

 

[n00b]

That's a good point. When making a decision to prepcourse or not, consider how you feel about your college classes. Do you learn best from self-study or do you prefer to both read AND hear the information?

For most people the answer will be "it depends on the professor". I hardly ever go to class unless I have to or if the prof is great. I do better in the classes where I enjoy the lectures (good prof), so when I start studying for the MCAT I'm going to ask to sit in for free on a couple different courses and then either register or drop out with a full refund depending on how I lke the instructor. BTW, I don't know if that's possible, but everything's negotiable right?

 

[JakeHarley]

In my Gen Chem class, we never learned about the Bohr atom, electrochemistry, or alpha/beta/gamma decay, and in my O Chem class we never covered aldol condesation. You may have done awesome in your class and think that you know everything about the subject, but that's only over things you've covered. You may not have covered everything that's on the MCAT. At least when you go to a prep class you can be sure that they have at least mentioned all the subjects covered on the test.

I am surprised that you didn't cover these subjects in undergrad chem and physics. Regardless, you can be introduced to these subjects on your own without paying $1200 or whatever to take a prep course. I took the MCAT twice because my scores from the first time around are expired. I didn't take a prep class either time, the first time I basically didn't study at all because I was still in college and the subjects were relatively fresh in my mind--did pretty well. This spring I just bought that big Kaplan book and read it cover to cover and took most of the AAMC practice tests. I suspect I did as well or better than I did the first time around, and I managed to save myself $1000.

I know many others who have studied on their own for the MCAT and done well. I think the idea that you will do better through taking Kaplan or EK course relative to self study is totally bogus, a myth perpetuated by those darn test prep companies.

One reason people tend to propogate this fallacy is that they take the Kaplan diagnostics (which are harder than the real deal) and score something low. "Oh crap, I better take a prep course!" So they take a prep course to get all the same info they could get on their own dropping $60 on a book. Then when they end up scoring significantly better on the real thing, they assume it must have been because the course was a huge advantage. Wrong! The diagnostic is just harder, and you studied between taking it and the real thing. You could study on your on and get the same results, and spend the $1000 on a nice trip somewhere warm when school is out.

 

[n00b]

It might all be bogus, but I guess some people's feeling is that while 90% of their score-increase they got with a prep class they could have learned on their own, but that there are those few extra points they got only because they had an instructor that explained something differently, or made something stick, or in some way or other added some useful information unavailable in books.

If the above theory is true (and it may not be), the question is how much is an extra point worth? $100? $300? $500? That question is going to depend on how important the MCAT score is to you and what you're financial situation is.

If your rich uncle is paying for it, then it's free to you and obviously worth it, but if those extra points come at the expense of going home to see your family in Australia, well then it's a question of priorities.

 

[Shredder]

see with princeton there was tons of time alotted for lectures in the classroom. i started in november and had class three times a week for 2.5 hours. since i had paid 1500 for the course i felt compelled to attend these classes, at least until the last third when i realized they were hurting me. this is because i ended up studying during those 2.5 hours, in the classroom, when i would have been much better off studying on my own and focusing 100% on it instead of listening to instructors blab in the background about easy stuff that wasnt pertinent to me. so i think the classes didnt add points to my score. i think for 35 and below classes probably would be helpful, but once you go higher then 80% of what is gone over in class you will already know inside and out.

 

[PKP719]

it wasnt really worth it ,

its more bout your individual work and h.ws than the actual class sit in .

 

[CerealBox]

The Kaplan course was definitely NOT worth the $1500. I should have just spent the money on the books.
The lectures breezed through formulas. "Teachers" read from prepared notes and didn't know much more than what was written on the page in front of them. POintless. Save time and just read it on your own.

 

[Lindyhopper]

.... "Teachers" read from prepared notes and didn't know much more than what was written on the page in front of them. . .

That is weak. But quality of teaching is always, everywhere a bit of a crap shoot. My teachers at EKs were great. Of course, I was lucky enough to have one of the founders, & "stars" of audio-osmosis, Jordan Zaretsky as my PS teacher.
I've always found that after banging my head against the books all day it is great to have a good instructor give me their intrepretation.

 

[Scrub MD]

Check out the 30+ Study Habits thread, almost all do not believe in prep courses.

 

[Lindyhopper]

I got a 32. That may not be mind blowing but if I hadn't taken the course, I probably would have been in the 28-29 range. That has to be worth $1,500. Consider the cost of a post-bacc year. About 30K tution & a year of no income.

 

[Lindyhopper]

Check out the 30+ Study Habits thread, almost all do not believe in prep courses.

Are we reading the same thread? Prep classes really were not addressed in that thread. Clearly, ultimately one has to teach themselves the material & have the study habits to do it. Prep classes & lecturers can help, but ultimately, one must put in the time alone with the books & practice problems.