MCAT Prep Courses

[Guest jasonc]

My girlfriend is interested in taking an MCAT prep course in London or Toronto. Does anyone have any recommendations?

[Guest miss83]

Princeton Review is good.

[Guest Anish P]

Oxford seminars run shorter (30, 48 hours) MCAT courses as well... not as long as some others, but good quality (and cheaper!)

 

www.oxfordseminars.com/Pa..._about.htm

[Guest jasonc]

Which one best prepares you for the actual MCAT? Or are they all about the same?

[Guest Snew]

I took a Kaplan course that started at the beginning of May and just finished the MCAT last Saturday. Kaplan focuses exactly on what you need to know. But be warned, the classes themselves are NOT sufficient preparation for the test, and the classes are not designed to teach you the material... the teacher reviews it class, but they assume you have done the homework for that class and as a result goes at a faster pace. If you have not done the homework, you will quickly become lost. You need to do a lot of outside study to get the full benefit of this course. Benefits of the Kaplan prep course include extra help, TONS of practice material, writing and verbal reasoning workshops (these were quite valuable), and 5 full-length practice MCATs proctored under real MCAT conditions. So if your girlfriend is better at learning on her own and using the course to supplement what she learns, then this might be a good option.

 

The Princeton Review is also quite good. I think the difference from the Kaplan course is that their are more class hours per subject, and I think as a result of more classroom hours they actually TEACH you the material. This doesn't mean you don't have to do work outside of class, but it may be helpful for people who have a hard time understanding things on their own and require more clarification. There are also full-length practice tests under real MCAT conditions and a large amount of practice material. I also understand that Princeton Review teaches a different approach to the Verbal Reasoning section. Maybe someone who has taken the course can comment better.

 

I think both courses have their merits, you can tell your girlfriend to check out the websites for both companies, or check out some of the other threads on this site. The Kaplan/Princeton Review debate has been discussed a number of times, and you can hear opinions from people who have taken each course.

 

Cheers,

Snew

[Guest medsmurf]

Save your money and use the Examkrackers books. They're awesome

[Guest flying kumquat]

I second the Examkrackers recommendation. I used those and the practice AAMC tests and felt quite well prepared.

[Guest ilitvino]

I third examcrackers books. Practice makes perfect!

[Guest kaymcee]

Make that four for the ExamKrackers books.

 

They are direct and to-the-point, teach you EXACTLY what you need to know and nothing more. I don't think they'd be very good for learning the material from scratch; they're definitely "refresh your memory" books. You don't get a lot of MCAT-like practice material, though. (The questions in the 30-minute practice tests are much more difficult and specific than that of the MCAT, although there might be something to be said for that.)

[Guest kupo]

I've taken Princeton, and I teach Kaplan nowadays.

 

All in all, they are relatively the same. The person who described the differences is pretty accurate. Princeton has more class hours (and thicker books) while Kaplan is more planned and organized in terms of incorporating review assignments, practice/topical tests, and class sessions.

 

It can be debated forever about who's better, but these courses are for people who want the entire kit and kabootle - the class time, the immense amount of review materials, access to online resources, practice tests (including AAMC ones), and other sources of help. In general, you get what you pay for in terms of class hours and materials.

 

For those who just need the MCAT topics consolidated for them (i.e. they don't want to sift through their binders and generic texts for the relevant topics), smaller condensed courses or books (I had The Gold Standard text book before I decided to take Princeton) in combination with access to the AAMC materials will do you just fine (which is what I did when I wrote the MCAT the second time around - I had the option of taking Princeton again, but I did not need new books nor the class time again). Going this route saves you a ton of money.

 

My point is, is that your choice will depend on:

 

1) What kind of MCAT preparation style you are looking for

2) How much money you are willing to spend

3) How much time (when, how often during the summer) you are willing to commit to prepping for the MCAT

4) How each option (Kaplan, Princeton, short courses, condensed books, or even old notes) fits your study habits and your sense of committment to the test.

 

For example, I knew studying the summer I took the MCAT (for the first time) was going to be extremely tough. I also needed books. I also knew that I thrive learning in class in combination with reviewing notes. So I took Princeton and paid the cash monies, which I was willing to spend and could afford.

 

Kupo

Med 1 - UBC

[Guest arjuna83]

I too recommend the examkrackers books; and would add further if you want to simulate that course atmosphere: Examkrackers have also come up with an MCAT audio lecture series titled "MCAT Audio Osmosis with Jordon and Jon." I managed to buy a used CD set for a very good price, the price of new set costs CAN$ 186.17 (www.amazon.ca/exec/obidos...-6338716). I think these guys have done a tremendous job in compiling this series. They cover all aspects of the MCAT, along with useful mnemonics along the way. If you think about it, their MCAT manuals, Audio Osmosis, and the AAMC practice tests would do as good a job as any prep course out there. Remember, the manuals have discrete questions and 1/2 hour tests for each topic of the MCAT as well. They also have a website (http://www.examkrackersforum.com) where they answer any questions you may have regarding the questions in their books. This is definitely the best deal out there!

 

Wow anybody would think examkrackers paid me to make this post . Honestly though, I thought their material was top notch, and benefited greatly from it.