carpediem Posted August 23, 2006 Report Share Posted August 23, 2006 okay...I'm about to sign up for the Kaplan course and I just wanted to make sure I'm signing up for the right one!!! First of all...the Kaplan site is...kaptest.com, right? can anyone verify this please? Also, once you sign up for the course, do you get the books right away or right before the course starts? (like a week before or so) and I'm assuming that the shipping address is for the books?? Lastly, any feedbacks on the Kap course would be great! Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jochi1543 Posted August 23, 2006 Report Share Posted August 23, 2006 Hey, Never taken it, so I can't answer the specific questions, but if you do a search, you'll see a lot of threads about the Kaplan course (as well as some other prep courses). From what I've read, the general consensus is that it's a waste of money unless you are seriously lacking knowledge in some areas of the test (like, you've never taken physics at all) or need a rigid structure in order to succeed with your test prep. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kuantum Posted August 23, 2006 Report Share Posted August 23, 2006 Yes, kaptest.com is the correct site. I just posted something on this forum about choosing companies...there is a little bit about kaplan there. http://www.premed101.com/forums/showthread.php?t=18183 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joshto Posted September 19, 2006 Report Share Posted September 19, 2006 is there anyone or any reason to be in favour of kaplan? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tornado Posted September 19, 2006 Report Share Posted September 19, 2006 Yes Kaplan mails you the books right away usually, even before the course starts. And for your own good, do visit the thread that someone posted the link for below. (before registering w/ a course company -- make sure you're sure about your choice). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joshto Posted September 19, 2006 Report Share Posted September 19, 2006 i read through that and it sounds like princeton comes out on top. my only problem is that im not interested in going 4 times a wk for princeton but i would rather do kaplan for 2 times a week. but i mean if kaplan is by any means an inferior preparation relative to princeton, i might be better of going 4 times a week. any suggestions? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kuantum Posted September 20, 2006 Report Share Posted September 20, 2006 I had friends who did Princeton and said it was good, but the 4X a week is killer. I would never have been able to handle that, so I went with Kaplan. In retrospect, I probably could have done it on my own though and saved a couple hundred dollars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joshto Posted September 20, 2006 Report Share Posted September 20, 2006 Can anyone clearly say from what they know or even from what they've heard that Kaplan is inferior to Princeton? I wanna make a decision, but that 4 times a week is such a killer as someone else put it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kuantum Posted September 21, 2006 Report Share Posted September 21, 2006 I don't think you are going to find someone who can confidentally say that Kaplan is inferior to Princeton or vice versa because there aren't too many people walking around who have had experience with both. Ideally, you want to find the strengths of each weigh those against the cons of each, and then match the program that fits best with your learning style. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WabbaJ Posted September 26, 2006 Report Share Posted September 26, 2006 believe it or not, what i found most valuable wasnt the course material--- it was the people and the teachers. the teachers have experience so you can talk to them and get tips from everything including MCAT to app's themself. its a big help that way. in terms of studying, rarely will you need to ask a teacher for help- but youre need help on apps, not really content since youre all smart kids heres my verdict: pros: -class good b/c teachers are experienced ppl who you cant get on your own -structure of class is good b/c forces you to study -lots of keeners makes you really wanta study and wakes u up -you get feedback and scoring which is a bit tiring to do on your own-- especially for writing samples. bads (or cons): -expensive -if u get the material and really push yourself, it can be better: i took kaplan and really wish they gave us AAMC stuff. mind, i got a way with computers and um.. ya. -you might find that the structure is actually a bit slow! i wanted to get through all the theory to start practcing for at least two months and no reading. couldnt get that with a course. in the end, heres what i'd do if i had to go through it again or just starting: TAKE THE COURSE. the experience through the teachers is pretty valuable. especially when it comes to tips on apps, interviews, and the mcat itself, they really help. when taking the course, push yourself and try to be well ahead of schedule, and do as much material as you can find. and in the last month of studying or about that, just do exclusively AAMC stuff. have everything else done before that. above all, practice, practice, and practice!!! well, thats just me. if this was pointless, flame away. if i can help, you let me know boss. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eesanr Posted September 27, 2006 Report Share Posted September 27, 2006 I took the Princeton course two summers ago, and this summer I taught the Kaplan course this past summer, so I think I can shed some light on the differences between the 2. Princeton is definitely for the unmotivated learner. If you can't stand sitting around reading a text, then it is definitely the one for you. You'll go to those classes cuz u paid like $1400 for the course. Every class you miss is like the flushing $25 down the toilet. THat's why I took it. Kaplan relies much more on you doing the learning. They offer their students much more study material than princeton, but if you're not motivated to study in the first place, then the extra material is useless. The teachers don't go through every single point like they do in Princeton; Kaplan emphasizes the tools that will make you a good test-taker. So it just comes down to each person's study habits. They both teach the same material, both have the same # of mock tests, etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dayne67 Posted September 29, 2006 Report Share Posted September 29, 2006 I took the Kraplan course the first time around I was going to write the MCAT. While their study materials (i.e. practice tests and sub-tests) were very helpful, I didn't find their instructions helpful at all. I found their classes to be a waste of time. I felt like they were trying to brainwash me with their junky techniques all summer. One technique that they advocate is "STOP, THINK, and PREDICT" after reading each question. I laughed every time I heard that early on. I mean, who doesn't do that when reading a question? I also found their verbal reasoning techniques to be useless. They always advocated skimming the passage in like 1 minute. I could never read that fast - and when I tried, I missed important points in the passage. My first try at the MCAT did not go well (10PS, 9BS, 7VR, O). I rewrote the following year by not using the "Kaplan way", and did better (10, 10, 10, O). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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