Guest Katie Posted February 27, 2001 Report Share Posted February 27, 2001 Has anyone taken the Kaplan or Princeton prep courses? Do you recommend them? I'd like to take the Kaplan, just because it's cheaper, but I don't like the idea of going to a library packed with other students just to have access to MCAT questions. Princeton seems much more convenient in that way. Thanks guys! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Kirsteen Can MBA Posted February 27, 2001 Report Share Posted February 27, 2001 Hi Katie, I took the Kaplan prep course last summer and was happy with it. Please see Ian's archives for greater detail. Good luck, Kirsteen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Jase Posted February 27, 2001 Report Share Posted February 27, 2001 Prep course was too expensive and too time consuming for me. I took the Gold Standard and am satisfied with it. However, what I have to say about the Princeton review (some of my friends took it) is that they really do offer TOO much material for you to study. I am not a smart guy or genius. But when my Princeton review friends compared scores with me, I had the highest scores in all areas. I think it really came down to one thing: knowing your principles well. They don't expect you to know everything, but you really have to know how to think in a multiple choice format. Also, for the verbal reasoning, do a lot of readings. Take old GREs, GMATs, SATs, whatever to learn how to do the VR section well. Also, I took a lot of practice tests. A side note: If I were to take a course, I'd recommend the Kaplan. It's cheaper! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest andy Posted February 27, 2001 Report Share Posted February 27, 2001 Unless you need the structure of a review course to force yourself to study, i'd say the courses are a waste of money. As long as you have some basic grasp of science fundamentals, a review book and practice AAMC materials should be plenty to work with. Personally, I can recommend the kaplan comprehensive review book (pretty thorough, without a lot of stuff that you don't need to know) For Verbal, just read a lot! Worked for me! p.s. the AAMC materials are very expensive, but you can find many of them on reserve in university libraries. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Ian Wong Posted March 2, 2001 Report Share Posted March 2, 2001 Pretty much the same reply from me. At the UBC Student Union Building, there was some guy advertising the Kaplan prep course, and I stopped for a minute to talk to him about a job. The qualifications to become an MCAT instructor aren't particularly high, in my opinion: you need to have received a high mark in the MCAT section you intend to teach, and then must pass a 5 minute teaching presentation on a topic of your choice. I think we all know people who perform very well on tests, but can't teach worth beans. I don't know of anyone in my class who is currently teaching the Kaplan course, so if you passed the first pre-requisite of a high MCAT score, I don't see much stopping you from becoming a teacher if you so wanted. As a result, I think, and have heard reports of, the teaching sessions being extremely variable in quality. The concensus on the internet seems to be that the biggest value of the prep course is the structured study times (especially for the procrastinators out there), and more importantly, the test banks of sample questions. I can't emphasize enough how important it is to write several full length and timed MCAT's before the real one. You need to assure yourself that you can budget and allocate time correctly, and you can also use these practice sessions to try out different test-taking strategies to find out which ones work for yourself. Therefore, I'd try to find the MCAT course that makes it easiest for you to access test questions. Also remember that each "test center" will undoubtably fill dramatically with other students as the MCAT date approaches. Ian Can, MS2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Random Posted March 13, 2001 Report Share Posted March 13, 2001 Ian's right. In the past, Kaplan's hiring process was not the most rigorous. I know this b/c I have taught there for two and a half years. Recently, however, the screening process has become much more stringent - focusing more on the individual's ability to teach/experience rather than their high mark on the MCAT. My analogy for this is that Michael Jordan's stint at head coaching didn't last too long - maybe he'll make a better GM for the Wizards. :lol In addition, one must pass a fairly thorough training program after passing the initial screenings in order to be hired. Yes, I've seen people get the axe on the last day of training when they thought they were shoo-ins for the job. Anyways, Kaplan does provide you with everything you need, it offers structure and, for the most part, sincere people who have been through the process. If you've got the dough to spare, why woudln't you invest it in what should be a fairly important rite of passage in the process of getting to your end goal. If not, as Ian says, "Don't waste your money". He's right, if you can discipline yourself and talk to some senior students who can give you advice, you'll probably end up with similar results. Best of luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Katie Posted March 13, 2001 Report Share Posted March 13, 2001 Thanks for all your replys guys!! But just one more thing. For anyone who took the Kaplan course, did you find that the sample questions they provided were close to what the actual MCAT question were like, or easier or harder?? Thanks!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Kirsteen Can MBA Posted March 13, 2001 Report Share Posted March 13, 2001 Hello, Kaplan provides a battery of mini- and full-length tests on which you can practise. They also offer booklets of Verbal Reasoning tests and the AAMC full-length exams (five of them). I wrote last August's MCAT exam, and I felt that the Kaplan course prepared me well for every section of the MCAT except VR. I cannot recall any VR test or section which Kaplan offered which was as challenging as the actual MCAT VR section--most of the actual passages were very long and the questions, on average, seemed more difficult. I think many people were shocked, and a few packed it up early, after writing VR. On the positive side though, you are marked on the normal distribution, so if most find it difficult, you'll be fine. Good luck, Kirsteen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest anon Posted June 7, 2001 Report Share Posted June 7, 2001 hey if you guys need a tutor for mcat in the toronto area let me know i got 12, 14,14... and S on writing sample iip999@hotmail.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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