Barron's vs Examkrackers vs Kaplan vs Princeton

[Guest 9thofTir]

Barron's vs Examkrackers vs Kaplan vs Princeton

Which is really better to get?

[Guest studentz]

The materials are probably equal, though you should make sure practice questions are in MCAT format. I strongly believe that the TPR course is better than Kaplan's.

[Guest aclementine]

really? ive heard the exact opposite... apparantly the Kaplan prepcourse is way better

[Guest Jochi1543]

I just got whatever was cheapest on Ebay at the moment.:rollin

[Guest Gavanshir]

EK is good and its approach is rather different than the other prep companies. But I also liked Barron's. I think they have very smart prep materials too.

[Guest avisee]

I Looooved ExamKrackers. I went from 30S to 37S after using it, although the fact that I spent twice as much time studying had a lot to do with that. Still, using ExamKrackers actually made me WANT to study.

 

It's not for everyone though. But I am a very visual learner, and having the colour and the unconventional way of looking at the material made a huge difference to me. ExamKrackers provided some very useful ways to break down the questions, just as Princeton and Kaplan (but not so much Barrons) do - to be able to rationalize a question even if you don't know much about the content. But I found that EK rationalized things differently, and not everyone thinks that way.

 

For instance, I found Kaplan to be much too dogmatic and formulaic. Like, here is the model, memorize it and you will do well. If you like learning the formulae and then applying, then Kaplan would work well for you. Kaplan (especially the course, I think) is all about the strategy of approaching the test. Though they do have handy cue cards to study from.

 

Princeton I found to be easier to study from - less about memorizing short cuts and more about just appreciating the material. Not dragging myself through bland stuff by boiling it down to the common denominator, actually studying the stuff for what it is. But this takes more time and offers no shortcuts. This is why the Princeton course gives you tons more paperwork than Kaplan. It's content over method.

 

ExamKrackers seemed like the bastard child of Princeton and Kaplan, on weed. It provided a few tricks to approach questions, but only a few very broadly applicable ones, so that you would be able to remember them and apply them often. It also approached appreciating the content, although it didn't go into a lot of detail. A lot of "in a nutshell, here is what you need to know" sort of stuff. But the pictures speak a thousand words. It's the kind of learning style that unconventional people prefer, but it's not structured enough for many people. Some people think it wastes too much time goofing around and trying (not well, some might say) to be funny or cute. But other people would say these attempts at humour make the material memorable, and even a cheesy joke will spring to mind much quicker during the exam than a boring acronym.

 

So, ultimately, it depends a lot on your learning style. Each has their own advantage, each has a type of student it suits better. Even Barrons, which I was never overly fond of, has the price advantage, and if I recall correctly, they also provided a bunch of sample exams and a CD. So if you just want to run through a bunch of examples or get a really cheap book to study from, Barrons can be good - though their exam questions tend to be the least similar to the real MCAT. Their questions tend to be easier; ExamKrackers' and one of the other two (sorry, can't remember but I think it was Kaplan) tend to be harder. The best way to get sample exams is just to buy the official AMCAS editions, especially if you can get them used or off eBay. But as for study guides, I'd say let your personality direct you to the best choice.

[Guest aclementine]

avisee, well said, very well said