When you compare Kaplan and The Princeton Review MCAT courses side by side, there’s no question about which one covers more content. The Standard Kaplan course includes 36 hours of content review. With The Princeton Review MCAT, you’re getting 123 hours. The Princeton Review also excels in terms of content delivery.
As discussed below, while Kaplan provides its MCAT course offerings on the basis of class format, Princeton Review’s MCAT prep packages generally differ based on level of instruction, accessible content, and associated guarantees. The four Princeton Review course options include:
But even then, you may have to do some supplemental studying. The Princeton Review hasn’t been around as long as Kaplan, but it’s developed a fine reputation all the same. Founded in 1981, the company operates throughout the United States and has international franchises in 14 countries.
However, if you’re trying to save a couple of hundred bucks, Kaplan is very much worth the investment. If you’re willing to invest in a more expensive MCAT prep course that ensures a particularly high score (510+ or 515+), then you can go for TPR’s courses.
The practice questions, which are very well-written and designed by Kaplan’s team of MCAT experts, are accessible through the Qbank. The Qbank is a tool that allows students to create custom practice question sets, narrowed down by question type, difficulty, etc.
As you can see from the above, the Kaplan and Princeton Review SAT and ACT prep courses are very, very similar in terms of features, content and delivery. This can make choosing between the two extremely difficult.
Kaplan MCAT prep is a great choice to get you ready for the MCAT. Many have gone through the course and had great success and you do have the higher score guarantee, which means Kaplan stands behind their work. Kaplan is a great choice if you learn mainly by lecture/video and practice questions.
Between Kaplan and Princeton Review, Princeton Review offers a better benefit than Kaplan. The edge that makes Princeton the winner is the quality of content review from the incredible books.
Is the Princeton Review worth it? Yes! Princeton Review has a great course that has helped students raise their score through effective content and an easy-to-use platform. Their 510+ score guarantee is especially valuable for students who need to hit a specific score for admissions.
Kaplan does put out high quality study material. I found these books to be very helpful in reviewing the core sciences associated with the MCAT. The general chemistry, organic chemistry, and physics sections were well needed reviews if you were like me and it had been a while since you have taken any of these courses.
From user submitted scores of both their Kaplan and official MCAT exams, the general trend is that Kaplan practice exams are generally scored ~10 points below what you can expect to receive on an official MCAT, were you to take one. This might seem very off and imply that Kaplan exams are poor predictors of the MCAT.
The primary difference between the Kaplan and Princeton Review MCAT offerings revolves around instruction. Kaplan provides better quality on demand, video-based instruction, while we tend to like the quantity and approach of Princeton's live classes better.
In my opinion, Princeton Review's textbooks are more dense, but more thoroughly explain concepts, and just by that alone, I think it makes it superior to Kaplan's. Furthermore, I think Princeton offers a more comprehensive coverage of material, especially for Psychology, compared to Kaplan.
All in all, Kaplan gives students access to 16 full-length practice tests. This is a very respectable number of practice exams and is bested only by the Gold Standard MCAT Prep, which provides 20 tests. While 16 exams doesn't sound like much, at 7 hours+ per exam, that is a lot of hours spent simulating the real MCAT.
Like other practice tests, The Princeton Review (TPR) practice tests are often reported as being harder than the real MCAT. Many test takers found that the Critical Analysis and Reasoning section (CARS) was very different compared to what they saw on the MCAT.
Best MCAT Prep Courses SummaryBest Overall MCAT Prep Course: Blueprint MCAT.Most Immersive MCAT Prep: Altius.Best Value MCAT Prep Course: Magoosh.Best MCAT Live Online Classes: Princeton Review.The Popular MCAT Pick: Kaplan.Most MCAT Study Material: Gold Standard.
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The Princeton Review MCAT prep offerings cost a bit more on average than Kaplan’s prep courses, but also carry some unique score guarantee features...
The primary difference between the Kaplan and Princeton Review MCAT offerings revolves around instruction. Kaplan provides better quality on demand...
Yes. Both Kaplan and Princeton Review each provide sets of hard copy prep books with their MCAT prep packages. Kaplan provides 8 books, while Princ...
For one, you’re getting a lot of extras to support you in your preparation endeavors. Beyond the core materials, every course includes six months of access to a slew of additional resources.
Princeton Review MCAT Overview. The Princeton Review hasn’t been around as long as Kaplan, but it’s developed a fine reputation all the same. Founded in 1981, the company operates throughout the United States and has international franchises in 14 countries.
Kaplan also offers several optional tutoring packages. Starting at $3,699, you can get 10 to 40 hours of private tutoring through Kaplan’s online platform.
On the lower end of the price scale, there’s the Self-Paced course. Regularly priced at $1,699, the Self-Paced course is accessible online.
Since 1938, Kaplan has been a name that’s synonymous with test prep. It’s one of the largest test prep companies, operating in more than 30 countries around the globe! Accessing the courses is easy for most pre-med students, thanks in large part to its online platform.
Kaplan doesn’t cover a lot of content review. Many of the course segments include high-yield lessons about specific topics. But, the courses don’t dive deep into the details about the core science and medical information. You need that in-depth content review to succeed in the MCAT.
When compared to Kaplan and other prep course providers, The Princeton Review is a bit more expensive. Factor in the optional extras and you could spend a pretty penny. Luckily, The Princeton Review does make up for this with regular promotions. Not only that, but there are more course options.
The Princeton Review includes its very own smart practice technology. This is an online study tool designed exclusively for Princeton. It uses Nobel Prize-winning research to help guide your studying. This responsive form of preparation will make all the difference in your efforts to prepare for the MCAT.
The Princeton Review offers 123 live instruction hours with an in-person and live online option. This instruction includes both MCAT content and test-taking strategies to get you ready for test day.
With the Princeton Review study program, you will have access to MedFlix. This is a library of over 500 MCAT study videos that you can play on-demand when you need them most.
When it comes to practice tests, the Princeton Review and Kaplan have similar offerings. Princeton Review offers 16 practice tests while Kaplan offers 14. These tests include all the official AAMC practice exams for you to study, review, and practice taking.
There are only 9 hours of critical analysis and reasoning skills prep and 9 hours of biochemistry and biology prep. Based on the number of live instruction hours alone, the Princeton Review is a more comprehensive review option.
The MCAT is the Medical College Admissions Test. It is the only exam accepted by almost all medical schools in the U.S. and Canada. Your score on the MCAT is a significant factor that medical schools will look at when deciding on acceptance.
MCAT scores range from 472-528. A score of 500 is average, placing you higher than 50% of students who take the MCAT. It is safe to say you want to score at least a 500 on your MCAT, but it is also important to note that scoring average may not be enough to get you accepted into a competitive medical school.
The Princeton Review provides 4 exclusive M CAT review books and 7 MCAT subject-specific review books, for a total of 11 review books. Kaplan, on the other hand, has 7 MCAT subject review books and 1 lesson book, for a total of 8 books .
Kaplan and The Princeton Review are familiar names in the test preparation industry. From the SAT to graduate school admission test preparations, both courses provide quality instruction and materials that help thousands of students every year.
Kaplan’s Online Prep Course (priced at $2,499) is the most popular version of the Kaplan MCAT program. For an additional $500, you can opt for an upgraded “plus” version of its online course that includes one-on-one tutoring and other bonuses.
Princeton Review’s most basic option is its all-online Self-Paced Princeton Review MCAT package (priced at $1,699) .
The major benefit of Princeton Review in this regard is its questions that are specifically targeted to improve your proficiency based on individual strengths and weaknesses. This is a highly valued benefit of Princeton Review; you can really use it to optimize study-time for maximum payoff on test day.
Within 60 days of complet ing the course and taking the MCAT, you can provide your test results to Kaplan. If you can document that your test results did not improve following the course, you can either request a reactivation of your account to prepare again or request a full refund.
If a warranty on the outcome of your MCAT exam is something you value, Princeton Review is your go-to option.
Kaplan offers a free online trial class lasting 3 hours. Prospective students can also take advantage of its free practice tests to get a feel for the platform and the instruction method that the company uses. Lastly, Kaplan regularly hosts free virtual events on a variety of med-school-related topics that are open to all.
Also, Kaplan’s online courses are generally cheaper, even though there is not a perfect comparison feature -wise.