All of our MCAT courses also include 16 practice tests, 8 books, an Adaptive Qbank, and up to 700 hours of guided prep and practice from MCAT experts. Why Kaplan's MCAT Prep Courses are worth it? Our MCAT courses offer more than just content review and a few MCAT practice tests.
MCAT Self Prep is a great resource to use if you need a little extra motivation to start studying, have a busy schedule, and do not want to spend a lot of money. It was really easy to watch a couple videos and learn a lot during random breaks in my day and right before bed.
The MCAT is challenging, and high scores are critical for medical school acceptance. MCAT prep courses are a great way for students to refresh their knowledge on multiple topics while also learning new material. MCAT prep courses will help students become more comfortable taking the MCAT by offering strategies and test taking tips.
The Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) is one of the toughest standardized exams around. Especially when considering you may be balancing work, school and a host of other responsibilities. The MCAT testing period of 7.5 hours can be brutal without the best MCAT prep course.
I had 10 weeks to study for my exam, and I can tell you there was nothing better than this course for preparation. I took my diagnostic test the first day and got a 497, by the end of the 10 weeks I scored a 517 on my last practice exam and scored a 519 on the actual test day.
Given their solid lessons, helpful organization of materials, flashcards, and other fairly impressive resources, we think MCAT Self Prep is a good choice for personalized, self-guided MCAT preparation on a budget.
700 hoursAll of Kaplan's MCAT guided instruction, book work, practice material and resources total up to over 700 hours of prep time. Given that the AAMC recommends 300 to 350 hours of study time before taking the MCAT, this is more than double the recommended amount of prep.
The Kaplan live classes generally take place over 9 sessions that are 2 hours long. You sign up for a scheduled class, and are expected to be there and prepared each session.
An MCAT tutor can be especially valuable for students who are looking to retake the MCAT. It's often hard to assess why you did not get the score you needed to be a competitive candidate, and a great tutor can help you find your weak spots and provide guidance on how to overcome them.
Although some reviewers mention how some sections of the practice tests were not as strong in content material, Next Step as a whole is widely recommended by its users. Overall, it's voted as one of the practice tests that really helped users improve their MCAT score.
Most people need 10–15 hours per week to study for the MCAT over a period of at least four to six months . In total, you should aim for at least 200 to 300 hours of MCAT study time.
Yes, Khan Academy is good for the MCAT. This is a great prep course to get free content and extra resources before taking exams. How Many Khan Academy Videos Are There For MCAT? There are about 1,100 Khan Academy videos for the MCAT, which is enough to prepare you for the real med school test.
Books – Blueprint provides 6 hard copy prep books (all specific MCAT subject related) to all of its' students, while Kaplan provides 8 prep books (7 subject matter related). All are extremely thorough, well written, do an excellent job of breaking down complex concepts, and closely track the coursework.
When you consider all of the things that Kaplan does well, it's not hard to see why it's a favorite among prospective medical students. Kaplan MCAT offers an intuitive platform with tons of versatile content to go through. It excels most with practice questions and exams.
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.
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.
Not Everyone Needs an MCAT Prep Course Some people will be able to self-study for the MCAT just fine. In that case, no, you don't need a full MCAT prep course. But you can't know until you get started.
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.
The 10 Best MCAT Prep Courses and Classes of 2022Altius — Top Pick.The Princeton Review — Best Self-Directed Program.Blueprint — Best Instructors.MCAT Self-Prep — Most Affordable.Kaplan — Best Product Offerings.Examkrackers — Best In-Person Experience.MCAT-Prep.com — Best Online Course.More items...
How to Study for the MCAT in 3 MonthsGauge your performance by taking a free online practice test. ... Let your baseline guide your content review. ... Grab a copy of the AAMC outline of topics that will be on the exam . ... Consider taking a prep course to keep you on track. ... Practice, practice, practice.
Depending on the level of prep you need, you can plan on spending around $20, $200, or $2,000. Tutoring prices range anywhere from around $150 - $3...
While there is not currently a mobile app for the course, it is mobile friendly and the features of the course can be easily accessed from your mob...
Unfortunately, no. You will need the AAMC practice question bundle to partner with the course. Neither this bundle nor any other printed material i...
After reviewing numerous courses , we found that Princeton Review and Blueprint were the best MCAT prep courses. Both courses offer some grea...
MCAT prep courses are a great way to learn new material and refresh yourself on old material. Some factors to consider might be your budget, learni...
The amount of time it takes to study for the MCAT will vary from person to person. It is recommended that students give themselves adequate time to...
Both prep courses are great options when studying for the MCAT. Princeton Review is a little cheaper and has a couple of different features versu...
The MCAT is a very difficult exam. Many students spend months preparing for the MCAT exam. MCAT prep courses are an efficient way to study and ta...
MCAT Self Prep believes that to succeed on the MCAT, you need a balance of memorization and strategy. As such, their mastery courses are two-fold, as they include both memory courses and strategy courses to help you with the most detailed and difficult aspects of the exam.
Recall, MCAT Self Prep is all about taking others’ authoritative study tools and resources, and organizing them in a way that streamlines your studies. These content modules do just that on the hard content review side.
In my opinion, these are one of the biggest value adds of the MCAT Self Prep program. The collection includes over 5,000 of these flashcards covering every MCAT concept as outlined by the AAMC. I found these flashcards to be convenient, comprehensive, and above all, effective.
All three paid levels of the MCAT Self Prep course offer access to 10 content modules, which cover all of the hard content that you’ll need to learn and memorize. Within these content modules, you’ll find approximately 150 lessons that cover narrow subtopics and are designed to be easy to complete. The aim of these lessons is to efficiently and effectively organize all the substantive content you’ll need for the test. These modules include:
These flashcards are convenient, comprehensive, and above all, effective. Flashcards typically have a topic or question on one side, with the definition or answer on the back. These, however, are not your average flashcards. While some of these cards target information to be memorized, others are formatted as comparisons, and still others are in the form of questions with answers to choose from.
For those of you willing to go whole hog on the MCAT Self Prep course, the Deluxe Pro Plan provides 9 mastery courses. MCAT Self Prep believes that to succeed on the MCAT, you need a balance of memorization and strategy, which I fully agree with.
Then with the Advanced Pro plan at just under $100, you’ll have access to MCAT Self Prep’s collection of more than 5,000 comprehensive quizlet flashcards, as well as some additional MCAT practice questions.
The MCAT is a very difficult exam. Many students spend months preparing for the MCAT exam. MCAT prep courses are an efficient way to study and take some of the stress out of taking the MCAT.
The MCAT is challenging, and high scores are critical. MCAT prep courses are a great way for students to refresh their knowledge on multiple topics while also learning new material. MCAT prep courses will help students become more comfortable taking the MCAT by offering strategies and test taking tips.
Both prep courses are great options when studying for the MCAT. Princeton Review is a little cheaper and has a couple of different features versus Kaplan. Princeton Review gives students access for 12 months and costs $1499.
Improvement needed – take a free MCAT practice test to see where you stand. If your score needs improvement, an MCAT prep course may be a good option.
This course is the most in-depth course they offer. Students can purchase this course for $3099.
The Princeton Review offers a very thorough MCAT prep course. The online, self-paced course retails for $1499 and is available to students for 12 months. The course features 1000’s of free-standing and passage-based questions – all of which have detailed answer explanations.
The course is self-paced and completely online but includes study schedules to keep students on track. Magoosh MCAT covers all MCAT subjects and focuses specifically on subjects and topics that will appear the most on the MCAT. This Magoosh prep course is compatible with all computers, tablets, and smart phones.
Especially when considering you may be balancing work, school and a host of other responsibilities. The MCAT testing period of 7.5 hours can be brutal without the best MCAT prep course.
We started by compiling a list of the top MCAT prep course providers online. There’s many reviews out there already and we took the top courses from all of them. Then we separated their courses into two categories: self-paced, live online. Some reviews include in-person but since we can’t afford to fly around the world to attend these courses we had to skip them for now. Some test prep companies offer on-demand, live-online and in-person classes, while others only have one single format. We evaluated each method individually as most students are only considering one option. Generally each teaching method has different advantages, and we created specific criteria for each method to rank the best prep courses in each.
MCAT Channel: Kaplan’s MCAT Channel gives students access to live lectures from 1st-rate, experienced MCAT teachers 6 days a week in addition to on demand, pre-recorded content that is available 24/7. Best of all recorded episodes can searched by interests, study needs, or even your favorite professor!
Pricing: Kaplan offers a top notch MCAT prep course, but it comes at a price. They have the most expensive on-demand option in our list, starting at $1,799. Their live online and in-person options are even more. If prices is a consideration you can get a better deal with Blueprint.
You can email them with any type of question and expect to receive a response within about 24 hours. Answers are thorough and very helpful.
If your score doesn’t go up, you can do the same program again at no extra charge, or (the best part) you can ask for your money back. You can study up until the very day of your exam with Kaplan’s course materials, which do not expire until you take the MCAT.
These range from 1 month to 6 months. The study plans give you daily exercises and even have built in rest days. This is a great way to stay organized and make sure you’re maximizing your study time.
With each of Kaplan's MCAT courses, no matter the format, you’ll get access to a full MCAT prep course, live or on demand, up to 700 hours of guided prep and practice from MCAT experts, a Qbank, 16 full-length practice tests, 8 books, and all official AAMC practice materials.
A full course is your best shot at a higher score. Get the structure and guidance you need from top MCAT teachers.
For online only, Self-Paced course students, you will get access to your online materials for 270 days. That means you get roughly 9 months of study time, which should be ample opportunity to get yourself ready for the MCAT.
If you opt for either the Essentials course or MCAT 510+ offering from Princeton Review, you will get 123 live instruction hours, in-person or live online.
For the 510+ program, Princeton Review guarantees that you will get at least a 510 or better. Now, to qualify for this promise, you must have a baseline score of 500 or better. Otherwise they simply guarantee a score jump of +10 points (which is still pretty liberal in its own right). And for the 515+ Immersion program, there is a similar promise. Score 515 or better or your money back – assuming you started with a 505 score or better. If you start below a 505 score with that offering, you get the same +10 point increase guarantee.
In total, Princeton Review offers its users the opportunity to take up to 16 full-length practice tests. Given the importance of practice when it comes to the MCAT, this is an incredibly valuable offering. With respect to pure numbers, 16 is a very generous figure and is less than only Gold Standard MCAT Prep when it comes to quantity (Gold Standard offers 20 practice tests).
Princeton gives you access to 500+ detailed video lessons, 2,500+ practice problems, 16 full-length practice tests, and 123 live instruction hours (assuming you’re taking a live course). That is a TON of prep material and time, so for those students seeking to maximize the amount of prep they get for their money, this should catch your eye.
The Ultimate and MCAT 510+ course offerings each boast 123 hours of live instruction. Yes, you read that correctly – 123 hours .
You will get at least 270 days of online access to all of your study resources with any Princeton Review course. That equates to roughly 9 months and should provide plenty of study time to prep for the MCAT.
If you’re a pre-med or a student thinking about studying medicine in the U.S., then you’ll obviously know how hard and long (6 hours plus) the MCAT is ( I talk about that here ). Scoring high is perhaps the biggest selection factor admissions committees look at when deciding who to shortlist for places at their med school.
Price: you can totally study for the MCAT using completely free (or low budget) materials. Besides the $300 fee to take the actual exam, you don’t have to go out and spend more money preparing.
Another very viable alternative to an MCAT prep course is to get an MCAT tutor.
Hang out in MCAT communities to share and distribute other free practice resources (r/MCAT etc.)
The main pro I see from self-paced courses is flexibility. The major con is that it’s not at all that different from self-study.
Because of that, the MCAT is also a big business. There are a ton of private schools across the country (and beyond) that aim to prep students as best as they can for the exam. Often charging high fees ($2K plus is the norm!) in exchange for things like tuition, practice tests, learning resources, and more.
The MCAT is a seriously tough exam. Any help you might get from an MCAT prep course could make all the difference. But most of them aren’t cheap!
Ultimately, we believe the best way to study for the MCAT is self-prep. Particularly because of our MCAT philosophy.
This is because the MCAT covers a broad spectrum of premed courses and every individual is going to have strength and weaknesses in different areas. Therefore, when you take an MCAT prep course you may spend more time on subjects you ...
However, the most important material you need to purchase is the official practice tests and problems from the AAMC. Unfortunately, there isn’t enough AAMC material. Therefore, we resort to Kaplan, Princeton, Examkrackers, and all the other 3 rd party MCAT companies.
Therefore, if an MCAT prep course pushes a certain study plan or teaches a certain method of reading a passage, this may be beneficial for some people but harmful for others.
If you take an MCAT Prep Course you will more or less be confined to their schedule. ( Unless you take a self-paced course!) All pre-meds are going to have a different schedule when it comes to the MCAT. Some students will want to study during the school year for an extended period of time while others will want to cram it over ...
If you are planning to take an MCAT prep course consider this option. It is a lot cheaper! Keep in mind, MCAT courses run by the University instead of an MCAT company might not be as valuable. College professors don’t always have experience with how the MCAT likes to present their material.
There is no right answer when it comes to pacing yourself for this exam. Before signing up for an MCAT Prep Course, make sure you are realistic about how much time you need.