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, an adaptive Qbank, 16 full-length practice tests, 8 books, and all official AAMC The Association of American Medical Colleges is a not-for-profit organization based in Washington, DC, and established in 1876. The AAMC administers the Medical College Admission Test and operates the American Medical College Application Service and the Electronic Residency … practice materials.Association of American Medical Colleges
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To help set the stage for our evaluation of the Kaplan MCAT course features, I think it’s most helpful to quickly run through the different prep packages that Kaplan offers at each level. In short, Kaplan offers3 different prep packagesfor students to choose from: On Demand Course, Live Online Courseand Bootcamp.
As you may expect from Kaplan, these books are all extremely thorough and well-written. Each subject review book covers a major MCAT topic (such as organic chemistry or biology) and goes into great detail.
In addition to the MCAT Channel, it is also worth noting that Kaplan gives you access to all official AAMC practice materials. Among other things, this includes practice tests, questions and section tests, The AAMC practice materials are of high quality (as they come from the makers of the MCAT) and their value should definitely not be overlooked.
Kaplan has one of the most comprehensive MCAT prep courses out there. Kaplan’s MCAT prep comes in many options, such as on-demand, live online, in-person. They also have several different tutoring packages. Kaplan is present in 43 states in the US, making it easy for students to take classes in person.
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, an adaptive Qbank, 16 full-length practice tests, 8 books, and all official AAMC practice materials.
MCAT Self-Study Toolkit 2022-2023 Kaplan's MCAT Self-Study Toolkit 2022–2023 provides you with the most advanced MCAT study and practice tools available (with more than a $700 retail value)—all in one integrated print and digital system.
Kaplan's MCAT Complete 7-Book Subject Review + Online Resources: With Kaplan's MCAT books, you not only get the printed resources that cover the subject matter from all the test sections but also access to three full-length practice tests online and additional science videos.
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.
Top critical review Having taken the MCAT, I can say that the Kaplan books are extremely thorough--too thorough.
How long is the Kaplan MCAT prep course? Kaplan's Live Online MCAT Course consists of live lessons 6 nights a week, and our On Demand Courses include over 90 hours of recorded lessons. Our In Person MCAT Course option consists of 12 three-hour classes with an expert MCAT teacher.
Although you would think this would give the edge to Kaplan, our team found Blueprint's practice tests were slightly more representative of the actual AAMC exam, its' testing interface more functionally identical to AAMC's, and their test scoring analytics more detailed and helpful.
Bottom Line: Kaplan provides a good overall review of MCAT-level research themes. However, their literature will need to be supplemented with more practice problems, ideally passage-based and integrated with other MCAT topics (biology, physics, etc).
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.
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.
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.
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.
Let our MCAT experts show you how it’s done. Learn proven strategies that raise your score, and get the perfect blend of structure and guidance. Study just how you like—with a teacher or at your own pace—from livestreamed and in-person classes to intensive bootcamps and study tools. Get ready to face test day with confidence.
From practice tests to Qbank, all our study resources were built by MCAT test prep experts. Not sure what’s the best prep option for you? We made a short quiz that will help you find your perfect fit.
Your personalized study plan prioritizes content based on your strengths and opportunities to grow. Tell us when you need to complete your studies, how many hours per week you can commit to, and which days you want off. We’ll build the perfect schedule for you.
Now, there are even more ways to solidify what you learned in your video lessons. Get test-like practice and extra content review to supplement your studies. Plus, you can join livestreamed workshop sessions to dive deeper into content.
The updates we made to our prep are based on hundreds of hours of research into how students learn best. After talking to a variety of MCAT students, we learned what makes for the ideal On Demand MCAT experience. Then, we took these findings and incorporated them in our new course—so you can get to your higher score more efficiently.
Kaplan's On Demand Course systematically builds your MCAT mastery beginning with the required knowledge and ending with test-like simulation.
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.
In total, Kaplan will ship you 8 hard copy books with the purchase of a prep course. Of these 8 books, 7 are subject specific review books, and 1 is a lesson book.
For most students this will be plenty of time to accomplish their MCAT prep, but for some, 5 months may be pushing it. The AAMC recommends 300 to 350 hours of study time prior to sitting for the MCAT.
Kaplan’s cheapest prep option, the On Demand Course, will cost you around $1,800. This course is self-paced and allows you to study from anywhere at any time. It is designed for students who require a flexible study schedule and prefer to learn alone.
Kaplan Higher Score Guarantee. As some of you may have noticed plastered all over their website, Kaplan does provide a higher score guarantee. If your MCAT score doesn’t improve after having used the Kaplan prep course, they will give you 100% of your money back, or let you retake their course.
Kaplan does offer a mobile app for MCAT study; however, it contains only 1,000 study flashcards. While other test prep providers such as Magoosh offer mobile apps that connect with your online account and provide access to your core study materials, the Kaplan app simply provides an ancillary study resource.
Kaplan is one of the most recognizable names in MCAT test preparation. Compared to some newer prep courses, Kaplan has a solid reputation that goes back several decades. The company has been around since 1938 and continues to evolve as it meets the needs of medical student hopefuls.
Kaplan understands that MCAT prep is not a one-size-fits-all endeavor. As a result, there are several prep review courses available. They vary dramatically in price.
Now that you have a better idea of Kaplan’s pricing structure and plans, let’s go over the content itself.
With most of the MCAT prep plans, Kaplan includes 16 full-length practice tests. That’s many opportunities to familiarize yourself with the MCAT’s structure and get used to the time crunch involved. Most course providers only provide a couple of MCAT practice tests, so Kaplan is already above the pack in this regard.
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.
Like any other test prep course, Kaplan isn’t perfect. There are some notable shortcomings you need to consider before investing in an MCAT review package.
Kaplan is a solid choice if you have the means to pay for one of its many packages. We like the versatility and the well-designed content delivery platform.