What Classes Do I Need to Take for the MCAT?
The Princeton Review MCAT course is one of the best on the market and stands first in the prep course reviews. I love this course among all the best MCAT prep courses because you can study hard for a shorter time frame and still achieve the maximum results.
MCAT CARS Strategies
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.
So, are MCAT prep courses actually worth it? MCAT Prep courses are probably only worth it if you need structure, support and don't feel confident self-studying for the MCAT. Many students score well on the exam without ever having taken (or paid a lot of money for) a course. It's definitely not a necessity.
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.
These courses include introductory biology, general chemistry, organic chemistry, physics, psychology, sociology, and biochemistry. Every single student is different in the amount of weeks, months, and hours they put into studying for 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.
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 510+ Princeton Review MCAT prep course (1) is a significant boost in the overall program. It's highly rated, and it's one of the aspects Princeton Review is well-known for. A 510+ score makes a huge difference. It triples the rate of acceptance into admission schools, making it highly attractive.
12 weeks, or 3 months, is generally sufficient time to spend studying for the MCAT at about 20 hours per week. This can be compressed or extended based on your schedule.
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.
3 to 6 monthsHow long should I study for the MCAT? Believe it or not, most students who do well on the MCAT spend between 200 and 300 hours preparing for the exam. When you start your prep will be determined by your test date and by what other work and academic commitments you have—usually 3 to 6 months before your exam.
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 wins outright on the quantity front with 5,000+ practice problems (all with accompanying text explanations), while Princeton Review wins on course structure and quality, which at the end of the day, is most important. We prefer the structure of Princeton's curriculum and think it offers a more robust study plan.
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.
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...
1. The Princeton Review MCAT Prep Course 2. The Gold Standard MCAT Review Course 3. Kaplan MCAT Prep Course 4. Adapt Prep MCAT Review Course 5. Mag...
1. Practice Questions: The Gold Standard MCAT has more practice questions than any other MCAT course in our rankings. This ensures you probably won...
1. 1. Flexible Pricing: Students can save some money on registration costs by reducing the amount of access time or limiting their study material t...
1. Monday Back Guarantee: All students get a FREE Introductory Hour, so you get to meet your tutor and develop a customized study plan before begin...
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.
The best MCAT courses will also help you stay on task while providing clear explanations, interactive study tools, and practice exams that are similar to the real MCAT experience .
A self-paced course provides the most versatile learning options. Flexibility is key here and it often gives you the ability to study around your schedule as opposed to making your schedule around your classes. Having this option gives you ultimate control of your MCAT exam prep. However, with this comes the responsibility of sitting down and sticking to a schedule on your own. You also won’t have open access to instructors, although many of the self-paced options do provide forums, email and phone support.
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.
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.
Peace of Mind : As previously mentioned, there’s no excuse for a MCAT prep course to be stressful when the exam itself causes enough anxiety on its own . Therefore, some of the most helpful features Blueprint MCAT provides are the ones that reduce the amount of pressure on students’ shoulders.
However, Blueprint MCAT Review manages to offer an affordable package with quality and quality.
Kaplan is among the top commercial MCAT prep course options and provides a wide variety of course deliveries including Live Online, In Person, On Demand, Tutoring & Consulting, as well as Winter and Summer Intensives.
The Princeton Review MCAT Ultimate Course is the most comprehensive, intensive MCAT course offered both Live Online or In-Person. 123 hours of live instruction by a team of 4-6 subject-matter experts means you’ll be ready for the MCAT in as little as 12 weeks.
Magoosh MCAT sets itself apart as one of the only budget MCAT prep courses on the market today. This MCAT course includes 1-12 months of access to 380+ video lessons, 3 practice tests of over 700 practice questions, detailed text explanations, email assistance, and a 7-day money back guarantee.
Blueprint MCAT is a personalized online MCAT prep course that utilizes diagnostic test results to create a custom study plan. This MCAT course includes 240+ hours of live instruction over a 6-month period. In addition to the course, students can join 2-hour Live Online Office Hours with your instructor up to 5 times per week.
Gold Standard is one of the best resources for MCAT review materials that an aspiring medical student can utilize. They provide various prep courses and packages that are tailored to the needs of prospective test takers.
With robust in-person and online course options, Altius is one of the leading providers of quality MCAT prep courses. Their strengths lie in how they structure their courses as well as their comprehensive practice tests and 90th percentile score guarantee for all students.
It’s important to note that Blueprint is the only company who has fully updated all their practice exams and diagnostic to be fully aligned to the actual MCAT interface changes for this year. Once you enroll in a Blueprint MCAT course, you’ll also receive their set of 6 section-specific MCAT prep books.
Why We Chose It: Blueprint is our choice for the best MCAT prep course because of its strong student support, impressive instructors, breadth of study materials, and access to full-length practice exams.
The MCAT is administered by the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) and consists of multiple-choice questions on problem-solving; critical thinking; and knowledge of natural, behavioral, and social science required for students who want to study medicine. The best MCAT prep courses are those that are engaging, ...
Kaplan’s Live Online Course is available for six months for $2,499. You can also choose the Live Online Course Plus for $2,999 which includes everything in the Live Online Course plus three hours of one-on-one tutoring, MCAT foundation courses, and more.
Why We Chose It: Kaplan is our choice for the best live-online course because of its full schedule and study plan, access to live classes, and the ability to ask questions to off-screen teachers throughout the lessons.
The 510+ score guarantee promises that if you don’t see an increase in your score of 10 points or a score over 510, you will get a full refund. The Princeton Review’s Ultimate Course is regularly $2,099 but is on sale for $1,899 as of March 2021.
MCAT Self Prep was founded by Andrew George who developed his own study method when preparing for the MCAT. Today, the company offers four study prep options based on the research of the study habits of students who scored in the top fifth percentile on the MCAT.
You can also access an extensive video library, MCAT textbooks, and thousands of practice questions. If, after completing the course, you don’t see an improvement in your score, The Princeton Review will refund your tuition. If you’re not satisfied with the course, the company will let you repeat it for free.
Nearly every medical school in the country uses the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) to measure prospective students’ scientific knowledge and critical thinking skills. Your score has a significant impact on your chances of acceptance, so doing well is key. But knowing how to prepare effectively can be as difficult as taking the exam itself. ...
The MCAT is an important component of your medical school application that measures your knowledge and ability to cope with graduate-level coursework. It’s used by nearly every medical college in the nation to assess and compare applicants, so it’s important to do your best.
Scores are usually good for two to three years, but this depends on the school you’re applying to. If you took the exam a few years ago and aren’t sure if your scores still count, reach out to the admissions department and ask. Unlike most standardized tests, the MCAT doesn’t give you the option to cancel your scores.
Courses include 16 full-length practice tests , though unlike most other Kaplan courses, you don’t take any proctored practice tests in class. There’s also a question bank of over 8,500 practice problems, which is great if you want to target a particular section. Kaplan ’s most unique resource is The MCAT Channel.
The number you get indicates what percentage of test takers you scored higher than, so a 95th percentile rank means you did better than 95 percent of others who have taken the exam. These percentile ranks are updated periodically by the Association of American Medical Colleges, the creator of the MCAT, to reflect more recent data. So a given score may translate to a slightly different percentile rank next year, but overall, the rankings are pretty consistent.
The MCAT is a multiple-choice computer exam containing 230 questions. The test is broken into four sections: Chemical and Physical Foundations of Biological Systems; Critical Analysis and Reasoning (CARS); Biological and Biochemical Foundations of Living Systems; and Psychological, Social and Biological Foundations of Behavior. Each part is designed to test a different aspect of your scientific knowledge as well as your ability to think critically and analyze information. All sections are 95 minutes and contain 59 questions, with the exception of CARS, which is only 90 minutes and contains 53 questions.
Gold Standard MCAT Prep doesn’t offer any live classes, but its self-study programs are comprehensive, affordable and rival the best in terms of practice materials. Its Platinum Package Plus includes a bank of over 10,000 practice questions and 20 full-length practice tests — the most of any of our top picks. The course also includes a suggested study schedule, so there’s no need to invent one on your own. Unfortunately, there’s no trained instructors standing by to assist you if you run into trouble. This isn’t unusual for self-study programs, but it could be an issue for some students. Before signing up, make sure you’re prepared to tackle the course materials on your own.
The Medical College Admission Test, or MCAT, is the standardized exam utilized by almost every major school in the U.S. and Canada in its medical school admission process. The MCAT is administered by the Association of American Medical Colleges, or AAMC, and is designed to assess skills that are crucial to success in medical school, including problem solving, critical thinking, and knowledge of natural, behavioral, and social science concepts and principles. As a note, when applying to med school, your MCAT must be recent – most schools will not accept MCAT exam scores that are more than three years old.
Preparing for the MCAT. We recommend studying for three to six months before actually sitting for the MCAT. Obviously, that study time frame will change depending on your commitments and schedule, but be prepared for a long haul. You cannot procrastinate in studying for the MCAT and expect to score well.
The other major highlight of the Gold Standard MCAT Prep package is their bundle of high-quality eBooks. These digital prep books have been around for over 20 years and are extremely well-vetted by this point. Each chapter within the eBooks covers a MCAT subtopic in great detail, breaking down otherwise complex subject matter into understandable bites. They are well-articulated and content-rich. I would be shocked to see an official MCAT question where the underlying topic wasn’t covered somewhere in these eBooks. The books also contain some helpful illustrations and graphics that improve understanding and material retention. For students who prefer a prep book as their main source of instruction, you will find these eBooks and the course as a whole well suited to your needs.
The MCAT is a difficult and high-stakes exam with little room for error. For many aspiring med school students, your MCAT score will make or break your application, which in turn makes the selection of the right prep course a pivotal decision at the start of your journey to becoming a doctor.
The MCAT, short for Medical College Admission Test, is a standardized test that students must take if they’re hoping to be admitted into medical school.
The Princeton Review has been offering standardized test prep for many years, and it’s good at what it does. Currently, it offers four different MCAT prep courses.
We sincerely hope this information gave you some good insight on choosing from the best MCAT prep courses to be found online.
An MCAT prep course is an investment in your future. If you’re willing to put in time and money now, it may mean the difference between getting accepted to medical school and needing to retest and reapply.
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.