when to take a mcat prep course

The earliest you should take the MCAT is sometime late in your sophomore year or during the summer between your sophomore and junior years. You’ll have completed most of your medical school prerequisites by then, thus minimizing the amount of content review you’ll have to take on, regardless of which MCAT prep books or course you purchase.

Full Answer

When should I start preparing for the MCAT?

If you are planning on taking the MCAT in June, you will want to start your preparation no later than February, but if you are thinking of July, August, or September, you can wait until the latter part of the spring to get started.

What is the best MCAT prep course?

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.

How many hours of MCAT prep do I get with Kaplan?

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.

Do I need an MCAT course?

If you're naturally good at standardized tests and you only need to bring your score up a few points from your diagnostic, you don't need an MCAT course. Click To Tweet

How far in advance should I take the MCAT?

Aim to take the MCAT as early in the year as possible, preferably no later than mid-May before AMCAS application submissions begin in early June. Completing the exam earlier will allow you to complete your AMCAS application early, and the earlier you submit your application, the better.

Is it worth it to take an MCAT prep course?

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.

Is 2 months enough for MCAT prep?

As the official MCAT prep of the AMSA, Kaplan recommends that you spend 300-350 hours studying so you can be above average. If you're planning on taking the MCAT in two months, you'll need to put aside a significant amount of study time each week for in order to be able to score competitively.

Do you take MCAT junior or senior year?

Applicants typically take the MCAT after they have finished their prerequisite classes for medical school because these classes usually cover most of the material on the actual MCAT. This means that students are typically taking the MCAT after their sophomore or junior year of college.

How much do people spend on MCAT prep?

Compare the Best MCAT Prep CoursesProviderCostLengthKaplan Best Live Online$1,799 to $6,9995 weeks to 6 monthsMCAT Self Prep Best Customizable OptionFree to $999Lifetime accessAltius Best Guarantee$2,499 to $9,99912 monthsThe Princeton Review Best Intensive Option$1,499 to $6,6999 months2 more rows•Jan 4, 2022

How much does an MCAT prep course cost?

Compare the Best MCAT Prep CoursesCompanyPriceTime to CompleteKaplan Best Overall$1,799 to $6,999Varies depending on planAltius Best In-Person Option$500 to $10,000Varies depending on planMCAT Self Prep Best Personalized MCAT Prep CoursesVaries by plan typeLifetime accessMagoosh Best ValueFree to $999Self-paced3 more rows

How long does the average person study for the MCAT?

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.

How many times can I take the MCAT?

The MCAT exam can be taken up to three times. Two consecutive-year period: The MCAT exam can be taken up to four times.

How hard is studying for the MCAT?

The MCAT is especially challenging for several reasons, according to test prep experts. It is extremely lengthy and covers multiple subjects, addresses technical aspects of certain fields and occasionally requires test-takers to combine knowledge from disparate academic disciplines.

What AP classes should I take if I want to be a doctor?

If your school offers them, taking AP Biology and/or AP Chemistry are two of the best classes you can take to help you be prepared, since you'll be taking multiple biology and chemistry classes in college. AP Physics is also useful since pretty much all med schools have a physics requirement as well.

Can you go straight from highschool to medical school?

Is it possible to go directly from high school to medical school? Technically, no. In the United States, you must finish a Bachelor's degree before you can start medical school.

Can I submit my med school application without MCAT?

Can I submit my AMCAS without having my MCAT score? Yes! AMCAS can and will process your application even if your MCAT scores are unavailable at the time of submission. AMCAS will automatically upload your MCAT score to your application once the scores have been made available.

How many hours of MCAT prep is there?

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.

What is MCAT prep?

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.

When is the best time to take the MCAT?

There are 4 different “windows” to take the MCAT: the Winter (late January), the Spring (March through May), the summer (June and July), and the Fall (August and September). The “ideal” time to take it, is when you feel fully prepared. It isn’t worth it to rush your MCAT if you don’t feel ready.

How long does it take to prepare for the MCAT?

Testing in time for your application. We generally recommend that students give themselves at least three to five months to prepare for the MCAT. As such, if you want to test in January or March, then you’ll want to get started in September or October. If you’re testing in April, May, June, or July, then January or February is ...

Why do students take the MCAT in January?

In addition, a lot of students choose to take the MCAT in January because there is usually a lot of break time leading up to the test date, which provides a nice chunk of time for them to focus on MCAT prep without the distraction of classes and finals.

How many MCAT tests will be available in 2021?

There are 30 MCAT test dates to choose from in 2021. When deciding on an MCAT test date, consider the fact that you’ll need 3-5 months to study and that your MCAT scores should be ready by the time medical school applications open in June. Other factors include whether or not you want a weekend test date, seat availability at your preferred testing ...

When is the best time to get your MCAT score?

If you’re testing in April, May, June, or July, then January or February is the perfect time to get started on your prep. Remember that the application cycle opens in June of each year, and you will want your official MCAT score to be released and ready to go when you submit your application.

When is the MCAT test 2020?

In 2020, the MCAT will be offered in January and every month from March through September. With so many test dates coming up, it can be easy to put the decision on the back-burner, but think about it like this: lots of longer-term decisions—like when to schedule your test prep—depend on your MCAT test date. So taking just a little bit of time now to determine your future test date can put you ahead of the game and help you develop a strong plan for your MCAT success.

Does Kaplan have MCAT prep?

MCAT Prep Tip. As the official MCAT prep of the AMSA, Kaplan has many MCAT classes to prepare you for any test date. You can register months in advance, so you can enroll and save your spot for when they begin. This way of thinking ahead has an additional payoff: Even though you might not start your MCAT class meetings right away, once you enroll, ...

What is the blueprint MCAT?

Blueprint MCAT (formerly Next Step Test Prep) has built into their course a study schedule planning tool. Simply enter the date of your test, the day you’re beginning your MCAT prep, and which days you can’t study.

Is the MCAT a good investment?

Nevertheless, an MCAT course is a great investment if you are going to take it seriously. Recently, I did a review of the Next Step MCAT Course, which I think is the best course available.

Session 10

In this week’s episode, we talk all about MCAT prep courses. Do you really need to take an MCAT prep course or can you just self-study? What are the main factors to take into consideration when you’re deciding?

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.

Can You Raise Your Score Enough with Self-Study?

If you’re naturally good at standardized tests and you only need to bring your score up a few points from your diagnostic, then you don’t need a course. In that case, you can just self-study.

How much does it cost to study for the MCAT?

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.

Is MCAT prep 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.

Why is blueprint the best MCAT prep?

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.

What is the MCAT 2021?

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, ...

How much is Kaplan online course?

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 is Kaplan the best online course?

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.

What is the Princeton Review 510+ score guarantee?

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.

Is Princeton Review a bootcamp?

Each course comes with its own features, score guarantee, and refund policy. The Princeton Review was founded in 1981 and has since become a top name in the prep course industry. Today it offers a wide selection of test prep courses including four MCAT prep options and a bootcamp.

Who is the founder of MCAT?

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.