KAPLAN: How This Slacker Became a Med Student
Written: May 04 '00 (Updated May 20 '00)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Enthusiastic staff, helpful materials, great test center, well-organized schedule.
Cons: You have to study your you-know-what off in order to get the results you want... but this applies to every prep course!
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| vara's Full Review: Kaplan MCAT Course |
There is probably nothing more hideous than the letters M,C,A, and T when they combine to spell "MCAT". Indeed, the Medical College Admissions Test makes even the most seasoned pre-medical students wring their hands in desperation, rub their brow of perspiration, and hopelessly seek inspiration. Have no fear, fellow pre-meds. I was once in your shoes and believe me, no matter how dire your circumstances, I was probably in even worse shape.
AN IMPORTANT POINT BEFORE I BEGIN! People have different opinions on test prep courses. Some feel that the price is excessive and I would go so far as to agree with that, including Kaplan's case. Plus, let's not kid ourselves... the title "How This Slacker Became a Med Student" is quite a stretch! In order for me to get the results I needed, I had to work my tail off. However, it is my opinion that Kaplan assisted me by providing me with a set study schedule to which I had to adhere. Having structured my studies around it and used almost every tool they provided me, I feel Kaplan helped me a great deal.
That said, let's move on.
UMM... I'M NOT A PREMED. WHAT IS THE MCAT, ANYWAY?
Okay, first, let's bring everybody else up to speed here (premeds can skip this part). The MCAT is a standardized 8-hour exam. There are six sections, namely Verbal, Physics, General Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, Biology, and an Essay Section. I won't say much more outside of the fact that the MCAT is one tough exam. It tests not only knowledge but endurance, not to mention sanity. Up to 85% of pre-medical students take a MCAT prep course, and I highly recommend it.
THE KAPLAN CENTER:
I took my MCAT over the summer, so I was practically camped out at the Kaplan center for the entire summer, day in, day out. I took the course in San Antonio, which provided a nicely secluded center. It was small, and the desks were not too comfy after hours of studying/prep class, but it suited my needs. I was hardly ever bothered by anyone. Everyone else has a goal in mind. The center is not reserved for the MCAT alone, of course: all other standardized test students share the center.
Bear in mind that all test centers are different! My girlfriend at the time was studying for the MCAT as well, and her center in Houston was jam-packed with people. It was not a great place to study, but for seeing videos or going to classes it was plenty adequate.
Audio/visual lab: There are numerous TV-VCR units that allow you to see videos of lectures you may have missed or wanted to view for a second (third, fourth...) time. This is a great way to prepare for an upcoming class, as well as freshen up on stuff you learned.
Test Reserve: There's an astronomical number of practice exams in the Kaplan Center. You can take "quizzes" (which actually have harder questions than on the MCAT) which cover a specific area of interest within an educational discipline (like projectile motion, mitosis/meiosis, etc.), an entire discipline (physics, biology), or an entire exam. I would not recommend that you take entire exams left and right. You'll burn yourself out... besides, you will take several full-length (that's right, 8 full hours) exams in accordance with your Kaplan schedule.
The staff: At my test center, they were extremely enthusiastic about our progress. They were courteous and personable, which is good because if you study often like you're supposed to, they'll be seeing a lot out of you. As an example of their hospitality, one of the staff members provided "magnet massage therapy" to some of us towards the end of our tenure at Kaplan. While I find the Japanese (?) form of massage a little strange, it actually felt pretty good and I am most appreciative if the kind gesture.
THE PREPARATORY TEXT BOOKS:
I found my prep books to be crucial in my preparation. There is one book devoted to each section of the MCAT, each about 300 pages long. Did I read them all? You bet! More than once? Yes!
There are helpful tips and "main points" that are emphasized for you. As an added bonus, they are quick to mention topics that are asked about frequently on the MCAT.
Best of all, there are huge margins on the sides of the pages in these books... mine soon became cluttered with notes.
THE CLASSES AND INSTRUCTORS:
The classes are a good way to review that which you should have already studied (ideally). It's a great time to ask questions and re-hash your skills. In each class, you take some practice questions, then discuss them answers and the material for the week associated with them. Class schedules depend on when you take your prep course. Mine was about a 2 month prep course, and I had classes about 3 times a week.
Are the classes and instructors helpful? The classes, as I said, are a good way to review that which you already have learned. Again, I highly recommend that you read your texts before going to class. This way, you can gauge your knowledge. The instructors are very enthusiastic to help you (for the most part), and know their stuff pretty well (again, for the most part). Occasionally, an instructor might not know the answer to your question, but they look it up.
How are instructors selected? To begin, instructors aren't selected any different from any other prep course that I know of. Basically, the routine is they take some tests very much like the MCAT then are selected based on how they did. If they've already taken the MCAT they still have to take this test. After being accepted, these instructors go through numerous training exercises. For the most part, I wasn't disappointed by them. They truly care about how you are doing. In fact, one of the instructors that taught me was a 4th year med student at the med school I am currently attending. We have bumped into each other on occasion and he still recognizes me and is happy to see that I am "in".
MISCELLANEOUS STUFF:
You are given other stuff like a CD-ROM with a full-length practice exam (ugh... yet another). It's actually a refreshing way to take the MCAT if you're tired of the same ol' filling in the bubbles (you will get so sick of that).
Kaplan has a website (www.kaplan.com) that is accessible to students. It has many valuable resources at your disposal when studying for the MCAT.
Another cool feature I forgot to mention is that when you complete any exam (quiz, partial exam, half exam, or full exam), you are given a detailed printout of your score and your progress compared to other tests. I studied these printouts religiously and recommend you do the same when your time comes.
OKAY, ENOUGH YOU KNOW WHAT... DOES IT WORK?!
Before coming to Kaplan, I had admittedly not tried very hard in college to learn the basic material behind the MCAT (now you see why I say I was worse off!). As a result, when I took my first diagnostic test, I got my tush kicked. I studied very hard after that...
My score went up eight points, which is a great improvement... enough to get me accepted! That's what it's all about, isn't it? What's more, I had gotten a "C" in physics in college, but after Kaplan, the Physical Sciences portion of my exam had the highest score! Again remember that I studied my butt off. That's the only way to do it.
*********KAPLAN VS. PRINCETON REVIEW***********
This is probably the reason why you clicked on this review, right? Well, I hope I gave you a good idea of what Kaplan was all about. But how does it compare to The Princeton Review? Which is better than the other?
They are exactly the same!
While many may disagree with this, the fact remains that students don't do appreciably better or worse on the MCAT because of which prep course they take. Anyone who tells you otherwise is, well, full of it. The number one factor behind improving your test scores is YOU, no one else! Prep courses are there to assist you along the way, not do the work for you. If your score doesn't go up appreciably, your prep course should not be the one to blame. Chances are you studied too little or too much.
Which do I recommend to you? Well, both programs are excellent. They both have just about the same number of "bells and whistles" as the other... that is, the ones that really matter (good review books, practice exams, classes). I think Kaplan has an edge over The Princeton Review, but not by too much. The biggest advantage I see is the price: Kaplan is $100-150 cheaper than The Princeton Review (about $850 vs. $1000 when I took it). However, it all may come down to a matter of convenience. Be sure to look into things like the location of the centers for each respective prep course. If the Kaplan Center is much farther than the Princeton Review's, you might find paying the extra bucks is worth it.
If The Princeton Review were to have one edge in my opinion (many of my friends took classes there), it sounds like the instructors are just a bit more knowledgable. The difference does not justify the cost however, and the training of the Kaplan instructors is more than adequate.
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THE VERDICT: HEY- IF KAPLAN HELPED ME, IT CAN HELP YOU
I am sorry if my review was so positive (you might think I'm getting royalties!), but I really don't know where I would be if I hadn't had a well-structured and helpful prep course like Kaplan in my preparation for the MCAT. When I stepped into that test room to take the real thing, I knew I was ready. Yeah, it was still tough, but I was a hell of a lot tougher. I'm a med student now (wondering why I ever actually wanted to be one), and am grateful to Kaplan for rewarding my hard work by helping me get here. Best of luck to you.
Note: Kaplan and The Princeton Review may have changed somewhat since I attended class. I seriously doubt any real changes have taken place that would nullify this review's content. If you need further assistance/advice, don't hesitate to e-mail me!
Recommended:
Yes
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Member: Daniel Ramirez
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