My thoughts on the Princeton Review MCAT vs. Kaplan MCAT
Overview:If you want to take the Princeton Review MCAT course (Hyperlearning MCAT Course), I think it would be a good investment. It's about $1799-$1899 depending on where you live. It is expensive, but they do offer a lot. For example, they give you books, access to all the AAMC MCAT practice exams, Princeton Review MCAT practice exams, and in-class lectures. The practice exams are all online, which is invaluable for practicing and simulating as if you're taking the actual test. Curriculum:Princeton Review is nice because different teachers teach different subjects. For example, there is one teacher dedicatedto teaching Biology and others dedicated to only General Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, and Verbal/Writing. On the other hand, Kaplan MCAT review courses have one teacher that teaches every subject. Personally, I prefer a teacher who knows one specific subject just like I would prefer a professor who was a master in one field. Material:The practice exams from the Princeton Review course tends to be more difficult than the actual exam. The reasoning behind this is that since the exams tend to be harder in practice, when it comes to the actual test, it should not be as bad. Does it actually work? For me it did. The Princeton Review practice exams were very difficult, but definitely a good challenge.
Overview:The Kaplan MCAT Review course is no different in terms of the material you get. You will also get practice MCAT exams (the Kaplan version of the MCAT, 8 AAMC MCAT exams), review books, in-class lectures etc. Curriculum:Kaplan has one teacher who is dedicated to teaching students for every subject. The advantage of this is that you can get a great teacher and have him/her teach you throughout the whole review course. The disadvantage is that if you get stuck with a bad teacher, well, you're stuck Material:From what I heard, the Kaplan practice exams are easier than Princeton Review exams. I'd recommend that you take Kaplan tests to test your knowledge base, then practice the AAMC practice exams since they simulate the actual MCAT exam best.
The nice thing about taking a MCAT class, such as Princeton Review or Kaplan, is that you make friends with other students who are preparing for the MCAT. Honestly, studying for the MCAT is just awful. The two months I spent studying for it were the most miserable months of my life. Everybody around me were enjoying the nice summer weather, while I was at home or in class studying. On the other hand, if you have a friend who goes through it with you, it's not so bad. It's nice to have someone to vent to, but more than that, they can keep you accountable because studying for this test can be very draining.
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