The Price of MCAT Prep
Posted on December 28, 2006
Filed Under MCAT, Premedical Students
Studying for the MCAT can set you back almost as much as you’re willing to pay, with prices ranging from over $2,149 to as low as $35, depending on what you’re looking for and how much work (and money) you want to put into it.
Kaplan
Kaplan’s Complete Preparation for the Computer-Based MCAT costs $1,749 for Classroom or Online Courses. They offer the “Kaplan Higher Score Guarantee” that states that if you feel you’re not ready to take the exam, you can study with them again for free for the next test date. They also say that, no matter how many points you improve, if you’re not satisfied with your overall score, you can study with them again for free for the next test date. Lastly, if for any reason you don’t raise your overall score, you can study with them again for free or get your money back.
Kaplan’s Classroom Course features 18 three-hour-long classroom lessons; a diagnostic for MCAT-style Critical Thinking, and an exclusive Science Diagnostic for specific content evaluation, all with personalized feedback; 11 full-length exams in computer-based format; over 10,000 practice items with 40,000 explanations for the right answers; full online access to all Kaplan Materials; homework before (Previews) and after (Reviews) each lesson; topical, section and full-length online practice tests in computer-based interface; access to over 1,300 pages of review notes, plus the ability to create a lesson on any topic(s) you choose; over 1,000 additional problems in Kaplan’s MCAT QBank engine, to help you assemble custom quizzes; online content workshops with quizzes to target and strengthen your weak areas; and Lessons-on-Demand, a free online make-up class.
Their Home Study Materials include a comprehensive MCAT course book with class notes and homework assignments; MCAT flashcards; MCAT QuickSheets that detail the most-tested science concepts and formulas for on-the-go study; Review Notes with over 1,300 pages of science and verbal content; Kaplan’s High-Yield Problem Solving Guide; and a 52-week subscription to The Wall Street Journal.
The MCAT Class plus five hours of tutoring costs $2,149, and the MCAT Online Course is $1,499. There are also a la cart options, such as MCAT Online Science Review ($499); MCAT Qbank ($199); MCAT Organic Edge covering organic chemistry ($499); MCAT Physics Edge ($499); and MCAT Verbal Edge ($499).
The Princeton Review
The Princeton Review is another study option. They offer a “Hyperlearning” MCAT Course that costs $1,699 and features five full-length, computer-based practice MCATs with highlight, strike-out, and note-taking features and score reports; 41 class sessions and up to 102 hours of instruction; up to 4,300 pages of comprehensive, up-to-date materials; and up to 22 hours of verbal preparation.
Their course includes a Physical Sciences Review, which offers more than 500 pages of physics and general chemistry review, and a Biological Sciences Review that features more than 600 pages of biology and organic chemistry review. Princeton Review’s Science Workbook includes 700 pages and hundreds of MCAT-style practice passages and questions, with complete explanations. The Verbal Reasoning and Writing Reviews feature more than 200 pages of review, descriptions of passages, strategies, tips, and techniques. Lastly, the Verbal Workbook has dozens of MCAT practice passages and four full-length Verbal Reasoning practice tests with complete explanations.
Also included is the In-Class Passage Compendium, which is the equivalent of four MCATs’ worth of additional test questions, as well as the Science Review Q&S, which is a “Questions and Solutions” booklet with hundreds of practice questions reflecting material from the most recent MCAT. This course also includes a 52-week trial subscription to The Wall Street Journal, as well as access to LiveGrader SM, which features feedback on your essay from an MCAT expert.
Princeton Review offers Small Group Tutoring with a three-pre-med-student-to-one-tutor ratio. You can choose one or any combination of subjects, including Organic Chemistry, Chemistry, Physics, Biology and Verbal Reasoning. The cost is $1,000 and covers 15 hours. (Private Tutoring is another option, which will set you back between $4,800 and $14,400, and includes 48 hours of one-on-one MCAT tutoring.)
The Princeton Review offers a money-back guarantee that states that if you’re not satisfied for any reason, they’ll work with you again for free, and if your score does not improve, they’ll work with you again for free or you can get your money back.
e-MCAT
If you choose to study on your own but still want to take practice tests, MCAT practice tests are available at e-mcat.com. One complete test is provided for free, and you can also purchase sample tests a la cart for $35 to $40, which are composed of previously administered MCAT items and include automated scoring, integrated solutions and diagnostic reports.
e-MCAT offers two memberships. Their free membership includes the right to take Practice Test 3R as many times as you like. The $80 full membership provides you access to the site for two administrations of the MCAT, as well as access to four customizable practice tests and the ability to take the tests as many times as you like. All memberships gain full access to the e-MCAT web community, where you can take tests online, print tests and diagnostic score reports, and review previously taken tests.
MCAT prep courses are there to get you as ready as you’ll ever be for the real thing. And when it comes to preparing for the MCATs, there’s a study tool for every budget.
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17 Responses to “The Price of MCAT Prep”
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Hi,
I will be taking the mcats aug 2008… when should I start taking the kaplan review courses.
Thanks
m.
I took kaplan and then the real mcat. My conclusion, Kaplan’s practice tests are very biased so their questions and answers match the skills they teach
WOuld anyone have any insignt into which is the better course, Kaplan or Review? im debating which one i should take.
Do you have a CRNA review for sales.
please advice
Orlando Rodriguez
I took Kaplan. They give a ton of on-line study materials, all in the same format as the real mcat. My score went up 14 points!
I didnt use kaplan or princeton review for the mcat. I borrowed my cousins examcrackers prep books for the summer. I got a 33 on the mcat.
has anyone done the online course by columbia review? I was wondering if it was good.
I have stuided both Examkrackers and Kaplan MCAT review books and I got 36 on the real MCAT. I am now a first year med student at Penn State. Good luck for everybody.
I am taking the MCAT mid-July and was wondering when is the best time to take the Kaplan review. I was planning on starting in April or May. Is that too late?
hi, I have a question. I am planning in taking the proinceton review course. I just took orgo, physics, advanced cell bio, and physiology. I took gen chem and gen bio in 2001. i know the whole five yr limit thing. but my question is: do you think i should retake bio 101 for the mcat, for review? Or would that time be better spent just studying for the mcat. read up on the material and do hmwk problems before each princeton review lecture? I got As and Bs when i took gen chem and gen bio. A lot of the bio is memorization which you have to do own your own. But i ant to make sure i do all i can to do well on the test. a lot of it looks fmailiar but i would need to learn some again. I tend to learn better from reading than lecture, but I dont knoiw whats best to do. thanks!
the princeton review course offers 102 hrs of classroom lecture. Kaplan about 56 hrs
When preparing for the MCAT I took a Kaplan course and was not impressed. My practice test scores were far higher than my actual test and I took the real thing twice.
I now teach for The Princeton Review (BIO) and I think that they have a much better course to offer for less than the price of Kaplan. With Kaplan you have the same teacher for all classes and obviously not everyone can be a master in every subject area on the test. The difference with The Princeton Review is that they hire a specific teacher for physics, one for gen chem, one for verbal, one for bio and one for orgo. This way you learn from the best of the best in each subject area. The training required for Princeton Review teachers is also much more intense than it is for Kaplan teachers. Not to mention that your classroom time with the Princeton Review is more than double what it is at Kaplan.
I wanted to know how much is the Princeton Review class? And are there specific locations for classroom work for both the kaplan and princeton? Or are they located all over the US?
Good Info…so how do u get the examcrackers prep books?
im planning to take foriegn farmacy equivelence test on 28 jun 2008 and im asking if mcat is useful to me
if your planning on taking the PCAT or something like it.. Kaplan offers a prep course for that if you have anything like that in your area…
Hi guys,
I recently took the May MCAT today. I prepared with Kaplan for a year. I find that their exams are based on a higher curve than the AAMC exams. And quite honestly, the real one was much harder than the practice exams I took from Kaplan and emcat. I haven’t gotten my scores yet, obviously. But I’m assuming that I probably have to take it again. I guess, I just have to stay strong and give it another try. Anyway, I hope I helped for those of you who are wondering about how Kaplan review classes are like.