What have been peoples' experiences with prep courses?
Tim…
I took TPR (after I had all my pre-reqs and more under my belt) and it was great (Nashville area). The instructors were awesome and the mock exams were helpful. TPR gives you the books (you pay for them dearly though…$1300) to take home will all kinds of problems and exercises to do yourself as time permits. It was great very happy with my results!
I took Kaplan and found it very helpful. I had most of my prereqs done already, although it had been about 12 years since I took chemistry and physics. The classes are ok, but the real value is in the plethora of study materials in their library. Also, the proctored full-length practice tests are extremely helpful.
I was lucky in that Kaplan offered a course at a satellite campus really close to where I lived. I never had to go to the Kaplan center to study - the college had all the Kaplan materials in the library. That's why I picked it over TPR. I really don't know how they compare.
I my score went up about 14 points from my diagnostic to my actual test grade. Now, I hadn't studied at all when I started Kaplan, so I probably could have done OK without it. However, I think my prep kicked me up into the high percentages. Also, I do better in a very structured environment, so it was nice to have the prep class for that. Kept me on track and I didn't procrastinate.
Good luck.
This is a copy of my post to another question. Maybe this link will work... ( http://www.oldpremeds.org/invboard/index.p...=ST&f=18&t=2579 )Hi,
I took a Princeton Review course to the tune of about $1300. It was mostly a waste of time as far as the material went. It's too quick a review, especially if it's been a long time or you haven't had the classes yet. What was more useful to myself was that I was taking Ochem and Bio concurrently. But what it really boils down to is your test taking ability, of which those prep courses may or may not be helpful.
What IS helpful is taking practice tests! You can either administer them to yourself, have a friend do it, or often your local university will offer such a practice MCAT. Check with the premed advising office, if available. You can also get practice tests and MCAT curriculumm, much cheaper, at Border's or any such bookstore, which usually contains exercises and full tests on CD.
Train like you fight...
-Spaceman.