[MastahRiz]

Let's face it, pre-med days are a drag! MCATS are nightmares, and whether to take courses on the side for them or which major to take through college is a real pain in the posterior!

Never fear, we're here to help with ALL of your pre-med questions.

 

[shirin]

help with MCAT

iam a freshman pre-med student, moved to US from India just last year. I haven't started studying for MCAT. How do u recommend me to go abt it? What are the best books for reference aswell as test practise.
thank u.

 

[Rehan]

I believe the best way to study for the MCAT is to use either Kaplan's MCAT material or the Princeton Review. Both have strong and weak points.

Kaplan's topical tests are in my opinion much better than the Princeton Review's but they do seem to be somewhat harder than the actual MCAT test. That may or may not be helpful to you depending on the way you study.

I've found the Princeton Review seems to match the MCAT in difficulty much more closely but are not as concise and don't have nearly as good of a physics section as the Kaplan tests do.

Don't be overly concerned if you get around a 13 on your Kaplan Diagnostic practice test---it's perfectly average and just keep at it. So yeah, I'd say stick with Kaplan more than Princeton Review---their tests are hard but prepare you really well for the actual MCAT.

Hope this helps!

 

[smoohead]

My advice...

I took a Princeton Review course one summer, after I had taken the MCAT once already...my score went up 6 points from the last time :shock: I had Kaplan books too from a friend...and I honestly thought the PR books were much better (for the $$ you have to pay for the course, I think they were more worth it). They were more comprehensive, had more examples, covered more material...whereas the Kaplan books seemed to be best for a crash course a month before the exam.

Also, take as many practice tests as you can get your hands on!! NOTHING else will help you more. Take them from DAY 1!! Even if you think you don't know anything. The MCAT site has actual tests you can download for a fee as well... I printed them all out and went thru them twice.

 

[Natacha]

Hey

Hey Smoohead, So have you taken the USMLE yet? How well did you do?

 

[smoohead]

No way, I am only 2 months into med school. I'm a loooong way from the USMLE...but I'll prolly study the same way and supplement with class notes/textbooks.

 

[AllStar]

I've taken Princeton Review and I gotta admit that although I hated it at times and thought it to be stupid and boring and mundane, if you stick with it, it DOES HELP very much.

I didn't have Kaplan books (looked on eBay but didn't have the cash to buy them) but the Princeton review diagnostic tests a pretty much right on the money in predicting your score.

My score was only 2 points off from their predictions (they predicted less, I scored higher) and I was pretty satisfied with it.

So ya princeton review is probably the best way to go---I've heard from friends that those kaplan books are only to be used as supplemental notes to a whole studying schedule involving other books as well....not too sure though.

 

[MastahRiz]

Hey All Star,

are you talking about USMLE or MCAT scores?

 

[AllStar]

hey MastahRiz,

I was talking about the MCAT...I'm still in undergrad hehe

 

[MastahRiz]

Oh right on. I kind of prefer Princeton Review to Kaplan myself as well.

 

[maymay85]

Would it be good to take the Princeton Review and Kaplan classes together or do you guys advice taking them separately? #confused

 

[oliver]

There are few things pre-med students dread more than the MCAT (a.k.a. the Medical College Admissions Test), and too little preparation can make a big difference in your overall score. I almost feel like an expert on this topic since I’ve recently observed my husband prepare for and successfully take the MCAT.