self study then review course?

[krust3]

what’s the most efficient way to prep for the MCAT? i don’t want any wasted steps[].

obviously self study will be involved and i’m planning on taking either the kaplan or princeton review course.

is it better to go to a review course first, then self study what they’ve taught,
or
self study with the review books first, then go to the kaplan/princeton prep course?

thanks[]

[y82benji]

Depends on the time/money you want to put into it.

I’ve heard that review courses are best for people that (1) don’t know how to prepare for the MCAT, (2) need a lot of help, or (3) need something to discipline themselves them study.

That being said, it probably can’t hurt too much if you have both the time and money.

The full length preparation books all the groups offer are pretty good. One book will basically cover everything you need (and you can supplement some of the explanations with those from textbooks you have or borrow from courses you’ve taken) and it is then good to reference a second book like at a library or bookstore to see if there are topics you should have covered. The same goes for practice tests – take some from different sources to get subject matter that is in one test prep course but not in another.

As for comparing the two prep courses – I haven’t heard anything to really put one above the other. You might find yourself better able to base it on class times, # of practice tests offered, locations, etc.

[bubabuggy]

I’m going to start the Princeton Rview prep course next week. I bought review books and went through and highlighted information–just to get my feet wet. I plan on finalizing my notes prior to the beginning of the course. I personally think that going through review books will help just because it showed me the scope of the material tested and makes the MCAT less scary! [8D]

[brandonw_395]

Self study first. If you feel comfortable, keep going. If you don’t you will know you need a prep course.

[dbgolden]

I never attended a course, and I had a good score. If you are disciplined, a couple of good MCAT books are cheaper than the course. Some people find the course helpful and some definately don’t. If you need some motivation to study, you might need it.

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