YOU + PRINCETON REVIEW = MEDICAL SCHOOL
Written: Jul 07 '01
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Great verbal and science sections, convenient times, good text
Cons: Expensive (like the others), mediocre writing coaches
The Bottom Line: Located near many major pre-medical colleges, Princeton Review offers a great MCAT prep program.
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| dequebec's Full Review: Princeton Review MCAT Course |
Note: In California, the Princeton Review branch dealing with MCAT preparation merged with Hyperlearning; Hyperlearning is the official name of the preparation centers in California.
Imagine the scenario: 20 years old, pumped and ready to start the medical school application process, MCAT administration envelope in hand. I tear open the score sheet...10, 7, 10.
Drats!
Well, this hadn't come as much of a surprise. To tell you the truth, 15 minutes through the physical science section of my first attempt at the MCAT I knew I would need to retake the test. For my first attempt, I decided to fly solo, not taking advantage of the MCAT preparation courses available in Westwood. Though warned against this independent strategy by other pre-med buddies, I considered $1000 just too high a price for what I could teach myself in the library.
Needless to say, I did not repeat that error.
After thumbing through brochures from the major MCAT prep courses (Princeton Review, Kaplan, and Columbia), I decided on Princeton Review. The $1000 price tag was in-line with what the other companies were charging, and I saved $100 by enrolling early. You can also save $50-$100 by enrolling with a "buddy".
Before the class schedule officially begins, Princeton Review administers a trial MCAT. This trial consists of full-length practice runs of all 4 sections of the MCAT. This run-through gives each student a sense of weaknesses and general gaps in knowledge that need to be addressed during the 3-month preparatory course.
Formal courses run 12 hours a week for 12-13 weeks. This was an appropriate amount: long enough to be thorough but not too long as to interfere with college curricula or personal study time. Each study center offers different scheduling options. For example, I took classes twice on weekday evenings and on Sunday and Saturday afternoons. Other options are full days on Saturdays and Sundays and weekday-only options. Princeton Review is flexible-if you need to miss one of your sessions, you can attend the meeting of another class as long as the session is not full.
Written study material is given to each student when signing up; the price of this material is included in the course fee and is non-refundable. This text is one of the strengths of the course. Just about all of the chemistry, biology, and physics you will need for the MCAT can be found in this book. Best of all, the material is simplified and well-organized for review-style studying. Each section of the test is complete with practice questions and answers. An additional text containing practice exams with real MCAT questions are ideal for study within the 1-2 weeks just prior to the administration of the exam.
There is 1 weekly class for each of the following sections (note that these categories do not correspond exactly to the sections on the exam):
-Writing Sample and Verbal Reasoning
-Biology
-Chemistry and Biochemistry
-Physics
Famous for its Writing and Verbal Reasoning instruction, Princeton Review makes no secret of teaching its students "tricks" to beat the exam. In taking the course, you will not become a better reader or writer; you will learn to read quickly, skim and highlight important statements, and figure out the "best" answer for each multiple-choice question. Coaches teach students how to identify answers intended to trick test-takers as well as the key words to look for in a correct response. My score in this section improved by 2 valuable points, mostly by virtue of being able to FINISH the entire section.
Whereas the verbal instruction aims for excellent scores, the writing courses focused on attaining an "acceptable score". It seems that Princeton Review does not feel that they can change decades of average writing capabilities that characterize so many pre-med students. Rather, the program teaches students to produce formatted essays in a "point-counterpoint" style that the exam raters must give slightly-better-than-average scores to. However, for very good writers who want to show admission officers their excellent communication skills, I advise SKIPPING THE WRITING COURSES. Stick with what you know to be effective as far as argumentative writing styles, and aim high.
The science courses nicely summarize 4 years of chemistry, physics, biology, genetics, and biochemistry courses. Whereas this material seems insurmountable when studying independently from stacks of books, this material is presented in a succinct and organized manner by coaches. Similar to the verbal section, coaches teach students to read and outline passages quickly and how to answer questions in a time-efficient manner. Basic science information is reviewed with an accent on being able to logically attack questions with the minimum background in science.
All of the coaches have masters or doctorates in the field they are teaching; many have taken the MCAT themselves for familiarity. In my experiences, coaches demonstrated enthusiasm and energy.
Further, the testing centers offer an additional bonus to the preparation process. Students have access to the quiet study lounges during all hours of operation; these lounges have many long tables to allow you to spread out your materials and to space yourself from other students. There are several vending machines, restrooms, and water fountains for comfort.
My scores on each of the 3 numerically-scored sections improved by 2 points, and I can attribute this directly to the techniques learned through my Hyperlearning course. Yes, it is an additional expense to add to the application process, but proved to be money well-spent when I was accepted into my second-choice medical school.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
dequebec
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Member: Jennifer
Location: los angeles, CA
Reviews written: 131
Trusted by: 118 members
About Me:
No longer an editor, thanks a bunch Nirav.
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