An In-Depth Review of The Princeton Review MCAT Prep Course

As you being to research supplemental material to help you practice to achieve high scores for the MCAT, you will undoubtedly come across Kaplan and the Princeton Review as the two most popular MCAT tools that students will seek in order to cover the material.  Although Kaplan is considered to be the gold standard program available, the Princeton Review has some great qualities that make this option more desirable than Kaplan. I will provide an overview of some of the positives and negatives associated with the Princeton Review MCAT Prep Course so you will be able to make an informed decision about whether the Princeton Review is right for you.  

The Positive Aspects About The Princeton Review MCAT Prep Course 

The Princeton Review is similar to Kaplan MCAT Prep Course on many aspects so it is easy to see why it can be such a tough decision to differentiate between the two options.  It provides a variety of options making sure that students are able to select the one that is right for them.   Some of the most popular options are either a "Self-Paced Course" or the "Ultimate Classroom Experience."   Where these two resources differ is the style in which the material is going to be delivered.  A Self-Paced course contains 512 hours of online material for a student to peruse and study from.  There is no strict schedule and this is ideal for a candidate seeking a flexible schedule.  

The "Ultimate Classroom" is the more popular of the two and it provides a range of other positive aspects not available online.  Students will have 123 hours of live In-class instruction spread over 42 lessons and 20 hours of one-on-one tutoring.  This is a facet not offered by Kaplan as part of the package and can be very valuable if you are struggling with a specific component that you are still unclear about after class.  With both options, you have access to 19 full-length practice MCATs.  This exceeds the number of tests offered by Kaplan by 7 and Princeton has also developed practice questions that are available that rival the Qbank section available on the Kaplan platform.  

Should you desire an even more intense course than the Ultimate Classroom, there are a few opportunities to enroll in a "Master MCAT Bootcamp."  This course includes over 500 hours of practice for the MCAT and is available every month in select cities across the US.  This provides in-depth review of material and private tutoring for a cool $8,000.  Although it is costly, this could be a bargain compared to the savings you may have if you would only be able to find a program in the Caribbean to pursue your medical degree.  

The thing I liked most about the Princeton Review was the fact that they put so much emphasis on giving a student a deep understanding of the material.  I chose to use the Kaplan program while my roommate picked Princeton Review and we would often share material with each other to help us both do well.  He preferred the on-line set up of Kaplan and enjoyed the practice examinations, while I liked the textbooks much more in Princeton.  As you can see, either way, you are going to get a quality product that should increase your score.  

Flaws With the Princeton Review 

Negatives about the Princeton Review MCAT Prep Course 

Although their material may be more substantial than Kaplan, another aspect that you must consider when you are studying and trying to do well on the MCAT is the quality of tutors.  Without a doubt, Kaplan will provide you will a better tutor than the Princeton Review.  Kaplan makes sure that the tutors are not only qualified academically, but also are instructed and prepped as to how to best convey the material.  My roommate said that he absolutely hated his tutor because they were not explaining the material in a clear manner.  Often times questions would be left unanswered until the tutor had more time to prepare a simplified explanation the following week.  This can be frustrating with so much stress around surrounding this entire process and if you are emptying your pockets in order to pay for these courses, even the small details matter.  

Another disadvantage about enrolling in Princeton is you do not nearly have the same volume of physical real estate that Kaplan commands.  You may think that it is about "quality, not quantity" but considering the fact that Kaplan is able to limit the number of students enrolled in each class because they have so many different classrooms, that can pay off tremendously when you are able to get essentially private tutoring for your course leader.  Even if you are granted 20 hours of one-on-one time with your instructor using Prrinceton, that may not be enough time if you have doubts in multiple topics and it was hard for you to grasp a lot of material with 15 other students in a class.  

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My roommate also pointed out that at times, the lessons would be canceled right prior to him leaving for it or the times would be switched from afternoon to evening sessions.  That would be extremely annoying for me in that position because the key to success on the MCAT is to have a strict routine.  You want to be able to plan your week out to the minute and when you have a volatile schedule, it can be aggravating.  Even if an emergency occurred, a bigger company like Kaplan would be able to substitute a proctor so the lesson could continue without interruption.  

The final negative pointed out by a dissatisfied user on a Medical forum was that the Princeton Review makes little effort into providing a substantial tutorial for the Verbal Reasoning section of the MCAT exam.  Regardless of how much scientific knowledge you are able to cram into your brain before the test, if you are not taught ways to answer some of the interpretation tasks on the MCAT, your score will suffer.  For an additional $499, a user can purchase an additional 15 hours of preparation in order to increase their proficiency in this area but that must be scheduled additionally to the "Ultimate Classroom" they are already in.  These small costs add up quickly and to get the full preparation you require, you could easily be spending $3,000 on this resource.