Introduction
It’s a major step to take the MCAT (Medical College Admission Test). It’s your medical school admissions ticket, and you should only use it once. An MCAT preparation course can help you obtain a good score on the MCAT on your first try by emphasizing the medical facts you need to get into med school.
The best MCAT prep courses combine information and technique, are entirely online, and allow students to customize their study to their own needs and exam schedule. We looked into the specifics of the most popular MCAT prep courses to see which one is best for you.
Kaplan
Thanks to its extensive course choices, student assistance, financing alternatives, and test score guarantees, Kaplan is one of the most well-known names in test prep.
Kaplan has been researching the MCAT from 1938, resulting in a solid range of test prep solutions that includes medical information and test-taking abilities that future medical school applicants should anticipate.
Kaplan provides a wide range of MCAT preparation classes as well as a la carte study choices. If you need to study intensively for many months before taking the MCAT, for example, you can enroll in one of the complete live online or on-demand courses. You might purchase a practice test package or the quiz bank, a collection of interactive online quizzes, if you are confident and simply need a reminder before your exam.
Kaplan’s flagship Live Online course costs $2,499 and includes 12 scheduled three-hour sessions as well as over 90 hours of recorded content. All of this is included in the $2,999 Live Online Plus course, as well as one-on-one coaching, admissions support, and focus area preparation.
For example, Kaplan offers free consultations to potential students to help them select which prep course is right for them. Students may also qualify for Affirm interest-free financing, which makes the price tag a little less daunting.
Altius Summer Immersion
If you prefer in-person learning over online learning, Altius offers the greatest in-person MCAT preparation course. Altius offers a range of MCAT prep courses, but the Platinum Summer Immersion program is the best option for in-person teaching. According to Altius, students travel from all over the United States and Canada to take the summer immersion MCAT prep course at the Utah and Oregon campuses.
Prepare for a tough 10-week program if you participate in this program: This Altius MCAT prep course covers more than 50 hours of MCAT study over the course of 10 weeks, and you’ll be studying with some of the most devoted pre-med students in the country.
In-person MCAT preparation is out of reach for many people, costing $9,999. Altius, on the other hand, has a scholarship program that can help you save a few hundred bucks. A Gold Summer Immersion program is also offered, which costs $8,499 and contains less total hours of instruction and coaching.
Altius also offers a 3X guarantee, promising the lowest price on individual MCAT instruction, a guarantee of a 90th percentile score, and a two-week trial/money-back guarantee.
MCAT Self Prep
Are you particular about how you study? Go to MCAT Self Study to completely customize your MCAT prep course and make the most of your time and work.
MCAT Self Prep offers a free MCAT prep course as well as a fully personalized option, as well as a variety of prebuilt premium courses starting at $9.99 and contain the same content as a Kaplan or Princeton Review MCAT prep course.
Of course, you can’t expect the same quality of teaching for free or $9.99—no one-on-one tuition or in-person classes. The free course, on the other hand, contains ten study modules, a video library, study tips, MCAT questions of the day, a Meta study group, and 24/7 messaging assistance.
The free MCAT Self Prep course might boost your score if you’re a self-starter and a dedicated learner. Consider Self Prep’s Basic Pro ($9.99), Advanced Pro ($99), or Deluxe Pro ($999) courses if you need a little more structure. These are all one-time purchases, and as the rates rise, the material becomes more thorough and you receive more benefits.
MCAT Self Prep also provides one-on-one coaching for $149, $199, or $299 per session, based on the tutor’s expertise and knowledge. Finally, with MCAT Self Prep, you may purchase flashcard packs or Mastery Courses, which are specialized topic matter courses.
Magoosh
Magoosh is the greatest MCAT prep course for the money: it provides the most complete curriculum for the money. For $399, you get a year’s worth of study programs, approximately 400 topic review videos, over 700 practice questions, three full-length practice tests, extensive question explanations, and email help from MCAT instructors. If you need to postpone your test for whatever reason, you can stop your account at any time.
For only $100 extra, you may get everything in the standard package plus eight hours of live online class time on a customizable schedule if you prefer live sessions.
You may join up for a free seven-day trial to test it out. Remember that the trial period is restricted, with only 16 MCAT practice problems and 60 lectures.
Despite being a newcomer to the test prep field (established in 2009), Magoosh has a proven track record of helping students improve their scores and gain admission to top medical schools around the country. If you’re a retaker, Magoosh provides a 10-point score increase guarantee or your complete tuition refunded, so the investment is risk-free.