To take a prep class or not take a prep class? That is the question.
By: Ryan Kelly
There are more MCAT prep classes available than ever before, but there aren’t many resources to help you decide whether you need one in the first place.
As we’ve discussed in past MCAT articles, it’s vital to “know thyself” while creating and executing an MCAT study plan. This starts with understanding whether an MCAT prep class fits your timeline, learning style, and weak areas as a test-taker.
Since it’s difficult to be objective about yourself and your needs, we’ve created a quiz to help you determine whether an MCAT prep class is worth it for you.
a. Our company doesn’t offer MCAT prep, so we’re not trying to sell you anything! (although we did have fun imagining what our MCAT company would be like)
b. The MCAT is curved, so it’s not just a question of how well you’ll do, but how well you’ll do compared to what other pre-meds are doing. Many other pre-meds are spending thousands to prepare for this exam. That doesn’t mean you have to, but keep that in mind.
c. According to Todd Bennett, CEO of the Berkeley Review MCAT company, the biggest MCAT prep mistake that pre-meds make is focusing too heavily on content. The most popular free prep books and videos (Kahn and Anki) are all content-based and mostly focus on memorization. But the real skill to develop is your ability to parse through and find what’s important within the information!
So, content SHOULD NOT BE the reason to take a prep class!
Instead, the real benefits of a prep class are structure/accountability, test-taking strategies, and great teaching.
Quiz Not Working? Try this link instead.
Note: No email required! If you take the quiz and input your email at the end, we’ll send you detailed results and a rubric that explains how your answers were scored and assessed!
We hope you find it useful. Don’t hesitate to leave us questions in the comments below!
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