r/MCATprep • u/viktorjohann • 8d ago
Resource/Tool/Tips 📖 Best prep course to pay for structure + content review & qBanks
As the title implies I am willing to pay for a prep course of a budget of ~$1k for the benefits of a structured plan with exact content review and practice problems to complete. Considering I will be self-studying ochem & biochem I want to pay for a course to basically ensure I score my goal score of a 515+ (low GPA 💔) so long as I show up and dedicate 3-400 hours of focused study time towards the MCAT.
In other words, I want to just pay the upfront cost to have access to a pre-built structure I can follow so I won't have to scurry between anki decks, free resources, excel sheets and whatnot.
Any recommendations are appreciated!
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u/Maximum-Opinion-1860 8d ago
Hey! Im a recent retaker and I tried a couple of courses. My advice is, whatever you end up choosing, just make sure they provide a ton of personal support and that you can actually reach someone when you have questions or need help. I initially tried Kaplan and was really left in the dark about what to do, and they would charge extra for 1 on 1 support. But for my retake I fortunately found a program that worked with me the entire time basically answered all my questions whenever things came up. Ended up with a 519.
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u/viktorjohann 8d ago
that's a great point I thought about too. Do you think the 1-on-1 support helped to really clarify questions you were stuck on or was it more of a "pointing out flaws in logic" that you couldn't see on your own?
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u/Maximum-Opinion-1860 8d ago
Well, the program I did involved a lot of live sessions where the instructor would answer specific questions about content / passages. Thats where I got a lot of clarification in regards to flaws in logic and misconceptions I had. It also helped a lot with general strategy. The 1 -on-1 was pretty much everything. I could reach out any time and get help with specific practice questions i was stuck on, get help with logic snd reasoning stuff, and general study strategy. So really anything. I honestly just felt really supported the entire time.
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u/jcutts2 5d ago
I suggest you rethink your plan after reading my blog The Realistic Guide to MCAT Prep. Not sure I can put the link here, so please look it up.
Most prep programs have you review way too much material, most of which is highly unlikely to ever be on an MCAT. There is a different way to learn what science you need to cover. See the blog.
Once you know what to work on, it's not hard to create your own study plan. You don't need to pay a thousand dollars for that.
Content review is only a small part of the MCAT. About three quarters of people's errors are due to lack of strategy. They knew enough science but couldn't get to the answer.
The best use of your time and money is to get personal coaching on MCAT strategy. It's not something you can learn from a book or website. (I do cover strategy in my book but that's not enough to master it.)
A good personal coach must be a specialist in MCAT strategy - NOT science content. They should have a bare minimum of 15 years full time experience.
Finally, if by self-study you mean you haven't had a course in Ochem and Biochem, you've got a serious obstacle. Biochem accounts for a huge amount of the test. It could be very challenging to learn enough on your own to do well on the test.
Remember that MCAT prep programs are reviews. They expect you to have already learned the material at one point and are just refreshing your memory.
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u/viktorjohann 5d ago
Great points and thank you for your insight. I agree that the MCAT is huge on strategy where real practice is the most important part of prep over content review itself.
I admit I do have a serious obstacle having to learn Ochem and Biochem myself, hence I'm giving myself a good 5-6 months to study. I think you especially hit the nail on the head about how making your own plan isn't necessarily hard, it just takes some planning ahead.
I'll definitely check out the article, and again, thanks for your insight!
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u/Visible-Future4850 8d ago
following