Some prospective students of U.S and Caribbean medical schools start preparing for the MCAT up to six months in advance. MCAT preparation can be daunting when one is juggling up to 12 academic credit hours, volunteering in health care settings and doing extracurricular work, so consider an MCAT review program to increase chances of success. As U.S. News and World Report says, “The MCAT is a marathon, not a sprint. To be successful and get the absolute maximum score you can, preparation is paramount”.
The fact that the MCAT is changing in 2015 makes it even more crucial to properly prepare. Before signing up for an MCAT prep course, take the advice of UMHS student Jasmine Rivas. “MCAT prep courses should be used a tool to fine-tune your test-taking skills, as well as review the material covered on the exam,” she says. “The mistake many students make is registering for a prep course without committing to it daily.”
The UMHS Pulse looks at two well-known and two lesser-known MCAT review programs available.
Kaplan Test Prep
Kaplan Test Prep 
is one of the leading sources for everything you must know about the MCAT. Look for numerous benefits: MCAT Classroom On Site, with live, in-person instruction at a classroom location. MCAT Classroom Anywhere offers live instruction through an online classroom. MCAT On Demand has online video courses, available 24/7. MCAT One-on-One is just what is says: live one-on-one from an expert tutor
ProspectiveDoctor.com lists the following benefits of Kaplan Test Prep.
Benefits
- Great online resources and multiple online instruction options
- Practice tests are more reflective of real MCAT
- Flexible class schedules
- Package includes numerous practice tests including all practice AAMC tests (which are old MCAT exams)
The Princeton Review
The Princeton Review is another popular MCAT preparation resource. Some of the benefits include the following: Private Tutoring customized to your goals, including in-person one-on-one instruction and online one-on-one instruction. Ultimate Courses promise to help you master the MCAT “with 260 hours of prep, including 105 hours of live instruction with 22 hours of verbal coaching, 20 hours of office time with your instructors and 135+ hours of online study tools. Look for 19-full-length practice tests and 15 diagnostic exams. Also available are Fundamentals Courses; Summer Immersion; Self-Paced Study and Verbal Accelerator Online and best-selling books like Cracking the MCAT.
The ProspectiveDoctor.com lists the following benefits of the Princeton Review.
Benefits
- Teachers are knowledgeable and teach what you need to know in an effective way
- Practice verbal passages are similar to actual MCAT
- Provides good test-taking strategies
- Package includes numerous practice tests including all practice AAMC tests (which are old MCAT exams)
- Books have great content and reviews material very well
The Berkeley Review
The solitary mission of the Berkeley Review is getting you ready for the MCAT. “By focusing our resources only on the MCAT, we are able to offer an intensive, yet personalized preparation course at a competitive price,” the website says. The Berkeley Review has study locations throughout California, and offers books for students elsewhere.
ProspectiveDoctor.com says the Berkeley Review is a great source for “excellent books for physics, organic chemistry, and general chemistry.”
Examkrackers
Examkrackers 
is perhaps best known for its books on verbal and biology, ProspectiveDoctor.com says. The Examkrackers website also features an MCAT Fourm, MCAT Course Finder (for all 50 states), the MCAT and MCAT Online Store. Examkrackers provides “preparation for standardized exams through books, audio CDs, CD roms, internet forums, and live classes.”
Top photo: Deposit Photos
About UMHS:
Built in the tradition of the best US universities, the University of Medicine and Health Sciencesfocuses on individual student attention, maintaining small class sizes and recruiting high-quality faculty. We call this unique approach, “personalized medical education,” and it’s what has led to our unprecedented 96% student retention rate, and outstanding residency placements across the US and Canada. UMHS is challenging everything you thought you knew about Caribbean medical schools.
Scott is Director of Digital Content & Alumni Communications Liaison at UMHS and editor of the UMHS Endeavour blog. When he's not writing about UMHS students, faculty, events, public health, alumni and UMHS research, he writes and edits Broadway theater reviews for a website he publishes in New York City, StageZine.com.
