“Q:A” Should I take Kaplan or The Princeton Review (TPR) for my test prep course?
Shrike: There is no single test prep course that is right for everyone, so we can’t tell you which one you personally should take. Not because we’re being difficult, but because we don’t know. For the record, we want everyone to know up front that I teach for TPR, and QofQuimica teaches for Kaplan. There are no hidden agendas here, but we thought you should know.
Kaplan and TPR cover pretty much the same material, in pretty much the same way. Each provides lectures and practice passages in each of five subject areas; each provides loads of material from which to study; each has you take several practice tests under proctored conditions. Each provides some form of guarantee. Oh yes, each costs more than $1000. And don’t forget, these things are true of the other prep courses out there, too. In many areas, Kaplan and TPR are the only games in town, but in other places there are other companies. In this area, I have to exercise caution, but I’ll try to be as objective as possible, though I actually have strong (and predictable) views.
The most important determinant of what you should choose is how well the individual courses that are available to you are taught. It’s individual instructors that make a course work for you (or not), not the number of pages in the texts or anything else that is easily quantified. Ask around in your area about the courses you’re considering: Are they taught by experienced instructors who will make things easier for you to understand and will be able to answer your questions, or are they taught by short-timers who will just read from the textbooks or lesson notes? Ask the local office which instructors are scheduled to teach the course you’re considering, and how many times they’ve taught before. Ask how those instructors were trained — by videotape, or in person? Ask to speak to some former students. Ask around your campus to see who’s taken courses from those particular instructors, and what the students thought. Do your homework.
That said, there are systematic differences. The consensus among students, to the extent there is one, is that Kaplan is geared more toward self-studiers, while TPR is more of a comprehensive, lecture-based experience. This makes sense, considering that TPR’s course offers many more hours of instruction. Kaplan is known for providing extensive resources, particularly at their offices; TPR gives students nearly though perhaps not quite as much, and provides everything to the student rather than at the office.
The companies’ score improvement and satisfaction guarantees are subtly different; read the fine print. The schedules will differ, of course, but that should be only a small factor: if you’re serious about this, you’ll choose the best option and then find a way to make it work. TPR is usually slightly more expensive, but in context the difference is small. Remember that there may be other prep courses available to you, too. This answer deals specifically only with the two we know best, but before committing your preparation for the most important test of your life to date to anyone’s help, it behooves you to investigate all options. Ask the other guys the same questions detailed above.
QofQuimica: I would like to second what Shrike has already said, and emphasize again our joint belief that getting a good instructor is THE single most important determinant as to how positive an experience you will have with your test prep course. Word of mouth is the best way to find out who the good instructors are; ask your older pre-med friends who have already completed a course. In general, any test prep company’s curriculum will prepare you for the MCAT, but (and this is a HUGE but!) you must complete all of the assignments, attend all of the classes, and take all of the proctored practice tests. This seems self-explanatory, but you’d be amazed how many students (or their parents) shell out large sums of money for test prep courses and then do not take advantage of the resources available to them. So if you do decide to go with a test prep course, take it seriously, and approach it as seriously as you would any of your regular college courses.
Those of you who are studying for the DAT, OAT, and PCAT will have more limited choices compared to MCAT students. Kaplan does offer live courses for these three exams, but TPR does not, as of this writing. You may be able to take a local company’s course in your area, however, so it is still worth your while to check into what options are available to you.
One other thing that I’d like to make you aware of if you didn’t know already: many pre-health clubs (PAMSA, AED, etc.) make deals with both Kaplan and TPR to get reduced rates for their members to take our test prep courses. So if you decide to take a course, you may want to check with your local pre-health chapter about this.
Shrike: If you have the opportunity to take Q’s (Kaplan) class, take it. If you have the opportunity to take my (TPR) class, take it. As we live a thousand miles from each other, you’re unlikely to have to choose between us.
spartan83: I took Princeton Review, and now I teach for Kaplan. TPR does a much better job of teaching the content of the course, has specialized teachers, and has a more lenient schedule of what they teach. Kaplan does a much better job teaching how to attack the questions and the passages, as well as all the little things about the test (stress, etc.). If you feel that you are someone who can read on your own and keep up with things, then Kaplan is for you. However, if you feel that you need to learn the content in class, and then go out and practice, then TPR is for you. Both are great, and have a lot of resources; basically it comes down to how much you want to study (over 100 hours probably).
