“Q:A” Should I take one of the commercial review courses?

Shrike: Maybe. It depends very much on too many variables for us to address your own situation adequately. Here are some of the things you should consider:

• How well do you study on your own — do you do better in groups? Do you have the discipline to spend four hours every night on the MCAT, even though there’s no obvious direct benefit?
• How close are you, right now, to your score goals? How do you know — have you taken a full-length practice test? If you found out you weren’t where you thought, or it were possible to improve a different amount from what you thought, would your goals change?
• Do you have the money for the course?
• Are the courses available to you any good? 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 first-timers who will just read from the textbooks or lesson notes? How do you know these things? Ask your classmates about courses they’ve taken; ask the companies whose courses you’re considering; try a course and see what you think (but make sure you can get your money back if it isn’t what you hoped).

QofQuimica: I want to add that those of you who prefer independent study may want to consider taking a course on line rather than the live classroom course. The advantages are that it is cheaper, it is very convenient (you can study anywhere you have internet access, anytime 24-7) and you get most of the same course materials as the live course users. The disadvantage is that you do not have facetime with instructors if you want to ask questions, although you can email questions. This is basically what I did to prepare myself for the MCAT.

Test prep companies also offer private tutoring, but it is outrageously expensive. I personally do not feel that private tutoring gives most students the best value for their money. If you decide that you need extra help to learn your science content above and beyond the classroom lectures, I would suggest that you first try approaching your instructors before class or after class to ask questions.