To Kaplan Course or not to Kaplan Course

[Colonel Mitchel]

I have been considering taking the Kaplan course this summer. I will be taking the OAT this August for a second time. Did anyone find the class to be worth the money and time, or to be a waste? Any other comments on the course? They are also offering an online version of the course which is slightly cheaper. Has anyone tried that? Does anyone think it would be helpful?
Thanks for your input.

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[cvod]

Waste of time and money!!! Don't do it!!! I would buy the books though!!

 

[Vision34]

DEFINITELY just buy the books!!

 

[forum stalker]

Not only get their books but also flashcards and lesson book. Flashcards are helpful and lesson book does a good job narrowing down topics. Also, if you buy it from ex-kaplan students, most likely they will have saved all practice exams and solutions on PDF.

Take mine and previous posts' advice -- I wish someone had told me this earlier.

 

[rani82]

I have a set of brand new Kaplan Books and Flashcards (not marked or written in) if someone would like to buy them from me.

PM me if you are interested -- thanks!

 

[Colonel Mitchel]

Not only get their books but also flashcards and lesson book. Flashcards are helpful and lesson book does a good job narrowing down topics. Also, if you buy it from ex-kaplan students, most likely they will have saved all practice exams and solutions on PDF.

Take mine and previous posts' advice -- I wish someone had told me this earlier.

Did you actually take the course? Did you who previously posted take the course?
I have a hard time believing it really is just as good or better to buy the materials and study on my own than to take the class. It just seems counter-intuitive to not have the accountability of a teacher or the ability to ask questions or get tips or hints from a teacher.
Why do you guys think it better to just buy the materials?

 

[Vision34]

I took the online course due to the slightly cheaper cost. If I had to do it again, I definitely would have bought the books off of someone. The online course had a lot of video learning modules and provided a lot of practice exams, but I could have done without it. The Kaplan materials are so organized that it is very easy to teach yourself, provided that you had a good grasp on the subject matter when you took the courses in college. If you feel like you need access to an instructor, then I'm sure taking the course would be a good idea. But if you think you could handle the material provided that it was given to you in a comprehensive, organized manner, I would definitely save your money. Good luck with whichever route you decide to take

 

[forum stalker]

Did you actually take the course? Did you who previously posted take the course?
I have a hard time believing it really is just as good or better to buy the materials and study on my own than to take the class. It just seems counter-intuitive to not have the accountability of a teacher or the ability to ask questions or get tips or hints from a teacher.
Why do you guys think it better to just buy the materials?

I did take the Kaplan course. All it really is, is that the instructor read the and go over the lesson book. LIke the previous post, the materials are very straight forward.

BUT... if you need a little hand holding and will be fullly committed to the Kaplan course then take it.

 

[Colonel Mitchel]

I took the online course due to the slightly cheaper cost. If I had to do it again, I definitely would have bought the books off of someone. The online course had a lot of video learning modules and provided a lot of practice exams, but I could have done without it. The Kaplan materials are so organized that it is very easy to teach yourself, provided that you had a good grasp on the subject matter when you took the courses in college. If you feel like you need access to an instructor, then I'm sure taking the course would be a good idea. But if you think you could handle the material provided that it was given to you in a comprehensive, organized manner, I would definitely save your money. Good luck with whichever route you decide to take

I think I have a good grasp of most of the material from the classes I have had thus far. I took the OAT last August and got a 310/310 with only studying about 5 hours a day for a little over 2 weeks. I have not taken Botany or Zoology or Genetics or any math above College Algebra. Am I at a disadvantage not having taken those courses?

 

[Colonel Mitchel]

Do admissions people care if you took a class to boost your OAT scores? Would they rather you not take something like the Kaplan Course or could taking it show dedication/determination and a willingness to go the extra mile? Any thoughts?

 

[hokulele]

from my experience, the three schools i interviewed with didn't bother to ask me about that. i don't think it matters to them. i think it's pretty common for people to take these test prep courses so i wouldn't worry too much


also, like many others, i suggest just getting the course materials. i attempted to take the course, but attending the classes didn't help me personally, especially because i did not like the teacher very much. i studied independently, instead, just using the materials and other supplments (CD programs, practice books).

 

[prettygreeneyes]

Do admissions people care if you took a class to boost your OAT scores? Would they rather you not take something like the Kaplan Course or could taking it show dedication/determination and a willingness to go the extra mile? Any thoughts?

I don't think that taking the prep course could hurt you in the slightest. If anything, it could show that you recognized your weaknesses and took the appropriate steps to improve on them. As hokulele said, I applied at two schools, was accepted at both, and other than my score, the OAT wasn't mentioned again.

I didn't take the course, so I can't comment on its usefulness. The money scared me away!

 

[GoldTooth]

It helped me tremendously to take the class.

 

[Colonel Mitchel]

Did taking the class help anyone else?

 

[wsgwz]

do you have lesson book as well?

I have a set of brand new Kaplan Books and Flashcards (not marked or written in) if someone would like to buy them from me.

PM me if you are interested -- thanks!