princeton review course prices and options
As discussed below, while Kaplan offers its mcat course offerings based on class format, Princeton Review’s mcat prep packages generally differ based on the level of instruction, accessible content, and associated guarantees. Princeton’s four refresher course options include:
- online course
- live online
- mcat 513+
- immersion mcat 515+
The online course is Princeton’s value course, designed for students on a tighter budget or who want the benefits of flexible, self-paced study. It is priced at around $2,000, making it the same price as kaplan’s directly comparable on-demand course.
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Moving up the ladder, Princeton Review’s live online course is generally considered its flagship program. the live online course generally costs around $2,800, which is a couple of hundred dollars more than kaplan’s live online course, though I’d point out that this price disparity is usually justified by the significant gap in hours of live instruction (123 hours vs 48).
At the next level up, Princeton Review offers a special program that Kaplan does not – the MCAT 513+. This prep package, while very similar to the Live Online Course in terms of instruction, content and access, is distinguished by its guarantee. If you complete this program in its entirety, Princeton guarantees that you will score a 513 or better on the MCAT (assuming you meet some basic requirements). This is a unique offering and will run you about $3,500 – though we often see this course option on sale for less.
Finally, Princeton Review offers a course program directly analogous to Kaplan’s bootcamp: the mcat 515+ immersion. This course is like the Kaplan Bootcamp, condensing months of study into approximately 5 weeks of intense daily preparation. however, unlike the kaplan course, princeton review offers another guarantee that if you complete this entire course, you will achieve an mcat score of 515 or higher (assuming you meet similar basic requirements). This 515+ immersion course costs a whopping $7350 and is intended for those students who are serious about preparing for the mcat.
Course options and prices in force at the date of publication.
review of princeton lessons and courses
like kaplan, princeton review provides a very strong and well developed mcat curriculum. His courses cover every sub-topic you could find on the mcat, and all in great detail. And regarding the structure of the syllabus,I actually preferred Princeton Review’s course setup to Kaplan’s.
while kaplan’s content reviews jump from topic to topic in the first two main units, princeton’s course structure takes a more clustered approach, giving it a flow and a more natural feel. you can really get into a good daily study rhythm.
When it comes to instruction, Princeton Review’s live classes are great, while their video-based lessons don’t necessarily move the needle. Starting with live classes (either in person or online), sessions are led by a rotating team of 4-6 subject matter experts.
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This is a well-designed approach to ensure students receive top-notch instruction from experts in their field, rather than a generalist who may have only a cursory understanding of a topic (see kaplan ).
I say this so as not to discount the kaplan professors, who I think are great in their own right, but it seems more natural at mcat to have a team approach with such a wide variety of scientific disciplines being assessed.
plus, you get an insane 123 hours of live instruction with princeton review vs 48 hours with kaplan. it would be hard to imagine that one instructor could handle teaching all those hours.
With respect to video instruction, however, Princeton Review falls a little flat. While there are tons of on demand video lessons online (500+), they just lack the quality of production and content compared to Kaplan.
From a format distribution perspective, the princeton videos are a bit pixelated and have a sort of tinny audio. and on the content side, they are dry and direct, without any real commitment to the student. if you want all business videos with no frills or frills, these videos definitely get the job done, though we rate them average overall.
For practice material, princeton review offers over 2,500 practice questions and 16 full tests, both on par with kaplan. Beyond the sheer quantity of material, the quality of Princeton’s review practice material is also excellent.
the princeton revision relies heavily on aamc practice materials, as well as some internally generated practice materials. obviously the aamc material is as good as it gets (being from the creators of the exam), but even their proprietary questions are very well written and reproduce the official mcat content very well.
this puts princeton review right in line with kaplan in terms of realism, as kaplan also uses materials from aamc. In short, both test preparation companies offer excellent practice problems, both in terms of quantity and quality. That said, I think there is a differentiating factor between the two around the practice material.
While I wasn’t the biggest fan of Kaplan’s mcat practice problem explanations (more on that below), I personally really liked the princeton review practice question explanations.
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Your explanations are complete and well-articulated, breaking problems down into their main components, and clearly explaining why answer choices are correct or incorrect. they are simply easy to read and understand, and provide the best practical conclusions.
➡ related: princeton review vs mcat blueprint comparison
princeton review prep books get the upper hand
One aspect of the overall mcat prep package that princeton review excels at is the paper prep books that accompany the course. each student who purchases a princeton review mcat prep pack receives 11 printed prep books.
I know what you’re thinking, and yes, that’s a lot of books. this printed content alone probably adds over 100 hours of prep time to an already loaded prep pack. Of the 11 books, 7 cover content review of mcat’s main science topics, while 4 are course-related workbooks.
The content review books are specifically noteworthy. Each is incredibly detailed and provides easily understandable reviews of otherwise difficult topics. They are truly well-written and provide awesome refreshers from your undergrad courses that you may have long forgotten.
For students like me who learn effectively through textbooks, these books will be a godsend.
The point of this section is not to imply that kaplan preparation books are not good. not at all. In fact, I personally really like Kaplan’s print books that accompany the course and think they are very close to second place to the Princeton Review books.
I prefer kaplan’s books to almost all other mcat prep course books(especially altius’s books). The purpose of this citation is simply to show the significant value offered by Princeton Review Prep Books.
➡ Read our full princeton mcat prep course review here.
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