The Medical College Admission Test is a compulsory exam that aspiring doctor students have to clear in order to start their education in the USA and Canada. The test is computer-based and is programmed to analyze basic skills required to complete the challenging medical degree. The exam tests skills like problem-solving, critical thinking, written analysis and in-depth knowledge of scientific concepts and theories. The exam takes approximately 7.5 hours to fully complete. Usually, students need a test score of 39-45 for assured acceptance. Clearing the MCAT test is no easy task. It requires a lot of hard work and you will be burning the midnight oil for months.
After all, getting a medical degree is one of the hardest things to achieve and this test preps you up for the challenge lying ahead. Prior planning and systematic preparation are essential to clear the test without last-minute cramming. One of the best ways to prepare yourself for the MCAT exam is by seeking the help of an online course. The right course can help you prioritize your portions according to weight and tackle the MCAT exam without much hassle. We have compiled a list of the top 10 best online courses available for students preparing for MCAT.
Table of Contents
1. Magoosh
Magoosh is one of the most reputed online courses for MCAT aspirants. They help you to improve your MCAT scores within a short period of time by planned dissection and studying the material. In fact, the website guarantees that your MCAT score will improve by at least 10 points after the successful completion of your course. The website provides 380 lessons and 745+ questions for you to practice on a daily basis to be familiar with the type of questions asked for the test. They also provide 24/7 email assistance for all students to answer queries and clear doubts.
Their in-depth video lessons cover almost all concepts but, provide more importance to the frequently asked topics and make sure that the students are absolutely thorough in them. You can also access the course anywhere as it is supported on both desktops and also your smartphones. The website charges 179 USD for 1 month and 199 USD for two months. This package includes a study planner but does not include any books.
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2. Altius
Altius provides 1-on-1 MCAT mentoring sessions for students which can be a lot more efficient than an ordinary MCAT review course. When you get a personalized tutor, he/she will be able to analyze your strengths and weaknesses and help you prepare accordingly. This means that you will be spending your time judiciously instead of going over the same concepts again and again. Altius claims that their study materials are the only ones that go through a double-blind peer-review process which is conducted by PhD experts. Now that is pretty cool! The website is so sure of its methods that they actually publish the MCAT scores of all their students.
They also let you retake the course for free if you don’t make it to the top 90th percentile which is probably the best deal you will get. The sheer confidence of this website is backed up by scientifically proven study methods and almost 100 hours of test preparation. There are also various types of packages that you can choose from which includes a standard package, or a summer full immersion program. The user interface of the website is a little bit outdated though which is a slight disadvantage. Also, the course is on the slightly expensive side, priced from 2,499 to 9999 USD.
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3. Aptare
If you are someone who is already half confident that you will clear the MCAT exam, then this course is for you. Aptare is one of the most budget-friendly options out there but it’s also one of the most basic. But for the price, it is great value for money. The course offers you a lot of flashcards and practice question papers for you to get familiar with the question pattern. But you cannot access previously completed lessons which is a major drawback. But the website provides you with all the latest AAMC materials which is really a good bargain.
You can also tune the tests according to your difficulty settings and if you have just started out on your preparation, you can try out an easier test. The course does not provide any video content though which is a major disadvantage. The course is basically for students who want to keep practicing questions till the test. The course starts from 49 to 199 USD.
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4. Blueprint
This is an online course that focuses on online live classes and helping students to study by themselves. The best part is that this course comes with a study planner and also provides books for students to refer to. This course is also perfect value for your money as it offers a lot of content for the money you pay. The website provides you with e-books and a study planner to divide your time among the important subjects. All the faculty offered by Blueprint has scored in the top 99th percentile of the MCAT and the course also provides a score increase guarantee or you will get your money back. This course is perfect for students who like to study at their own pace and are not good with deadlines. The course does not provide any flashcards but provides you with almost all the other materials you need.
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5. ExamKrackers
ExamKrackers is one of the most reputed MCAT training websites available. They have been on scene for more than 20 years which is saying something. The course provides bi-weekly group study classes and also provide 115 hours of interactive classes were faculty analyses students and advices them based on their strengths and weaknesses. The website provides you with an option to take a free 15 minute MCAT sample coaching session to make sure that the course is meant for you and also to analyse your needs and goals.
You can also ask the faculty questions and queries about the course too. The main drawbacks of the course are that the website is not very user-friendly and should be a lot more optimized. But, they do provide a lot of options for learning. You can opt for the 1-on-1 course option if you need special attention or you can go for the self-paced option if you like studying by yourself. The website also provides a lot of resources including study planners and e-books for additional help. The courses are priced from 1,199$ to 1,745$.
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6. Gold Standard
Gold Standard lives up to its name in most aspects. The course provides everything you will possibly need in order to crack the MCAT test. They provide a lot of flexibility in their course options. They offer courses for all budgets including super low-end budgets. Their courses start for only 35 USD! And even with that price, they provide a lot of resources. The course provides both e-books and study planners for students to prepare better. They also give you a 6-month free repetition of the course if you did not achieve the score you wanted.
All the study material is constantly updated so that any new topics included and old topics eliminated are included. The website now provides specific resources for the 2021 test. The website also provides a ton of practice questions for students to get familiar with. In fact, the gold standard boasts the greatest number of questions among all the other websites. The website can get a little cluttered with all the information through which is a slight drawback.
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7. Kaplan
Kaplan is one of the most reputed online learning platforms available. Their courses are featured in most top 10 lists and they usually know exactly what the students want. The website is very flexible with their course options. They have something for everyone. The website offers self-paced and self-led DIY courses, regular online courses taught by a team of experienced faculty. If you want some extra attention to detail, you can choose the 1-on-1 personal classes. T
hey also offer 5-week intense crash courses that are very effective for last-minute studying. They also provide a ‘high score or your money-back guarantee. Or, you can choose to do their course again if you’re not happy with your results. The website also provides e-books to help with the preparation. The duration of the course is just 5 months though, so if you want to do longer preparation, you should look for another course. Otherwise, Kaplan offers an all-around perfect course. The course is priced from 1,799$ to 6,999$.
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8. Khan Academy
Khan Academies MCAT prep course is one of the most sought-after ones. Because it is the only MCAT course that is free of cost! But the problem is that after September 2021, none of the materials will be updated or taken care of which means you have to utilize it while it lasts. Even though the course is free, it does not cut too many corners. The materials are reviewed by the AAMC. The focus point of the course is to teach students the subjects in-depth rather than making them study from an exam point of view. While this might take a lot more time, it will be a lot more efficient and you will be a lot less probable to forget what you have learned. The course consists of a total of 14 subject areas. It has to be noted that they do not provide any tutoring or video sessions. This is just a free course which is very basic. In fact, it will be even more effective when clubbed with one of the paid courses.
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9. MCAT Self Prep
This course comes with four options so that every student has something they’re looking for. The course has a free version with limited resources but can still be effective. Then there is the basic pro version for 9.99$, the advanced pro version for 99.9$, and the deluxe pro for 999$. All four variants come with full access to an MCAT video collection and you can also refer to all the 10 modules provided by the website. The course is completely online and self-paced. The website also provides a study planner to plan out your sessions. The website does not offer any practice questions though as they approach a different way of tutoring and even the lectures are different from conventional methods.
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10. Princeton Review
The Princeton Review course claims to have aided more than 100,000 students to clear the MCAT exam. Their course provides both study planners and e-books for assistance. They also provide a higher score or money-back guarantee for students which is fairly common now. The resource library of the website holds over 500 videos and more than 1000 practice questions and 10 MCAT books. The website also has advanced software that helps you to track your progress and analyze your strengths and weaknesses and study accordingly. The course is priced from 1,5004 to 6,599$.
