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Jack Westin vs Princeton Review MCAT
Determine which MCAT prep course is better for you between Princeton Review and Jack Westin
Princeton Review has been one of the biggest names in MCAT prep for decades, while Jack Westin, on the other hand, has historically only been known for their CARS passages and strategies. However, recently Jack Westin has expanded their offerings to include a complete MCAT course. In this article, we compare and contrast the MCAT prep courses from both companies so you can figure out which one is the better fit for your learning style and budget.
Given that this is a lengthy, detailed comparison, we’ve included jump-to links above for your convenience.
Video Review: Which MCAT Course Is Better?
In the above video, team member John covers our thoughts on how the MCAT prep resources from Jack Westin and Princeton Review compare. Please keep reading our full review below for more information.
Why Princeton Review MCAT Is Better Than Jack Westin
In order to keep this comparison narrowly focused and actually useful for you, I’m going to focus on the key areas where I see each company winning and having an advantage over the other (as opposed to simply providing an overview of each prep course).
So with that in mind, let’s start with the five key categories in which I have Princeton Review beating Jack Westin.
Course Structure
Simply put, the Princeton Review MCAT course has a much more cohesive and comprehensive feel to it. With the Princeton Review courses, there are six sections total, each covering a particular MCAT subject, such as biology or organic chemistry.
The Princeton Review MCAT course is organized and streamlined
Then within each of these overarching subjects, Princeton organizes its curriculum into “classes” which cover a specific subtopic of the more general subject. And even these “classes” themselves follow a very straightforward 3-part format. It’s all very methodically organized (same story with the Kaplan MCAT course too).
The Jack Westin course, on the other hand, has a much more disjointed course structure. You sort have to jump all over to find all the different study materials from Jack Westin. Bottom line, It’s just not streamlined and organized like the Princeton Review courses.
Video Lessons
I also prefer the video lessons from Princeton Review. Not only is the content within these videos spot on, but I also like that the Princeton Review instructors regularly incorporate analogies and mnemonics to help you remember different key points and concepts.
Example video lesson from Princeton Review
I’m just a big fan of these videos, which is something I can’t necessarily say about Jack Westin. To be frank, I just wasn’t very impressed by their video lectures.
I think Jack Westin could improve the format of their videos, and the lectures themselves just don’t go into the same level of detail and provide insights like Princeton Review’s (note: if you are a visual learner, you may also like the video lessons from Blueprint).
Live MCAT Classes
In addition to video lessons, Princeton Review also gets the win when it comes to live classes. And that’s because Jack Westin doesn’t offer formal classes per se.
To be fair, Jack Westin does offer live workshops and office hours, but really, these sessions aren’t the same as the live classes from Princeton Review.
With Jack Westin, there is no common thread between the live workshops, and they don’t progressively build on each other like the classes from Princeton Review.
Plus, I think Princeton Review offers some of the better live classes in the entire MCAT prep industry (right up there with the MCAT classes from Kaplan, for example). The classes are insightful, engaging, and I really like their instructors.
MCAT Prep Books
The prep books category is another easy win for Princeton Review. And this is an easy win because this is something missing from the Jack Westin course. However, with Princeton Review, you get 11 hardcopy prep books!
Therefore, if you’re more of an old-school type of learner that likes to study with a physical book, or you prefer studying by dog-earing pages, and highlighting key points, then Princeton Review should be right up your alley.
Lastly, Princeton Review beats Jack Westin when it comes to score guarantees. For their Self-paced and Live Online courses, Princeton Review offers students a higher score guarantee or your money back.
Then for students who really want to crush the MCAT, the company also offers 513+ and 515+ courses, which as you can probably guess by their names, include a guarantee that you will score at least 513 or 515 on the MCAT.
These are very solid money back guarantees, while Jack Westin doesn’t offer any sort of score guarantee at all.
Now that you have an idea of the areas in which Princeton Review excels, let’s turn the tables and discuss the major reasons you may want to choose Jack Westin to help you prepare for the MCAT.
Jack Westin Is More Affordable
Simply put, the full Jack Westin course is much more affordable than the courses from Princeton Review. Jack Westin’s Complete course costs around $1,500, while Princeton Review’s Self-Paced course costs $2,000, and their flagship Live Online Course carries a price tag of around $2,800.
With that said, it’s worth noting that with Jack Westin you will need to purchase the full AAMC practice material bundleseparately, which does cost around $300, but still, it’s a fairly sizable price gap.
Jack Westin practice question
It’s also worth mentioning that Princeton Review does seem to be more aggressive with sales and discounts too. Our team has seen Princeton Review offer 15 to 20% off their prep courses, which helps make the price gap a little more palatable.
If you are working with a limited budget, you may also want to consider the MCAT prep course from Magoosh, which costs less than $400.
CARS Strategies
Jack Westin does a really good job with strategy and practice for the CARS section of the MCAT.
Jack Westin excels with the CARS section of the MCAT
Not only do I like that Jack Westin emphasizes strategy, but I also like their learning framework. Their lessons do a good job of teaching you to think about what’s really being tested, diagnose the actual message behind each passage, and avoid trap answers (note: Blueprint and Kaplan also provide helpful strategies for the CARS section too).
Overall, I just think their strategies and rules really help you knock out passages in a smart, efficient manner.
Which MCAT prep course should you choose? That’s the big question.
To be honest, I don’t think it’s even close between these two prep companies. I think Princeton Review clearly offers the more complete and effective prep course from top to bottom.
Aside from price and CARS materials, Princeton Review pretty much beat Jack Westin across the board. Bottom line, if you’re looking for advice on which MCAT course to go with, I’d say Princeton Review is the way to go.
What is the difference between the MCAT prep courses from Jack Westin and Princeton Review?
There are several important differences between the MCAT prep courses from Jack Westin and Princeton Review. Most notably, the two companies differ in terms of cost, live classes, video lessons, and prep books.
Which MCAT prep course is better, Jack Westin or Princeton Review?
After testing and evaluating the MCAT study materials from both companies, our team thinks Princeton Review offers the more complete and well-rounded prep courses from top to bottom.
Does Jack Westin and Princeton Review offer money back guarantees?
Princeton Review offers a score improvement guarantee or your money back., while Jack Westin does not.
