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Kaplan MCAT prep review
Our in-depth analysis and review of the Kaplan MCAT prep course
When it comes to MCAT prep, Kaplan is about the biggest game in town. They’ve been helping students prepare for over 80 years, and have one of the most comprehensive MCAT prep curriculums on the market. But does a robust curriculum and years of teaching to the MCAT mean this prep course is the best? How good is Kaplan for the MCAT? We dig in and closely examine the Kaplan MCAT prep course and all of its features in this detailed review.
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Video Review: Is Kaplan MCAT Worth It?
In the video above, Lara from the Test Prep Insight team covers the major pros and cons of the Kaplan MCAT prep course. For more detail, be sure to continue reading our full written review below.
Kaplan MCAT Course Options & Pricing
To help set the stage for our evaluation of the Kaplan MCAT course features, I think it’s most helpful to quickly run through the different prep packages that Kaplan offers at each level.
In short, Kaplan offers several different prep packages for students to choose from, including their On Demand Course, Live Online Course, In Person Course, 515+ Course, and Private Tutoring + Live Online Course.
Kaplan’s cheapest prep option, the On Demand Course, costs around $2,000 for six months of access. This course is self-paced and allows you to study from anywhere at any time. In terms of how this pricing stacks up, this course format does run about 8x the cost of budget test prep provider Magoosh’s MCAT prep package, but as discussed below, the difference in quantity and quality of study material is huge.
At the next level up, the Live Online Course and In Person Course generally cost around $2,700 and $3,400, respectively. They offer students a series of live classes, whether online or in person. For those students seeking more interpersonal communication and a real group feel, this course will likely be your best best.
For students wanting a guaranteed top score, the 515+ Course promises that you’ll increase your score by at least 15 points, or else get a full refund. This course costs about $3,300 for 12 months of access.
Then there’s the company’s Tutoring + Live Online Course, which as its name implies adds private 1:1 tutoring in 10, 20, 30, or 40 hour increments to the Live Online Course. These packages start around $3,600.
Finally, for those dead set on crushing the MCAT, Kaplan offers an intensive Bootcamp course. This course is not for the faint of heart, lasting 5 weeks during the summer, with lessons every day and strict schedules. It does not come cheap though, costing around $7,300.
Course options and pricing current as of date of publication.
Evaluation of Lessons & Coursework
Now let’s get to my thoughts on the Kaplan MCAT course. I’ll just start by saying that I generally loved this MCAT course. It’s undeniably first-rate in terms of content, structure and delivery – though it did have a couple shortcomings, as discussed further below.
Whether you’re taking the self-paced on demand course or the live online course, everything with Kaplan MCAT revolves around your schedule. In short, the entire program is driven by a calendar that tells you exactly what to do every day. Almost everything is on your schedule: learning modules, AAMC practice sessions, live classes, full-length practice exams, practice test review sessions, optional workshops, and more.
The Kaplan MCAT study schedule
As for what you’re actually doing, the learning modules come in two main forms: “content refreshers” and “application.” Each type starts with a brief placement quiz (usually about 15 to 20 questions), which sets your baseline for the module.
In fact, if you score high enough on the placement quiz (70%-80%), you can actually test out of the module and move right onto the next assignment. However, assuming you don’t hit that high threshold, you then watch a number of video lessons, usually 2-3 on average per module.
These videos are generally on the shorter side, with most being in the 10-15 minute range. If you feel like you need a deeper dive, Kaplan gives you the chapter of the prep book that aligns with that video lesson so you can jump over and get some detailed notes.
For visual learners, these interactive video lessons are absolute money in my opinion. Every lesson gives you a rich diversity of pictures, graphs, drawings, formulas, and various graphics that make it easy to retain concepts.
Kaplan MCAT video lesson
I personally loved the production value and structured feel of these video lectures. The quality is very professional, making for a more effective learning experience (better than Jack Westin).
After you’re done with the video lessons in your module, you finish with a review quiz. Those are similar in length to the placement quizzes at the beginning of the module (about 15 to 20 questions). And that’s it for the primary learning modules. It’s a pretty simple formula: placement quiz 👉 video lessons 👉 review quiz.
Now, Kaplan also includes plenty of high-quality practice work, including tons of full-length practice exams, a customizable Qbank, content refresher videos, a mobile app, and even live workshops. I’ll get into the details about these additional resources below. The big picture is simply that you’re getting tons of material grouped in order by topic, and everything is really nicely integrated into one coherent course.
For example, if you’re watching a video lesson on Isomers, but feel like you need more detail, Kaplan will direct you over to chapter 2 of the Organic Chemistry Review book. Then, if you want to work practice problems that target what you learned about Isomers post-video lesson, you can create a custom quiz in the Qbank that only has Isomer problems.
The downside here is that the Kaplan MCAT program is almost too flexible. The study schedule assigns the core learning modules, but most of the reading and practice work is optional – meaning it’s totally up to you when (and if) you work through it. Honestly, that can be a little overwhelming for some learners, so if you prefer being told exactly what to do each day, just know that Kaplan leaves a lot of the review schedule up to you.
Kaplan MCAT assignment module
To sum up, Kaplan’s lessons, coursework, and practice materials add up to over 500 hours of prep time, which is more than most students could ever get through.
All things considered though, I was extremely impressed with the Kaplan coursework and lessons. I knew going into my class that Kaplan would offer a solid prep course, but I had no idea how in-depth and high-quality it would be.
Kaplan’s live classes (discussed further below), online video instruction, quizzes, and materials were all top-notch. I was left with very little to gripe about with respect to the MCAT content and coursework.
Kaplan MCAT Prep Books
As mentioned, in addition to your online content (and live classes, assuming you purchase a course with classroom component), Kaplan also offers some top-tier study books.
In total, Kaplan will ship you seven (7) hard copy books with the purchase of a prep course. Plus, you will get a useful Quicksheets guide (essentially a cheat sheet).
As you may expect from Kaplan, these books are all extremely thorough and well-written. Each subject review book covers a major MCAT topic (such as organic chemistry or biology) and goes into great detail (similar to Princeton Review).
The 7 Kaplan MCAT books
These are not light reads by any means – they are content heavy, comprehensive prep books designed to cover every nook and cranny of MCAT material.
And that is another small complaint I had with this course – the books are so detailed that reading can be tedious at times. But it’s also a necessary evil given the amount of material you need to learn.
If you’re big on learning via text, you will love these prep books. I found them to be really well-written and structured. The books flow naturally and the concepts within the subject review books in particular, are very well-articulated.
Kaplan MCAT Practice Tests
For the students who prefer to learn by doing, practice tests are critical – and are often at the heart of their analysis when considering which prep course is best for their needs. All in all, Kaplan gives students access to 18 full-length practice tests.
This is a very respectable number of practice exams and is bested only by the Prep101, which provides 25 tests. While 18 exams doesn’t sound like much, at 7 hours+ per exam, that is a lot of hours spent simulating the real MCAT.
Kaplan MCAT practice problem
The quality of Kaplan’s MCAT practice tests are above average and pretty darn good on the whole. They are not so exceptional that I would flag them as a major course highlight, but they are more than serviceable and do a good job of mimicking the real MCAT.
It is clear that the questions are expertly written and the practice test platform is very realistic with respect to mirroring the real MCAT. The bottom line is that I had no qualms with the quality or quantity of the Kaplan practice tests.
So if you sign up for the live online option with Kaplan, you get 14 three-hour sessions with a Kaplan instructor. These classes are three hours long each and mostly cover test-taking strategy. On Demand students can still access strategy-based modules integrated into the study calendar, so you’re not missing out on any core content. The question is simply whether you learn best in a structured live classroom setting or you’re more of an independent learner who feels confident managing your own time.
The cool thing about the live classes is that you don’t have fixed days and times. It used to be that way with Kaplan, but they’ve switched that up. They now have flex classes (kind of like how Prep101 does it), where the class sessions are offered multiple times throughout the week and you just have to attend one of the sessions where it fits your schedule. That’s been a really nice improvement.
All of their instructors scored 520+ on the exam, so they really know what they’re talking about – they’ve been there, and they understand the test inside and out.
Our instructor followed the Kaplan curriculum to a “T”, never deviating from the script, except to provide some quick side tips and insights not found in the lesson book. These were always super helpful and I was sure to note them on a separate pad of paper.
Kaplan MCAT live class session
I’ve reviewed a number of MCAT courses at this point, and I would say on the whole that the Kaplan instructor generally stuck to the script more and offered less “side” notes than other MCAT classes (such as Prep101). But this also kept things streamlined in class.
She was very serious about MCAT prep and staying on pace with our course; however, she also had a dry sense of humor and did a fairly good job keeping the material light. The MCAT is content heavy and it’s hard to keep people focused, so you need that lighthearted element from time to time.
Plus, one thing worth mentioning is that Kaplan also uses a second, separate instructor in every live class to work the chat function. I really liked this feature and decision, as our main instructor never got distracted from teaching, yet you could always ask questions at any point. That was a very useful function in the live classes, and I think it was a smart decision by Kaplan to use dual instructors like this.
Nonetheless, after most class sessions, I left with my brain feeling like oatmeal. Kaplan throws a ton of material at you in three hours and you are expected to stay engaged and soak it all in. It can be tough at times, but I definitely felt like I was getting money’s worth out of every three-hour session.
Like most everything else Kaplan does, they did their online content portal the right way. Kaplan’s online platform has a great layout and some of the best functionality I have seen, rivaled only by Princeton Review.
The dashboard is clean and simple, yet very professional. Down the left hand side, you will see the main sections of online content: My Schedule, Activity Library, Qbank, Performance, History, and Flashcards.
This layout makes the portal incredibly easy to navigate and I never had any issues. In addition, the drill-down method of locating lessons, quizzes and the like is very intuitive. The Kaplan MCAT mobile app also makes it easy to review from anywhere, which is a game changer for people who are constantly on the go.
Overall, Ireally like the user interface and experience of the Kaplan online platform.
Other Included Study Resources
Beyond the actual learning modules, you also get sequenced mock exams, AAMC and CARS practice assignments, 90+ content refresher videos on the highest-yield MCAT topics, and practice test review sessions on your calendar. Kaplan has recently added Cars Skillsbuilders that break down passages into bite-sized chunks for targeted skills practice.
There’s also a Qbank that contains over 3,000 practice problems and has some very useful advanced filtering functionality. It is a significant value add, as it allows you to zero in on your weaknesses and improve on those topics.
Accompanying each practice problem is a text explanation, breaking down the question and explaining why each answer choice is correct or incorrect. These explanations were one of the areas of the coursework I was not totally satisfied with. While the explanations were effective in communicating why my answer choice was correct or incorrect, the level of detail was just a little subpar.
The text was brief and to the point, which is understandable given that Kaplan needs to write 3,000+ of these explanations, but I just expected more. It would have been nice to see some more detailed analysis.
Kaplan MCAT practice explanation
For additional support, they include an AI tutor, which is nice for getting immediate answers and feedback whenever you’re stuck. You can also connect with peers in their private MCAT community
Lastly, there’s the live workshops. These are open to both the live online and self-paced students. Everyday, Kaplan has at least a few live online workshops or office hour sessions where you get a very deep dive into one particular topic and can ask questions.
For on demand students, these workshops are incredibly valuable, as they’re almost a pseudo class replacement. Though again, they’re all totally optional.
Kaplan 1-on-1 MCAT Tutoring
If you are struggling with a few particular topics and need some specialized attention to get a quick score boost in those areas, private tutoring may be a consideration. For those students who need it, Kaplan does offer private 1-on-1 tutoring packages.
These packages are not cheap, but do include access to the Kaplan On Demand Course – so if you’re thinking about tutoring at the outset, factor in that you would get all of the On Demand Course access and materials with such a purchase.
The Kaplan packages provide 10, 20, 30, or 40 hours of private tutoring. They range in price from around $3,600 for the 10-hour course up to about $7,500 for the 40-hour course. You can do the math to see that those rates are not cheap. But just keep in mind that its not just tutoring you getting – it’s also the on-demand course access.
While I didn’t personally use Kaplan’s tutoring services, I would imagine that they would be quite strong. Their instructors are generally regarded as some of the best MCAT experts around.
I would fully expect them to be more than serviceable as private tutors. If you’re looking for tutoring from a separate source, I would note that I have used Blueprint MCAT’s private tutoring services previously, and found that program to be exceptional.
Content Access Period
With the purchase of a Kaplan MCAT course, you will get 6 months of access to their online content. For most students this will be plenty of time to accomplish their MCAT prep, but for some, 6 months may be pushing it. The AAMC recommends 300 to 350 hours of study time prior to sitting for the MCAT.
As such, if you’ve got a busy life and need to study around work and school, that 300 or so hours could take you 6+ months.
If that’s the case, you may need to think hard about the Kaplan access period. For others, 6 months should be just fine. Keep in mind, you can always lengthen your content access period with Kaplan for an additional fee.
Does Kaplan Have A Mobile App For MCAT Prep?
The short answer is yes, though its value is up for debate. Kaplan does offer a mobile app for MCAT study; however, it only contains some of your study materials (such as flashcards, video lessons, and quizzes). Notably, you cannot see your study calendar from within the app.
While other test prep providers such as Magoosh offer mobile apps that connect with your online account and provide access to all of your study materials, the Kaplan app presents more like an ancillary study resource.
For quick hit, on-the-go studying, the Kaplan mobile app has some value, but apart from that, I don’t see it as a main study resource.
Recently, the company also partnered with Librarium to offer a virtual reality study app covering over 1,000 science topics. You’ll need a Meta Quest VR headset for this app.
Kaplan Higher Score Guarantee
As some of you may have noticed plastered all over their website, Kaplan does provide a higher score guarantee.
If your MCAT score doesn’t improve after having used the Kaplan prep course, they will give you 100% of your money back, or let you retake their course. There are some requirements around this promise that must be met, but if you qualify, this is a really nice safety net to have.
Kaplan Refund Policy
If you’re not totally satisfied with the Kaplan MCAT course or just change your mind in the first 3 days after purchasing, Kaplan will give you 100% of your tuition back. And if you change your mind in the 4-7 post-purchase day range, they will give you 75% of purchase price back. In either case, that refund does not include the cost of shipping the hard copy books to you (which you must return).
This is a fairly generous policy and offers students a nice cool-off period after making such a large purchase. Note though that these policies do not generally apply to the Bootcamp program.
Verdict: Kaplan MCAT Prep Course Review
The Kaplan MCAT course is an all-around, rock-solid prep package in my opinion. It gives you everything you need to prep for the MCAT. Now, it is a little pricey when standing up against other prep options, but the quality and quantity of study material you get with Kaplan cannot be disputed.
The video lessons are incredibly strong, the live classes are effectively and efficiently packed with high-yield subject matter, and you get access to a ton of great practice materials. Plus, the course structure is very easy to follow and logical.
My main two negatives with the Kaplan course center around the brevity of the practice problem explanations and the lack of usefulness of their mobile app; but I feel that these two main complaints are far outweighed by the otherwise stellar study resources.
Bottom line, if you’re looking for a tried and true, results-driven prep course that you know you can rely on to get you fully prepped for the MCAT, I think Kaplan is a great selection. I was a big fan.
In fact, Kaplan takes the top spot on our list of the best MCAT prep courses on the market.
The Kaplan MCAT prep options range in price from about $2,000 on the inexpensive end for their self-paced program, all the way up to around $7,300 for their intensive, 5-week bootcamp course.
How many total hours of study material do I get with Kaplan?
All of Kaplan’s MCAT guided instruction, book work, practice material and resources total up to over 700 hours of prep time. Given that the AAMC recommends 300 to 350 hours of study time before taking the MCAT, this is more than double the recommended amount of prep.
Will the Kaplan MCAT prep course raise my score?
Taking the Kaplan MCAT prep course will very likely boost your score. Compared to self-studying, the level of practice material and resources you will get with Kaplan will almost certainly have a positive effect on your overall MCAT score.
Is Kaplan's MCAT course good for self-paced learners?
Yes, Kaplan’s self-paced MCAT course offers structured content blocks that you can move through at your own speed, making it ideal for independent study. It also includes app-based flashcards, full-length MCAT practice exams, and clear progress tracking so you can build a solid test day strategy over time.
Does Kaplan offer a score guarantee or different pricing tiers?
Kaplan does offer an MCAT score guarantee if you complete the required course components, which can give you added confidence. Their pricing tiers and access models vary depending on whether you choose live online, self-paced, or bundled tutoring, all of which include AAMC-style passages and realistic test simulations.
