To help you find out and make the best purchasing decision, this blog post will give you a detailed review of the Princeton Review's MCAT prep course lineup.
Based on our first-hand experience using their instructor-led MCAT 515+ live online course over several weeks.
Main Features & Course Lineup
The Princeton Review is one of the few companies that offers MCAT prep programs in a variety of formats available both online and in-person, subject to location.
The Princeton Review MCAT 515+ Prep Course Dashboard
These include an intensive boot camp-style program called the MCAT 515+ Immersion.
Two small group live class programs led by six subject-matter expert instructors branded the MCAT 515+ LiveOnline course and the MCAT Ultimate Course.
And a self-paced package with either 6-month or one-year access periods for those who want to learn independently.
All instructor-led packages come with one year of access to an online platform where you'll find past recordings of your classes, MCAT practice material, and other helpful learning resources.
How their MCAT courses differ?
The MCAT 515+ LiveOnline program has 123 hours of focused live instruction, boasting a 515+ MCAT score or a +15 points score increase guarantee.
The Ultimate Course, identical to the MCAT 515+ LiveOnline program, is not backed by the +15 points score increase guarantee. Instead, it's backed by a weaker score increase guarantee.
The MCAT 515+ Immersion program builds upon the MCAT 515+ LiveOnline course with 195 hours of live classroom instruction, which could be compressed into a very intense six-week period.
The MCAT 515+ Immersion program is the most limited of their MCAT programs, with availability typically in the Summer months.
Lesson Quality
The first thing that hits you when you sign up for any of The Princeton Review's MCAT courses is the sheer volume of learning content.
Across all their MCAT programs, students get access to their on-demand video lesson library, which they call Medflix.
The Princeton Review MCAT Prep Course Sample Medflix Video on Bio Section
This Medflix content library contains over 500 short-form style on-demand video content covering all sections of the MCAT.
These videos are not designed to be comprehensive on a topic but to be consumed as supplementary learning before and after a class.
These on-demand videos are also complemented with tons of exercises to practice with as you complete the on-demand video lessons.
The Princeton Review MCAT Prep Course Sample Practice Drill Question
As for the instructor-led portion of their program, the live classes are broken down and scheduled by subject area.
As you can see here, in the breakdown for the MCAT 515+ LiveOnline course, the subject with the most number of class hours is Biology/Biochemistry.
The Princeton Review MCAT 515+ Live Class Content Makeup
While the subject with the least number of class hours, organic chemistry.
As for how these classes are designed, the science classes involve content teaching, where the emphasis is placed on the most frequently tested topics.
The Princeton Review MCAT Prep Course Sample Medflix Video on General Chemistry
While the CARS section classes are more focused on strategy and technique mastery.
Depending on your familiarity with a given science topic, you may not find those classes valuable.
I liked that my live class headcount was restricted to under 21 participants. And were led by teachers who were both knowledgeable and engaging.
Where student-to-teacher communication could be performed via chat and audio.
The Princeton Review MCAT Prep Course Sample Live Class on General Chemistry
One thing to keep in mind, though, is that given the large amount of content, the best way for students to get the most out of the course is to come to each class prepared.
By completing the available pre-work assignments and pre-readings before each class. And after each class, completing the assignment homework assignments.
Support Quality
Across all MCAT programs, students can access an unlimited number of subject-specific live office hours called MCAT Topic Focus.
An Optional MCAT Focus session on Organic Chemistry on The Princeton Review MCAT 515+ Course
Help multiple times per week. Where each session is focused on a different subject area.
These MCAT Topic Focus are both student-led and instructor-led and allow you to work with teachers on additional topics.
The Princeton-Review MCAT Prep Course Schedule of Topic-Focus
The 60-minute student-led sessions are drop-in style, where you can stop by and get help from a certified MCAT instructor.
While the 90-minute instructor-led sessions must be attended at a given time, as they contain a teaching component that lasts for 20 - 30 minutes.
The Princeton Review MCAT Prep Course Sample Live Class
Their MCAT 515+ Immersion program provides 24/7 on-demand tutoring for those who desire more student support.
Where you can interact in real-time with real tutors and not bots.
Pricing
At the time of this review, The Princeton Review's standalone self-paced MCAT course with 6-months of access starts at $1,600.
The pricing of their popular MCAT 515+ LiveOnline course with 123 hours of instruction starts at $3,500, equivalent to $28/hr.
To help students afford their products, The Princeton Review offers payment plans on all their instructor-led MCAT prep packages with no extra charges or credit checks.
If you want to get a discount on any of The Princeton Review's MCAT courses, you can save 15% with our exclusive code below.
Practice Material Quality
The Princeton Review's online MCAT platform provides over 2500 MCAT practice questions backed with detailed text-based answer explanations.
The amount of practice material you receive is the same across all The Princeton Review's MCAT prep programs.
While these are unofficial MCAT practice questions, we found them to be similar in structure to official MCAT questions.
The Princeton Review MCAT Prep Course Practice Test Options
Students using the Princeton Review's MCAT platform also receive 17 full-length self-proctored MCAT practice tests, 12 single-section practice tests, and several diagnostic exams.
In addition, students receive access to official AAMC practice materials.
The Princeton Review MCAT Prep Course Sample Practice Test Score Report
Before the first class of the Princeton Review's MCAT programs, every participant must take the AAMC Practice Exam 1.
This initial test serves as a qualifying exam to set your starting MCAT score.
It's especially important for individuals who haven't taken an official LSAT exam yet but wish to take advantage of the score guarantee offered by the program.
Beyond that, students are required to complete a total of six full-length practice tests during their studies.
These full-length practice tests should ideally be spaced out by two weeks.
When it comes to taking a full-length practice test, note that this practice test must be taken to mimic the actual MCAT.
Where you should sit for this 7.5-hour exam and not take any breaks during each section.
While I found their text-based answer explanations sufficiently detailed, I would have liked to see video-based answer explanations.
The Princeton Review MCAT Prep Course Sample Answer Explanation
Which are very helpful, especially for those who are visual learners
Additional Features & Customer Policies
Some additional features of the course that we found to be useful were their Study Planner feature.
This tool maps out a learning pathway based on the date you plan to begin studying for the MCAT, what day you are taking the MCAT, and how many hours you plan to study per week.
The Princeton Review MCAT Prep Course Study Planner Tool
Another useful feature provided by The Princeton Review is the free access to supplementary learning tools designed by the AAMC, such as the CARS diagnostic tool.
Additionally, purchasing any of their programs comes with physical and digital copies of The Princeton Review's 9 MCAT prep books.
As you can see our reviewer Chuky unbox in the video below.
The Princeton Review promises a +15 score increase guarantee or your money back on their MCAT 515+ LiveOnline course and the MCAT 515+ Immersion program.
Which is one of the highest score guarantee promises on the market.
All other programs promise that you will score higher on the MCAT, but by no specific amount.
A 14-day free trial is provided for the self-paced MCAT prep course for those who want to sample the course before purchasing.
In addition, money-back refunds on self-paced courses are granted to those who cancel their course within the first seven days after enrollment.
While for their instructor-led class packages, full refunds are provided for cancellations made within seven days after enrollment, but before the first live class begins.
What Other Buyers Are Saying
At the time of this review, the Princeton Review brand has about 2,000 reviews on Trustpilot with an overall rating of 4.3 out of 5 stars.
Where 404 of these are verified reviews. But more important is the number of reviews relating to their MCAT product, which was 260.
Out of those 260 MCAT-focused reviews, 36 were verified, with an average rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars.
Who Should Buy this MCAT Course
As one of the most reputable test prep companies, the Princeton Review offers reliable MCAT prep resources.
While some of their premium prep courses, like the MCAT 515+, come with a high price tag, the amount of student support and score increase guarantee behind these courses are not matched by many other competing MCAT prep providers.
