KAPLAN UKCAT Course - Worth it?

I did the KAPLAN course in Manchester and overall if money isn't a problem then go for it It isn't the best value for money but I think it did help me quite a bit. The course days aren't really special but they do open your eyes to the fact that the questions are much easier than you might think - personally I believe the 600 questions book to be ridiculously difficult, especially QR and I wouldn't recommend it at all (I don't understand how it got high reviews??). What makes the course worthwhile is the 5 online practice papers! They are very realistic and they definitely helped me get used to the style of questions, layout and time management etc. I can't stress enough how useful they were and they easily give you an edge. This is just my experience but if the course gives you that edge ahead of everybody else then it's worth it in the end! Good luck!!

Tbf the 600 book got me a ridiculously high score in QR when I did the UKCAT so tbh it made up for it's ridiculous hardness.

@OP: Seriously, don't waste your cash - it won't improve your score.

It was a while ago I made this thread. Having done the course myself now, I would say that the course is good. The lady we had in Birmingham was brilliant. And it is about the experience of questions under timed conditions, getting used to as many times of questions as possible, and being told the technique to use. Essentially, yes, you are paying nearly 300 quid for a huge book with all the information in it, but that's not to say the woman that ran the course wasn't a massive help.

I do think however, I then began to rely on the course completely. Assuming that just doing that and a few questions from the 600 Q book was all I needed. This wasn't the case hence my 627.5 average.

Is it necessary? No.
Would it help? Yes - especially, if your feeling unconfident, new to the whole thing, and generally, don't even know where to get started.

It was a while ago I made this thread. Having done the course myself now, I would say that the course is good. The lady we had in Birmingham was brilliant. And it is about the experience of questions under timed conditions, getting used to as many times of questions as possible, and being told the technique to use. Essentially, yes, you are paying nearly 300 quid for a huge book with all the information in it, but that's not to say the woman that ran the course wasn't a massive help.

I do think however, I then began to rely on the course completely. Assuming that just doing that and a few questions from the 600 Q book was all I needed. This wasn't the case hence my 627.5 average.

Is it necessary? No.
Would it help? Yes - especially, if your feeling unconfident, new to the whole thing, and generally, don't even know where to get started.

Did you get into any unis in the end? I was seriously contemplating on going to the Kaplan course this summer since all my UKCAT practice simply just doesn't click with me.

I got 707 and spent about a week doing the free online papers and using the 600 ukcat questions book. You really don't need to spend a lot of money.

Same here, sort of... About 2-3 weeks before the exam, I read all the advice and did every free paper I could find online, the official online mocks, and the questions (didn't have time to do the mock) in 600Q. Got 802.5 somehow I'm just cheap though - if you have the money to spend then buying Medify and going on courses obviously won't hurt.

Wow that's an impressive score! My best section was decision analysis by far (got 830) but verbal and abstract reasoning are my downfall. :P

Of course going on those courses will never hurt, but money was definitely an issue for me. I know a few people who spent hundreds of pounds and struggled to hit 600!

Thanks Snap with the DA score... I actually found that section quite fun

Ouch... I've always wondered why the courses are so expensive. There's so many tips and questions on the internet about it, and there's nothing stopping anyone from sitting and doing the mocks in test conditions themselves. How much extra do the courses really provide?

When I applied, 4 years ago - I didn't go to the Kaplan courses but I went to the Coma and Blackstone tutors courses - ended up getting 725 in the UKCAT and 4 medicine offers, which with hindsight is partly due to the UKCAT and BMAT courses that I attended.

They seem extortionate at the time, but a few years down the line - you'll really appreciate this small investment.

My personal favorite were the blackstone tutors courses - capped at 10/12 students + not as pricey as the others.