Blueprint and Kaplan are two of the most well-known prep providers for the MCAT. We completed a Blueprint vs. Kaplan MCAT review to help you better compare the two providers.
You will find a breakdown of their offerings, screenshots of their features, and our thoughts on each below.
Summary: Compare Blueprint vs. Kaplan MCAT. If neither of these options fits your needs, you can consider another best MCAT online course.
Blueprint vs. Kaplan MCAT Options
| Blueprint Self-Paced MCAT Course | Blueprint Live Online MCAT Course | Kaplan On-Demand MCAT Course | Kaplan Live Online MCAT Course | |
| Price | $1,599 | $2,699 | $1,699 | $2,399 |
| Subscription Length | 6 months | 12 months | 6 months | 12 months |
| Videos | 500+ | 500+ | 70+ | 70+ |
| Live Online Hours | 0 hours | 40+ hours | 0 hours | 48+ hours |
| Practice Questions | 10,000+ | 10,000+ | 3,000+ | 3,000+ |
| Practice Tests | 15 | 15 | 16 | 16 |
| Books Included | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Study Plan | Customizable | Customizable | Customizable | Customizable |
| Guarantee | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Learn More | GO! | GO! | ||
When comparing Blueprint vs Kaplan MCAT, we wanted to list similar offerings to make it easier to compare. You will find that each of these providers offers additional prep options. However, the options above are some of their "core" offerings.
If you want an individual review of each of these providers, you can find those below:
If you want to do some of your own preparation before making a big purchase, consider using our free MCAT practice exams.
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Best For
- Bite-sized video lessons
- Advanced analytics and reports
- Number of practice questions
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Not Recommended For
- Someone needing to study for an extended period of time
Blueprint vs. Kaplan MCAT Features
Below, we’ve compared the best features of each provider. When analyzing Kaplan vs. Blueprint MCAT, we found some key differences that are important for anyone looking to best prepare for their exam.
User Interface
We found Blueprint’s user interface to be more friendly than Kaplan’s, especially with their customization options, study calendar, and answer explanations. The features are more intuitive and their videos are more eye-catching and engaging than Kaplan’s.
An example of the Blueprint dashboard
An example of the Kaplan activity library
Learning Materials
The way you learn with Blueprint vs. Kaplan is pretty similar in style. Blueprint uses bite-sized videos and short quizzes throughout each module to ensure you’re up to speed on all the content being taught.
Within Blueprint, users can opt to build their own quizzes, sourcing from over 10,000 questions in the Qbank. There are various filters with which you can sort through the questions and focus on the topics you want. Their short videos are easily digestible, and great at maintaining your attention.
An example of a video lesson from Blueprint
Within the Blueprint course, users will also learn from physical textbooks—another plus in our book! Between the online videos and traditional subject textbooks, Blueprint makes it easy for all types of learners.
Finally, Blueprint gives users the option to use custom flashcard sets, in which you can build a customized deck of questions similar to the Qbank quizzes.
An example of the textbooks Blueprint sends to users
Kaplan’s method is pretty similar to Blueprint’s. They provide quizzes throughout the modules, as well as physical textbooks. Kaplan also allows users to build their own quizzes using their question bank, from which you can sort by subject, whether you answered it correctly, and more.
The only difference is that Kaplan’s Qbank is much smaller than Blueprint’s. Users will also have access to videos with MCAT instructors explaining the content. The main difference here is the user interface of the materials.
An example of a video lesson from Kaplan
Practice Exams
Kaplan includes 16 full-length exams within all the courses. Their aim is to simulate the language and style of the real MCAT. After you finish the exam, you’ll gain access to your score report and analytics (which we’ll discuss in a moment).
An example of a Kaplan practice exam
Blueprint provides 15 practice exams, which also do a great job at mimicking the actual MCAT. The exam also builds in the same breaks that you’ll receive during the actual exam.
An example of a Blueprint practice exam
Analytics
Kaplan provides insights into different categories of your performance, including:
- Topic/subtopic
- Difficulty of the questions
- Time spend on the question
With Kaplan’s analytics, you can see how you performed on each question, and the exam as a whole. You can also view their answer explanations, which include a video to help you understand the topic fully.
An example of an analytics report from Kaplan
Our team found Blueprint’s analytics to be more advanced than Kaplan’s. Not only can you find reports about your exams, but everything you’ve done in the course so far. Users can view analytics regarding their exams, quizzes, flashcards, and Qbank sessions.
Users can also sort their analytics by topic and course area, so if you’re more concerned about your performance in math than biology, you can opt to view the analytics for that topic specifically. Blueprint’s answer explanations were extremely detailed and well thought-out.
Blueprint’s overall analytics system is one of the most advanced we’ve seen in any online MCAT prep course.
An example of an analytics report from Blueprint
Study Planner
Both Kaplan and Blueprint have a detailed study planner that users can customize to their liking. The main difference between the two features is the interface and design of each.
Blueprint’s study schedule is easier to read, as it is color-coded and organized into a monthly calendar view as opposed to a weekly spread. It is also extremely user-friendly, and students can drag and drop lessons on the calendar to adjust their schedule. Completed lessons will automatically be marked as they are finished.
An example of the Blueprint study planner/calendar
Kaplan’s study planner is the first thing users will see when they log into the course, and contains the lessons planned for that day. The calendar can be updated in order to adjust for missed lessons or extra lessons completed.
An example of the Kaplan study planner/calendar
Office Hours
A feature we love about Blueprint is their inclusion of office hours into all their courses. Every Blueprint users will have access to 2-hour sessions five days per week, which consist of a MCAT instructor going over a specific topic. These sessions take place in a group setting, and will cover common questions and mistakes that relate to that specific topic.
The only way you can gain access to a live MCAT instructor with Kaplan is through their live online option, which gives you individualized tutoring sessions at an additional cost.
Is Blueprint MCAT or Kaplan MCAT Better?
The Blueprint MCAT course outshines Kaplan with thousands more practice questions and far more substantial and detailed analytics. This feature alone sways us toward Blueprint.
Blueprint was our choice for best overall while Kaplan was our choice for best options.
If you are looking for other resources to help, check out the following:
Score: 94
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Why Choose Blueprint MCAT
- Bite-sized video lessons
- Advanced analytics and reports
- Number of practice questions
Blueprint vs. Kaplan MCAT FAQs
