Jack Westin vs Princeton Review MCAT (2024)

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.

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, Jack Westin’s course is just not streamlined and organized like the Princeton Review course.

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.

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 as this is something missing from the Jack Westin course altogether. 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.

👉 Also Worth Reading: Princeton Review vs Blueprint MCAT

Score Guarantees

Lastly, Princeton Review beats Jack Westin when it comes to score guarantees. For their Self-Paced and Ultimate (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 515+ courses, which as you can probably guess by their names, include a guarantee that you will score at least 515 on the MCAT.

These are very solid money back guarantees, while Jack Westin doesn’t offer any sort of score guarantee at all.

👉 Read our full review of the Princeton MCAT course here

Reasons To Choose Jack Westin For MCAT Prep

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 MCAT prep course is more affordable than the courses from Princeton Review. Jack Westin’s Complete course costs around $1,450, while Princeton Review’s Self-Paced course costs $1,600, and their flagship Live Online course carries a price tag of around $2,900.

Moreover, it’s worth noting that with Jack Westin you will need to purchase the full AAMC practice material bundle separately, which does cost around $300.

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 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. It’s kind of their thing.

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 that we really liked).

Overall, I just think their CARS strategies and rules really help you knock out passages in a smart, efficient manner.

👉Read our full review of the Jack Westin MCAT course here

Verdict: Jack Westin or Princeton Review?

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 pricing and CARS materials, Princeton Review pretty much beats 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.

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