Hi Ho! Kyle from Khan Academy here looking for feedback on our videos/questions for MCAT

[KAMedicine]

Hi folks!

I am the project coordinator for MCAT and NCLEX-RN test prep material on Khan Academy. We really appreciate your constructive feedback for our content.

If you can, it would be a really big help to me if you could share specific details on your experiences using our MCAT preparation material. Which videos and/or passages didn't meet your expectations? Which ones did? Are the questions too hard, too easy, just right? How could we make the content better? The best way to share this feedback is to use the "Report a mistake in the video/question" links found on the side of videos or at the bottom of questions, but you're welcome to leave feedback here and I'll do my best to check this page frequently.

Good luck on your MCATs! We're rooting for you.

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[allantois]

I only started using the videos this week (although I have referred to them back in my prerequisites), and one concern that I have is that it does not seem like all videos were specifically made for MCAT purposes: that is they either go in too much detail, or don't discuss all topics presented on AAMC outline.

 

[Jack Westin]

Hi Kyle, I would like to know to what degree was the AAMC involved in making the Khan questions?

 

[StudyLater]

Here are your relevant reviews from the April MCAT test takers.

The most recall I had was from Khan videos. Watch them, made notecards of them. I did not complete all of them, but probably the best review.

I honestly felt I was left under-prepared by the prep materials I used to study for this exam (Kaplan, TBR, Khan & AAMC).

I did a prep course along with Khan and the AAMC materials. I didn't feel as though new test was representative of any of the material they had put out. I did fine on their practice exam and the bundles, but the new test was nothing like those--the passages felt so much longer and I'm fairly certain I guessed on 50% of the questions.

I wish i knew the major themes better but I solely studying using Khan Academy. KA is really good for this section [he's talking about psych/soc]- it is the most concise and some of the questions were direrctly from some of these videos.

The current practice materials are simply not up to par, which is why those who've taken the tests felt that it was a "waste of time". The only ones remotely relevant are, in my opinion, khan academy practice passages. Unsurprisingly, people have found those to be extremely difficult...

And now a question: will you be framing new full length practice materials in conjunction with the AAMC at all this summer?

 

[Holmwood]

I just wanted to make an additional comment that the biochem vides need more work. They're very bare on the details.

Psych-soc videos were okay, but I ended up having to use prep books to plug some holes in the sociology sections. You guys did a good job putting together all the major people and theories though. : )

 

[tariqsa]

I found the videos very helpful since those are all I used to prep for the MCAT! I guess I'll find out how I did tomorrow.

The physics section goes way beyond just the basics considering it is only a minor portion on the MCAT (just my opinion )

 

[Dr. Death]

This is kind of stupid but I think more mnemonics would be helpful.

 

[somedudehere]

A couple of the physics videos like Young's double slit go into WAYYY too much detail for the mcat. By that I mean doing calculations which would be impossible without a calculator.

 

[WillHash]

The one video on steady states and michelis menton equation, went way to far into detail in trying to derive the equation. I doubt we'd have to work through so many steps on the actual test.

 

[whitemagic]

Hello,

Thanks for doing this.

One of my bigger concerns about KA is the fact that some videos seem like you just took an old KA video and slapped an AAMC logo on it for the first 3 seconds and uploaded it. Some of the videos are VERY clearly questions that AAMC would never ask. I saw a couple of ten minute videos about straight up calculations (can't use calculator on the MCAT). These were mostly physics topics like Young's modulus calculations, diffraction and double slit experiments, taking the sines and cosines of awkward angles like 31 degrees and 73 degrees, etc. Please fix this! It is very much misleading and it is bad for your company because anyone with any familiarity with the MCAT will in all likelihood immediately write off KA as a poor prep company upon seeing some of these videos. Thanks!

 

[Edv14]

Hi Kyle, I would like to know to what degree was the AAMC involved in making the Khan questions?

I would as well.
I am especially curious about AAMC's level of involvement/input on the practice questions and passages. To what extend did the AAMC influence the kinds of passages selected for the practice questions? Thank you.

 

[RaspberrySlushy]

This is not so much about content exactly but what I would really like is the ability to autoplay the videos. I like to have them on in the background just to keep my mind fresh and on topic and to remember little details that I might otherwise forget while doing other things like cooking, cleaning, etc. It would be so helpful to have an autoplay feature!

 

[rraidermd]

This is not so much about content exactly but what I would really like is the ability to autoplay the videos. I like to have them on in the background just to keep my mind fresh and on topic and to remember little details that I might otherwise forget while doing other things like cooking, cleaning, etc. It would be so helpful to have an autoplay feature!

You can make playlists on youtube with the khan videos! It's a little bit more work but i think it'll get the job you're asking for done.

 

[RaspberrySlushy]

That's great news!

Do you have any idea where I would go to figure out how to do that? I'm not very tech-savvy.

 

[DesitnationMD]

Any word on when errors/ errata in the passages/Qs will be fixed?

 

[nomdeplume1234]

Hi Kyle, I would like to know to what degree was the AAMC involved in making the Khan questions?

Something along the lines of a foundation made a donation and with Khan academy made a contest for people to submit videos based on the AAMC outline. The winners would be selected to attend special training and were flown out for some seminar.

 

[StudyLater]

That's great news!

Do you have any idea where I would go to figure out how to do that? I'm not very tech-savvy.

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=how+to+make+a+youtube+playlist

 

[RaspberrySlushy]

@StudyLater - LOL!

Well as far as I can tell, the new videos aren't on youtube anyway. I looked and the Khan MCAT vidoes available on youtube seem to follow the old MCAT format rather than the videos I see when I log into Khan Academy that are modeled after the new outline.

I just really want to be able to autoplay, that's all.

 

[blahblahpremeds]

Hey! I think the passages are great practice. It would, however, be extremely helpful (and model the proper testing conditions more closely) if there was a "Highlight" feature. Thanks.

 

[700003]

The subtitles in the videos are sometimes just a bunch of gibberish because the automatic subtitle feature doesn't work properly (doesn't match with the spoken words - this is the same problem with youtube videos). I've noticed it's not like that for all the videos, but if it could be fixed, that would be great!

 

[Anxiousresidue]

I feel as though the videos went into too much detail. The vibe I was getting from these videos seemed to indicate they were already posted before in their respective sections and not tailor made for the 2015 MCAT.

 

[Jack Westin]

I normally hate chalkboard drawings of examples and questions but Khan is known to have some good instructors. What I suggest is that students use Khan for topics they really don't get. The best students always try to learn difficult topics from all possible resources: the professor, TAs, textbooks, websites (like Khan), and more to view the topic from all angles. When you see it from all of these perspectives, you will notice a pattern. Usually a couple of major points are discussed in great lengths by several of those resources. Those points are most likely the foundation upon the topic rests. Don't forget to also do a lot of questions on that particular topic. If you do all of that, you will understand the topic.

 

[Swagster]

After trying a few videos and not being able to finish, I don't have anything constructive to add. Some people do not work well with videos.

Your passages are very helpful in psychology and behavior. I have found that some of your general chemistry passages look very familiar to material I used four years ago. Maybe the MCAT hasn't changed in this area, but it might be helpful to generate material that doesn't look familiar.

I haven't taken the new MCAT yet, so I'm not qualified to comment on the biochemistry material, but I have a sense that it is not exactly what is needed for the MCAT.

Overall, I love that you have this available for free. Sorry I can't be of much help yet. Keep doing what you're doing, because for those of us who cannot afford to shell out big bucks for a course, you are a lifesaver.

 

[FutureDoc3094]

Would it be possible that Khan Academy can have verbal passages as well? Also, I think that the Physics section should be revised to go with the AAMC outline. Maybe, you guys should create your own practice exams, since it's kind of hard for student to shell out ~$100 for these exams.

 

[inthemaking1]

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[Ad2b]

PLEASE NOTE: THE KHAN PERSON HAS NOT BEEN ON HERE SINCE MAY

This thread was nerco'd.

 

[DesitnationMD]

I only started using the videos this week (although I have referred to them back in my prerequisites), and one concern that I have is that it does not seem like all videos were specifically made for MCAT purposes: that is they either go in too much detail, or don't discuss all topics presented on AAMC outline.

this is no secret. pretty much all the bio sci and physical sci videos existed long before the new mCAT. only the psychology and sociology material is new. still, free is free.


What I want to know is why "Kyle" never came back to SDN. I think this was all fake. I contacted Khan many times about mistakes and never heard back, nor have they corrected anything. Kyle was just trolling. /thread

 

[drbeat14]

I like the slow detailed videos, but I did not like the super fast skim over ones (for example there was a short one on Gabriel and strecker synthesis that I did not like at all, and others similar to it).

I think the practice passages are difficult and I am very happy about that for practice and weakness ID.

 

[GreyF0X]

What I want to know is why "Kyle" never came back to SDN. I think this was all fake. I contacted Khan many times about mistakes and never heard back, nor have they corrected anything. Kyle was just trolling. /thread

You're right. It was most likely a random person with a fake account that started this thread. However, peoples responses were pretty informative and useful. If you think about it, if anyone else asked the same question you would likely have gotten fewer responses and not much of a review. I think OP got what he/she was looking for and helped some other people as well.