is there a need in a good MCAT tutor? -- need advice

[doctorKate]

My dear young future doctors,

I need your advice. Is there a niche for a semi-retired PhD chemist, with 25 years of experience in Life Sciences to become a private MCAT tutor and make decent but not outrageous money on this ($50/h ?)

I have experience teaching chemistry and biology / bioinformatics to grads and undergrads, coaching school teams for Chemistry Olympiads and tutoring math and chemistry to high schoolers. I love to learn and I love to teach.

After many years of managerial work in Big Pharma and Life Science corporations, I'm getting tired of all the stress and politics that come with the territory.

I really love teaching and enjoy working with smart students. I wonder if in my post-corporate life I could make a small career of tutoring MCAT - or is that territory already taken by big players like Kaplan, TPR et al?

I think I could offer better value because there will be no overhead cost that Kaplan et al typically charge. I would also focus not just on prepping for the test but will also do a quick refresher on each subject so that my MCAT tutees come to the test with firm knowledge and not just learned "tricks".

Thank you,

doctorKate

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[doctorKate]

182 people looked at this post... and 0 replies so far...

 

[QrtrLifeCrisis]

Hi DK,

As a fellow career-changer, I respect your decision to change things up. Perhaps you could provide more information about how you are uniquely qualified to tutor for the MCAT? It sounds like you have the ability to teach content for the PS and BS sections, but are you familiar with the style of the questions being asked? Are you familiar with strategies for overcoming the time constraints involved in taking the exam? Are you qualified to teach the Verbal Reasoning section, which is often cited as the most difficult section of the exam and the bane for most MCAT takers? Have you ever taken the MCAT yourself and what was your score and breakdown?

These are all questions that I would ask if I were looking for a qualified tutor. The reason why the big companies are popular is because they've been in the game for a very long time and (arguably) knows what it takes to achieve a high score.

 

[gettheleadout]

There's more to performing well on the MCAT than skill with the material. High performance in a very rigorous general chemistry course, for example, would denote skill in the subject, but would not necessarily translate to the environment of the MCAT where time is extremely limited, calculations need to be eschewed in favor of intuition as much as possible, and familiarity with testing and problem-solving strategies is nearly equal in importance to background knowledge of the testable material.

My point is that without particular experience with or training in the exam itself, any given PhD in the biological or physical sciences is not necessarily the best MCAT tutor, even for those sciences.

That said, I wouldn't mind having my professors on speed-dial during content review for clarification on difficult topics.

 

[doctorKate]

ok, just as expected the first to jump in were my potential competitors - "Kaplan et al"

Yes, my dear Kaplan et al, I can be very, very confident that my MCAR result and rating would put me on the list of the oh-so-desirable to be drawn into your set of the miserable, "forced-to-teach-by-the-template" tutors under your command.

and my post here to the young doctors of the future is=about what can I do for you, my young dear friends future doctors, that would make you to go with me as opposed to Kaplan et al?

thank you
doctorKate

 

[gettheleadout]

ok, just as expected the first to jump in were my potential competitors - "Kaplan et al"

Yes, my dear Kaplan et al, I can be very, very confident that my MCAR result and rating would put me on the list of the oh-so-desirable to be drawn into your set of the miserable, "forced-to-teach-by-the-template" tutors under your command.

and my post here to the young doctors of the future is=about what can I do for you, my young dear friends future doctors, that would make you to go with me as opposed to Kaplan et al?

thank you
doctorKate

Who the heck do you think you're replying to?

Also lol at you speculating you would receive a high MCAT score without any actual experience with the test.

 

[Jepstein30]

ok, just as expected the first to jump in were my potential competitors - "Kaplan et al"

Yes, my dear Kaplan et al, I can be very, very confident that my MCAR result and rating would put me on the list of the oh-so-desirable to be drawn into your set of the miserable, "forced-to-teach-by-the-template" tutors under your command.

and my post here to the young doctors of the future is=about what can I do for you, my young dear friends future doctors, that would make you to go with me as opposed to Kaplan et al?

thank you
doctorKate

Quite honestly, your inability to put together a few sentences without grammatical errors combined with completely misinterpreting the two posts you replied to (not to mention, the grammatical error in the title and calling the test the MCAR) quite bluntly calls into question your qualifications as a tutor.

I'm sure you're smart and all but it doesn't seem you know a thing about the MCAT. Probably should do some research before you try to attract potential students.

 

[Qester]

I know myself I I we're to hire a tutor for a section they would have had to score a 13+ on that sectio. Of the mcat regardless of other qualifications.

I relate it to bodybuilding, I am more likely to pay a professional bodybuilder for advice rather than an exercise and nutrition specialist if they happen to be out of shape. I know the specialist is more qualified but there is something about someone having done it themselves that is appealing.

If I were in your position I would look into writing the MCAT and scorin well on the section you wish to tutor

 

[Mindbuffer]

As others have said, I'd probably feel more comfortable having a tutor who took the MCAT and scored well on it. You can know all the sciences well, but that doesn't necessarily translate to a top MCAT score. Not to mention, a lot of what people are paying for with test prep companies are the books and vast amount of online resources. They'd probably end up paying around the same amount of money while not receiving any of that. There are companies like Princeton that have tutors who know the sciences as well as you claim to. Students can call them and ask them questions as needed. I can't speak for everyone, but I don't think you're going to generate much interest with what you're offering.

 

[Temperature101]

As others have said, I'd probably feel more comfortable having a tutor who took the MCAT and scored well on it. You can know all the sciences well, but that doesn't necessarily translate to a top MCAT score. Not to mention, a lot of what people are paying for with test prep companies are the books and vast amount of online resources. They'd probably end up paying around the same amount of money while not receiving any of that. There are companies like Princeton that have tutors who know the sciences as well as you claim to. Students can call them and ask them questions as needed. I can't speak for everyone, but I don't think you're going to generate much interest with what you're offering.

Bingo...

 

[MCATMountain]

ok, just as expected the first to jump in were my potential competitors - "Kaplan et al"

Yes, my dear Kaplan et al, I can be very, very confident that my MCAR result and rating would put me on the list of the oh-so-desirable to be drawn into your set of the miserable, "forced-to-teach-by-the-template" tutors under your command.

and my post here to the young doctors of the future is=about what can I do for you, my young dear friends future doctors, that would make you to go with me as opposed to Kaplan et al?

thank you
doctorKate

What in the hell are you talking about? You sound schizophrenic.

 

[MedOldAge]

It reminds me the TV show on Travel Channel called Man vs Food (Adam Richman). A lot of folks convince themselves they can be another Adam who can eat very very large amount of food in say 15 minutes. In one episode, a college guy who was huge (it looked like about 6-4 280 lbs) and went for the challenge. He couldn't even finish half and gave up. Needless to say, he looked half dead on TV. Amazing.

This type of eating requires training, experience and many many trial out....blood and sweat.

So, anybody think they can teach MCAT is.....................I am speechless

 

[QrtrLifeCrisis]

ok, just as expected the first to jump in were my potential competitors - "Kaplan et al"

Yes, my dear Kaplan et al, I can be very, very confident that my MCAR result and rating would put me on the list of the oh-so-desirable to be drawn into your set of the miserable, "forced-to-teach-by-the-template" tutors under your command.

and my post here to the young doctors of the future is=about what can I do for you, my young dear friends future doctors, that would make you to go with me as opposed to Kaplan et al?

thank you
doctorKate

Lol. This is what happens when I try to be nice.

 

[brood910]

ok, just as expected the first to jump in were my potential competitors - "Kaplan et al"

Yes, my dear Kaplan et al, I can be very, very confident that my MCAR result and rating would put me on the list of the oh-so-desirable to be drawn into your set of the miserable, "forced-to-teach-by-the-template" tutors under your command.

and my post here to the young doctors of the future is=about what can I do for you, my young dear friends future doctors, that would make you to go with me as opposed to Kaplan et al?

thank you
doctorKate

If you want to look smart, use the words correctly. It is "et al." with a period, not "et al".

 

[Mehd School]

Who the heck do you think you're replying to?

Also lol at you speculating you would receive a high MCAT score without any actual experience with the test.

We have a freshly minted PhD physics professor at my university, and he's on the cocky side of life. He bet me $10 that he would get "At least 95% correct" on a physical sciences section. I dropped off a paper copy of AAMC 4 PS and I don't remember how many he got right, but I do remember that it was scaled to an 11.

Being the asshat that he is, he quickly changed the subject to "Well that's pretty good, right?". I never got my $10.

 

[MedOldAge]

We have a freshly minted PhD physics professor at my university, and he's on the cocky side of life. He bet me $10 that he would get "At least 95% correct" on a physical sciences section. I dropped off a paper copy of AAMC 4 PS and I don't remember how many he got right, but I do remember that it was scaled to an 11.

Being the asshat that he is, he quickly changed the subject to "Well that's pretty good, right?". I never got my $10.

 

[mcloaf]

ok, just as expected the first to jump in were my potential competitors - "Kaplan et al"

Yes, my dear Kaplan et al, I can be very, very confident that my MCAR result and rating would put me on the list of the oh-so-desirable to be drawn into your set of the miserable, "forced-to-teach-by-the-template" tutors under your command.

and my post here to the young doctors of the future is=about what can I do for you, my young dear friends future doctors, that would make you to go with me as opposed to Kaplan et al?

thank you
doctorKate

Lol, and you want us to give you money for tutoring?

 

[aspiring20]

We have a freshly minted PhD physics professor at my university, and he's on the cocky side of life. He bet me $10 that he would get "At least 95% correct" on a physical sciences section. I dropped off a paper copy of AAMC 4 PS and I don't remember how many he got right, but I do remember that it was scaled to an 11.

Being the asshat that he is, he quickly changed the subject to "Well that's pretty good, right?". I never got my $10.

actually, 11 on the PS is more than pretty good, and considering he probably never took an MCAT before, an 11 on his first try is commendable.

but i definitely agree that he's pretty cocky.

 

[Qester]

actually, 11 on the PS is more than pretty good, and considering he probably never took an MCAT before, an 11 on his first try is commendable.

but i definitely agree that he's pretty cocky.

It really isn't that bad...When was the last time he took chemistry 8 years ago?

 

[Mehd School]

actually, 11 on the PS is more than pretty good, and considering he probably never took an MCAT before, an 11 on his first try is commendable.

but i definitely agree that he's pretty cocky.

I certainly agree, an 11 is a great score. Someone that has a PhD in the subject matter would expect to do better, though. Especially since I don't believe he timed himself. We never discussed the timeframe it should be completed in.

It really isn't that bad...When was the last time he took chemistry 8 years ago?

He's a co-professor for PChem next semester. I have a feeling he has a bit of a background with it.

 

[Temperature101]

We have a freshly minted PhD physics professor at my university, and he's on the cocky side of life. He bet me $10 that he would get "At least 95% correct" on a physical sciences section. I dropped off a paper copy of AAMC 4 PS and I don't remember how many he got right, but I do remember that it was scaled to an 11.

Being the asshat that he is, he quickly changed the subject to "Well that's pretty good, right?". I never got my $10.

Did he miss any physics questions?

 

[Mehd School]

Did he miss any physics questions?

I didn't review his test, but I don't remember. This happend in like February.

Him getting an 11 puts him around 10 incorrect answers. I can't help but assume that the majority of those wrong were passage based or something.

 

[milski]

I didn't review his test, but I don't remember. This happend in like February.

Him getting an 11 puts him around 10 incorrect answers. I can't help but assume that the majority of those wrong were passage based or something.

Most likely they were chemistry related questions. The physics on the MCAT are not that hard for anyone who has some background in the subject.

 

[Integrated MCAT Course]

Hi Doctor Kate. Reading this thread, I do feel badly for you. Things seem to have gone a bit off the rails. For my part I've got years and years of experience teaching firstly individuals and then small groups of students for the MCAT, though for a many years my MCAT work has been mostly about development.

I think you should definitely pay attention to the folks here who have suggested that to be qualified to teach for this exam you need to prepare for and take the test yourself. Doing well on the MCAT is a kind of performance with a particular knowledge base. You have to know what this means. I suspect also that you will need to have a comprehensive review of the material for your own benefit before you start teaching because nobody fresh out of biotech management is going to be strong in everything from start to finish. Your molecular biology may be strong, but your physiology is likely to be weak. If you haven't been using a particular topic area in work, it's going to be rusty, and it's important for your student's confidence in themselves that they keep their confidence in you.

Small group session or one-on-one tutoring can definitely have advantages for students over the big courses, but there are also disadvantages, especially in the resources you will have for your students' benefit. Kaplan and TPR have enormous question banks as well as learning management tools (some of which are good and some not, in my opinion), so to gain the confidence of prospective students you will need to be able to compensate using other materials. You definitely need to make a study of MCAT publishing. Find out what's available and become completely familiar with the resources your students will use.

I would suggest you begin with the AAMC tests online. If you can consistently score in the high 30s or low 40s on those exams, you might not need to sit for a formal exam to demonstrate to prospective students that you understand what it means to perform well on the test. Thus you would avoid, basically, lying to AAMC about your reason for taking an exam.

Lastly, like any small business, MCAT tutoring has the three main facets of business to content with, production of the good or service, marketing & sales, and administration. If you are like most people you will probably like one of these pretty well, tolerate the second, and dread the third. In this thread you kind of went a little Amy's Baking Company on us, so I think you may want to remember to not be so emotionally invested, or at least to keep your own ego out of it. Students preparing for the MCAT have a great deal on the line and it's not their fault if they give points to Kaplan and TPR for being well established in the field. The fact that those courses can function even with uneven quality at the instructional level is part of their resilience which goes towards how they are reassuring choices to students. Going with a one-on-one tutor without a track record is going to seem like a big risk to your first students even though you are sure that you will be taking their knowledge further than would ever be possible at Kaplan.

Remember too that while you are finishing one group of students, you will already be in need of finding the next. MCAT tutoring is no picnic. It's really an incredible amount of work to be good at it, and even if you are, it's still not enough to be successful at it.

I hope this helps!

 

[TexasSurgeon]

Is it just me or does anyone smell a troll here?

 

[BamaGirl14]

Doctor Kate,

I would suggest looking into tutoring high school AP or IB students for their more content-focused exams. Parents will pay $50+/hr for a good tutor. I think this may be more your niche given that you do not have MCAT specific knowledge and experience.

It is difficult to compete with someone like Kaplan because of the resources that come with the tutoring package which you cannot offer. The only advantage you would offer is cost. And as an MCAT instructor/tutor, I am extremely offended at your description of me as "miserable" and "forced to teach by the template." There is no template that works for every MCAT student. I have tutored/taught 100+ students, and everyone is different. The company for which I work takes great care to prepare us to adjust and provide the best service we can to all students. My students who had previously attempted the MCAT have averaged an 8 point increase in test score after working with me. I've had students go from 15 to 27 and 22 to 34. This would not be the case if I were so miserable and formulaic as you claim.

I am also a high school science teacher (AP/IB Chemistry and Biology), and I do think you may have something to offer in those areas.

Good luck, I suppose.

 

[gettheleadout]

And OP was never seen again...

 

[miss chievous]

All I got from her post was...

et al et al et al et al et al et al et al et al et al et al et al et al et al et al et al et al et al et al et al et al et al et al et al et al et al et al et al et al et al et al et al et al et al et al

 

[gettheleadout]

I should change my username to "Kaplan et al"