Need Help Prepping For MCAT in NY... Willing to spend some $$

[sshidid]

Hello,

I am a good student and a very hard worker. I did well on the SATs as I felt my high school and my environment really prepped me for it. Plus, all the years of challenging courses really helped crispen my critical thinking skills. However, I went to a college that was much easier than my high school, due to family circumstances. I lost my critical thinking skills and even in the most challenging courses i took at this school, they all felt short of a decent education. Getting stuck in the vicious cycle, I realized just how much I really missed out.

When I take MCAT practice exams, I realize my BIGGEST issue is simply not knowing the information. I did not see a lot of these topics in my college level courses. In fact, some of these topics I have not seen since high school and others, I have not seen all together. A big part of my studying has been CATCHUP.

I took a Kaplan course, but found it too easy, disorganized, and not really applicable. What they fail to tell you is that the meat and potatoes falls on all of the resources they give you, but you have to take them ALONE and independently.... completely not worth the 2 grand.

I am looking for a structured curriculum where I can relearn everything I need to know for the MCAT, content wise, where I can learn with others or even one on one with a tutor(if anyone knows of any good MCAT tutors in NY, PLEASE TELL ME) . Plus I lack the ability to study independently. I'm not sure if my best bet at the moment would be to enroll in a Master's program, post bacc, or SMP. I have a good GPA(mainly because I went to a lousy school), now all I'm missing is a decent MCAT score...

If anyone has some insight into this, I would love to hear!

Thanks!

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[radian313]

Hello,

I am a good student and a very hard worker. I did well on the SATs as I felt my high school and my environment really prepped me for it. Plus, all the years of challenging courses really helped crispen my critical thinking skills. However, I went to a college that was much easier than my high school, due to family circumstances. I lost my critical thinking skills and even in the most challenging courses i took at this school, they all felt short of a decent education. Getting stuck in the vicious cycle, I realized just how much I really missed out.

When I take MCAT practice exams, I realize my BIGGEST issue is simply not knowing the information. I did not see a lot of these topics in my college level courses. In fact, some of these topics I have not seen since high school and others, I have not seen all together. A big part of my studying has been CATCHUP.

I took a Kaplan course, but found it too easy, disorganized, and not really applicable. What they fail to tell you is that the meat and potatoes falls on all of the resources they give you, but you have to take them ALONE and independently.... completely not worth the 2 grand.

I am looking for a structured curriculum where I can relearn everything I need to know for the MCAT, content wise, where I can learn with others or even one on one with a tutor(if anyone knows of any good MCAT tutors in NY, PLEASE TELL ME) . Plus I lack the ability to study independently. I'm not sure if my best bet at the moment would be to enroll in a Master's program, post bacc, or SMP. I have a good GPA(mainly because I went to a lousy school), now all I'm missing is a decent MCAT score...

If anyone has some insight into this, I would love to hear!

Thanks!

You said it best yourself, "When I take MCAT practice exams, I realize my BIGGEST issue is simply not knowing the information."

You need to learn the info again it seems. For now don't bother taking a FL exam. Your critical thinking skills aren't "gone", but you may have caused some impairment to your confidence, you need it back.

Even a tutor can't help you get your mojo back, at the end of the day, you will need to get accustomed to studying alone because thats what medical school requires. A lot of it is self taught, especially things like anatomy where you need to draw our stuff like the brachial plexus and/or purine/pyrmadine synthesis in Biochem and taking it to a white board.

What do you need to do? CONTENT Review, Hardcore. But this wont come in 1 month, 2 months, maybe not even 3, it depends how much you need. I think for I highly recommend a combination of EK Books and TBR Books.

EK basically its very much watered down, so go through EK books along with the 1001 series, that will get you familiar with the language. Follow it up with TBR books because TBR assumes you know a lot of the material. The passages you do and when you review will help you sharpen your brain into "MCAT Attack" mode. Complement this with Chads videos and you will be at least having average MCAT scores on FLs, around a 26. From there its all about passages, by doing TPR Hyperlearning passages along with AAMC Exams.

Verbal is a different monster, ONLY do EK 101 and TPR Workbook. Verbal is something that will take practice. No way around it.

I think you are looking at around 4-6 months of hardcore prep here, but you need to only do 5 days a week, 5-6 hours a day.

I would also recommend flash cards, specifically, Barrons Flash cards, because certain things you need to have committed to memory. The cards are detailed but thats the kind of detail you will need. I know a lot of folks may disagree with this being possibly overkill, and it may very well be but form what you told me it seems you need this multilayered approach.

Tutors are expensive and only go so far. Tutors are good when you yourself have a sound understanding, and you can ask specific problem based questions.

So lets recap.

1. EK Books + 1001 series (2 months)

2. TBR Books (2 months)

3. AAMC FL + TPR passages (another 1-2 months)

Please don't neglect Verbal at all ruing this. Space your passages out so you have enough of them. Save your TPR passages towards the day of your exam, since that is when you want to peak.

Hope this helped.

 

[radian313]

Also, a lot of people have reservations against TBR Bio. I don't, I personally never did, but many say replace it with TPR, you can do that to fit your taste, but I find nothing wrong with TBR Biology. Yes its detailed, but you want to at least get a 10 on the BS.

Btw a lot of what I told you focuses on the Older MCAT and not on MCAT 2015, as the books are not out yet, do check out the new EK MCAT 2015 version books coming October. Not sure how different they will be but I don't want you wasting your money prepping for a exam by buying books that are outdated.

 

[wuhsabee]

Also, a lot of people have reservations against TBR Bio. I don't, I personally never did, but many say replace it with TPR, you can do that to fit your taste, but I find nothing wrong with TBR Biology. Yes its detailed, but you want to at least get a 10 on the BS.

Btw a lot of what I told you focuses on the Older MCAT and not on MCAT 2015, as the books are not out yet, do check out the new EK MCAT 2015 version books coming October. Not sure how different they will be but I don't want you wasting your money prepping for a exam by buying books that are outdated.

He/she can't possibly study for 6 months for the old MCAT, because last old MCAT offered is in Jan 2015. OP will have to sit for new MCAT.

 

[radian313]

He/she can't possibly study for 6 months for the old MCAT, because last old MCAT offered is in Jan 2015. OP will have to sit for new MCAT.

You are correct. That is why I left it up them to decide because some people are still going with older books. Go figure. But thanks for pointing it out.

 

[sshidid]

Well, I guess my question now would be if I start prepping for the new MCAT, can I use the same books that I am using now, if after all, my issue is simply NOT knowing the information?

 

[radian313]

So lets assume for sake of argument that you WILL take the new MCAT. Please understand you need to study psychology/sociology stuff. I would recommend getting the MCAT 2015 outline and match up the topics to material you already have. But one thing is for sure, you cannot solely rely on the books you have right now, there is new information required on the exam for which you probably don't have the books for.