Any MCAT instructors take the MCAT afterwards?

[doktadoom]

So, have any MCAT instructors taken the MCAT after teaching the class?

Did your score go up by much?

Were your students there? Was it wierd?

Thanks!

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[QofQuimica]

So, have any MCAT instructors taken the MCAT after teaching the class?

Did your score go up by much?

Were your students there? Was it wierd?

Thanks!

I did. My score went up nine points from a 34 to a 43. Some of my students were there at the test center with me. I warned them ahead of time that I'd be taking the test with them so they wouldn't freak out, so no, it wasn't too weird. Most were pretty supportive.

 

[doktadoom]

Didn't you teach for Kaplan?

What resources of theirs did you use and which ones did you find helpful?

I am trying to think of a way to break it to the kids without sounding like a douche or making them loose faith in me. Any suggestions would be appreciated!

 

[QofQuimica]

Didn't you teach for Kaplan?

What resources of theirs did you use and which ones did you find helpful?

I am trying to think of a way to break it to the kids without sounding like a douche or making them loose faith in me. Any suggestions would be appreciated!

Yes, I teach for Kaplan. Do you teach for them too? I used the online curriculum. I suggest that you do the assignments for your weak areas (physics and physio for me) and take the five full lengths. If you're an instructor, then you already know the science and strategies, but you've got to put in the time to practice just like everyone else.

Be honest with your students. I told them that I had decided to go to med school after I finished grad school, my old scores had expired, and I had to take the MCAT again. A couple made snarky remarks about how I'd ruin the curve, but most of them thought it was cool and wished me luck. And I absolutely forbid any of them from talking to me about test questions during the breaks.

 

[DrVanNostran]

Yes, I teach for Kaplan. Do you teach for them too? I used the online curriculum. I suggest that you do the assignments for your weak areas (physics and physio for me) and take the five full lengths. If you're an instructor, then you already know the science and strategies, but you've got to put in the time to practice just like everyone else.

Be honest with your students. I told them that I had decided to go to med school after I finished grad school, my old scores had expired, and I had to take the MCAT again. A couple made snarky remarks about how I'd ruin the curve, but most of them thought it was cool and wished me luck. And I absolutely forbid any of them from talking to me about test questions during the breaks.

Wow, I never knew that Q. I am teach TPR right now, (all the sciences) and am thinking about retaking this summer. Do you think you improved so much because conceptually you understood everything better or was it just more practice?

 

[QofQuimica]

Wow, I never knew that Q. I am teach TPR right now, (all the sciences) and am thinking about retaking this summer. Do you think you improved so much because conceptually you understood everything better or was it just more practice?

I think it's because the second time around, I took the test seriously and really studied. It's amazing how much better you do on tests when you study for them.

 

[DiverDoc]

I think it's because the second time around, I took the test seriously and really studied. It's amazing how much better you do on tests when you study for them.

Obviously your ehhhmmm BRILLIANT! But other than your natural abilities Q, how did your prepare for verbal?

 

[Mark84]

Yea I was going to ask you the same question about verbal. I can consistently score 10-11, but was looking for advice on how score higher. I am taking a Kaplan course right now, and honestly don't like the all the annotations they recommend for the verbal section. Did you use the Kaplan method?

 

[IckeyShuffle]

I did. My score went up nine points from a 34 to a 43. Some of my students were there at the test center with me. I warned them ahead of time that I'd be taking the test with them so they wouldn't freak out, so no, it wasn't too weird. Most were pretty supportive.

retake with a 34?!?! btw, i dont believe you didnt study and got a 34. how is that possible?

 

[QofQuimica]

Obviously your ehhhmmm BRILLIANT! But other than your natural abilities Q, how did your prepare for verbal?

I wouldn't say I'm brilliant....maybe an idiot savant at best.

The only thing you can do for VR is to read difficult prose and practice doing passages. There's nothing to study; you have to practice consistently over a period of several months if you want to get good at VR. It's not a coincidence that humanities majors tend to do really well on the MCAT. Have you ever met a philosophy major who didn't like analzying an argument to death???

 

[QofQuimica]

Yea I was going to ask you the same question about verbal. I can consistently score 10-11, but was looking for advice on how score higher. I am taking a Kaplan course right now, and honestly don't like the all the annotations they recommend for the verbal section. Did you use the Kaplan method?

If you're asking me, yes.

 

[QofQuimica]

retake with a 34?!?! btw, i dont believe you didnt study and got a 34. how is that possible?

I had to retake, hon. The med schools won't accept a ten-year-old MCAT score. Believe me that if I could have used my old score, I would have! The only thing worse than taking the MCAT once is taking it again.

It's not that I didn't study at all back then, but not like the second time. When I was in college, people didn't do test prep the way they do now. I didn't take a Kaplan course or do practice tests or any of the stuff that I did the second time. Basically I just bought a book at Barnes and Noble and kind of looked through it. It's a stupid thing to do, especially with how competitive med school admissions has become. I took the SAT and GRE cold also, which I would never do nowadays. But like I said, people didn't do test prep courses back then the way they do now. And this time around, I was a lot more serious about doing well and getting into med school, whereas the first time around, my main concern was being with my ex.

 

[Shrike]

I got a 38 when I took it just around the time I started teaching for The Princeton Review; since then I've scored a 41. It's not the materials that help, it's familiarity with the way questions are written -- three years of teaching it helps a lot.

By the way: Hi all. And especially: Hi, Q. Yep, it's me.

 

[QofQuimica]

I got a 38 when I took it just around the time I started teaching for The Princeton Review; since then I've scored a 41. It's not the materials that help, it's familiarity with the way questions are written -- three years of teaching it helps a lot.

By the way: Hi all. And especially: Hi, Q. Yep, it's me.

Oh. My. God. I thought you'd literally dropped off the face of the planet. Welcome back!

 

[Shrike]

Thanks. I'm not really back -- eighty hours a week, plus frequent travel for work, is incompatible with doing much more hereon than lurking. But I still exist -- the edge of the Earth hasn't presented itself yet.

To the OP: There've been lots of my own students there each time that I've taken it. It's not weird, really. My students seem to like it; we chat before and at breaks. They ask about how I'm going to do/am doing/have don, and seem to be comfortable talking about that, I assume as a substitute for dwelling in their own, understandable anxiety. They hassle me a bit about messing with their curve, but understand that it doesn't have any material effect. (On the other hand, this time it was different: I had the Robo-tuna passage, so I assumed my effective scoring pool might be substantially reduced; I therefore cancelled my Jan 27 score lest I push some of my own students' scores down.)

Before anyone asks, re retaking with the score I had: I've long said that I will apply if I attain a certain score; I was just shooting for it. And I'll stick to my promise. If Q had just taught me organic chemistry, back before I disappeared, maybe I'd have had a shot. Oh, well -- guess it's continued test prep for me.

 

[rain21]

are any of you amazing mcat instructors teaching in the palo alto area?

 

[QofQuimica]

Thanks. I'm not really back -- eighty hours a week, plus frequent travel for work, is incompatible with doing much more hereon than lurking. But I still exist -- the edge of the Earth hasn't presented itself yet.

To the OP: There've been lots of my own students there each time that I've taken it. It's not weird, really. My students seem to like it; we chat before and at breaks. They ask about how I'm going to do/am doing/have don, and seem to be comfortable talking about that, I assume as a substitute for dwelling in their own, understandable anxiety. They hassle me a bit about messing with their curve, but understand that it doesn't have any material effect. (On the other hand, this time it was different: I had the Robo-tuna passage, so I assumed my effective scoring pool might be substantially reduced; I therefore cancelled my Jan 27 score lest I push some of my own students' scores down.)

Before anyone asks, re retaking with the score I had: I've long said that I will apply if I attain a certain score; I was just shooting for it. And I'll stick to my promise. If Q had just taught me organic chemistry, back before I disappeared, maybe I'd have had a shot. Oh, well -- guess it's continued test prep for me.

I might have if you hadn't up and disappeared on me. Though it's hard to feel bad for a guy who "only" got 41.

Sorry, rain, neither of us are Californians.

 

[anon-y-mouse]

I did. My score went up nine points from a 34 to a 43. Some of my students were there at the test center with me. I warned them ahead of time that I'd be taking the test with them so they wouldn't freak out, so no, it wasn't too weird. Most were pretty supportive.

Whoa, weird... I went from a 35T to a 42T... and I started teaching after I got the 35 obviously. My testing center didn't warn any of my students Actually, the MCAT was paid for by TPR, to "evaluate" the test... I felt I could do better, and they also wanted first hand feedback, so it was a win/win situation. Investigate whether your company will pay the MCAT fee for you.

 

[QofQuimica]

Whoa, weird... I went from a 35T to a 42T... and I started teaching after I got the 35 obviously. My testing center didn't warn any of my students Actually, the MCAT was paid for by TPR, to "evaluate" the test... I felt I could do better, and they also wanted first hand feedback, so it was a win/win situation. Investigate whether your company will pay the MCAT fee for you.

Kaplan definitely does NOT do that. How are things going in med school, anon? I haven't seen you around much lately.

 

[gujuDoc]

retake with a 34?!?! btw, i dont believe you didnt study and got a 34. how is that possible?

The old score expired.
Edited: Nevermind she already answered with the longer version. Usually she gives the short version of things and I give the long versions.

hahahaha


Q,
How's school going?

Shrike,
Its been a long time since I spoke with you but if you read this I wanted to say that I hope things are going well for you. Also, I wanted to say thanks for your approach to the Science sections. That helped me a lot in the biological section when I took the test.