Becoming a Tutor?

[Qester]

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Hello,

I had a question regarding becoming an MCAT tutor. Are there any minimum requirements required to become a private MCAT tutor such as scoring in a certain percentile or other accomplishments? Or is this area not regulated by the AAMC etc..?

 

[WaterCLurker]

It's not regulated by the AAMC. The only requirement needed is a good MCAT score (greater than 33? 35? I suppose this depends on your competition) and possibly a Bachelor's degree (or one in the works). If you're near an area with a large collegiate population, it shouldn't be a problem finding test prep places like Kaplan or Princeton Review. They advertise for MCAT tutors where I'm at. I suppose you could also go into "private practice" if you were inclined and just post up flyers offering your services.

 

[FeinMS]

Private tutor? idk
Companies like Princeton Reviews or Kaplan? They want top 10% which is above 33

 

[Qester]

It's not regulated by the AAMC. The only requirement needed is a good MCAT score (greater than 33? 35? I suppose this depends on your competition) and possibly a Bachelor's degree (or one in the works). If you're near an area with a large collegiate population, it shouldn't be a problem finding test prep places like Kaplan or Princeton Review. They advertise for MCAT tutors where I'm at. I suppose you could also go into "private practice" if you were inclined and just post up flyers offering your services.

Thanks for the info,

I am in a small population area but we have local colleges and universities so we end up with a big student population. I was thinking more a 1 on 1 private style thing helping people on just their weaknesses rather than a full course type thing. I didn't score super high, only 30 but then again I took the test without having taken multiple prereq courses.

 

[inycepoo]

Unregulated, but I honestly don't think someone who scored a 30 and averaged 28-29 on AAMCs should be tutoring for the MCAT. I hope you'd be honest in revealing your testing history.

 

[Qester]

Unregulated, but I honestly don't think someone who scored a 30 and averaged 28-29 on AAMCs should be tutoring for the MCAT. I hope you'd be honest in revealing your testing history.

Of course I would be honest.

Thanks for the insight.

 

[lysine9740]

I had a friend who took a Kaplan test prep class, ended up with a 32 on the MCAT, and they asked him to become a tutor/teach their class.

 

[Blueprint MCAT Tutor]

Good question. As someone who's been in the business for over a decade and now runs a company that ONLY does 1-on-1 private tutoring, I'll offer the following:

First, literally anyone can say they're an MCAT tutor. All you have to do is hang up some fliers, post some craigslist ads and then convince people to give you money. Voila, you're a tutor.

You can often find people claiming to offer MCAT tutoring who haven't even taken the MCAT. This is especially the case on/near big college campuses. Some physics masters student will look to make a few extra bucks by offering "MCAT Physics Help" even though she's never actually taken the MCAT.

Having said that, there rule of thumb tends to be that to reasonably be able to claim expertise on a section of the test you should be 12+. So if you're going to offer your services as a Physical Sciences section tutor, you should be able to score 12+ on PS. If you're going to be claiming expertise as an MCAT generalist who can help on all aspects of the test, you'll want 33+ in less competitive markets and 35-36+ in competitive markets (large urban areas with lots of demanding clients).

Finally, and most importantly, remember that teaching is itself a distinct skill that can be taught and that some people have a real knack for. When I was working for one of the big companies, the most successful LSAT teacher in the entire state was a guy who only got like 70th %ile on his own LSAT. He was just brilliant in front of a class, though.

So is it possible to be a really good MCAT tutor only having gotten a 30? Sure. But the reality is that you're going to need to be honest with people about your score, and a lot of students will be turned off by that "low" score. One way to get around this problem is to offer your help for free through the college's academic help center (or something like that), and once you've worked with 4-5 students you can get testimonials from them. Convincing people of your teaching ability is a LOT easier once you can show past success. At that point, potential clients are paying you not b/c you did well on the MCAT, but b/c you have a proven track record of success with helping other people on the exam.

Good luck. Teaching is the best way to learn, and you may find after working with a dozen students you could go back and do even more amazing on the real thing (that was certainly the case with me).

 

[WaterCLurker]

Thanks for the info,

I am in a small population area but we have local colleges and universities so we end up with a big student population. I was thinking more a 1 on 1 private style thing helping people on just their weaknesses rather than a full course type thing. I didn't score super high, only 30 but then again I took the test without having taken multiple prereq courses.

Honestly, as a non-trad pre-med who hasn't spent too much time around other pre-meds, I'm not too sure if your score is high enough to appeal to potential students. You should definitely gauge your market. If you're surrounded by people who are scoring 35's and/or want 35's, your score probably won't be enough and the done-without-prereqs things probably won't help. However, if you're surrounded by students who are scoring 28's and just want to break 30, you might have a chance.

Or, if you score especially high in one area, you could advertise that instead of your full score (of course, disclose when asked). I think the flyer/Craigslist (if that site hasn't gotten as creepy as it's gotten around here...) scheme might be the best option if you want to do a private 1 on 1 thing. I'm not sure if there's a national company that coordinates private tutors for the MCAT but there might be a local one near you. That might make finding students easier and possibly safer (living in cities make you paranoid...)?