If you're talking about the in-person MCAT classes, I would say those generally aren't as helpful as one would think. What you do in those classes are basically go over essential science topics, work on test taking strategies, and learn to build a study schedule. Here are my thoughts on these three aspects:
1) The MCAT, while undoubtedly a difficult exam, isn't difficult because individual topics are difficult, but because there's so much content. When in the classes, it'll be nice to have somebody teach you the content, but they aren't topics that you won't be able to learn on your own through Khan Academy or review books.
2) Test taking strategies are different between each person, and there's no "one size fits all" testing strategy, which is what you will be taught in the classes.
3) The study schedule aspect might be helpful, but it's also something that you can make on your own as you go through your studying. Since you're planning to take the MCAT in May, you have more than enough time to be flexible.
While I personally did not use MCAT Self Prep as stated above, it seems like a great resource. What my studying looked like was, I went through a complete set of review books and did all the practice problems. I then did all of the AAMC practice material, excluding the full-length exams, and I wrote down the topics I found difficult. Then I would review the topics, find practice problems online, and do as many as I could. When I started doing FLs, after completing and reviewing each FL, I would do two complete sections in my weakest section. Throughout all of this, I was practicing CARS every day.
My point is, your money would go a much longer way investing in resources like UWorld than by paying for a review course. It's probably a better idea for you to tailor your studying to your own needs.
Kevin W, MCAT Tutor
Med School Tutors
Hi Kevin,
I usually sit on the sideline for threads like this, because I have a vested interested and our philosophy is to avoid any hint of promoting. But I feel safe in assuming that you will never be shopping for an MCAT course, so I'd like to address your perspective here.
I will agree that there are some in-person MCAT classes that are not worth the money. Things that come to mind are cases where you get only one teacher, often a medical student doing a job on the side who is too busy with school to come to class or tutoring sessions prepared. Having one unprepared or under-qualified medical or graduate student is the biggest complaint you'll hear about some in-class courses and tutoring packages. Your comment is accurate when conisdering a program like that, but where I have chosen to work is very different.
First off, I work for a mom-n-pop, so we work in a highly supportive environment. The staff I'm on (the one every student gets) includes two TA of the year award winners, a current college professor who is loved by her university students, a former professor who teaches MCAT prep full time now after being by far the most popular teacher at their former university, and a researcher who used to TA for many years and garnered top reviews. It is inspiring to spend time with my colleagues and my students, because they are so enthusiastic and positive. It is the perfect environment for traversing a stressful three to four months of studying. I love hearing my colleagues teach, and I learn something every time I listen to them teach. I love seeing a student's face when something they didn't comprehend in college suddenly becomes easy for them.
1) You are correct that the MCAT has a massive amount of content that a student must master. And you are also correct that a large percentage of that information could be obtained through KA videos. But, there are only so many hours a student has to study (review material) and fishing through hundreds of hours of videos that often have material not test on the MCAT is inefficient. Wasting time and not getting enough done is one of the biggest problems people using video-based review encounter. A great teacher can streamline the process and provide helpful mnemonics for recalling that information. A great teacher can help a student progress from recall to understanding to application of a topic, which is where MCAT review should take you. Best of all for students is that rather than spending time searching on line and watching multiple videos to get a question answered, they have access to a teacher who can address their exact concern and help them understand quickly. A great teacher saves a huge amount of study time for the student, so they can spend that time practicing. And I don't mean to toot my own horn here, but there are certain high-yield subjects I have taught for many years, and I give my students strategies and tricks they cannot get in any book or watching any video.
2) I half agree with you that "test taking strategies are different between each person, and there's no "one size fits all" testing strategy." The truth is that math is the same for everyone, so writing an equation in a more user-friendly fashion helps everyone. Certain mnemonics and memory aids are so memorable that one-size is in fact best for everyone. There are definitely strategies for saving time that we have all of our students work through that help all of them. When in doubt, looking for units is a huge help, and that is something everyone should be doing. But I will agree with you that some things must be individualized. Fortunately, I work in very small class sizes and most students frequent my office hours. So for certain 'tricks', we can work together to tailor them to their specific perspective and background knowledge. For instance, with a student who has not taken biochemistry, the 'tricks' will not be as useful, so we adapt as needed.
I must say that there are literally over a thousand test strategy tips (tricks, mnemonics, shortcuts, revised equations, visual aids, etc...) that fall into the category of "what you will be taught in the classes," but they are definitely not generic one-size fits all and we teach them because year after year they prove themselves to be extremely helpful. There are MCAT-specific strategies that will help everyone who masters them.
3) "The study schedule aspect might be helpful, but it's also something that you can make on your own as you go through your studying." This is definitely true, but to be completely honest, I am not aware of any program that provides a detailed study schedule for their students. For our students, classes are offered at certain times and at those classes they get a corresponding homework set (Phases 1, 2, and 3 as well as in-class questions), but when a student does their homework depends completely on their schedule and when they choose to see that lecture. They all develop their own plans for allocating their time. We are very much of the mindset that setting a detailed schedule is a waste of time (because it's going to keep changing as you go) and that a schedule should be more of a big picture in terms of setting dates to complete various books and homework sets. Time spent stressing over a schedule is better spent doing passages.
The last thing I want to address is that spending money wisely is huge for many people. Spending $200 for limited time access to 1900 questions is not as fiscally wise as spending $375 for new books with access to 7000 questions in printed form that can be resold for around $300.
I hope my reply comes across as friendly and professional, because I will admit to at first feeling a burning need to scream "wait a minute, we aren't like that." But I fully grasp that you are envisioning a course from a different program when you make your statements. Please know that not all courses are the same. I love where I work, because were are so drastically different than the standard.
It's awesome that you post here and I enjoy reading your insights.
