Examkrackers Live Course or Princeton Review Private Tutoring?

[Kanna15]

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Hey everyone
So I have to take the MCAT again. I took the kaplan course and I thought it was a waste of time. Has anyone heard of the examkrackers course being any good? Specifically, the one in Urbana-Champaign, Illinois? Or should I take The princeton Review. Or Should i just go to berkley review in california? lol...my mcat score was 21Q after taking Kaplan over the summer. So any advice please. I can't really study right now cause I have 19hrs of classes. Yea, overloading to graduate. Thanks!

 

[Smithers2010]

Kanna15,

I am currently taking the TPR private tutoring course and it is definately helping. I took the MCAT twice last summer after spending 8 weeks total doing the entire EK course through self study. The EK and audio osmosis seemed to help, however my scores did not improve the way I would have wished. The EK informtation is solid, but they do not have enough passages. I would reccomend there books for info but would invest in other resouses such as TPR for passage work. One other thing is that the verbal strategies of TPR and EK on polar opposites. As my worst section, the verbal is something I am really working hard on. I am starting to get comforable with the TPR method which involve reading only 6 of the 7 stories and guessing on one. Anyways, I came into this smester with a new plan. I invested in the TPR private tutoring course. Even though it is very expensive, I felt it to be a small price to pay if I want to be in med school and to be a Doctor one day. I have been doing TPR for over a month now and have enjoyed the personal one on one time with experienced medical students or advanced tutors in their particular field. I would recommend it to anyone that is serious about making a competive MCAT score. I would personally like to make a 30. It takes more work for some people (like myself lol). Hang in there and dont quit until you reach the goal.

Smithers2010 Texas

 

[SN2ed]

Overall, I don't think private 1-1 MCAT tutoring is worth the high price. Also, don't bother studying for the MCAT with your current workload.

This is from a previous thread about 1-1 tutoring:

I would ask around your school about 1-1 MCAT tutors. Another option for you consider is to get tutoring from your university's tutoring center for specific subjects. They should be able to help you with content weaknesses and possibly test taking skills. Furthermore, they're probably free if you attend the school which is a big bonus. If you don't go to college, you should still call up your local college and ask about tutoring.

MCAT one-on-one tutoring is extremely expensive when you do it through a company. You figure that the average physician makes about $150K to $200K, which equates to about $75/hr to $100/hr. Given that tutoring for the MCAT from private companies is around $110 to $125 per hour, it's a bit absurd.

I agree with SN2ed completely that you should look into cheaper alternatives. Campus bulletin boards usually have someone offering private tutoring for a cheaper rate. The large tutoring companies usually won't have someone who specializes in MCAT tutoring, so you might was well shop for someone who does.

If you are in an area served by Berkeley Review, they encourage their teachers to do private tutoring. It was a really nice arrangement as a teacher, because the student pays you directly and it costs them $40/hour. It varies with the tutor, but BR recommends that we charge about that much and they did referrals for us.

Whatever you do, you should make a list of your questions and email it in advance to your tutor, so that they can review the questions and be more time efficient when you see them. That will help make it a little more cost effective.

 

[BerkReviewTeach]

Hey everyone
So I have to take the MCAT again. I took the kaplan course and I thought it was a waste of time. Has anyone heard of the examkrackers course being any good? Specifically, the one in Urbana-Champaign, Illinois? Or should I take The princeton Review. Or Should i just go to berkley review in california? lol...my mcat score was 21Q after taking Kaplan over the summer. So any advice please. I can't really study right now cause I have 19hrs of classes. Yea, overloading to graduate. Thanks!

What's worth it on so many factors, including what you need, how good the private tutors are in your area, and how good the teachers for a given course are in your area.

I tend to agree with SN2ed on pretty much everything he posts, including his response here. If cost is truly no object, then it would seem that you should be shopping for the best tutor(s) you can find in your area. If you can try a sample one-hour session with five to ten private tutors, and then go with the ones that helped you the most, that might be a good way to go. I'm not sure if companies will let you do a one-hour trial, but you should force the issue in today's economy.

As for moving to California for the summer to take the course, there are maybe five to ten people that do this every summer. For some of them (maybe half to two-thirds), it's the greatest move ever, while for the others it was an unnecessary waste of time relocating and being away from home. They could have self-studied well without the hassle of self-sufficiency and reloacting.

Speak at length with a BR representative if you are seriously considering this, because they'll give you a good assessment of whether it's the right move for you. If you opt to move out, then you should do so a few days before the course starts so you are settled in by the time the first class starts. Take advantage of office hours from day one, because they are lightly attended for the fist half of the class. You can essentially get 1-on-1 or 2-on-1 tutoring during these times. The biggest thing I'd suggest is to choose a location where you have some support network (extended family or friends), because studying 24-7 can be counter productive without an occassional diversion. Set a schedule that includes some intense days and some light days. Find a quiet place to live, because the centers in the summer have people there most of the time. It's great for group study and office hours, but not so great for quiet reading. If you move somewhere for the summer, do what most people do, and make it your own private MCAT summer camp.