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I've been in a terrible mood listening to the same thing over and over again from my princeton review students who just got their MCAT scores,
so I just wanted to say something.
Dear class of 2014ers and beyond,
Please do not take the MCAT until you are ready to do so. That means that you are scoring consistently and competitively (whatever that means to you and to the schools that you are applying to) on the AAMC practice exams. For an allopathic target, I, personally, would not be comfortable writing an actual exam if I have scored <10 in any section of the MCAT on a recent practice AAMC exam. If you are scoring between 25-31, I would also be wary.
As a princeton review employee and a tutor gnome, I do not think that TRP and Kaplan exams are great predictors of the actual MCAT. They are written by students (on a stipend). Some of the kids that I know that have written Kaplan questions have scored less than 8s on the sections they are attending to. Some kaplan exams are off the wall. They do, however, make good q-banks if needed.
You think TRP and Kaplan teachers should be experts or whatever. They are not. I was the only one during training that had actually taken the CBT MCAT (only one other person actually took a real MCAT). The recruiting policy for teachers are not set in stone. They say 11+. BULL****. They actually take whoever. All you have to do is take a 20 q subject test (not passage based). They say you have to do well. They didn't even grade it.
If they need teachers, they need teachers. These companies are there to make money (and rightfully so, with benefits to employees - usually young students, and at cost to the consumer - who are usually students, as well). You should not follow the company's syllabus. You need to look out for self and tackle your weaknesses and solidify your strengths. I would not really attend the lectures. Doing problems on your own is more important and you should use the teachers to consult you on those specific problems. The money back guarantee is not real. They told us on the first day, back when, that they have never ever returned money back. Usually, they get you to retake the course. Yet, nothing changes until you recommit to tackling the exam the right way.
Getting into medical school should not be a race. I know some tools make it seem like it at times, but those same tools actually put it a lot of their time into their goals. Maybe more than you. However, you need to ONLY concentrate on yourself.
If you want to go to medical school, then take your time in doing things right. Play the game. Get the MCAT right on the first try, they will see all of your scores no matter what. If you are re-taking, make sure you improve substantially, to satisfy your goals, and the medical schools that you are applying to (note: some schools will average the MCAT). Again, AAMC scores are a decent indicator. Kaplan and TPR, do not connect well to the actual exam, and are graded more leniently.
Realize that you truly want to practice medicine. Also realize that you probably want to live long, as well. Then realize that you want to practice medicine for the rest of your long life (this is something you cannot control). Taking a year off to get **** right is not a big deal. **** what your parents or friends think. Invest in the process, and, please, approach the MCAT and your application season with confidence.
so I just wanted to say something.
Dear class of 2014ers and beyond,
Please do not take the MCAT until you are ready to do so. That means that you are scoring consistently and competitively (whatever that means to you and to the schools that you are applying to) on the AAMC practice exams. For an allopathic target, I, personally, would not be comfortable writing an actual exam if I have scored <10 in any section of the MCAT on a recent practice AAMC exam. If you are scoring between 25-31, I would also be wary.
As a princeton review employee and a tutor gnome, I do not think that TRP and Kaplan exams are great predictors of the actual MCAT. They are written by students (on a stipend). Some of the kids that I know that have written Kaplan questions have scored less than 8s on the sections they are attending to. Some kaplan exams are off the wall. They do, however, make good q-banks if needed.
You think TRP and Kaplan teachers should be experts or whatever. They are not. I was the only one during training that had actually taken the CBT MCAT (only one other person actually took a real MCAT). The recruiting policy for teachers are not set in stone. They say 11+. BULL****. They actually take whoever. All you have to do is take a 20 q subject test (not passage based). They say you have to do well. They didn't even grade it.
If they need teachers, they need teachers. These companies are there to make money (and rightfully so, with benefits to employees - usually young students, and at cost to the consumer - who are usually students, as well). You should not follow the company's syllabus. You need to look out for self and tackle your weaknesses and solidify your strengths. I would not really attend the lectures. Doing problems on your own is more important and you should use the teachers to consult you on those specific problems. The money back guarantee is not real. They told us on the first day, back when, that they have never ever returned money back. Usually, they get you to retake the course. Yet, nothing changes until you recommit to tackling the exam the right way.
Getting into medical school should not be a race. I know some tools make it seem like it at times, but those same tools actually put it a lot of their time into their goals. Maybe more than you. However, you need to ONLY concentrate on yourself.
If you want to go to medical school, then take your time in doing things right. Play the game. Get the MCAT right on the first try, they will see all of your scores no matter what. If you are re-taking, make sure you improve substantially, to satisfy your goals, and the medical schools that you are applying to (note: some schools will average the MCAT). Again, AAMC scores are a decent indicator. Kaplan and TPR, do not connect well to the actual exam, and are graded more leniently.
Realize that you truly want to practice medicine. Also realize that you probably want to live long, as well. Then realize that you want to practice medicine for the rest of your long life (this is something you cannot control). Taking a year off to get **** right is not a big deal. **** what your parents or friends think. Invest in the process, and, please, approach the MCAT and your application season with confidence.
sticky that.
