MCAT CARS Tutor - Jack Westin Reviews

Jack's great. He's very positive and smart. His technique is helpful for the entire exam. I started applying his technique and it helped me quite a bit. Although I felt a down trodden at times, he miraculously kept a very positive attitude. The MCAT is a beast and there's no reason to try and slay it by yourself. His help is a good investment in your future. His specialty is verbal, but I definitely used his technique for the bio portion as well. His technique helped me improve my short term memory which I discovered is very helpful for improving timing on the exam. It's quite hard to just guess on a hard question, mark it, and then move on, but that is so important for the MCAT. I had to learn this lesson the hard way after many months of practice (it's so counter intuitive to me), but it made a big difference.

 

I came to work with Jack because I just had such a hard time increasing my verbal score. I searched up any tactics possible online and found out about him through an sdn forum. I was like many others, a little skeptical at first, but after doing a trial session, I decided to give it a real shot. I think that Jack's method is not only very thorough and helpful, but he really instills confidence in you. He's there to work with you until you really get it. This method actually allowed me to increase my verbal section by 3 points after taking the MCAT exam again (from an 8 to an 11). If you are looking to REALLY get quality help with verbal, then he's the perfect MCAT CARS tutor for that.

I have to add that in addition to all this, he has been helping me with personal statements and interviews as I am applying to medical schools. I have to say that Jack has really helped me more than I had expected, and I am extremely grateful.

Stick with his plan and take his advice, and you are sure to see results.

 

I used Jack this past summer to get help with verbal. I had taken the exam 3 TIMES - yes 3! Each time, my overall score increased, and my sciences went up, but verbal stayed stagnant at a 6. I contacted Jack as a last resort and I'm SO happy I did. He gives you a free trial beforehand so you can see if you like his style of teaching. I opted to get the one on one study session, and I was not disappointed! He took the time to identify my weaknesses and taught me his method of approaching verbal passages. His help, combined with using his method EVERYDAY and sticking to it EVERY TIME you do a passage, helped me to do well. I'm proud to say that I ended up getting a 10 on my verbal section (4 point increase!) and recently got accepted to medical school. Jack is awesome and I complete 100% recommend him!

 

Jack was recommended to me by a friend, and I couldn't be happier to have taken advantage of all that he offers! His technique is super methodical, easy to follow, and really applicable to the hardest of verbal passages (i.e. those that you can spend 20 minutes reading and still wouldn't understand).

I was scoring an 8 on the AAMC practice tests three weeks before my exam, and contacted Jack for a miracle. After four Skype sessions, intense practice, and a newly found boost of confidence (thanks to Jack), I took the mcat and scored a 10 on verbal. For the brief amount of time spent together, I was beyond thrilled. For best results, you have to trust him 100% and commit yourself to his method. My only regret is that I hadn't contacted him earlier, because I'm convinced the extra time would have manifested in an even greater score improvement.

On a side note: I have tried several other test prep company verbal strategies: none came close to generating results, let alone a two point increase in a two week time interval.

good luck to all!

 

I just wrapped up a tutoring consult session for the MCAT verbal section with Jack. I must say, that after months of independent prep and practice, this session with Jack stands alone to reassure me that with the right methods and amount of practice, I have what it takes to excel in this section of the MCAT. Jack is an excellent teacher, and his methods are simple, intuitive, straightforward, and sound. I look forward to sharing more soon.

12.16.2014
After completing a second tutoring session with Jack, I am even more convinced now of the merit's of Jack's approach for the MCAT verbal section. It is systematic, indeed, but, more importantly, it is pleasingly ingenious and simple. Jack also takes the time to address each student individually, regarding the errors made in the reasoning for either selecting or eliminating any answer choice. He also does this while guiding students through their extraction of main ideas from, and interpretation of, the passage, as it corresponds to the method he prescribes. Prior to working with Jack, I could not explain why any specific answer choices were incorrect or not incorrect. But now, I can and I can do so with confidence.

FYI: In between my first tutoring session with Jack and tonight's session, I completed the first 10 passages of the AAMC MCAT Verbal Section Self Assessment with a score of 96%. I was averaging in the mid 70's range prior to receiving this instruction.

What Jack offers is different from the complicated and (to be honest) confusing strategies offered by test prep companies bound to bog you down in "strategy". Jack doesn't do any of that. His system makes the best answer very apparent. He knows what he is doing and his method works.

 

I actually came across Jack on SDN as I was reading through some of the verbal reasoning advice threads. Like many of you, verbal reasoning was definitely the hardest part for me while I was preparing for the MCAT. I was scoring consistently in the 7-8 range which made it tough to break the 30+ barrier. I took my MCAT on 8/27/14 and began working with Jack at the end of June. This was key for me because some of his methods are a bit unorthodox and it took me some time to master them to the point where it was second nature. I HIGHLY recommend getting involved earlier rather than later because by the time test day rolls around, you want to have absolute confidence when it comes to verbal. There is simply no way around this. If you approach this section with any sense of apprehension, you will not be able to achieve a score of 10+. Working with Jack helped me to develop this confidence. After about a month of working with him and practicing his methods on many, many passages, I was able to bump my score up to a consistent 10-11. Don't get me wrong, it's not as if Jack provides a special formula to get every answer correct, it's still going to require a great deal of work on your end, but approaching this section with Jack's method made it much simpler and allowed me to score a 10 on the real thing. I recently received my scores back and scored a 33 overall which was right about my average from the practice AAMC's. I strongly recommend Jack's verbal reasoning tutoring, and I can confidently say that without his help, I would probably be preparing to take the MCAT again.

 

I came upon Jack as I was online searching for someone who could help me with Verbal Reasoning. For about a month, I had tried studying for Verbal on my own and taking many passages, but I was consistently scoring around a 6-8. When I first found Jack, I really was not quite sure he would really be of much help, and I wasn't sure if I could trust him.

However, he gave me a free trial lesson and I was absolutely amazed at how easy he made Verbal seem. Jack gets it more than anyone else here, and as long as you trust him, stick to his method, and practice you are guaranteed to succeed. Not only will his method help raise your verbal score, but it will naturally improve your reading in the BS section, and even in the PS section in some capacity.

In addition to Jack's intuitive, simple method, Jack also is a great person to work with and really helps you feel confident and motivated to succeed.

I took my MCAT on August 21 and scored a 37, with an 11 on verbal. Without Jack, I could not have dreamed of getting this score. Thank you Jack for all of your help. I recommend him to anyone who feels like they just can't get there. You can with Jack's help.

 

I was a student of Jack's for two months during the summer. He is extremely professional and undoubtedly wants to see you succeed.

Many, many people will tell you that the verbal section is "luck" or "unfair". Ask Jack or any of his students - this is not the case. Jack's lessons make it obvious that he has the MCAT verbal figured out; I was very confident in my abilities going into the exam. My verbal scores were 10-12, and I am an extremely slow reader.

As an added bonus, you can apply his techniques in verbal to the physics and biology sections as well. After doing so, my physical and biological scores jumped from 10/11 to 13/14, no joke.

 

I recently started working with Jack and here is my impression thus far:

I was very pleased/impressed on how involved he was in my practice. I've never had verbal tutoring before, but I assumed that it would just be someone giving me a list of things I need to do and then make me go do that on my own. In our first session, Jack went through the passage with me paragraph by paragraph, and actively showed me how I can apply some of the methods he first goes over, and immediately catches you when you're approach starts to go astray.

He also is good at catching the things you are good at as well as catching what your individual weakness is, which makes it easier to improve. He made it very clear to me that only a couple of tiny tweaks to your verbal approach can make all the difference in the world. I'm still early on in my practice, and will update a progress report soon. I will say after taking the MCAT in the summer and scoring a 6 on verbal my verbal confidence was shot. After a few sessions with him I do feel much more confident approaching the passages, and am already getting a higher % correct on my practice passages.

 

I completed a trial section with Jack last week. The trial session was eye opening honestly. I was utterly amazed that VR could be broken down so easily. Jack is fantastic. His lessons seem like they are geared to help mold your mind into thinking like someone that would score high. I did some VR on my own a couple days after the session, untimed, using the skills that he taught. Which essentially involves very simple ways to get answers correct. I ended up getting 11/12 on 2 passages finishing around 10 minutes a passage not really trying. Again I was amazed. It turns out a lot of us are really overcomplicating the who verbal process. He knows this and he knows how to break it down. Jack seems like he really knows what he's doing. Once I get my new test date I will be signing up with him. He seems like a very genuine dude. I think if there is anyone out there that can help improve your verbal score it is this guy. The reason being is that he seems engaged and attentive to your mistakes. It really seems like he can assess your skill level and figure out your problem and address it. He is a fountain of knowledge. I've worked with other tutors before but nothing like this guy.

 

I’ve had a couple of sessions with Jack Westin now, and this guy’s got it. I've tried a lot of different things to improve my VR score, but I didn’t realize until now that what I needed was a VR strategy coach. This section of the test is about reading comprehension, but it’s mostly about strategy!

Jack shows his students how to attack the passages by really breaking things down for us. That’s so important. We’re all different in adopting a certain strategy that we're most comfortable with using to get through the passages, but I personally have not yet become confident in my own strategy. I knew I couldn’t continue with what I’d been doing because I was not getting a high enough score. That’s where Jack came in. I’m glad I stumbled on his post here on SDN. I sent him and e-mail and decided to give it a shot. I don’t regret it one bit. He is teaching me a strategy that is proving useful (I’m working through the EK 101 VR practice tests), and I’m confident that my score will improve within the next couple of months.

Another big thing I love about Jack's teaching style is his encouragement. He really puts an emphasis on confidence, because many students going into this exam doubt their abilities to excel and struggle with having a clear mind. Jack is great! He knows what he's talking about, he gets right down to business, and he shows his students how to make the VR portion “easy” and “simple”. You have to trust him and stick to all of his tips, notes, and pointers if you want to do well. I encourage anyone who needs an MCAT verbal tutor or MCAT CARS tutor to contact Jack for help

 

Initially, when I was looking for verbal help and came across Jack, I was a bit apprehensive because Jack is not highly advertised outside of SDN and because of this, I was not able to gauge how instructive his tutoring would be for me. However, I found a previous student of his. I spoke with the student on Skype, and this person managed to raise their MCAT score by 3 points. I was very impressed, and the student seemed very confident. I spoke with this student for a while and honestly, that was good enough for me. I needed a tutor who was patient, confident in his abilities, and an amazing teacher who could give me the one-on-one attention that I needed. The student assured me that Jack, as a knowledgeable MCAT verbal tutor, had these qualities.

When I took Jack's class, I did a class with a group of students. The group was small, which ensured that all of us received that personal attention that we needed for mastering Jack's technique. During our sessions, I was actually excited (and still am) to practice my MCAT verbal because I was (and still am) so confident in the technique that Jack has taught. Jack's technique gives the student a very objective way to look at the verbal section of the MCAT. Even more interesting is that you can apply his technique to questions on the other MCAT sections. This can be especially helpful if you are having a hard time choosing between two answers not because you don't understand the science concepts, but because the wording of the two answers are what makes them both seem like they are right.

Also, when I took the class with Jack, he was very good at noticing how I thought on verbal - even right down how I thought on specific question stems that the verbal section asks. He was able to take my thinking and contort it so that I was able to see the verbal passages (even the most convoluted verbal passages) and verbal questions very objectively. The confidence that Jack provides through his technique is the only way to really get through this verbal section and know that once you are done with this section, you have answered the questions correctly and you have no reason to look back.

 

On my very first MCAT, I scored a 9 on my physical sciences, a 5 on my verbal and a 9 on my biological sciences. 23 overall score was not going to get me anywhere, especially a 5 was disturbing in my eyes I had studied for 6 months with no avail for my test. Heartbroken, I had taken Princeton Review, Berkeley Review, but no teacher was able to give me a straight answer as to how to combat the verbal section of the MCAT. It was not until I read a post from Jack Westin on SDN that there was some measure of hope. Verbal did not come easy to me, as a student of the sciences, I was not used to the humanities passages, the density of the material but the most unfortunate thing was that I sped read. Jack Westin is great in that, he goes through real MCAT passages using his “formula”, where he breaks down every single passage and its questions. After following his method in the test questions, in my daily readings, and (this is key) PRACTICING over and over and over again, I had the confidence to overcome this hurdle. I retook my MCAT in August 2014 and achieved a 10 PS, 11 V and 12 BS. Without Jack, I don’t know what I would have done, I had Verbal instructors tell me that “it is difficult, some people get it and some don’t”.

Jack is a tutor that has gone through it all, and he understands what it feels like to go through this debacle. I just had be instilled with confidence by overcoming my own fears, rejections, anxiety of getting questions wrong from a MCAT passage. The MCAT is not easy, but its these tutors such as Jack Westin who will guide you there, the question is
whether you have the will and the courage to take on the MCAT.

All in all, I believe that Jack is perfect as an MCAT CARS tutor for the updated exam because he emphasizes passage based strategy.

 

I am an Indian and from India I attended Jack's classes. My English levels are far below compared to those of the Americans and I had to struggle for months together for verbal. I practiced EK and TPR to an extent that i remembered all the passages and questions but still couldn't get ahead of 6. I started with Jack. His strategy is suited for AAMC only and it works best for them. There's a way by which u have to read the passage and pay attention to certain parts of it and then, also, a way to go thru the questions and that helps u crack the code. TPR passages are somewhat similar to AAMC and Jacks strategy works good for them too, to a good extent but its best for AAMCs. EK is really nonsense. I dont know why so much of EK is there everywhere. It actually pulls u away from the way u should be practicing for verbal. But really, for all those who have been struggling for long and unable to get through...give Jack a try and see the change. U ll never turn back to SDN for others' ideas when u are going with him. Also one needs to keep practicing to get the best results.

 

Hey Jack, I was wondering if I can ask you about what you think of the new verbal reasoning section for the 2015 MCAT. Should our study strategy stay the same as when we're studying the old verbal section? Should we use old verbal passages from TPR verbal workbook and EK verbal 101? Thanks in advance.

 

Alright so Class 1 was today for me: December 13, 2014

Jack is great. He's confident, alert, and knows what he's talking about. We went into a passage and the approach was pretty different from the Princeton method I'd learned, so I was definitely uncomfortable changing to a new one.

What really stuck with me was his simple approach. I don't know if you guys have the Princeton book but it's got a lot of stuff in there related to strategy. I found that the way Jack showed me a passage was really insightful since I never really thought to look at it as such.

I'll be posting more on this thread as I get more into this. For a ~45 minute session, I thought it was pretty helpful and it definitely didn't hurt me to learn a new and useful method. I feel like right now, I need to get more into this to really form an opinion about the tutoring overall.

What I can tell you is that Jack knows what he's doing. And I'm not just posting this as some sort of PR rep. I mean the dude made a 42 on his MCAT and it shows in the sessions. He's really receptive of you as a student and I found that he was always making sure whether I was understanding the logic and reasoning behind the questions and answers. That level of individuality and attention really impressed me.

So I'll be posting more on this thread about how I felt with each session and I hope it helps you guys on SDN. Y'all have helped me so much and I've always wanted to post more on SDN, which is what I will be doing in the coming months.

 

hi everyone! i'm also one of dr. westin's disciples too :~)
please note that i will be updating this after each session, k?

day 1:
the intro session: i found his technique to be really simple and intuitive, tbh.
the first session was the trial session, so i was w/ two other fellow mcat studiers. the experience was really fun. i like how he goes over extensively what it is we need to extract and how to appli his strategy to the passage.

if you decide to do the class session, its cool b/c you can benefit from seeing how other people like you approach verbal problems. you can learn from each other's reasonings as well each other's problems...for me? more the former than the latter lol. and then dr. westin is there to correct any misunderstandings or expound on things we didn't touch or provide hypotheticals in case the line of action wasn't clear cut.
i imagine that if you elected to do individual one on one sessions, it would be more conducive in honing in on what needs to be running thru ur mind when you attack verbal passages.

i remember when i left the session, i was really impressed b/c what we learned even in the first trial session was something i had never thought about so i really benefited from a fresh perspective as i felt i was really plateauing with my studies.

about him: he's really friendly and you can tell he knows what he's talking about. he makes sure that everyone understands something and if someone doesnt, he'll stop and help reclarify the idea for them.

but be forewarned, being friendly doesn't mean he's afraid to tell you straight.
if you in lala land, best believe jack will call you out and say you're in lala land.

day 2:
omg, literally the intro session does not even skate the surface of what just hit us in this session. i was two other people again so that was fun. i forgot to mention before, something that dr. westin does well, is the fact that he reinforces concepts that he's taught, periodically. it's sort've like an SRS-like teaching approach, but it really does help internalize what new methods we are learning. honestly, i'm going to have do my hw and review my notes before i continue this review.

day 3:
mcat answers can be so suck-ish sometimes, all i'll say about that.

 

I'm writing this because I want people to have an honest opinion about Jack. I usually never do anything without reading reviews of any kind. Buying something online? I read all possible reviews, including good and bad. I read a bunch of reviews and really think about the value of what I will get.

With that said, I can say that I am so happy to have Jack helping me with the MCAT CARS section / Verbal. When I did my first few passages, I felt miserable because I could not make the 8 minute timer. I was routinely going at single passages for 12-13 minutes! After several un-timed passages, I realized I needed to time myself. That didn't go well either. I would get so many questions wrong because my timing was messed up and I already couldn't answer questions un-timed. I realized I was over thinking all of the answer choices, the questions, and the passage especially, since I was trying to figure out what the hell some of the stuff even meant. Needless to say, I would get a lot of the questions wrong and 2 correct if I was lucky.

I changed up my approach afterwards and I tried speeding up and read the passage as fast as I could. That seemed to work better but I still got several questions wrong at a time, especially if the questions were about details. I really didn't know how to approach the MCAT CARS section given a ~8 min per passage speed. That struggle felt really incapacitating.

I also tried EK's approach. I can't say that it really helped me. All the tips they provided are basic knowledge, but it didn't help me figure out how to tackle/approach the section in a definitive way. TPR tried to, but their process was way too detailed and I quickly gave up on their strategy. I only liked their mapping idea but I took so long to write out quick sentence summaries that I gave up on that too.

So then came my first trial session with Jack and I remember feeling so floored at how simple he made it for me. During the trial session, he started immediately by helping me get in the same mindset as the MCAT writers. I was really surprised at how structured his basic approach is. The MCAT CARS section / Verbal can be hard, but it's not rocket science, which is what it felt like when I didn't know what strategy to use.

I guess that is my weakness--I know I overthink everything, but Jack really showed me how to make it super simple. Obviously it is hard because you have to put in the work to study, but Jack is there to guide you towards becoming more adept at these new skills. But then again, realize that when you are shown how to do something, it seems easy because you understand it at that point in time, and if you weren't told how to do it in that way, you would have never been able to do it otherwise (some psychological principle, I don't remember which). So because of that, I want to keep working with Jack until I am confident in applying his principles to the AAMC Verbal on my own without assistance, since you still need to struggle with it on your own to get the kind of confidence you need to own the section.

I know that I have a lot of practice to do but I've also gained a TON of confidence due to Jack. And that's only from a few sessions. I always have a lot of questions and I've been regularly interrupting my group sessions to ask them. Jack doesn't mind and he's always willing to answer questions. He also encourages us to ask questions, even if we just went through something thoroughly. What I also like about his tutoring is that knowing that he's assisted so many people already, he is still extremely patient when I'm struggling or when another student is struggling. No matter how great of a tutor you are, if you're impatient, that totally kills all sessions for me.

My sessions so far have been small group sessions. One might automatically assume group sessions are bad, but on the contrary, they are really helpful in comparing how you think to what others think. The key is to see whether you think the same way (if it's correct) and to figure out why you were wrong (if you weren't thinking similarly and the other is correct.). And when you are wrong, Jack is always willing to help take the time to make sure you truly understand what is being taught. He also knows the most common pitfalls and keeps reinforcing the appropriate mindset and method to avoid them.

Other qualities that make Jack a great tutor:
1. Our last session went longer than usual, but we still covered everything and that included Jack being extremely patient.
2. Being able to confidently explain things without pausing or stumbling. Jack has always been able to keep an upbeat pace when he talks, so I feel confident he knows what he's talking about.
3. He encourages us to do it on our own and tells us right away when what we've assumed is wrong. I like this because it's blunt and it prevents you from getting comfortable with faulty reasoning. I find that when you say something, even if it's wrong, and then wait to hear a critique of your process, you won't fully comprehend the incorrect things. In comparison, when someone stops you right away when you are wrong you realize WHAT is wrong and WHY it is wrong. Jack is great at that.
4. Some passages rely on specific nuances including specific connotations of certain words. Jack makes sure you realize this connotations and how to figure out reaching those conclusions.

I started Verbal at an 8 and I will edit this thread to see how far I can improve. Honestly, I feel comfortable that with sustained practice and Jack's help I will improve to a 11. I am hoping for a 12-13 on the real deal, but first, mini-goals!

 

I thought I'd post an update on my progress after having several sessions with Jack. I joined his class about a month and a half ago. For me, the most challenging thing about preparing for the MCAT verbal section is staying focused throughout the entire 60 minutes. (There are other challenges I face, like quickly picking out the main idea and managing my time well overall). Staying focused is hard! Similarly, pinpointing the authors' main ideas and doing well on time are also difficult to achieve. The ONLY possible way to do better is to practice. Jack emphasizes this a lot, and I could not agree more.

He's a great instructor for VR and the new MCAT CARS section. However, if you don't have the time to put into practice what he's teaching you, it won't be effective, and your score will not improve. After several sessions with Jack I now know how to approach questions and passages the RIGHT way and with confidence. He really breaks things down for his students, and it becomes so much easier for us to understand how to attack this section of the test.

I didn't mention in my previous post that I'm a senior at Cornell, so I plan to apply this upcoming cycle. I will be taking the MCAT in January. I'm confident in the techniques that I'm learning from Jack and I'm glad I stumbled upon this post a couple of months ago.

 

LOL at "la la land", he lovessss saying that! But it's true, I really would venture off into la la land during some of the passages, and luckily he got me right back on track! I can honestly say Jack helped me get accepted medical school this year and I'm forever grateful to him!

 

How much is his course?

 

Alright cool guys
So I'm a few classes in and honestly I'm really liking Jack. He's super patient, and the best part about it is not just the strategy you learn, but the fact that he's constantly pressing you on your logic behind the answer you chose. Even if you're wrong, he guides you into seeing the real answer. I'm finding his verbal method to be the most helpful of them all and I mean this 100%. I used to miss 3-4 really way back at the beginning of my MCAT studying earlier in the year and now I miss about 0-1 per passage.

Basically every class, you open up a passage and work through it. Initially you're taking it quite slow and he guides you through the steps and the logic. Once you start to get the hang of the passage, the pace picks up and it becomes much easier for you to "feel the flow"

Definitely got to put in the work though. Constant reviewing, constant understanding of the method. Engrain it into your head. It's honestly not a complex strategy but you need a TON of practice to see how you're doing into it. And regardless of the strategy you use, it's really important to get the main idea down for every single passage you do.

It's honestly great to have Jack nail stuff into your head. It's infinitely helpful to have him asking you "why?" and "how?" to get your thought process brought out and understood.

He's like Yoda, and you're a Jedi, and the MCAT is Darth Vader. So I find that following his teaching to the T will help, as it already has.

 

i've been thru a bunch of lessons with jack now and suffice to say, he really knows what he is talking about. what i like about his approach is the fact that he develops an arsenal of skills so that even when you come a cross a WTF? type passage/question, you have some direction. overall, i can see that it has improved my flexibility.

jack has opened my eyes to little nuances in verbal passages that i would not have noticed, and i think that is what you, as a disciple of his, will benefit from. just having that fresh perspective could catalyze a new mindset that will benefit you.

i find his sessions more helpful because he is literally there to listen to your reasoning. it was very helpful to just explain what it was i was doing. he stops you when you are making fallible assumptions which from my perspective was a big weakness. overall, the experience has made me a more astute reader. i learn something new every session because of jack and i am very grateful.

his teaching style is cool in that he makes sure that you are confident in your answer. he asks "are you sure?" and makes sure that you don't make any iffy judgments, it really helps you keep a level-headed mind when you are doing these passages.

i also have to say that i enjoy the group sessions b/c i like hearing other people's logic. again, i stress the fact that this experience will help you be more open-minded.

 

After doing horrible on verbal on my first MCAT, I decided to use Jack's tutoring service and it turned out to be a great investment. Jack uses the best strategies from many platforms and condenses it into one clear, methodical strategy that is guaranteed to help you score well. With multiple sessions (around 7), I was able to really master this technique and score where I wanted to. However, this score improvement could not have happened if I hadn't dropped what I knew before and listened to him completely. He really knows what he's doing so it is best to listen to everything he says and study how he tells you to.
Jack is also a very helpful guy that is willing to answer questions whenever asked and willing to provide extra help if needed. He really cares for his students and ensures that we will succeed. I wouldn't pass up the opportunity to use this service if you are struggling in verbal.

 

After doing the Free trial session with Jack,I found that my confidence in verbal is increasing. My practice score increased after just one session with jack. His methods are simple, to the point and with enough practice you should see an increase in your verbal scores. Jack is very nice and patient with each of his students. The trial section was with two other students and it is nice to see how others are thinking while doing the passages. I recommend trying the course if your verbal skills are lacking or just need a strategy that works. Thanks Jack

 

hey how much is his class?

 

He told me that he's in the process of making changes in his course for MCAT2015 so I would expect pricing to change as well

 

i was preparing for my mcat last winter but my verbal score was ranging between 7-11 and i found that i was merely guessing on questions with no strategy or basis for my choice. plus, i would spend upto 20 minutes per passage and refer back to the passage for every single question because i clearly didn't read it closely or understand it properly the first time around. so i decided to postpone my mcat to this winter.

i found jack's class online and actually messaged a few people who said they'd enrolled in his class because i wasn't sure if his class was actually real and because the cost was high for me. everyone suggested i try it especially because my verbal scores were so random, so i reached out to jack. i emailed him multiple times and skyped with him a few times to get the details of the class. i asked whether i could have an intro/sample class prior to signing up and after sitting through the session, i already felt as though i had improved just because there was a strategy that i could follow. i enrolled in jack's class and i have to say that not only do i feel better about verbal, but my scores have improved. i don't view verbal as a monster anymore but having said that, i do think slacking off, not doing exactly what jack tells you to do besides following the strategy, and trying to implement your own techniques into the strategy will be detrimental. his strategy does not work for every single question but does for the majority of the questions, which i think is more than we can ask for when it comes to verbal. i think the class is great for someone lingering between scores (getting 9,10,11 without consistency) and of course, for people who are really struggling with the verbal section. jack's really patient when it comes to questions and definitely slows down to reviews things. he will also tell you when you're wrong or when you need to change your thinking in a pretty straightforward manner, if necessary.

keep in mind when taking the class, though, that you absolutely must follow jack's method, whether it be the strategies he teaches you during the class and the expectations outside of the class.

 

Follow up on Jack. I have been taking his class for the past 6 weeks. I can confidently say I am MUCH better at verbal, MUCH MUCH MUCH better. For many of us science-oriented people, we love a plan of attack. We love equations and systematic approaches. Jack gives you a strategy that works 99% of the time. That 1% is some really odd experimental question which you can still apply pieces of his approach and get the answer right. MORE importantly, what I've gained using Jack is the ability to understand the BIG picture. I can go through a passage and tell you why the author wrote it. What each paragraph is about and the ability to answer questions based on that. Many people like me did not learn how to read critically very well in high school or in college. Jack teaches you how to do this and apply the knowledge to questions. And damn he teaches you well. This strategy also helps you with the sciences. You want to learn what the MCAT wants from you? Use Jack. You get a better idea what the MCAT expects of you and what MCAT answers are. Even on PS. Take AAMC 10 the passage on particle accelerators. Almost everyone HATES that passage because it's almost entirely passage based but Jack's strategy even crosses over to this. He really teaches you how to take the test, read better, improve short-term memory, kick bad habits (missing words like not etc.), improve accuracy, and speed. I don't owe him anything I'm writing this for the benefit of everyone else. Seriously I've taken kaplan courses, I've used other tutors. This guy is the best you'll ever find. I would recommend him to anyone that is struggling with verbal. Don't waste your money elsewhere seriously. I'm taking the MCAT for the 3rd time. The first time I used Kaplan got a 29 (12/5/12), used a private tutor got a 31 (11/7/13), and with Jack I honestly feel more prepared than I ever have.

 

I've only had a trial session with Jack, but was definitely really worthwhile. Not only does his strategy for VR passages feel a lot less daunting than those in Kaplan and TPR verbal books or even the ones posted here on sdn, but the session clearly diagnosed some of my problems like overthinking and insufficiently using POE. The surprising part was that I never before felt I was overthinking so much, and I thought I knew how to use POE perfectly well.
I'm tempted to sign up for the course (8 weeks I believe) since it seems to strongly emphasize the skills I need: i.e. verbal skills and tackling the tricky experimental and verbal-type science passages. His next 8-week course starts on 01/31 so I'd strongly recommend to at least take the trial session by then.

 

Up until recently, I always tackled verbal questions with my "gut feeling". If an answer "felt" right, I would mark it and move on. This strategy left me with incredibly inconsistent scores, ranging from 5 through 11. This was frustrating because I couldnt determine what I was doing right when I did well, and what I was doing wrong when I did poorly.

Out of frustration, I decided to contact Jack just to see what could be done. I was initially skeptical because verbal doesnt have a formula to plug in variables to obtain an answer like you can for Physical Sciences, nor is there previous knowledge you can rely on to select a correct choice like in the Biological Sciences. Within the first session, however, I was convinced that Jack was the real deal, and that he definitely knows what he is doing.

Jack showed me that there is an actual step-by-step strategy to solving verbal passages. We performed passages together and SOLVED (not felt out) the answers afterwards. Along the way, he provided tips and tricks to various question types. I was definitely impressed.

In addition to his methodology, Jack himself is patient, speaks articulately, and works with your schedule. I highly recommend him.

Thanks Jack!

 

I love jacks way of teaching verbal because he actually has a strategy. It's not some hard to do complicated strategy but it's about having consistent thought process as you answer each question. I really recommend working with him because he catches you making bad habits and leads you on the right track. He is patient and not afraid to point out what you did wrong.

That being said, in order to achieve the results you want, you must put what he teaches you into DAILY practice. If you can do what he tells you for a good three months, you are well on your way to success. He would be an excellent verbal tutor for mcat 2015. I feel his method would be even more effective on the new mcat because you get more time per passage to really implement it.

 

I tried Jack's free trial session yesterday and he really knows what he is doing. It's amazing how simple he breaks down every component of the passage and question. I am strongly considering enrolling into his 8 week program as CARS/verbal section is my weakest (5-6 range).

 

At the start of my MCAT studying I used a well known company's all inclusive course. I was really disappointed with their verbal strategy and resorted to studying on my own and even decided to hire a local tutor. As you can guess, my approach didn't work very well and I was quite unhappy with my first verbal MCAT score.

I just recently completed private tutoring with Jack Westin for the MCAT VR/CARS section and was very satisfied with the service that he provided. Jack teaches his students a step by step approach for how to complete the verbal/CARS section successfully. He teaches you how to properly read the passage, how to get your main point, how to approach questions and how to quickly eliminate wrong answer choices.

Jack is also really accommodating and works with your busy school/work schedule to make meeting times work for you. He is really nice and patient, and he cares about his students. He replies to emails in a timely manner and is always available to answer your questions. When I started to become nervous closer to my test, he was able to calm me down and remind me to just stick to the strategy.

If you are thinking of using Jack as an MCAT CARS tutor, I highly recommend him! But DO NOT think that he is an easy fix - though his method may sound quite simple and straightforward, it really requires a ton of effort on your part to practice and practice and practice every single day (by the time I took my test I had every AAMC passage memorized because I worked so hard). By the end of my sessions with Jack, I felt 100% prepared for my test!

Thank you Jack!

 

My interaction with Jack has been nothing short of phenomenal. During his sessions he breaks down passages and gives you a direct mechanical method of picking the correct answers. Using his approach there is no guess work involved. Jack has different strategies for each type of passage. The hardest aspect of his method is mastering the strategies. Once mastered, any score is attainable no matter how terrible you are with the verbal section. He normally gives a free trial so participate in that and see for yourself!

 

[this was my review in 2012: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/thr...ore-to-the-12-15-range.895125/#post-12243952]

Hello Guys,

Many people have been asking me questions about Jack's tutoring sessions so I wanted to leave a little bit of input for you guys. Also, now that I go to medical school... well.. this review is a little more frank so I hope you appreciate it.

This is my story. I took 3 years off before applying to medical school. I worked in research so my biology background was strong. I always got scores of 12-14 practice tests. I started off in physics with an 8 but you can learn the principles very easily. A few equations to be memorized and you are set for that, in my opinion. I ended up scoring a 11-13 on that.

Where I got stuck was verbal. I started with a 5 (this is horrible). I didnt grow up reading a bunch of books. I feel more comfortable reading biology research articles than articles about literature and history and philosophy. Like seriously, tell me about some complicated protein that is heat/pH inducible with variable expression patterns that cause inflammation in certain contexts and immunological-tolerance in other contexts.... I'll eat that up over anything on the verbal section (the protein is TGF-beta by the way).

After 2-3 months of doing examkrackers verbal and kaplan verbal, I was scoring between 6-8. This score was going to absolutely RUIN ME. I had a 3.7 GPA in MCB from Berkeley president of AMSA, President of local health chapter, 100+ hours of shadowing, 200+hours hospital volunteering, 200+ hours of community service, 2 (no-bull****) research papers, and presentations up the wazoo. I also created organizations still functioning today. I had pretty much everything that you could "check off."

I'm an M2 now and let me tell you that schools have subcategory cut off scores. This is absolutely true. Even if your total MCAT score is decent or average.... high scores DO NOT MAKE UP for critically low scores in subcategories. Also, going over applications this is so easy and fast to see. This is the second thing we look at after GPA. (undergrad pedigree actually does turn out to be not that important in this process... years ago on this same account as a pre-med I used to overstate its importance... so, for the record I take it back). Also, verbal is consistently the factor that is low in applicants which cause them to get screened out or put in the application pile which you do not want to be associated with.

So, I got desperate like any pre-med would and started to look on craigslist for verbal section tutors. I stumbled upon Jack on SDN and thought to myself.... either I make a drastic change in my study plan or I'm probably going to roll the dice. Of course, being the overconfident (pre-med douche) guy I was... I decided to go through examkrackers and kaplan verbal and just roll the dice. I rolled the dice... and I got a 7 on the real MCAT. I could tell my friends I got a 32 on the MCAT... and they would probably think that's average/decent. But like I said, there is a huge screening process. Again, if you get screened... your application will NOT BE LOOKED AT BY A HUMAN BEING. The 7 would have gotten me screened out at top and most midtiers, so I decided that I would retake in summer and apply later in the cycle.

I took a risk on Jack's verbal one-on-one tutoring and I ended up scoring a >9 on the real deal. Now, this was a huge improvement for me and put my mcat score in the 97% percentile range which would allow me to pass the screen. I was really really happy with my verbal progress with Jack, looking back now. I wish I just went with his tutoring to begin with, because it would have looked a lot better to have a single MCAT score during application (admissions knows your retakes).

Also, I use what Jack taught me years ago still. Let me tell you guys about the USMLE which I am studying for right now. There are question stems on the USMLE that are 12+ lines long okay. That's basically about 70% as long as this review [EDIT: these are rare, but they happen]. There are 322 questions on the USMLE and its a 7+ hour test. If you can learn how to read intuitively, proactively, and intelligently right now... you will be confident in answering questions in your medical school classes as well as on the STEP 1. The STEP 1 by the way makes the MCAT look like a pop quiz.

I highly highly encourage you to develop these reading skills in some way if not from Jack. But Jack will make it a lot easier and probably get you 70% of the way there. the rest of the 30% of these reading skills will come from yourself and individual strategy. You will end up tweaking his advice a little bit for your own style. But you need to having some foundation before any kind of tweaking happens, and that's what Jack does for you.

Happy to answer any private messages. I don't have time to come back to the forum, but a private message shows up in my email inbox.

Alright, good luck guys whatever you decide. This is a long... long journey ahead of you.

 

I first took the MCAT back in October 2014 and received a 6 in VR. I was completely crushed. The vast majority of people on here seem to get anywhere between 9-11 on VR, and here I was scoring well below the 50th percentile. I've always been bad at reading/verbal reasoning sections in standardized testing, but this score made me think that I may have an undiagnosed reading disability (rather silly, I know...). I just couldn't understand how I could score this low particularly when a) I was able to read all the passages and attempt every question (no random guesses) and b) most people on my test date felt that verbal was reasonable, meaning that it wasn't the so-called "insanely difficult" section for that test date.

Desperate, I searched online for tips on how to improve VR and tutors who could assist with this section. I somehow found Jack and this forum. Although the reviews were all positive, I was still skeptical that Jack may have been a scam. I signed up for the free tutorial he provides and immediately realized that he is legitimate and that he knows how do VR. In fact, after signing up for one-on-one sessions and doing a number of them with him, I am completely convinced that Jack knows VR better than AAMC and that he should be the one who writes the answer keys for the practice tests. For every single question, Jack showed me how to apply his method and reach the correct answer in a logical manner without a big focus on details. AAMC, on the other hand, apparently likes to justify a lot of their correct answers with quotes from the passages. When I got these questions wrong, I only felt frustrated because I kept thinking that I just didn't pay enough attention to that line/quote.

Fast forward to today, I received my new score after retaking the exam in January. I got a 9 in VR. Although it's not an amazing score, I'm still happy that it is "good enough."

For those of you struggling in VR/CARS, I 100% recommend Jack. I think he just may be the best tutor out there for the MCAT CARS section.

 

Having tutored with Jack since about July, I would say I have a pretty good idea about his tutoring style and have done countless sessions with him both for in-class and one-on-one. Initially I hesitated due to the cost and I had chosen try to combine the verbal strategies which I found to make the most sense to me. I thought by doing this, I could use a "strategy" that immediately pointed me to the right answer somehow. Needless to say I got a 5 on my first MCAT verbal section.

Desperate to find help and raise my score in Verbal, I again contacted Jack and worked out the finances around the tutoring, initially for in-class then for one-on-one. The in-class sessions were okay and went over his strategy, but nothing was individualized. I needed some way to find out where I was going wrong for verbal so I decided to "upgrade" to one-on-one. I definitely saw where I was going wrong, what I needed to pay attention to, and how much practice I truly had to do to raise my score. After about 2.5 - 3 months of tutoring, I decided to take the MCAT again. Mind you, this was done rather frantically as January seats had filled up and a seat was open for that next Saturday when I registered in November (had to take "old" MCAT).

At this point, you're probably expecting a success story. Well, it was not so. 5 again on verbal. I was shocked to be to say the least. My science sections have always been solid, but verbal stayed the same. I contacted Jack again and told him, figuring that he wouldn't reply or offer me any further help. But, he did, and he has since continued to help me and tutor for the new MCAT.

If I thought that Jack was not a good tutor, his strategy just hadn't "worked" for me, or that he couldn't help me achieve the score that i wanted, I honestly would have either tried something else or gave up altogether because this would be try #3. A real benefit of the one-on-one is that he's there even if you don't get the score that you want.

All in all, Jack truly wants you to succeed not only on verbal but on the MCAT as a whole. If you take a look at his posts, there are some real gems there. Maybe you will end up another success story, and maybe you stay at the same score, like me. It is really up to you how much work and practice you put into it so that you can effectively implement his strategy on the exam. That's it for now, will update again after I retake.

 

One last follow up.

4/5/2014 12/5/12 = 29
9/18/2014 11/7/13= 31
Using jack on 1/13/2015 I received a 12/11/13 for a total of 36. I could have NEVER done this without Jack's help. His strategy helped me more than anything. There was no hope for me. I almost gave up. I am so grateful to this guy right now. Christ. It's over.

Seriously, if you are skeptical about using him use me as an example. Look at what it did for my verbal score. 4 point increase. 4 points. It even helped out my other scores. The doors that opens for me. Jesus.

He is seriously a great instructor with lots of patience, knowledge, experience, and most importantly examples.

 

Hey guys!
First of all, I do want to point out that I did not stumble across Jack until after I took my MCAT, so rather than a 'this is what I used' review, this is more of a 'I am familiar with what it takes to do well on MCAT Verbal, and Jack's method is great' type post.

Sitting through his session, I found him elucidating strategies and thought processes which I had used, but never as intentionally and deliberately as he coaches people to do. Often I found myself nodding "that's what I do," but more often I'd think "that's more straightforward than what I would have done."

If time management or overthinking tend to be your weak points in VR, definitely give Jack a shot. His method is particularly tailored to making things simple and quick, so you spend less time on each question, yet also end up doubting yourself less. I'm not complaining about my VR, yet I still wish I'd had an approach like this to use...I think it would still have helped my score, and far more quickly than the slow, inefficient progress I made without.

 

Hi everyone, I just wanted to take time to share my wonderful experience with Jack as my MCAT Verbal/CARS tutor over the past few months. He is an awesome tutor, on top of being a great person, and he can teach you to drastically improve your MCAT verbal/CARS score with his technique.

When first studying for the MCAT, I was scoring between 8-9 on my verbal sections. I thought I was scoring well and hoped for the best on my test day. Before I met Jack, my official MCAT verbal test score was a 5.

After getting this score back, I was confused and disheartened. I was used to taking verbal, and getting an average-slightly above average score. It was clear that what I wasn't doing wasn't working. For my second MCAT, I wanted to have a logical strategy for solving these problems. I saw Jack's posting online, talked with him, and in the end, finally found a tutor who had a strategy to solve these problems in a systematic way.

With just 2 months of hard work and Jack's help, I was prepared to take the MCAT once again. My average MCAT score verbal section had jumped to between an 11-12 on my practice tests. While taking the verbal section the second time around, I was able to answer questions instantly. I knew when I was getting questions right, just like the way I had felt when I took the science sections. This was my score (listed below with my previous MCAT score):



My verbal score had jumped from 5 to an 11. Not only is Jack's technique useful for MCAT verbal/CARS, but it also helps me get through dense material in my academic classwork as well. I am so thankful I asked Jack for help because his teachings can go beyond the MCAT. I know I will be using this in medical school and beyond, thank you so so much Jack!!

 

Sounds interesting, I can see myself registering for his trial section and $300 sessions. However, I can't justify myself spending the amount of money required for his standard sessions just on the above information alone. Will report back on what I think after taking the other sessions first. Tbh even $300 is a lot to me so I still have to gather money for that lol.

 

I like Jack's way of tutoring and more than that his style of teaching you as a friend. His method of approach is something, if mastered, can do wonders. He is definitely good at analyzing your way of tackling questions and then guiding you to improve your approach. However, as with any method, the magic does not happen until you actually put it into practice. You will have to practice every day with the same enthusiasm as you did the day before. Jack also told me how many hours I should be putting in and how long should I be practicing before the real test. I believe since I hadn't put in the required amount of practice, I didn't get what I wanted. But the nice part of Jack's course is that you can take it as long as you feel you haven't mastered the technique. The talk with Jack after getting my score back was nothing short of a healing touch and the relief of knowing that he will be there until I get the technique down was extremely comforting.

Overall, I would recommend Jack's tutoring because of his proven teaching technique and his great interpersonal skills.

 

Hello all!

Jack seems like a nice person from what I have seen with the free trail session he provides. However who can really know if someone is nice after meeting them only once? Well its quiet simple; I don't know Jack. All i know is that when he was walking me through how to approach the questions it seemed really easy and I got 6/6 AAMC questions correct! Granted, when i tried his approach on my own, i didn't see any results, in fact i ran out of time and my score dropped. I am not trying to say his method is faulty, because i strongly believe Jack has a methodical approach that could work, provided you spend the time to develop it (as he stated you need approximately 2 months of practice; that seems reasonable ). Like any other skill, it is developed over time ( something that i painfully have to learn. Who likes looking at a low score test after test?).

I paid $2000 for a class with Kaplan and i think its a total waste. Kaplan's methods have done absolutely nothing for me! infact, i am furious i paid for that damn class! If only I had seen Jack's class sooner, i wouldn't be wasting my time with Kaplan or browsing SDN for ways to improve CARS ( which is what landed me here in the first place). In my opinion, his approach is methodological which is way better than ( passage map, identify the type of question(function, main idea, inference..etc) is it a FUD, OS, extreme/Distortion...yadie yadie yada!) As a matter of fact, Kaplan's method dropped my score than when originally using EKs method.

 

I came across Jack’s post in December, and was at first extremely skeptical. However, I had taken the MCAT twice already and scored a 5 and then a 4 in the verbal section. Yes, a 4! At some point I realized, I really had nothing to lose and just decided to do it, and boy am I happy I did. I have since been working with him for about 16 weeks now, and have seen a tremendous improvement in my scores in Verbal/CARS as well as increases the other sections of the test! Over the past few weeks I have been averaging 10/11s on the verbal section of the practice tests. That’s a 6/7 point increase! I didn't even know I was capable of getting a score like that.

Jack is overall a great MCAT CARS tutor. He has his own technique which is easy to learn if you just practice practice practice. He is also great at finding your individual weakness, or multiple weaknesses in my case, and helps you improve on each of them slowly over time. Additionally, he fantastic at keeping you confident in yourself and your reading skills, which is something I struggled with. It’s so easy to become discouraged when taking this test, but he is a great motivator. He definitely knows what he is doing. I can promise you, if you just give him a chance, you will not regret it! If someone like me who has struggled with reading comprehension my entire life, can see an improvement, then just about anyone can. I highly recommend that you invest in his CARS tutoring, and do so as early as you can! It was well worth it. I am taking the test this week, and can honestly say I have never felt more confident for a test. Thank you sooo soooo much Jack!

**NOTE: You have to be willing to put in A LOT OF WORK. He had me reading 1 to 3 hours/day, with verbal passage practice on top of that. It was not easy and at times very stressful, but it was absolutely worth it!

 

I, like some of you, was a bit hesitant to approach Jack. I opted in for a free trial session to see what it might be like. It was not only Jack’s strategic approach to reading each passage & answering the questions, but also his confidence, patience, and humility that brought me back. He has a very forthright attitude, so if he notices that you are not sticking to his technique, he will pin you down for it. He has incredible interpersonal skills and is very reasonable with the amount of work he gives you. Also, if you have concerns during your tutoring session, let him know - I am sure he will work with you to address your issues.

Some drawbacks: I have been in situations where I try too hard to justify an answer based on the strategy, even when another answer choice seems like it would fit the strategy better.

Overall: He is awesome. I definitely recommend him. He will instill confidence in you and confidence is key to performing well on this exam.

 

Jack is awesome!

When I started studying or the mcat, my verbal was super low. I was catching on well to the sciences and with practice and studying I was scoring in the double digits in PS and BS... But I was dead stuck on verbal! I was having trouble even breaking a five. I poured over $5000 dollars into kaplan and private tutoring all in hopes just to raise my verbal score, but the countless hours and stress did not help my score and in fact (at the time) was probably hurting it!

As a biology major and science/factual oriented learner, I noticed that the reason I was not understanding verbal was because I had no correct method or "formula" when i would approach the verbal section. I would struggle passage after passage and spend hours on a single passage reading it numerous times but still would not get the correct answer, and even worse I would not understand why I got my answer wrong which only frustrated me more. As a bright student, I had no idea what was wrong with me and I thought my hopes of doing well on the mcat and pursuing my dream of becoming a doctor was over.... Until I met Jack. The best thing about Jack is that he's not just a tutor, he empowers you to master AN APPROACH AND LOGICAL METHOD TO TACKLE THE VERBAL SECTION, which is EXACTLY what most science oriented people need to excel on a predominantly science based exam. Jack takes you through his method slowly and carefully, and gives you as much time as you need until you feel confident with it. He also teaches you to understand why you get questions wrong, which is something that is crucial to succeeding in verbal. You also don't have to be a good or fast reader to do well! Can you imagine?!?!? He also only uses AAMC passages which makes things a lot easier because eventually their style of writing becomes familiar over time. He gave me very specific homework detailed and catered to my needs based on what I needed to improve on. Also, he's been doing this for a while and has a tremendous amount of experience, and I believe he can help even the weakest verbal student to scoring big on the verbal section.

Jack is also incredibly easy to work with- he is patient, honest, and knows when and how much to push his students. He is also a real mentch and will not take your money if he feels he can't help you. Working with Jack did require a tremendous amount of work and effort on my part. I read 1-3 hours a day and did many passages. The work was far from easy but he was there with me all the way through. To sum it up, Jack is awesome and wish I would have started with him from day one because he is the one helped me get to where I am today! My verbal score doubled, and I plan to attend medical school this fall. I couldn't have done it without Jack!

Feel free to message me with questions... And good luck!

 

I've been on SDN for years and I've read so many MCAT CARS advice threads but Jack's method of teach is vastly different than I've read or studied before. Jack is your go-to guy for MCAT CARS: his standard class is well organized, teaching method is effective, and assignment of homework on a weekly basis sets the right expectations.

When I took Jack’s class, it was around 20 people but don't worry—he was very attentive to everyone's questions and concerns. He teaches you the ins-and-outs of acing the verbal section. I recommend accessing his trial session to get a feel of his teaching style. You will see how effective and applicable his methods are when taking the verbal section as well as other sections in the test. Though you might think it starts off slow, that’s actually an effort on Jack’s part at not overwhelming you all at once.

Jack is always open to fielding questions and takes his time helping you understand his methods (particularly the AAMC passages)—giving you an honest impression that he cares about your understanding of the material and wants to see you succeed. Even when my 8 week course ended, Jack insisted on meeting with me to go over passages I had difficulty with at the very beginning because I was too shy to ask.

As approachable as Jack is, this is ultimately a strategy course where you need to self-study and follow his methods at a balanced pace. Homework is assigned every week (which will help you master the AAMC passages) so there are no surprises. You can’t let yourself slack in his class. If you’re starting to slip, Jack will address this with you privately to get you back on track because he cares that you master this awful verbal section.

I’ve tried Kaplan, TPR, and Examkrackers but my score did not improve. Maybe I suck at English? I have a masters degree and wrote many academic papers but I still suck at reading?! I've spent over $2,000 on private tutoring with TPR, yet my verbal reasoning score did not improve. I was crushed when my TPR tutor told me I had no chance getting in to medical school and told me to stop now while I have the chance. Jack's MCAT CARS advice has helped raise my verbal score by 3 points and had a positive impact on other sections of the MCAT.

If you don't believe me, sign up for his free trial session. Jack will show you how to approach a verbal passage the right way.

 

Before I took the MCAT, I posted a review after completing a few of Jack’s classes. Now, that I have my MCAT score, I can write a more meaningful review.

I tried all the other strategies suggested by TBR TPR and Kap for the verbal reasoning section of the MCAT (now called CARS section), but I wasn't improving enough. The improvements I did make weren't consistent between practice tests. I can't speak to the issue of whether or not other tutors or strategies suggested by MCAT prep books could work for you, but I can attest to the quality of Jack’s strategies and the results I got. The verbal reasoning and CARS sections of the MCAT aren't intended to test your memorization of facts. But, the strategies other companies offer do indeed require you just that: you must memorize a long list of question classifications and the strategies associated with each of them. That is NOT efficient, and it IS counterproductive. You simply will not have the time while you take the CARS section of the MCAT to roll through your mental index of strategies and question types. Do not interpret this as me saying you don’t need a system; you VERY much do! your system should allow you to spend the bulk of your time on arriving at the right answer, rather than recall of complex algorithms. I can say With utmost confidence that, indeed, you MUST have a plan for how you will take the MCAT CARS section but it should be minimal, simple, intuitive, easy and quick to apply, and most importantly, reliable. Also, to be successful, you do need an ongoing assessment of your skills and evaluation of your progress. there are self assessment tools out there, but using those is nothing like having a real person to give you this feedback and in detail. If you design a prep plan for yourself, you don’t know whether it will work because it hasn’t been put to the test.

Jack’s system is superior because the skills he teaches are simple, congruent with skills tested by the MCAT CARS section, and effective. Taking this test will become intuitive if you learn from him, because his approach is based in sound logic and uses themes to arrive at the correct answer choice. This is an important skill to develop to do well on the MCAT. Also, Jack’s strategies have been put to the test, and they work. He has a lot of experience teaching others to reach their goals and he’s very familiar with test materials. He focuses only on the MCAT CARS section but it overlaps with the other sections. He is very familiar with the the exam, and what can be expected on the real test. he sees the patterns in your mistakes from an experienced perspective, which isn’t possible to do on your own. He interrupts your incorrect reasoning as it is occurring so as not to allow you to reinforce your wrong way of arriving at the right answer. He also explains your mistakes from a simple perspective of deductive reasoning and theme-matching which is what the CARS section of the MCAT is all about. His system and instruction is very organized. He acts as a sounding board, which is highly effective. many tutors advertise themselves to do just that, but, Jack is different in that he isn’t casual about the feedback he gives. He engages as intensely as you do, and he works intimately with you the whole time. His feedback is clear, and thorough, which will help you to develop your own ability to correct yourself in your independent practice. He uses the lessons to develop and strengthen your skills, and keeps everyone in the class focused. Once you learn his method, you will be able to use it in the science sections to determine the best answer there as well.

I jumped from a score of 7 to 11 on the verbal reasoning section of the MCAT because of working with him in less than 6 weeks. When i took the real test, i couldn’t work as quickly through the passages because i was so tired - i didn’t take the wise advice of not studying for the last week before the exam. i did the opposite and this resulted in sleep deprivation. Despite my mental state, I did the best i could during the exam, and was actually able to pull off a 9 on that section. This is impressive because I did not answer any question for the last two passages. That’s at least 10 questions missed yet i still scored 9. this is a testament only to having worked with jack. the reason why i was able to score that well despite not completing the section was because the passages were so easy to comprehend and the questions were so easy to match all because i had worked with him for 6 weeks. I regret not taking care of myself and resting and eating well the week before, but jack made a significant difference in my performance.


What I especially liked was that Jack doesn't limit his help to the number of sessions specified in your package. take the stipulation “or until you master the CARS section of the MCAT” very seriously. Jack made himself available to me outside of class for private sessions whenever I needed more help. And when he identified something I was doing wrong or something he wanted to discuss with me and explain further, he scheduled time for that because he is concerned. He relies heavily on word of mouth referrals to produce clients and honors the time and money you’re spending by making sure you get your money’s worth. In fact, he insisted on meeting with me outside of class for extra instruction. Trust that if you sign up for his classes or tutoring, your MCAT CARS score will be as important to him as it is to you. If you invest, he will do everything within his ability to get yo to the score you want. He won’t give up on you after the 8 sessions. If you haven’t mastered the material by the end of the term, he will continue to work with you until you’ve mastered MCAT CARS. He doesn’t let you slack, he keeps class focused and respects everyone’s time in the class.

He is very clear about what you have to do outside of class to reach your goals. He also addresses psychological obstacles in your progress - doesn’t give in to fear mongering and is very clear about his philosophy for mcat success - that it is not about intelligence, but rather, simply a function of your preparation time and methods. which is true and what makes it doable. Jack showed interest in my growth right away. he was strict - which makes him caring. he is as confident as he is because he truly believes in what he offers, and so do I.

Jack is straightforward. doesn’t dance around giving negative feedback if its needed. doesn’t waste your time - gives you your money’s worth and tells you exactly where you’re at, why you’re not where you want to be, and how to get there. There’s no guess work, B.S.ing or wasting of time. That’s his personality and teaching style. I can recommend him for MCAT CARS help without reservation because I've seen what he offers.

Jack is a dependable MCAT resource, both for the CARS section as well as for the sciences sections. He also goes over what the mcat test writers have in mind when they write the exam - what they’re looking for. I have gotten to know him on a personal level to some extent, and as a result, I can attest to the fact that he does not make guarantees he can not back-up. He just believes that deeply in what he can do for you, and I agree with him 100%.


Despite any doubt I had, Jack was very professional and extremely honest before, during, and after I worked with him. In addition, Jack finds deep satisfaction from helping and is a true teacher at heart. He invested in me as a student and makes time to be available to answer questions outside class and offers private sessions and additional UNTIL YOU MASTER the MCAT CARS section. Provided you do exactly what he says outside of class. jack’s confidence isn’t hype. it’s 100% legit. I can’t emphasize enough how legitimate Jack is. But if you’re like I was, you would do anything for an excellent score on MCAT CARS. If that’s what you want, he IS your best option. Try him out. Register for a free trial, or message him on skype. He will respond and he’ll listen to your questions. But just do yourself the favor of at least giving it a chance. You risk nothing and lose nothing by taking him up on his offer of a free trial session. If you're not convinced by the end that he’s worth every penny, then that's a personal choice.