Study Groups - How to run them? What to do with them?

[FunkosaurusRex]

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I recently took my MCAT and was very happy with my performance (523). Through some connections, I was asked to coordinate and help run an MCAT study group at a local university. I thought this would be an interesting volunteer activity, and have some interest in doing it.

The problem is, I did all my MCAT prep solo. I'm not even sure how I would start putting together a useful study group program. I'm of the opinion that you improve not by reading/watching lectures, but rather by doing practice sets and testing yourself.

So I thought I would ask here if anyone has any experience either participating or running any in-person study groups, and if you could give me any insight. What did you do that you found helpful? How often did you get together and what did you work on? Anything like this would be amazing!

 

[honey0102]

I recently took my MCAT and was very happy with my performance (523). Through some connections, I was asked to coordinate and help run an MCAT study group at a local university. I thought this would be an interesting volunteer activity, and have some interest in doing it.

The problem is, I did all my MCAT prep solo. I'm not even sure how I would start putting together a useful study group program. I'm of the opinion that you improve not by reading/watching lectures, but rather by doing practice sets and testing yourself.

So I thought I would ask here if anyone has any experience either participating or running any in-person study groups, and if you could give me any insight. What did you do that you found helpful? How often did you get together and what did you work on? Anything like this would be amazing!

I ran study groups for some intro science classes. It helps to make a schedule of what topics are reviewed each week and for each week you can make an agenda of what to do. Typically this could include having members themselves go up to the board and give 5-min overviews on certain key topics (perhaps you can have them vote on which topics these are at the start of the session), going through some practice problems together (maybe in groups of 2-3) and then grouping as a whole and going over them, explaining them, on the board

 

[Coltuna]

I recently took my MCAT and was very happy with my performance (523). Through some connections, I was asked to coordinate and help run an MCAT study group at a local university. I thought this would be an interesting volunteer activity, and have some interest in doing it.

The problem is, I did all my MCAT prep solo. I'm not even sure how I would start putting together a useful study group program. I'm of the opinion that you improve not by reading/watching lectures, but rather by doing practice sets and testing yourself.

So I thought I would ask here if anyone has any experience either participating or running any in-person study groups, and if you could give me any insight. What did you do that you found helpful? How often did you get together and what did you work on? Anything like this would be amazing!

I held group tutoring sessions for science students and found it really beneficial to keep the discussion open. Just because some weird analogy (and I mean WEIRD for some of these students) works for one student or you, doesn't mean it will work for another. Identify problematic thinking based on these group discussions.

Number 1 thing: The worst thing you can do is have a my way or highway approach.