Teaching Prep Class as Study Tool

[156925]

I have the chance to teach for TPR this Spring and am considering it as a means to study for the actual test.

I know that being able to teach a subject to others yields mastery.
I really dont mind teaching and test prep isn't a bad part time job, but getting the highest score possible is of course the most important consideration.

Would this be a wise move or would I be better off just studying on my own or taking a class?
I am concerned that some of the BS that goes along with teaching a class will outweigh the benefits associated with it in terms of learning the material for myself.

Thank you.

 

[BerkReviewTeach]

I have the chance to teach for TPR this Spring and am considering it as a means to study for the actual test.

I know that being able to teach a subject to others yields mastery.
I really dont mind teaching and test prep isn't a bad part time job, but getting the highest score possible is of course the most important consideration.

Would this be a wise move or would I be better off just studying on my own or taking a class?
I am concerned that some of the BS that goes along with teaching a class will outweigh the benefits associated with it in terms of learning the material for myself.

Thank you.

Teaching is the very best way to really learn a topic well. It sounds like a great idea if they let you. Do they know you are studying for the MCAT while you'll be teaching? I have to believe that they'd be a bit concerned about how it would look to students to have the teacher be someone who was also studying. If they don't care, then definitely do it.

 

[Rabbit36]

I have the chance to teach for TPR this Spring and am considering it as a means to study for the actual test.

I know that being able to teach a subject to others yields mastery.
I really dont mind teaching and test prep isn't a bad part time job, but getting the highest score possible is of course the most important consideration.

Would this be a wise move or would I be better off just studying on my own or taking a class?
I am concerned that some of the BS that goes along with teaching a class will outweigh the benefits associated with it in terms of learning the material for myself.

Thank you.

I really wouldn't recommend it. I'm an instructor for a prep course and I'll give you my take. A lot of your time is spent prepping, and there you're trying to figure out how to teach strategy/ask good questions of students. As a teacher, you shouldn't focus too much on the content, because a lot of it is the responsibility of students outside of class. You obviously need to review the content and be expert in it, but that's not the point of your lessons. While I agree in most cases that teaching is the best way to learn, the didactic styles of most prep courses I think make them not the best way to learn from as an instructor. You need to be an expert and your focus should be on your students' weaknesses, not your own. I don't think they want an instructor with somewhat ulterior motives than only helping students get the highest scores possible. Your question also strikes me as strange, because I think you generally need to have scored above the 90th percentile or so to teach, so why are you studying again? Unless you haven't taken it at all, in which case...don't teach. Not sure about TPR's policies, though.

 

[156925]

Thank you for the thoughts.
You guys pretty much just summed up the pros and cons I was considering.

To address your concerns, if you have yet to take the actual test, they give you their own diagnostic test to determine your knowledge and also review your coursework taken beyond the prereqs.

 

[DrJD]

Alright, I took princeton review a long time ago and taught for Kaplan, and took the MCAT twice, etc. etc.

Anyway, for TPR... TEACH!!!!! TPR as I recall focuses a lot on content review, where as Kaplan has a lot of BS "strategy" stuff...

If you have any specific questions I'd be happy to help, but based on my experience I think that if you teach for TPR you will get at least a 13 in that section when you take it, teaching is an amazing way to learn and with TPR you'll be focusing on content.