Verbal Reasoning Help: Private tutoring opinions needed.

[lvjd820]

Hey everyone,

After taking the MCAT recently, I found that I need to improve my verbal reasoning score significantly. I was considering one-on-one tutoring with either Kaplan, Princeton Review, or someone in South Florida. FYI, I already took a classroom course with Kaplan. So I wanted to see if anyone has done private tutoring with Kaplan or Princeton Review. The price tag on these courses are making me hesitant to choose right now.

Also, if anyone knows a private MCAT tutor around Miami, FL, who can specialize in verbal, please let me know too. What would be a good way to find a private tutor in my area? I found two, but one doesn't tutor in just verbal and the other charges more than Kaplan and Princeton.

Thanks for anyone's input!!

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[latrala2300]

I used TPRH hyperlearning workbook. i had a change of 5 points from my diagnostic (after studying) to my real MCAT, and it's very highly recommended on this site. Let me know through personal message if you'd like a copy.

 

[apoptosis123]

I was in your exact same position! I was freaking out so much about verbal I went and paid a lot of money for Kaplan private tutoring.

For verbal, all the tutor did was teach me the Kaplan method (which is garbage) 1 on 1. I suspect TPR would do the same thing, and their method isn't very good either. The tutor did help me a lot in going over my answers, but that's about it. I was able to improve my verbal score 5+ points by trying out different strategies myself and picking the one that was most comfortable. I don't regret getting the tutoring though because I got access to all of the Kaplan online material, which I found very helpful.

Bottom line: since you already took the Kaplan course, definitely do not pay for private tutoring. They will just re-teach you what you already learned. Get EK 101 and TPRH Verbal Workbook and test out different strategies until you find the one you like the best.

 

[BerkReviewTeach]

Hey everyone,

After taking the MCAT recently, I found that I need to improve my verbal reasoning score significantly. I was considering one-on-one tutoring with either Kaplan, Princeton Review, or someone in South Florida. FYI, I already took a classroom course with Kaplan. So I wanted to see if anyone has done private tutoring with Kaplan or Princeton Review. The price tag on these courses are making me hesitant to choose right now.

Also, if anyone knows a private MCAT tutor around Miami, FL, who can specialize in verbal, please let me know too. What would be a good way to find a private tutor in my area? I found two, but one doesn't tutor in just verbal and the other charges more than Kaplan and Princeton.

Thanks for anyone's input!!

Although the LSAT is different than the MCAT, you might try to find someone who does LSAT tutoring privately and try them out for an hour on MCAT material. This way you don't drop a bunch of money up front and can see if they are worth it before investing time and money.

 

[lvjd820]

Although the LSAT is different than the MCAT, you might try to find someone who does LSAT tutoring privately and try them out for an hour on MCAT material. This way you don't drop a bunch of money up front and can see if they are worth it before investing time and money.

Thanks for everyone's advice. I think I'm leaning away from private tutoring from the big companies now. I do like the LSAT idea since I have already tried EK and TPR. TPR strategies did help me increase by 2-3 points so far, but I'm still a bit low from where I want to be. I guess I'll be checking out tutors who would be willing to give a free demonstration.

 

[BerkReviewTeach]

I'll be checking out tutors who would be willing to give a free demonstration.

That's a great idea. There will be plenty of flyers up around campus advertising LSAT tutoring, so it shouldn't be hard to generate a list of candidates.

You might want to put together three or so passages from whatever source you like best and bring it with you when you meet them for the first time. Have them work through each passage and teach you how to do well on the questions. Seeing them in action on realistic material will help you make a great decision.

 

[Rachell]

Another important source is the Ivyhall “50 Verbal Reasoning Passages” by Charles Chaney. It helped improve my score and I believe the students who were tutored by the author of this book had real good experiences as well. I was in need of a good training resource for my reading comprehension and I ran into this book through a recommendation. There are like 7 different sections that you have to finish under a certain amount of time. The passages are written better than those Examcracker ones and contains explanations for all of the answers. If you’re looking for a good material that specializes in the verbal section, take a look at this book. I think it never hurts to add any valuable resources to your learning. This is one of those you wouldn’t want to miss.

 

[JohnGalt123]

Hi,

Has anyone tried Jack Westin from "VerbalMadeEasy" here ?

If so, do you have any feedback?

 

[ballistic]

Retracted.

 

[mcat2k14]

Any updates on the VerbalMadeEasy course?

 

[clairephillips]

Hello! I don't know exactly where you are, but I was able to go on www.wyzant.com and find a great tutor through them. These are private tutors that charge you an hourly rate where you arrange a time to meet with them. I found a guy who was in medical school at my dream school and had scored a 38. I only saw him once because I thought my problem was a content one (I was having trouble in physics) and instead we worked on calculations and it clicked immediately. I paid $40 for the hour with him and it was certainly worth every penny. It's definitely worth a try to attempt find a private tutor with MCAT experience through them. The best part is that if you don't like what the tutor does, you don't pay for the first session, so it really is like a trial.

 

[ZapadniyRus]

I actually think Verbal is something that tutoring will have little benefit for. They key is to do as many passages as you can before you take the mcat. Someone above commented about using TPR Hyperlearning Verbal book and I agree! It was most similar to the aamc exams in my opinion.

I used EK 101 passages to get my speed and timing down and then TPR Hyperlearning for aamc-like practice.

 

[Jepstein30]

I actually think Verbal is something that tutoring will have little benefit for. They key is to do as many passages as you can before you take the mcat. Someone above commented about using TPR Hyperlearning Verbal book and I agree! It was most similar to the aamc exams in my opinion.

I used EK 101 passages to get my speed and timing down and then TPR Hyperlearning for aamc-like practice.

Verbal is probably the best section to get tutoring for given its all strategies and no content.

If you're a poor test taker, verbal will be a nightmare for you because you can't just get by through knowing the material really well. A good tutor can help you develop a strategy that works for you and improve your critical thinking skills.

I mean, a tutor for the sciences is great and all but verbal is pure critical thinking.. which is usually the problem behind poor scores in the other two sections as well. You can watch videos online to get help with content.. you need to actively work with someone who knows what they're doing (what questions to ask, identifying errors in thought process, etc.) to get better in verbal/critical thinking. One presentation of content can typically help thousands... for verbal, you need constant feedback.

I don't think anyone necessarily needs a tutor to succeed but it certainly is a valuable part of the study process for many.

 

[crazy87]

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[crazy87]

haha just saw this was posted in 2010. whoops. missed the retracted post too..

 

[clairephillips]

Crazy 87, this is still uber-helpful, so thanks for the info!

 

[whizplusdum]

I increased 5 points on verbal using ek101. I completed the book 2 times =). First time I was not approaching verbal correctly and the second time I knew my past mistakes and knew how to approach it. I thought the other exams were not similar to my actual mcat. For some reason a few practice AAMC verbal passages were wth!

 

[mcat2k14]

Hello! I don't know exactly where you are, but I was able to go on www.wyzant.com and find a great tutor through them. These are private tutors that charge you an hourly rate where you arrange a time to meet with them. I found a guy who was in medical school at my dream school and had scored a 38. I only saw him once because I thought my problem was a content one (I was having trouble in physics) and instead we worked on calculations and it clicked immediately. I paid $40 for the hour with him and it was certainly worth every penny. It's definitely worth a try to attempt find a private tutor with MCAT experience through them. The best part is that if you don't like what the tutor does, you don't pay for the first session, so it really is like a trial.

Thanks so much! I'll look into this. The verbal is a beast...A fire-breathing dragon...

 

[Gauss44]

I used Wyzant, www.wyzant.com primarily because you can hire a tutor by the hour and they probably still refund the first hour up to $100 if you're not satisfied. You can try out different tutors this way until you find the right one.

 

[Strudel19]

The best way is to read the passage and just answer the questions. Don't skip around. Try to get down to 6-7 minutes per passage.

If you get the authors opinion, what the article is talking about and keep track of what information is in what paragraph and take plenty of passages you should see some progress.

Look at why you got the answers right and why you get them wrong. Look at the descriptions as to why your choice is right and why the others are wrong.

 

[Blueprint MCAT Tutor]

I suggest a small, local tutoring company or a private tutor who has taken the MCAT (or LSAT) and done well on verbal. Also, EK has a decent strategy. They want you to do all the passages, so that's a plus. good luck

As a guy who's been in the tutoring game for many, many years I want to throw out a few pieces of advice here and respond to crazy87's post.

First, and most importantly: he's right about being careful going with KTP/TPR for private tutoring, especially for VR. The big national companies offer a decent quality product when it comes to their materials and classroom courses. However the 1-on-1 tutoring is *very* hit or miss.

If you get a good tutor, great. If not, you're screwed b/c they typically have really bad drop/refund policies. So if your tutor sucks you're out a ton of money. Ironically what's even worse is getting a tutor who's just "meh" - it's not so bad you drop and get at least some money back but it ends up just being a one-man version of the class, which is a huge waste of money.

Next, a few people, including crazy87 have mentioned the LSAT. This is a very, very bad idea. Let me establish - I know what I'm talking about here. I got a perfect 180 on the LSAT, I wrote Kaplan's LSAT lesson book a decade ago and I've been to law school. The LSAT's reading comp and the MCAT's VR have a very different texture to them, and they reward very different mental stances. In fact, for a couple of years I was so focused on LSAT that my own MCAT VR scores dropped from 13-14 down to 10-11 just b/c I started treating the MCAT like the LSAT. Bad idea.

Now, what about strategies - crazy87 mentions that EK has a "decent strategy". That's a really good way of putting it. TPR, TBR, EK, KTP all have "decent" strategies in that they all give you some sort of framework for attacking the passages. But the key to improving VR is to find your own best strategy. Hop over to our office hours forum and read up the various posts I've put up about VR practice if you're looking for more advice: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/forums/next-step-mcat-tutor-office-hours.970/

Finally, what company to choose, or how to find a tutor. Now I'm not going to go on and on about how great Next Step tutoring is lest I be accused of just posting a commercial and/or violating the TOS of the boards. Instead, I'll offer some general advice about how to find a tutor. Here's the sticky post on our forum about how to choose a good tutor:

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At Next Step, we strongly encourage folks to shop around when considering an MCAT tutor. We know that our services are absolutely top-notch and that we've got the best tutors in the business - so when folks shop around they realize what an amazing value we offer.

So having said that - what should you look for when shopping around?

First, the obvious stuff:

1. Has the tutor taken the MCAT?

Believe it or not, several of the major national prep companies don't require that their instructors have even taken the MCAT. They'll have someone sit for their "diagnostic" exam and if the score is good enough (typically 31+) then they'll stick them in front of paying customers. So, always ask if the person has actually taken the MCAT.

2. Does the tutor have experience?

Again, lots of test prep companies don't require any previous teaching and tutoring experience (of any kind!!). Instead, they claim that their "training program" is enough to take a total novice into an actual test prep expert. Don't be fooled. Always ask about prior teaching experience.

3. Provide me with a testimonial/reviews.

This is simple - if the tutor doesn't even have a single positive comment/testimonial they can offer you from a past student, then that's a huge red flag. Either they're lying about their experience or they're so bad at their job they can't get any positive reviews.

4. Price

Goes without saying. This varies tremendously by geography and expertise. For example, you can find a totally solid tutor in a smaller geographic area who will to an amazing job for like $50 - $75/hr. By contrast, when I worked with my own students in the NYC area I routinely get paid upwards of $350/hr. Compare the price the person is charging to their level of experience and expertise. If someone is claiming 20 years of teaching experience and only charging $20/hr then you know there's something weird going on.

Next, the three REALLY important but non-obvious questions:

1. Can I speak with my tutor/teacher/instructor before I use up any of my paid tutoring time?

Some companies won't let you have so much as an email exchange with the tutor without charging you for the hours. It's really important to talk to your tutor before you start investing in tutoring hours, to make sure you feel 100% confident about working with them.

2. What if things aren't going well?

Ask it in an open-ended way like this to see how the tutor or company reacts. If they get offended or just stonewall you ("Oh, it always goes well! No problem!") then that's a huge red flag. Everyone knows that in a 1-on-1 business, sometimes personalities don't fit. Is the company immediately willing to switch you to another tutor if needed? Are they willing to give you a free hour to try out a new tutor if you're considering a switch? What's their refund policy?

3. What is your refund policy?

Arguably, this is the single most important question to ask any MCAT prep company at all, whether it's tutoring, classroom, videos, etc. The refund policy a company adopts tells you everything you need to know about the company's own confidence in the quality of their product or service. Always ask, "Hey if I have to drop my course, what's the refund policy?"

If the company says "no refunds" that a major red flag. Avoid at all costs. If you have a really bad experience, they won't give you any of your money back.

Another big red flag is if they say "no refunds after the second class" or "we'll refund you [but not at the rate you paid us]". The company is essentially telling you, "We don't have any confidence in our tutors, and people often drop after the second appointment, so we have to have a no refunds policy to avoid losing money." If you're worried at all, ask to get the refund policy in writing. Again, if they won't give it to you in writing that's a major red flag.

At Next Step, we don't offer fake marketing fluff promises about "guarantees" on Test Day. Nobody can guarantee what your score will be. Instead, we put our money where our mouth is and have a totally open refund policy - at any point in your tutoring, for any reason at all, if you want to stop, we will refund you for your unused hours at the rate you paid us, no questions asked, no hassles. We can offer that policy because our tutors are phenomenal and we know that you won't drop.

Good luck!

 

[crazy87]

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