MCAT2015 in 2017

Is the Test Getting Harder?

Introductions

• Bryan Schnedeker

• Next Step’s VP of MCAT Content and Tutoring

• Worked with thousands of MCAT students over the last 15+ years

• Personally achieved a 525 on the current MCAT, and a 44 on the old version

MCAT2015 in 2017• Recap: What changed in the new format MCAT and what

prep has the AAMC offered?

• How has the AAMC’s prep aterial e ol ed to refle t changes in the MCAT over the past two years?

• Does this mean the MCAT is objectively harder in 2017?

• How does this impact student prep?

Answering the Question

New Test, Similar SkillsAAMC announced the new

MCAT would include:

• Cross-disciplinary thinking

• Research and lab skills• Data interpretation and

basic stats

• New content (psych, biochem, etc.)

AAMC’s Prep Materials• Unscored Sample Test and Question Packs

• Still felt quite like the old MCAT• Explicitly was old material repurposed in Question Packs

• Section Bank: Passages actually administered• Nearly entirely based on primary research articles• Difficult!

50% Research-Based

Passages & Questions

≈ % Research-Based Passages & Questions

Student Reactions

So is the test getting harder?• Yes but…• Student reports have to be taken with a

very big grain of salt, but the consistency of

the reports about primary research make it

clear this is the direction the test is going

• Harder i the se se that it is ore intimidating, students can get lost in the

passage, etc.

So is the test getting harder?• No because…• Still a normed exam

• So ot te h i ally harder i the se se of harder to s ore i the 80th per e tile ut harder i the se se of re ardi g a ertai kind of test taker / prepper

So is the test getting harder?

• Re ards stude ts ho do ’t freak out at the passage itself• Pra ti e, k o i g the Q’s are the sa e diffi ulty as al ays• Able to think across disciplines• Ironically, even more rewards critical thinking rather than

brute memorization even with more content to be memorized

• Creates a sharper divide between savvy preppers and others

Helping Your Students be Savvy Preppers • Next Step Free Bundle:• https://nextsteptestprep.com/freemcat• Robust set of resources:• Half-Length MCAT Diagnostic• Science Content Diagnostic• Full Length #1• QBank Physics Sample• Lesson #1 of our Online Course• And More

The Next Step Difference• Founded in 2009 on the principle of providing personalized

prep for the price of prep course

• Obsessed with providing students with the prep resources that work with them, no matter their goals

• Best free resources available for pre-health students. All day – Everyday.

Our Values

•Educate Everyday•Approachable Expertise•Authenticity•Professionalism•Ownership

Institutional Benefits• Discount code for our exams and tutoring for your students to use at

anytime

• Virtual sessions to bring our expert instructors to your students in your AV equipped room on campus

• Deep discounting available on classes and exams if sponsored and/or purchased at an institutional or departmental level

• Cohort-level reporting to see how your students are progressing

• 100+ hours of core teaching videos along with 10 hours of live office hours and strategy sessions every week (recordings available)

• Instructor and Higher Score Guarantee

• Over 10,000 total practice items

• Ten full-length Next Step MCAT exams, two diagnostic exams, all three AAMC exams, and other resources

• A strong focus on test-taking strategy and thinking like the AAMC

• All course materials and sessions created and led by top 2 percent MCAT scorers with four or more years of MCAT teaching experience

Personalized Online Course

• Four Strategy and Practice books, totaling over 150 practice passages

• Four Content Review books with content-specific quizzes containing over 4,000 questions

• Verbal Practice book with 108 CARS passages

• MCAT Science QBook with 2,000 discrete science questions

• Ten full-length Next Step MCAT exams; two diagnostic exams

• All exams feature full answers and explanations as well as detailed score reporting

Prep Materials

Detailed ReportingFor Your Students For You

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