MCAT Tutoring Jobs: What you Need to Know

What exactly is an MCAT tutor and what do they do?

What do MCAT tutors do? 

MCAT tutors are experts who help students study and prepare for the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT). These tutors are usually experts in not only the MCATs but in one or all of the specific subject areas that are tested on the MCAT. For example, some MCAT tutors might specialize in chemistry, while others might have specific training in philosophy and critical thinking. Furthermore, MCAT tutors also have expertise in exam preparation which allows them to teach students how to study and prepare for challenging exams like the MCAT. 

They help students by providing guidance and teaching them high-yield study techniques to ensure that they can read and understand the material that the MCATs will then test them on. They also help students find and review different study materials that will help them prepare further. Additionally, they give students the test-taking strategies and tools needed to improve their MCAT timing. 

Overall, MCAT tutors help students prepare for one of the most important exams of their academic and, by extension, professional careers. Considering how hard the MCAT is and all of the different strategies that go into preparing for it, they also give students the tools to study better in medical school and beyond. 

What does an MCAT tutoring job entail on a day-to-day basis? 

If you're wondering what all the above looks like daily, we can’t give you a specific answer. MCAT tutoring jobs can take so many different forms. Some tutors offer their services as part of an MCAT prep course, or they might work with a company that provides MCAT Private Tutoring Services. Others also choose to focus on specific sections of the MCAT. For example, most students find the MCAT CARS very challenging and difficult to prepare for, so some tutors prefer to focus on helping students with their MCAT CARS prep. 

Furthermore, MCAT tutoring jobs look different depending on how and who you work with. Some tutors offer freelance services, working directly with specific students, while others work part-time or full-time with companies that provide tutoring services or prep courses. Most of the time, you need to have some additional training to do the latter. You can get this training on your own, or if you're lucky, you may come across a company that is willing to invest in its employees and provide additional training as part of your work.

Whether you are a freelancing tutor or have an MCAT tutoring job with a specific company, your day-to-day will also be affected by the type of service offered. Some tutors have to physically go and meet different students for their sessions, while others teach online. Some tutors do individual classes online but teach larger prep courses in person and vice versa. There are so many different options available for MCAT tutors.

What skills do you need to be an MCAT tutor?

Check out this infographic for a quick summary of the key points we will be covering shortly:

If you want to become an MCAT tutor, the two standard requirements are to have the qualities of a good teacher and be knowledgeable about the MCATs or at least one of the sections on the MCAT. There are four different sections on the test (listed below), so you should be familiar with all of them, but you can become an MCAT tutor even if you only specialize in one of those fields.

The four sections of the MCAT:

1. Biological and Biochemical Foundations of Living Systems,
2. Chemical and Physical Foundations of Biological Systems,
3. Psychological, Social, and Biological Foundations of Behavior,
4. Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills.



Beyond that, the exact qualifications you need to get an MCAT tutoring job will depend on the company or person you want to work with. That said, we have put together a list of the most common requirements so that you can have some idea of what you might need in order to be successful when applying for MCAT tutoring jobs. Let's look at each one of them:

In-depth knowledge of subjects tested on the MCAT

Helping premed students prepare for the MCATs involves helping students study Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Math, psychology, and sometimes even English to improve MCAT reading comprehension. You can't do this if you don't have some in-depth knowledge in at least one of those fields. 

Some companies and individuals have high standards and specifically want to work with individuals who either have a graduate degree and a Ph.D. or are completing a Ph.D. in one of those fields. Others want a tutor with at least one bachelor's degree, preferably in a scientific field.

A good score on the MCAT

In order to teach someone how to prepare for something, you need to know what they are facing. Ideally, you have encountered the same thing and done it successfully. This is why most employers and individual students look for tutors who have not only taken the test before but who were able to get a competitive MCAT score. 

Some employers are even more specific and look for individuals who struggled with their own MCAT test prep and had to look for or develop different strategies to improve their MCAT score. Ideally, you want to have a verifiable MCAT score of 515 or higher. 

Not sure what a good MCAT score is? This video is for you:

Critical thinking skills

 MCAT CARS is a notoriously challenging section for students because they don't know how to prepare for it. A big part of that is the fact that a lot of people actually don't understand what is meant by critical thinking and that you can actually improve your critical reasoning abilities. If you want to get an MCAT tutoring job, you need to not only understand this but also have strong critical thinking skills yourself. 

There are a few companies that provide rigorous training and teach you how to improve your critical thinking skills and how to help others do the same. That said, a big part of the job is helping students improve MCAT CARS scores, so companies usually require you to have a solid understanding of the concept of critical reasoning and analysis and how to improve those skills. 

 Excellent communication skills

 In order to teach, you need to be able to communicate effectively with students of different age groups and backgrounds- there is no way around that. This is especially important if you are hoping to work remotely. Companies that offer MCAT prep services online usually have students from all over the globe, and it will be your job to make sure your sessions with them are as engaging as they are informative.

Excellent written and verbal communication skills are essential, and they appear in almost every job description for MCAT tutoring jobs. It also helps if you are personable, patient, comfortable speaking in public, somewhat culturally aware, and generally have good interpersonal skills. 

 Prior teaching, tutoring, or mentoring experience

 This is not always a requirement, but it is an asset. Many employers prefer to work with someone who has previous teaching, tutoring, or mentoring experience. So, if you worked as a TA during undergrad or if you tutor high school students in your community, that's something that would strengthen your resume as a tutor. 

While some employers are willing to provide training, many others are not. Furthermore, even those who want to help you become a better tutor want to see that you already have the makings of a good teacher. If you have worked with younger students in the past or taught your peers, then it tells them that you have a better idea of what you are agreeing to do when you take MCAT tutoring jobs. 

What are the advantages of being an MCAT tutor? 

What are the benefits of being a BeMo MCAT tutor?

If you believe that you have the skills that we listed above and the advantages that we listed in the previous section appeal to you, then you should definitely look at some of the MCAT tutoring jobs that we are currently hiring for at BeMo. Our team is growing, and we are looking for like-minded individuals who want to help us help our students achieve their dreams. You'll find a lot more information about us in the job descriptions and by reading about our culture, but we would be remiss if we didn't share some of the benefits of working at BeMo with you. 

So here are three of the many perks of working as a BeMo MCAT tutor: 

Conclusion

MCAT tutoring jobs are very rewarding. Working as an MCAT tutor allows you to interact with students from all over the world, teach them lifelong skills, help them navigate one of the most challenging periods of their academic career, and ultimately help them achieve their goals. To be a good MCAT tutor, you need to have done well on the MCAT yourself, have excellent communication skills, and be knowledgeable about the topics covered in at least one of the four sections of the MCAT. If you believe that you have all the skills that we outlined and the perks that we listed sound like what you want in a job, then MCAT tutoring jobs might be ideal for you.

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To your success,

Your friends at BeMo

BeMo Academic Consulting 

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