If you’re finding it hard to make your medical school application stand out, then you might need a medical school admissions consultant. With the number of applicants growing each year, and the level of competition increasing, many students are turning to medical school admissions consultants to ensure they have the best possible chance of acceptance. While there are many medical school admissions consultants out there, it’s important that you know how to choose the best to help you with everything from how to study for the MCAT and how to write your medical school personal statement to advising you on how to get into medical school with a low GPA. This blog will highlight how a medical school admissions consultant can help you and what to look for in a medical school admissions consultant. 


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Article Contents
17 min read

How Competitive is Medical School? What is a Medical School Admissions Consultant? Who is Using a Medical School Admissions Consultant? Why Hire a Medical School Admissions Consultant? What’s the Best Medical School Admissions Consulting & How to Avoid a Scam

How Competitive is Medical School?

Medical school is becoming more and more competitive with medical school acceptance rates as low as 1% for some medical schools in the US. The situation is not that different in Canada. With fewer schools, but a proportional number of applicants as the US, Dr. Neel Mistry, a Canadian MD and a graduate of the University of Ottawa Faculty of Medicine, says:

"What makes the medical school admissions process so difficult is the applicant pool vs. the number of seats available per school (and total number of seats as well). In addition, the criteria for a “competitive” application is much higher today.” -- Dr. Neel Mistry, MD, University of Ottawa Faculty of Medicine

But what accounts for this fierce level of competition? Part of the reason is increasing applicants year after year. According to the AAMC, during the previous admissions cycle, there were over 10,000 more applicants that applied to medical schools in the US compared to previous years. Similarly, in Canada, there were over 5,000 more applicants that applied to medical schools in Canada compared to previous years. This represents an increase of roughly 25% over the previous 10-year period for US applicants and a 15% increase in Canadian applicants. But even with this increase in applicants, with population growth, aging and the retirement of older physicians, the AAMC predicts a shortage of between 42,600 and 121,300 doctors within the next 10 years, so there is even more to be done to address doctor shortages in the US and Canada.

 Did you know that there's been an increase of 25% in medical school applicants in the US over the last 10 years?

What is a Medical School Admissions Consultant?

A medical school admissions consultant is a consultant that will help you with your medical school application, medical school personal statement or get you ready for CASPer by going over CASPer sample questions and answers. But going over CASPer sample questions is something you can do on your own; the value of a medical school admissions consultant comes in the personalized feedback you get. Sarah, a recent medical school entrant who had to write the CASPer said that the advantage of using a medical school admissions consultant was that she “was able to do three full-length CASPer tests with expert feedback.” Eventually, Sarah found that:

“Being able to get advice from someone with knowledge on the CASPer test really gave me the confidence that I needed to do well on test day ... [It was] really able to tell me what I was doing well and what I needed to work on; I found this resource to be extremely helpful.” -- Sarah, BeMo student

Of course, the CASPer exam is only one part of the medical school application process; and it might not even apply to you if you don’t apply to a medical school that requires CASPer.

But if that is the case, a medical school admissions consultant can still help with one of the most important parts of any medical school application – the MCAT. Students preparing for the MCAT may also find a med school admissions consultant to be a great MCAT coach who can help them create an ideal MCAT study schedule or advise them on whether to retake the MCAT or not, since some students find they need to increase their MCAT score after taking a practice test. This happened to Moriah, a non-traditional medical school applicant who was eventually accepted to the University of Massachusetts School of Medicine.

A medical school consultant first advised Moriah to take a practice MCAT test to see what her potential score might be. After the test, Moriah “wasn't super happy with [her] score.” But she was running out of time; the deadline to submit her application was fast approaching. Moriah wanted to take the real MCAT test with only two weeks of preparation, but a medical school admissions consultant advised her that:

“Instead of cramming for 15 days and taking it for real, I should give myself the proper amount of time to study [for the MCAT]... [So] I decided to take a gap year.” -- Moriah, BeMo student, UMass Chan Medical School

This gap year not only allowed Moriah to gain valuable medical experience, she was also able to give herself plenty of time to study for the MCAT. In the end, Moriah says that even though “many students feel like they need to rush to get all of these things accomplished,” referring to medical school application requirements, she advises prospective medical school applicant not to “rush things.” She also advises that any premeds about to apply to medical school should put in the “proper preparation for making your application as strong as it can be.”

Learn more about Moriah's journey to medical school!

After giving you MCAT prep, a medical school admissions consultants can also help you prepare for the all-important medical school interview by providing you with advice, tools, and recommendations to significantly increase your chances of acceptance. But there have been changes to the interview format, which was usually a panel interview with two or more interviewers. Many medical schools in the US and Canada have adopted the multiple-mini-interview or MMI, which is an interview-style specifically designed for medical school by researchers at the Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine at McMaster University

The MMI consists of several “stations” that you have to pass through to complete the interview. Each station asks or present you with a different situation or scenario, and each new station aims to test a different competency, from your knowledge of medical policies and your response to an ethical dilemma to asking personal and even quirky questions. MMI questions can seem like a lot to take in, and one of our students, Nisha, who recently got into a medical school that uses MMI, can attest to that.

"I can be daunting to experience the MMI process without some sort of guidance." -- Nisha, BeMo student

With the guidance she was looking for, Nisha was able to “really polish my application and hone my MMI skills.” Her medical school admissions consultant recommended doing mock interviews, which Nisha found “gave me an idea of what I was going into.” But along with mimicking the real test conditions and situations, the “expert feedback” that Nisha got from her medical school admissions consultant gave her “the confidence I needed to answer the questions to the best of my ability.”

Of course, some medical schools don’t use MMI, but a good medical school admissions consultant should be able to adapt to any type of interview format, which is something that Mason was looking for in a medical school admissions consultant. Recently accepted into the University of Alberta Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Mason, a Canadian applicant, also applied to medical schools in the US, so he needed a medical school admissions consultant who was well-versed to both systems.

“[My medical school admissions consultant] was really able to tailor my interview prep to my specific concerns in my specific interview ... [They were able to] organize my multiple interview prep sessions in such a way that, they involved both a traditional kind of panel interview, as well as the multiple mini-interview type aspects.” -- Mason, BeMo student, University of Alberta Faculty of Medicine.

Mason found that some schools he applied to use a hybrid interview format – traditional, panel interview and MMI, so the personal touch of a medical school admissions consultant made a difference in this specific area.

Mason was having trouble with the acting station of the MMI – the “acting station” is where you act out a scenario, for example, in Mason’s case “breaking bad news” to a loved one or family member. Mason made clear his anxiety over the acting station, and his medical school admissions consultant took it into account. In his next prep sessions, Mason’s med school admissions consultant included the acting station, which meant he was really able to experience “a real interview environment.”

Additionally, they will prepare you to answer the most common medical school interview questions, MMI questions, and any other interview question type used in medical school interviews. Even better, a medical school admissions consultant can be your guide for a mock medical school interview, providing expert feedback and advice on your interview performance.

Want to learn more about Mason's premed journey? Check out the video below:

Who is Using a Medical School Admissions Consultant?

The truth is, most students who get accepted into medical school have worked with a medical school admissions consultant or a medical school advisor. Every applicant is unique, each possessing different strengths and weaknesses, most students who believe they can improve on even one area have decided to work with a professional. In such a competitive field as medicine, any improvement can make a difference between acceptance and rejection. That's not to say that a student can't get in without the help of a professional, this does happen, but the reality is, it's not very common.

Students often feel overwhelmed with the entire admissions process as there are so many unknowns. They struggle to determine how many medical schools to apply to, write their medical school personal statements, secondary essays as well as practice for their interviews, all while trying to balance life and family demands. So, who is actually working with a medical school admissions consultant?

1. Students With Low GPA/MCAT Scores

Some students that use the services of a medical school consultant have an average to low GPA and MCAT scores, such as Caden Cutshall, who said that “I was not confident with my MCAT score so I did not submit by application” Due to this, every other aspect of their application has to be beyond good in order to stand out among the rest of the applicants so naturally, they seek professional help. 

2. Students With Average to High GPA/MCAT Scores

Similarly, even students with a competitive GPA and MCAT score still seek the help of a medical school admissions consultant. Medical schools are looking for well-rounded individuals, simply having a high GPA and MCAT score is not enough to be guaranteed a spot. Applicants need to have excellent personal statements, essays and need to perform extremely well on their interview, which can be weighed as high as 100% requiring serious medical school interview preparation. Most students are not highly skilled in every single area of the admissions process. No matter how excellent a student's GPA, grades and MCAT score it's still possible that their interview or writing skills are below average, and in some cases, poor. In fact, last year we helped a student with near-perfect stats (GPA of 4.0 and MCAT score in the 99th percentile) get into 3 medical schools after 2 previous unsuccessful attempts when they had applied on their own)

3. Students With Gaps in Their Application

There are also students with noticeable gaps in their application or those who have taken a gap year before medical school. These students, for example, may be missing volunteering experience, shadowing experience or perhaps they haven't participated in any extra-curricular activities. But, according to Kristen, a lot of gap-year students also “lacked that guidance counselor role that a lot of undergraduate pre-med students get.” So, in seeking out and working with a medical school admissions consultant, Kristen found that they “really filled this void above and beyond what I could have ever imagined.” Kristen’s medical school admissions consultant worked with her on essay writing, as well as interview prep. With the help of her consultant, Kristen received six acceptances, and ultimately enrolled at the St. George’s University School of Medicine, a Caribbean medical school. These individuals also enlist the help of a professional so as to help them highlight other areas of their application and fill in gaps they didn't know could be filled. 

4. Students With Weak Writing Skills

Medical school personal statements, primary essays, and secondary essays need to be very well written. There are many students who sit down, try to begin writing and realize they are struggling to write down anything in an interesting, clear, effective manner. Perhaps they have their ideas ready, but they just can't seem to formulate them into an essay, or maybe they don't even know where to begin. A medical school admissions consultant works with these individuals to help them craft a successful statement or essay which will go through many revisions until it's just right.

5. Any Student Who Feels They Can Learn More or Improve Their Skills

Everyone is good at something or even a few things, but it's rare to be good at everything. For that reason, students who feel that there is something they can improve on, something they can learn, or want to reduce their stress levels and gain an added level of confidence during their interview work with an admissions consultant.

Who could use medical school consultant services?

Why Hire a Medical School Admissions Consultant?

This is a very good question, and fortunately, one of the students we worked with, Rishi, who was a medical school reapplicant, did his undergraduate at UC Berkeley and has been accepted to Carver Medical College has a good answer. But we’ll preface Rishi’s answer with his thoughts on applying to medical school, which, Rishi says, “is an extremely complicated and extremely competitive process.” It’s something to think about when you’re wondering about whether you should work with a medical school admissions consultant, because Rishi says, opining on his own experience, you should “look at it as a huge investment.”

You should think about how difficult applying to medical school is, and, the inescapable threat of medical school rejection, which means that you would have to repeat the entire, nerve-wracking process again, meticulously going over every aspect of your application. Or, you can work with a medical school advisor and save yourself the time from having to reapply again. As Rishi, who had to dedicate another year reapplying, said “saving a year; starting medical school a year earlier is definitely worth it, and you’ll be glad you did it.”

A medical school consultant will work with you one-on-one to increase your chances of acceptance through proven strategies, techniques and practice methods. Starting with the application process, an application preparation package will ensure that the consultant is with you every step of the way, through brainstorming which schools to apply to, to helping you with your personal statement, essays, CASPer test, and interviews. As medical school consultants have often been on the other side of the admissions process, they know exactly what evaluators and interviewers are looking for. They possess the skills and knowledge to find weak spots in your application and strengthen them, to remove red-flag or unfavorable items, and to showcase your attributes, personality, experiences, and strengths which make you a desirable candidate.

The admissions committees will be sifting through thousands upon thousands of applications, the first area you need to stand out in is on paper. This can prove to be difficult without the help of a medical school consultant and their ability to help you create a striking application that can't be overlooked like so many in the pile.

Depending on the school, the next stage of the admissions process could be a CASPer test, which is a computer-based sampling of personal characteristics. This test is often used to help whittle down the pile of applicants to decide who should be invited to an interview. Some top CASPer prep tips will tell you what you need to know about this test and give you some key tips for how to succeed. Individuals with higher CASPer test scores will be invited to continue through the admissions process while those with low scores will not. An excellent medical school advisor will be able to help you improve your CASPer test scores.

The final stage of the admissions process will be the interview stage. Medical school admissions consultants can help you prepare for your interview by providing you with mock interviews, sample questions such as MMI questions, and most importantly, provide you with expert feedback that is personalized to your responses. The interview will be your last hurdle to overcome and will often make or break your chance of acceptance, so preparing with a professional is essential for many students to develop strong interview skills and feel calm and confident on interview day.

What’s the Best Medical School Admissions Consulting & How to Avoid a Scam

1. Missing Student Reviews

If you're looking for a new restaurant to try, you'd probably visit TripAdvisor, Google reviews or some other reliable review website to see what past attendees have to say about the food, staff, and service. It's no different when it comes to selecting a medical school admissions consultant. If a service is good, no matter what the service is, there will be many happy customers that are more than happy to talk about what a positive experience they had. If a consultant has mostly negative reviews, it's easy to steer clear of them, but what if you can't find any reviews? If a consultant is missing independent, verified reviews, you should consider this a red flag. Without reviews, you're only left to assume two options. Either the company doesn’t have the experience they claim to have, or they are actively deleting unfavorable reviews, either option isn't good. For this reason, avoid any consultants who are missing reviews or whose reviews cannot be verified on an independent website such as Trustpilot.

The BeMo Difference

We've helped thousands of students around the world and have hundreds of reviews on Trustpilot. In fact, we have a 4.8/5 rating, which is the highest rating of all medical school advisors. Check out our Trustpilot Reviews to see for yourself! We think you'll agree that BeMo Academic Consulting is worth it.

“I had my first session with [BeMo] We had a meaningful discussion about where I am and what I can expect from BeMo from now on. [They] answered all my questions and made me feel confident about choosing this program. [They] also suggested several ideas for references and extracurriculars that I had never thought of before and was very compassionate about certain issues I brought up.” – Subin, BeMo student

2. A Low or Unverified Success Rate

Most consultants will have a success rate posted on their website which will tell you what percentage of students they helped were accepted. Of course, if this number is low, your chances of being accepted with that consultant will also be low, but it's important to dig further into this number to see if they have conducted research to verify that their tools and methods actually work.

The BeMo Difference

While most companies cannot prove that their methods work, here at BeMo we have conducted research and can scientifically back up the fact that our products and services work. Click here to check out our double-blind study and review our blog for a list of all schools our students have gained acceptance. We're proud of our 93.5% success rate for students working in our Platinum or Titanium programs.

 “Best MMI Ever!!! ... I had the most interesting scenarios as well as perfect acting scenes. It was my first MMI and I really got a feel of how MMIs look like.” – Chidinma, BeMo student

3. No Guarantees

A guarantee is a measure of company confidence in a product or service. If a medical school admissions consultant isn't proving a guarantee that their services actually work, it tells you that they don't believe in what they're offering, and if they don't believe it, why should you? This is another major red flag that could leave you mentally, emotionally and financially vulnerable if you work with a consultant that doesn't have any guarantees. What will happen if you spend the time, effort and money working with a consultant and you don't get in? Don't leave this to chance, it's best to stay away from any consultants that do not guarantee their work.

The BeMo Difference

BeMo absolutely believes in their products and services which is why we're the only company that provides both an 100% satisfaction guarantee and a Get In or Your Money Back® guarantee.

“The first two cycles that I applied to med school, I received interview invitations but didn’t get accepted. For the [latest] cycle, I subscribed to BeMo’s “The Vault” plan. For each of my monthly meetings with a consultant, I honed my interview skills and practiced the structured responses from their interview book. I also used the interview and MMI sample sessions for further practice. BeMo made the difference! I’ve had 3 stellar interviews and received 3 acceptance offers: Idaho COM, Noorda COM, and University of the Incarnate Word SOM! And I have 2 more interviews on the calendar before the end of this cycle. There is no doubt in my mind that I will use your services to prepare for residency applications! To the consultants, content developers, and authors at BeMo, thank you for making my medical school dreams come true!!" -- Alexander, BeMo student

4. No Free Option to Try Them Out

A top medical school admissions consultant will give you the opportunity to try out their services at no cost to you. Why? Because medical school admissions consulting isn't free, it costs money and if you're going to be spending money on a service, it should be one that is excellent and truly works to give you the best return on investment – in this case, getting into medical school! If you're in the market for a new car, you wouldn't simply just purchase one without even driving it off the lot. You would want to test drive it to ensure firstly, that it works, and secondly, to determine how it drives and if it's the right fit for you. The same goes for an admissions consultant. A free initial consultation gives you the opportunity to discuss what you're hoping for and ask any questions you may have to understand how the process works and what you can expect to get out of it. Speaking with someone one-on-one also gives you the chance to assess how the consultant is with you. Did they avoid answering some of your questions? Did they seem uninterested in what you had to say? Were they rushing your meeting the entire time? Did they genuinely seem interested in helping you achieve your goals?

The BeMo Difference

BeMo provides every student with a free initial consultation to give them the chance to speak with us face-to-face to learn about how we can best help them.

“Had my first session today with Cameron A, and immediately after logging off I realized that BeMo was worth every penny. We simulated a real MMI interview, went through an overall overview, and dissected every question. Not only did we review the proper way approach the question, he gave me examples and let me take another crack at it. After one session, I already feel way more prepared. Cam, you’re the man! Thank you for a great session!” – Tyler, BeMo student

5. Unsure of Their Qualifications

It's important to check the qualifications of the admissions consultant you'll be working with. Visit their website and research their team members to see what background they have. You'll need to know whether or not they have the skills, training, and expertise to advise you, otherwise it's impossible to trust that they know what they're talking about, so don't just assume this information without verifying it. You also want to ask them how each of their consultants are selected and trained. 

The BeMo Difference

Did you know that here at BeMo, we put all of our consultants through rigorous, standardized training to ensure that uniformly, we're providing the same expert advice, tools, and recommendations proven to work? We're proud to say that we only hire the best and those with a serious desire and commitment to help students be the best version of themselves and get accepted. In fact, less than 5% of applicants who want to work with us actually get hired at BeMo! Even then they have to go through a 100 hours of training before they are allowed to mentor any of our students. Our admissions experts have either worked as interviewers, evaluators or have gone through the admissions process themselves. They have all aced their training, and together, have 53 years of experience in the field of admissions.

“This was my second call with Lekha Reddy, and I cannot express how incredible it was! She seemed incredibly engaged and was able to provide detailed and specific feedback on each of my answers! Lekha is incredibly kind and has such valuable and used her experience with medical school to provide insight. I think if I were to change one thing, it would be to provide more criticism- but I think it is just her personality to see on the bright side! Keep up the great work Lekha!” – Natalie, BeMo student

To your success,

Your friends at BeMo

BeMo Academic Consulting


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5 Comments

Janet Clark

Can you help a student decide which medical schools they are most likely to get into? Will you tell a client straight up if they do not have a chance to get into a medical school?

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BeMo Academic Consulting

Hi Janet! Thanks for this very important question. We absolutely help students strategize which schools they are more likely to get into. We will be frank with a student if we think that their credentials are not enough to get into a specific school. Our consultants help students pick schools not based on prestige or reputation, but on what kind of school will be best for their values, academic history, career goals, etc. This is one of the ways to maximize your success - strategize what kind of schools will want applicants with your academic and extracurricular history.

BeMo Academic Consulting

Janet, you are the winner of our weekly draw. Please email us by the end of the day tomorrow (August 21) at content[at]bemoacademicconsulting.com from the same email address you used to leave your comment to claim your prize!

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Sakina Naqvi

Can you help students with lower MCAT scores get into US medical schools?

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BeMo Academic Consulting

Hello Sakina! Thanks so much for your question. Yes, we can help you get into medical school with lower MCAT! Please feel free to reach out to us for a free initial strategy call, so we can see how we can help you.

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Ade

Hi My daughter needs help with her personal statement for medical school. Thanks

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BeMo Academic Consulting

Hi Ade! Thanks for your comment. Please feel free to schedule a free initial strategy call so we can discuss how we can help your daughter with her application!

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Sam H.

Have you helped any students with undergraduate degrees in engineering get into medical school?

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BeMo Academic Consulting

Hello Sam! Thank you for your question. We have helped thousands of students from a variety of educational backgrounds. Please reach out to us for a free strategy call to discuss how we can help you get into medical school.

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Jean-Jacques BRAUN

Hi, do you work with foreign international students ? For students who are residing in Thailand, where would your nearest advisor be ?

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BeMo Academic Consulting

Hello Jean-Jacques! We definitely work with international students. We are completely remote, so our consultations are conducted 100% online. You would not need to travel anywhere to get the help you need. Reach out to us for a free strategy call to see how we can help. 

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