In New Zealand, the MCAT is the Mathematics Common Assessment Task which is part of the National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA) Level 1 that is usually done by students in Year 11.
There are lots of ways to prepare for it (and you definitely should), but in this article, we'll be looking at private tutoring, how it can help you, and how to find the perfect tutor to help you with your MCAT.
Why Private Tutoring Works
There are a lot of reasons why so many people look to get help from private tutors and coaches. For academic coaching or help with school or university classes and exams, many of the issues that students encounter stem from how we typically try to teach students.
The Problems Caused by Modern Education
Modern education is only a few centuries old and private tutoring was actually the preferred way of learning for the wealthy families that enjoyed education almost exclusively across many cultures for centuries.
With the advent of modern education, education became accessible to everyone, which was a good thing, but it also created some of the problems that private tutoring can solve.
Firstly, students are often put into large classes with several other students and their poor teacher is expected to offer the best education possible despite the differing needs of each student.
Students are usually bundled into classes and while schools will put students together based on their age (based on the assumption that this makes their levels comparable), you'll know that not every student has the same level even if they're of a similar age.
Even students with a similar level won't have the same learning style or learn in the same way, but their teacher needs to try and make their lessons work for the majority rather than the individual.
Testing and standardised tests don't help matters either since this can force teachers to focus on teaching their students what they need to perform well on their exams (because it reflects well on them and the school) rather than actually teaching them useful information.
This is by no means a criticism of teachers, by the way. They often do an incredible job and would do an even better one if they had smaller classes, more resources, and spent less time teaching exams so they could spend more time teaching the subjects they're passionate about, but, sadly, they can't.
How Private Tutoring Solves These Problems
The problems of traditional and standardised education are the same ones that are solved by private tutoring. Here are just a few of the key reasons why tutoring is so effective.
Personalised Approaches
By teaching students individually, tutors can adapt every minute of every session to the student's level, preferred learning style, and even personality.
Custom Learning Plans
Private tutors can create custom learning plans and lessons for each student. They can adapt these over time as they get to know the student while also keeping track of the student's progress.
Working on Study Skills
Tutors can teach specific subjects while also playing the role of an academic coach. They can help students become better learners by showing them appropriate learning techniques and ways to prepare for exams while coaching them to ensure they stay motivated.
Students with Different Needs
Tutors are also an excellent way for students who might need some extra help to get it. Whether this is because a student is falling behind their peers in class, is managing a learning disability, or has any other requirement that can be helped by tailored tutoring.
Tutors with Areas of Expertise
You can find tutors with really specific areas of expertise, something that a teacher at school mightn't be able to offer.
Whether this is a particular area of maths that's on the MCAT, the MCAT itself, or even just some of the different needs that the student might have, there are plenty of different tutors out there with differing areas of expertise.
For example, MCAT tutors can help you find the right resources such as past MCAT papers, study guides, and walkthroughs while also ensuring that you have the necessary study skills to perform to the best of your ability during the exam.
The Downsides to Tutoring
Overall, we obviously think tutoring is worth it or we wouldn't be a private tutoring platform, but that isn't to say that tutoring is perfect. Nothing is, after all.
The main downside that concerns families and students looking for private tutors is the cost. Private tutoring is usually a premium service which means you have to pay a premium for it.
However, there are a few ways to reduce the cost of tutoring. For one, online tutoring is generally cheaper than face-to-face tutoring as the tutor shouldn't have travel costs to worry about.
Group tutoring is often significantly cheaper, but this does mean that you won't be able to enjoy all the benefits of individualised tutoring. That said, you can still work with a tutor in groups smaller than the typical size of a class.
Working with the wrong tutor can also end up being a waste of time and money, which brings us to our next point.
How to Find the Perfect MCAT Tutor
To get the most out of private tutoring, you need to choose the right tutor, which is often easier said than done.
Here's our advice for finding, shortlisting, and choosing the right tutor.
Work Out What You're Looking For
Different tutors will work better for some students over others so you must start by thinking about exactly what you'll need your tutor for.
While “revising for the MCAT” is a good place to start, it's also wise to think about what you'll expect from your tutor, how they'll help you to revise, and what you expect to do in the sessions.
A good tutor will probably talk to you about this before you hire them to make sure that you're on the same page. You need to have clear expectations of one another before you start working together and by knowing what you're looking for in a tutor, you can set clear and achievable expectations.
Do you need help planning revision sessions, techniques to make your revision more effective, or specific tutoring on mathematical concepts that feature on the MCAT that you're finding difficult?
You'll find that there are different tutors to each of these or more general tutors who can help you with everything.
Make a checklist of what you need from your tutor so you can see if potential tutors meet your requirements before you start working with them.
Search for Private Tutors Online and Face-to-face
Websites like ours and other tutoring websites are designed to help students find the right tutors for the job, but there are also ways to find tutors offline, too.
You can speak to people, let them know that you're looking for tutoring, and let word of mouth do its things. The more people that know that you're looking for a tutor, the better. You can mention this on social media to your friends and followers or even join tutoring groups and ask around.
Pay Attention to Qualifications and Experience
Both qualifications and experience are useful, but they're not everything. Tutors need to have relevant qualifications and experience.
Are they familiar with the format of the MCAT? Have they worked with other students on their MCAT? How long have they been a tutor?
These are all questions you'll want to answer before you hire your tutor.
Shortlist Suitable Candidates
You should shortlist the tutors that meet your requirements on the checklist we mentioned earlier. On the Superprof website as well as many other tutoring platforms, you can find out a lot about each potential tutor before you contact them.
Carefully read their profiles so you can see what they offer, how much they charge, what other students think of them, and how they stack up against what you're looking for.
Once you have your shortlist, you can start reaching out to tutors for more information and even interview for the best possible candidate.
Interview Potential Tutors
In addition to making sure every tutor can do what you need in terms of tutoring, you'll want to check that you get on well with them or that your personalities are compatible.
There's nothing worse than having a tutor that you don't click with or you don't feel comfortable. Make sure they're right for the job by chatting with them first.
Many of the tutors on Superprof offer their first lesson or session for free so you can even try out a taster session before you choose.
Talk About Schedules and Rates
During an interview or even a chat, you and your tutor must be clear on what you want from your sessions, how much you'll be paying, and when they'll be taking place.
These are probably some of the more boring details to sort out, but they're also the details that you have to be really clear about for when the time comes to study with your private MCAT tutor.
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