Length of Time Teaching MCAT Prep: 16 Years

Favorite MCAT Subject/Content to Teach: Immunology and genetics

Bio:

Patrick has been with Kaplan since 2007, showing students how manageable the MCAT can be when you know how to approach it the right way. In his former life as a scientist, he studied cancer genetics and the human immune response to influenza infection and vaccination, but his focus these days is on helping students earn elite MCAT scores.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

Q&A

Q: What was your biggest "aha!" moment when studying for the MCAT exam?
A: When I was a Kaplan student, my teacher explained how the incorrect answer choices were constructed in predictable ways. I remember thinking, "There's no way *I* would be falling for answer choices that are the exact opposite of the right answer. I'm too smart for that!" Predictably, when I reviewed my next test I realized that most of my incorrect responses in the CARS section were opposites. Just knowing about my tendencies allowed me to avoid the mistake I hadn't realized I was making, and my score in that section increased by 3 points simply by making that observation.

Q: What is your best overall advice for taking the MCAT exam?
A: Don't be afraid to make mistakes! Many people have a plan to learn all the content, then transition to practice as they get closer to test day. This is a bad plan, we don't want to study to avoid mistakes, we want to make those mistakes so we know what we need to study! And don't get stuck in the books—fluency in a foreign language doesn't come from reading the dictionary, but that dictionary is a great resource for looking up specifics when you need to. The MCAT exam is the same way, you won't become fluent in the MCAT exam by reading. And MCAT fluency is much more important than mastery of any science content, so make sure you practice early, and often throughout your journey to test day.

Why do you teach? What do you love about it?

I got into teaching MCAT prep because I enjoy learning and discussing a lot of different branches of science, and a lot of those branches are MCAT-relevant. But I've stayed in the job for as long as I have because of the students. When students demonstrate that they're applying the strategies we're working on, or that they've finally wrapped their heads around topics we've been struggling through. It may be corny, but that's a good feeling for a teacher. Almost as good a feeling as when a student reports back with an official score that exceeds their goal!