Free Intro Session FAQ

Free Intro Session Frequently Asked Questions

How long does the MCAT Launchpad take?

If watched at 2x speed, the MCAT Launchpad will only take 35 minutes, during which you will learn 6 Keys to Earning a Top MCAT Score, the 5 Essential Elements of an Effective Study Plan, 12 Tips for Taking the Best MCAT Study Notes, and more!

Do I need to complete every video in the MCAT Launchpad?

The MCAT Launchpad builds a solid foundation for your MCAT studying. In order to achieve a top MCAT score, you will need to devote hundreds of hours to studying. The effectiveness of those study hours will determine whether your score in the 50th or 90th percentile, significantly impacting your chances of getting accepted to medical school. The tips I share in this Intro Session will help you make the most of every minute you have to study for the MCAT, maximizing your MCAT score. For this reason, you’ll need to watch each video in the MCAT Launchpad. Your MCAT score will thank you!

How helpful are the tips in this Intro Session?

Students love the Free Intro Session! Here are just a few of the hundreds of comments I hear from students about it: “You’ve done an amazing job breaking down the MCAT into something manageable. I feel like I can do this! Thnaks!” -Abigale Rogers “this is amazing and very helpful. I was so overwhelmed and confused about this process and things are more clear now.” – Loretta “I love how simple you make all of this sound. I feel so much more at ease about the MCAT now. Thank you Andrew!” – Krystie “Thanks man! Very helpful and fun. I appreciate your help with this challenging test!” – Andrew “This session is dope on a rope” – James Elkins “I finally have a starting place with my MCAT studying. Thank you!” – Megan “You’ve shown me that I don’t need to spend $3,000 on a Kaplan course. I feel confident I can succeed by following these tips!” – Timothy “I dont get why people pay $10,000 for a kaplan immersion when this exists” – Rob “I was very nervous before this, but these tips make me feel more confident already” – Daniel “So glad I attended. I’ve learned more in this one hour than I have this past year in school. Actually excited to start mcat studying!” – Delisa “Thank you so much, This has been tremendously helpful, I would have spent thousands if it were not for andrew” – Brett Conrad “I like how everything is very clearly explained and how confident Andrew is in his students!” – Shelby “It was enlightening to learn about this session. Now I feel I have a plan moving forward!” – Omar “Thank you for saving me $3000!” – Myranda “It’s really made me understand that I can do well on this as long as I follow the necessary steps. it is possible to do well on your own time!” – Jacob “I’m loving this session! It’s very straightforward and I’m excited to get started! :)” – Vanessa “I love how thorough you are and how you give the logic behind all of your methods!! Thank you!” – Bruin “I am feeling motivated to study better since I know where to start. Before I was just overwhelmed” – John “I wish I heard about the self prep sooner, because I paid for Kaplan and now I only have 6 weeks till my exam and wish that I was doing this instead of the kaplan…” – Sarah “I love how easy it is know what I need to do. It’s been very detailed but easy to understand. I feel better prepared already just from these tips” – Madelyn “Everyone should watch this video before they decide what MCAt study path to take.” – Emma And on and on…

Can I watch this faster?

It is crucial that you watch the entire Intro Session so that you don’t miss a single one of my essential tips for MCAT success. For this reason, you won’t be able to skip forward through the video; however, feel free to increase the viewing speed to 2x the speed if you’d like. Just make sure to pay careful attention as these tips will make or break your MCAT score.

How can I get the slides, script, or replay?

After completing the MCAT Launchpad, you’ll be able to revisit and rewatch anytime you’d like. You may also be interested in reviewing the Slide Deck, or reading the Script. Enjoy!

How do I get access to the Free eCourse?

In the final lesson of the MCAT Launchpad, you will receive detailed instructions for gaining immediate access to all ten modules of the Free eCourse.

Help! I’m having technical difficulties completing the Free Intro Session.

I’m sorry for the trouble! Please feel free to watch the Free Intro Session here. I give detailed instructions for gaining full access to the 10 Content Modules of the Free eCourse, so make sure to pay careful attention throughout the entire video.

What if I have a question not listed here?

Be sure to check out our comprehensive list of FAQs here. If you still have a question, feel free to reach out to me directly using one of the many contact forms on the website. I’m always happy to help.

Most Commonly Asked Questions

How should I get started with MCAT Self Prep?

To get started, you should watch my Free Intro Session. It will orient you to our eCourse, teach you my most important study tips, and provide you with the steps needed to immediately start working your way towards a top MCAT score.

After watching that, I’d recommend working your way through my Create-your-own Study Plan Course (will be explained during the Free Intro Session), which will help you use your results from a short diagnostic exam to create an individualized study plan. From there, you’ll be all set to start studying away! 🙂

I’m having trouble accessing Quizlet sets.

The Quizlet Flashcards embedded within each lesson of the Content Modules come as part of the Advanced or Deluxe Pro Plans. Immediately after your purchase, you should have received an order confirmation via email with 3-step instructions for accessing the Quizlet Flashcards. You’ll need to carefully follow these instructions exactly. If you didn’t receive an email confirmation, you can always view your order confirmation by hovering over “My Account” in the top right corner of any page, clicking on “My Purchases” and then viewing your order summary.

If you are having trouble accessing Quizlet flashcards that come with a Memorization Course (i.e. Amino Acid Mastery Course, Behavioral Science Booster Course, etc), you can find the instructions for accessing these by going to the eCourse Homepage, scrolling down and clicking on the Memorization Course, and then following the 3-step instructions for accessing the Quizlet sets on the main page of the course.

If you’ve carefully followed the 3-step instructions for accessing a Quizlet set and are still unable to access them, please shoot me an email with your Quizlet username so that I can manually add you in.

Should I start studying now?

I’d recommend starting your MCAT studies as soon as possible no matter how many pre-med classes you still need to take. In fact, I privately tutor many students straight of high school, and I help them match up what they are studying in their classes with their MCAT studying. In this article, I provide some detailed guidance regarding studying for the MCAT while taking classes.

I attended the Free Intro Session, purchased a Pro Plan, and I still can’t access the Content Modules.

Sometimes it takes a few minutes for our system to register that you’ve completed the orientation. If you are logged in, though, you should have full access to all 10 of the Content Modules. If you are logged in and it still isn’t working, I’d recommend clearing your browser history, restarting your computer, logging into MCATSelfPrep.com, and then trying again. After trying this and it still doesn’t work, please reach out, and I’m happy to do whatever I can to make this work for you.

Should I take my diagnostic now or wait until after I’ve reviewed the content / after I’ve finished my pre-med classes?

I’d recommend taking a diagnostic exam before you dive into your MCAT studying no matter how many pre-med classes you have left. It is essential to gain a clear idea as to where you are starting from. If your exam date is still one year or more away, instead of using the AAMC practice problems (access only lasts about 1 year), I’d recommend using one of the other free diagnostic exams available out there (such as the Free NextStep Half-length).

The Study Plan Spreadsheet recommends too many study hours.

The spreadsheet calculates the number of hours needed to study based on what I’ve found to be true for the average student. For instance, the average student will improve at a rate of 1 scaled score point increase per 50-75 hours of studying. This rate may be higher for the average student based on other factors such as difficulties with certain subjects, history with English, etc. We take these factors into account in the spreadsheet, but obviously, we can’t take into account every factor under the sun and for this reason, we can’t know with exact certainty what your unique rate of improvement will be.

That being said, with my private tutoring students, I plan for the average. This means, I’d recommend making your plan based on the recommendations in the spreadsheet and then adjusting along the way if once you begin to discover that your unique rate of improvement is different from the average student. You can always adjust your plan down the road based on this new information, but at the beginning when we don’t know yet, I believe it is best to plan based on what is true for the average student.

This may mean that you will need to adjust your goal score to be lower so that the spreadsheet will give you a number of study hours that is more realistic given your situation. It may also mean extending your test day to give yourself the amount of time required to truly succeed on this exam. If you’d like some one-on-one help deciding which actions to take, I’d recommend signing up for one of our low-cost tutoring packages.

Can I be ready for the MCAT by X date?

When it comes to being ready to take the MCAT, more important than the number of months you spend studying is the total number of hours that you study, and the number of hours required to achieve MCAT success varies greatly. Some students who are already close to their goal may only need to study a couple hundred hours while those who still have a long way to go may need to study over one thousand hours. To determine how many hours YOU should study, several factors need to be considered such as your GPA, academic history, score on an MCAT diagnostic, history with English, and several more.

We will consider each of these factors in my Create-your-own Study Plan Course, which will help you develop an individualized study plan that will lead you to achieving your goal MCAT score. It will provide you with an exact estimate regarding the number of hours YOU should study in order to succeed, allowing you to determine when you will be ready to take the MCAT. It walks you through the exact same steps that I use to help my private tutoring students create their study plans. I’d strongly recommend starting this course before you dive into your MCAT studying.

How many hours should I study?

The number of hours required to achieve MCAT success varies greatly. Some students who are already close to their goal may only need to study a couple hundred hours while those who still have a long way to go may need to study over one thousand hours. To determine how many hours YOU should study, several factors need to be considered such as your GPA, academic history, score on an MCAT diagnostic, history with English, and several more.

We will consider each of these factors in my Create-your-own Study Plan Course, which will help you develop an individualized study plan that will lead you to achieving your goal MCAT score. It walks you through the exact same steps that I use to help my private tutoring students create their study plans. I’d strongly recommend starting this course before you dive into your MCAT studying.

Is this free?

We offer a completely free MCAT prep course. You can learn more about it and get started here. We do offer low-cost pro plan upgrades and private tutoring, but these premium resources are optional for when you need them. We’ve had many students achieve top MCAT scores on a very low budget. Helping students achieve MCAT success no matter their financial background is my passion.

How long should each lesson/module take?

The time it takes to work through each lesson and module should be personalized to your unique needs. For this reason, I’d suggest working your way through the Create-your-own Study Plan Course in order to generate a personalized study plan. In this course, I will help you determine exactly how much or how little to do for each lesson based on your ongoing performance on AAMC practice problems.

Do I need to watch every video from every video playlist?

Each lesson contains a playlist of approximately 10 to 30 videos from Khan Academy, AK Lectures, Udemy and Crash Course. Whether you should watch just the Khan Academy videos or all of the videos contained in each playlist depends on how much you struggle with that topic.

The basic idea is to do more for the topics that are challenging for you and less for the topics that are easy for you. But, because knowing how much YOU should be doing for each lesson can be challenging to discern, I’d suggest working your way through my Create-your-own Study Plan Course in order to generate a personalized study plan. In this course, I will help you determine exactly how much or how little to do for each lesson based on your ongoing performance on AAMC practice problems.

For instance, let’s say you are performing within 2 points of your goal score for the Behavioral Science Section, I might simply suggest that you just watch the Khan Academy videos from each playlist and then study my pre-made Quizlet flashcards. On the other hand, if you are 7 points away from your goal score, I would instead recommend that you watch all the videos from the video playlist while making your own flashcards, read the Kaplan book reading assignments while making your own flashcards, and study my pre-made flashcards. Through this approach, you will be focusing more of your time and energy into the sections that need it most.

For access to both my Create-your-own Study Plan Course and my collection of 5,000+ Quizlet Flashcards (a huge time saver), I’d highly recommend upgrading to the Advanced Pro Plan. It is my very most popular plan.

Do I need to read both reading assignments?

Each lesson contains reading assignments from the Kaplan and Princeton Books. Whether you should do one reading assignment, both, or neither depends on how much you struggle with that topic.

The basic idea is to do more for the topics that are challenging for you and less for the topics that are easy for you. But, because knowing how much YOU should be doing for each lesson can be challenging to discern, I’d suggest working your way through my Create-your-own Study Plan Course in order to generate a personalized study plan. In this course, I will help you determine exactly how much or how little to do for each lesson based on your ongoing performance on AAMC practice problems.

For instance, let’s say you are performing within 2 points of your goal score for the Behavioral Science Section, I might simply suggest that you just watch the Khan Academy videos from each playlist and then study my pre-made Quizlet flashcards. On the other hand, if you are 7 points away from your goal score, I would instead recommend that you watch all the videos from the video playlist while making your own flashcards, read the Kaplan book reading assignments while making your own flashcards, and study my pre-made flashcards. Through this approach, you will be focusing more of your time and energy into the sections that need it most.

For access to both my Create-your-own Study Plan Course and my collection of 5,000+ Quizlet Flashcards (a huge time saver), I’d highly recommend upgrading to the Advanced Pro Plan. It is my very most popular plan.

What should I be doing for each lesson of the Content Modules?

The basic idea is to do more for the topics that are challenging for you and less for the topics that are easy for you. But, because knowing how much YOU should be doing for each lesson can be challenging to discern, I’d suggest working your way through my Create-your-own Study Plan Course in order to generate a personalized study plan. In this course, I will help you determine exactly how much or how little to do for each lesson based on your ongoing performance on AAMC practice problems.

For instance, let’s say you are performing within 2 points of your goal score for the Behavioral Science Section, I might simply suggest that you just watch the Khan Academy videos from each playlist and then study my pre-made Quizlet flashcards. On the other hand, if you are 7 points away from your goal score, I would instead recommend that you watch all the videos from the video playlist while making your own flashcards, read the Kaplan book reading assignments while making your own flashcards, and study my pre-made flashcards. Through this approach, you will be focusing more of your time and energy into the sections that need it most.

For access to both my Create-your-own Study Plan Course and my collection of 5,000+ Quizlet Flashcards (a huge time saver), I’d highly recommend upgrading to the Advanced Pro Plan. It is my very most popular plan.

Does this reading assignment actually belong?

Our goal with the reading assignments was two-fold: (1) Match up the sections of the content review books as closely as possible with the video playlists, and (2) Include every single section of the content review books. Because some sections of the content review books didn’t match up well with any one single lesson, we had to put them into a random lesson (typically one that didn’t have a very long reading assignment). You can find more details on this process here.

Why don’t the reading assignment sections match up with my books?

The cause for this mismatch is due to a slight difference between the edition of book that you are using the edition that we used originally when matching up the sections with the videos. They should match up the large majority of the time, but in the rare instance that they don’t, I’d recommend simply reading sections that do match up and saving the ones that do not for a future lesson that more directly relates to the topics in that section. For more information regarding how we matched up the sections of the content review books with the videos, please feel free to check out this article.

Should I complete one Content Module at a time? Or is it okay to jump around?

I highly recommend completing one Content Module at a time from start to finish. There are three major reasons for this:

Your brain will learn best with structure. The MCAT covers a vast amount of material, and as you learn your brain is trying to organize all the information into semantic networks (networks of connected information). The network that is created within your brain is often related to the order in which you learn the information. For instance, if you jump from topic to topic, your brain’s semantic networks will be disorganized similar to an office with papers scattered all around the room. On the other hand, if you learn one topic in a clear order, your brain will be able to create a neatly organized semantic network similar to a filing cabinet. Think of each concept like a piece of paper, each lesson like a folder, and each drawer like a Content Module.
You’ll be better able to stay on top of your reviewing of previous material. Our eCourse has a carefully structured system of review. In each lesson, you will review the current lesson’s flashcards as well as review the previous lesson’s flashcards. For instance, you’d review the flashcards from lesson 1 at the end of lesson 1 and at the end of lesson 2. Then, after completing lesson 1 through 12 of the Content Module, in lesson 13, you will review all the flashcards from lessons 1 through 12 again. And once you’ve completed all ten content modules, you’ll start MCAT Bootcamp. During MCAT Bootcamp, in addition to taking Full-length exams, you will also review every single flashcard from the 10 Content Modules again. By completing the Content Modules in order from lesson 1 all the way to lesson 15, you’ll be better able to follow this system of review.
You should regularly take AAMC Mini Exams. After you finish that first content module, you’ll take your first AAMC Mini Exam, which acts as a diagnostic exam. The Create-your-own Study Plan Course will then help you use your results on that AAMC Mini Exam to determine which Content Module to study next and which materials to utilize while studying that module. You will then map out the next few weeks of studying using the Study Plan Spreadsheet. And the cycle continues with you completing a Content Module, checking your progress using the AAMC Mini Exam, adjusting your plan for the next Content Module, and on and on until you’ve completed all ten Content Modules. Taking AAMC Mini Exams regularly at the end of each Content Module allows you to have a study plan that is adaptable and adjusts over time to your changing needs. It is also important to practice on AAMC practice problems regularly throughout your Content Review Phase in order to develop test-taking skills and an AAMC mindset.

Can I skip reading books and watching videos and just use your Quizlet flashcards?

My 5,000+ Quizlet Flashcard Collection is completely comprehensive for all the content from Khan Academy, Kaplan, and Princeton. For this reason, if you learn the concepts tested in these flashcards inside and out, you should have a very solid grasp on all the MCAT content. To truly know them inside and out, however, you may need to read the videos and watch the books, especially for the topics that are very challenging for you. The more you engage with the material in a variety of formats, the deeper your understanding of it will become.

The basic idea is to do more for the topics that are challenging for you and less for the topics that are easy for you. But, because knowing how much YOU should be doing for each lesson can be challenging to discern, I’d suggest working your way through my Create-your-own Study Plan Course in order to generate a personalized study plan. In this course, I will help you determine exactly how much or how little to do for each lesson based on your ongoing performance on AAMC practice problems.

For instance, let’s say you are performing within 2 points of your goal score for the Behavioral Science Section, I might simply suggest that you just watch the Khan Academy videos from each playlist and then study my pre-made Quizlet flashcards. On the other hand, if you are 7 points away from your goal score, I would instead recommend that you watch all the videos from the video playlist while making your own flashcards, read the Kaplan book reading assignments while making your own flashcards, and study my pre-made flashcards. Through this approach, you will be focusing more of your time and energy into the sections that need it most.

For access to both my Create-your-own Study Plan Course and my collection of 5,000+ Quizlet Flashcards (a huge time saver), I’d highly recommend upgrading to the Advanced Pro Plan. It is my very most popular plan.

What Should I Take for a Diagnostic Exam?

The instructions for taking your first diagnostic exam can be found in the Create-your-own Study Plan Course, which will help you use your results to craft an individualized study plan.

For your first diagnostic exam, I’d suggest taking the AAMC Official Guide Questions as a half-length diagnostic. Using the score converter in our Create-your-own Study Plan Course, you can convert your percent correct on each section into a predicted scaled score. This gives students a very accurate idea as to where they are starting from.

You can buy the AAMC Official Guide Questions for $10 as a stand-alone product here.

If you want to save money in the long run, however, I would suggest buying the complete AAMC online practice bundle and the AAMC flashcards. This will give you access to every single AAMC practice question you need including the AAMC Official Guide Questions.

How do I access the 100 Free CARS Passages at the end of the Free CARS Strategy Session?

You’ll find the links to the 100 Free CARS Passages at the bottom of this page.

What AAMC Materials Do I Need?

I strongly recommend gaining access to every AAMC practice question by purchasing the (1) Online Only Official MCAT Prep Bundle, and the (2) AAMC Official MCAT Flashcards.

Free MCAT Prep Course

Is this really free?

Yes! Our eCourse is 100-percent FREE! Our Free eCourse includes the MCAT Launchpad, MCAT Bootcamp, our 10 Content Modules, Weekly MCAT Study Tips, MCAT Questions of the Day, our Facebook Study Group, and much more! All of this is available to you completely free of charge.

How can it be free!?

We will be completely honest with you — maintaining a high-quality website, especially one which allows users to make their own account and track their study progress, is not cheap. MCAT Self Prep is also a source of income for those who work to make it the best MCAT prep option out there. In order to pay the bills, so to speak, we offer account upgrades in the form of affordable Pro Plans, Premium Strategy Course, and Elite Private Tutoring Packages. These are completely optional, but many students have found them to be extremely useful in boosting their MCAT score.

What makes your program better than an alternative?

MCAT Self Prep is built on a solid foundation of research concerning how students have achieved 95th+ percentile MCAT scores on the new MCAT. Our research revealed that students who achieve MCAT success use a wide-variety of resources and center their studying around the practice problems produced by the AAMC, the writers of the actual MCAT. Other programs will tell you to use their resources and have you center your studying around only those. In contrast, we help you study in the best way possible by focusing all your study efforts around increasing your scores on the AAMC practice problems. We do this by organizing a wide-variety of study resources into a single organized prep course that students love. We are confident that you will love it too!

What should I expect as I start the free eCourse?

Here is what Jonathan had to say the day after he started using our eCourse: “I want to thank you for creating such a wonderful, straightforward program. I stumbled on the MCAT self prep website amidst searching for answers on what type of test prep is best for the MCAT. Your website and course is so honest and easy to follow I had to keep refreshing the page to make sure it wasn’t fake! Thank you so much!” We get comments like this from new students all the time!

How do I get started?

To start studying right away, simply click here and create your free account. From there, you should complete the MCAT Launchpad, which will give you a clear overview of the eCourse, teach you how to attain a top MCAT score, and help you decide what materials to use. After that, feel free to start studying away! 🙂

Basic Pro Plan

Which plan is right for me?

If you are not sure which plan is right for you, simply request a free consultation with Andrew and he will point you in the right direction. He’s worked with hundreds of students and knows what you’ll need to achieve your goal in your unique situation.

Who should sign up for this course?

The Create-your-own Study Plan Course is perfect for any student looking for a customized game plan. It is highly recommend for every student getting started with MCAT Self Prep. Whether you just started studying or have already been studying for an extended period of time, this course will help you.

What comes with my purchase of this course?

The Create-your-own Study Plan Course comes with all of the following as part of our Basic Pro Plan:

Full access to the Create-your-own Study Plan Course

Create-your-own Study Plan Spreadsheet (plus Score Tracker)

MCAT Self Prep Study Portal

Our MCAT Video Collection, which covers ALL the MCAT topics as listed by the AAMC

All ten content modules (Biology I, Physics II, etc) as well as MCAT Bootcamp with customization

Ad-free studying experience

If I start with the Basic or Advanced Pro Plan first, will you reimburse me when I upgrade to the Deluxe Pro Plan later?

Yes! We are big believers in “try before you buy.” As soon as you sign up for either the Basic or the Advanced Pro Plans, we will provide you with a discount for the higher-tier plans equal to the value of your purchase. For instance, if you start with the Basic Pro for $19.99, you will automatically receive a $19.99 credit towards your purchase of the Advanced or Deluxe Pro Plans. If you start with the Advanced Pro Plan for $199.99, you will get a $199.99 credit towards your purchase of the Deluxe Pro Plan.

How is this course structured?

This course is organized into 5 simple lessons:

A Study Plan Just for You. This first lesson will provide you with a detailed overview of the course.

Taking Your First Diagnostic Exam. In this lesson, you will take a diagnostic exam composed of official practice questions from the AAMC. This will give you a solid idea of where you are starting from.

Setting Your MCAT Goal. Using the score you achieved on the diagnostic exam and a knowledge of which medical schools you are aiming for, I will help you set an appropriate goal MCAT score.

Making Your Study Schedule. Using the Study Plan Spreadsheet, I will help you determine how many total hours you will need to study in order to achieve your goal. We will then organize those study hours into a detailed timeline.

Carefully Reviewing Your First Diagnostic Exam. I will provide you with a step-by-step exam review procedure that you should use every time you review a practice exam. After this lesson, you will be completely ready to start following your study plan to MCAT success! 🙂

How long will this course take to complete?

In total, this course can be completed in less than 5 hours. The diagnostic exam will require two hours to take and two hours to review, while the course itself should take no more than an hour to complete.

Why should I upgrade from the Free Forever Plan to the Basic Pro Plan?

While the Free Forever Plan comes with full access to all of our content modules, it does not provide guidance in terms of how to work your way through these modules. Students who succeed on the MCAT focus on overcoming their weaknesses, and the Basic Pro Plan helps you do exactly that. It will help you know how to approach the topics that are harder for you compared to the topics that are easier for you. It will help allow you to track your scaled MCAT score in each of the four sections of the exam every step of the way, allowing you to modulate your studying based on your current performance. Finally, it will help you stay organized and visualize your progress towards your goal. If you are planning on utilizing the MCAT Self Prep program, at the very least, we’d recommend upgrading to the Basic Pro Plan for just $19.99.

When will my access expire?

All our products are a one-time payment for lifetime access. 🙂 While other test prep companies have strict expiration dates for all of their plans and programs, we do not believe that is fair to you. You deserve to be able to access what you purchased until you have taken the MCAT and are satisfied with your score.

Does this course include one-on-one assistance?

This course will walk you through the exact step-by-step process I use to help my private tutoring students create a study plan. The majority of students who carefully complete this course will end up with the same exact study plan I would have helped them create in a one-on-one setting. If you have an extremely complicated situation, have taken the MCAT multiple times, or are otherwise interested in one-on-one assistance, however, we’d highly recommend for you to sign up for an affordable tutoring package with one of our Elite Tutors. When you sign up for private tutoring, you’ll get free and full access to the Basic Pro Plan. This way, you’ll be able to create your own study plan using the Create-your-own Study Plan Course and then have the opportunity to look over the study plan you created with your tutor who can help you customize it even more to meet your unique needs.

What outside materials will I need in order to complete this course?

We focus 100-percent on preparing you to conquer the actual MCAT, which is why we build all our courses around the materials produced by the writers of the exam, the AAMC. For this reason, for the diagnostic that you will take during this course we’d recommend using the AAMC’s Official Guide Questions (purchasable from the AAMC for just $10). If you’d rather not use these official practice problems, however, we will also provide you with a link to a free diagnostic exam that you can take advantage of instead.

Advanced Pro Plan

Which plan is right for me?

If I am not currently using the MCAT Self Prep eCourse, will these Quizlet Flashcards help me?

Yes! The Quizlet Flashcards are organized in the same way as our online eCourse, but they can be used in conjunction with any other study tool. They cover every single concept taught by Khan Academy as well as several content review books, so if you are looking for a way to quickly test yourself on every single MCAT concept, you will love our Quizlet Flashcards.

Why should I upgrade from the Free Forever Plan or Basic Pro Plan to the Advanced Pro Plan?

Although the Free Forever Plan and Basic Pro Plan provide you with the ability to try out 300 Quizlet Flashcards (about 3 per lesson), the Advanced Pro Plan will provide you with full access to all 5,000+ of these flashcards. Students love using these flashcards to double-check their understanding of what they learned during each content module, do a rapid review of every single MCAT concept, or save them time from needing to make thousands of their own flashcards. Our Quizlet Flashcard Collection is our most popular resource.

If I start with the Basic or Advanced Pro Plan first, will you reimburse me when I upgrade to the Deluxe Pro Plan later?

Who created these flashcards?

Our Founder and Head Tutor, Andrew George wrote most of these flashcards and each one has been edited at least twice by one of our Elite Tutors.

When will my access expire?

Can I defer my payment or pay in increments over time?

Yes! At the checkout page, you can select Pay Over Time for any product over $200. Many students who are looking to avoid paying upfront really enjoy this Pay in Four option. It allows you to get started on any premium package for only 25% paid up front. The payment plan will automatically charge outstanding balance in 25% increments monthly (30 days, 60 days, and 90 days), and it’s completely interest free!

Can I share my account with a friend or relative?

We trust that you will not share our products with your friends, relatives, or even siblings. In return, we offer you our support and the lowest price out there. MCAT Self Prep is a family business, which provides a livelihood for those working hard to provide you with quality test prep. By offering students lifetime access to our pro plans, we run the risk that you will share your account with others, ruining our ability to make a living. Instead of having expiration dates for plans or implementing strict security protocols, we believe in having a relationship of trust with you. Please treat us with kindness and respect in return.

Deluxe Pro Plan

Which plan is right for me?

Who should sign up for the Deluxe Pro Plan?

The Deluxe Pro Plan is for students who want to take their MCAT studying to the highest level possible. It comes with every single resource on our website including all of our mastery and strategy courses. The mastery courses will help you conquer the most commonly tested topics such as amino acids, equations, and more. The strategy courses will help you learn how to truly understand both science and CARS passages in a way that will allow you to easily understand even the most confusing passages and questions. Students who want to get the very highest score possible will definitely want to upgrade to the Deluxe Pro Plan.

Why should I start with the Deluxe Pro Plan as compared to the Basic or Advanced Pro Plans?

Although you can always upgrade from the Basic/Advanced Pro Plans to the Deluxe Pro Plan, having full access to the Deluxe Pro Plan during your entire study period is extremely beneficial. One major reason for this is that it allows you to learn and practice the proper science passage reading and CARS strategies from day 1. Practicing the right reading/test-taking techniques on a daily basis is essential in feeling confident on every passage you encounter on test day. Additionally, students enjoy being able to use each mastery course when they need it the most. For instance, after taking a practice exam and discovering that your knowledge of equations is lacking, you can slowly start working your way through the 100 Most Essential Equations Course. Targeting and conquering your weaknesses one at a time is key to earning a top MCAT score.

If I start with the Basic or Advanced Pro Plan first, will you reimburse me when I upgrade to the Deluxe Pro Plan later?

Do any of the Pro Plans offer access to third-party materials?

Because our program is so customizable, many students start our program already owning the AAMC practice question bundle as well as other practice problems and content books. Our program helps such students organize their use of these materials using our structured eCourse. If we were to provide you with third-party materials as part of our Pro Plans, we would have to raise our prices by several hundred dollars, causing students who already own the materials to get charged twice. Our goal is to give you the very best value possible.

What third-party materials will I need in addition to the Deluxe Pro Plan?

The only material you will need in addition to the Deluxe Pro Plan is the AAMC practice question bundle.

When will my access expire?

Can I defer my payment or pay in increments over time?

Can I share my account with a friend or relative?

Do you offer a Higher Score Guarantee?

Our Ultimate CARS Strategy Course, Science Passage Reading Strategy Course, and Deluxe Pro Plan are all backed by our Higher Score Guarantee. We promise that if you use one of these resources and your score doesn’t improve, we will give you 100-percent of your money back. Most test prep companies simply offer to let you retake the course, but we offer lifetime access no matter what and if your score doesn’t improve we give you your money back. We are completely confident that our courses will work for you.

How long does it take to complete the Deluxe Pro Plan?

One of the things that students love the most about MCAT Self Prep is that all of our courses are go-at-your-own-pace. Although we do provide recommendations as to how much time to spend on each course (helping you focus your efforts on your most challenging areas), you can spend as much or as little time as you’d like on each course. While it is always optimal to work your way through our resources slowly over an extended period of time, we’ve had many students complete all the major Deluxe Pro Plan courses during just their final month of MCAT studying, providing a significant boost to their scores. No matter when or how you decide to work your way through our resources, we are confident you will find them to be beneficial in helping you reach your goal.

Can I fit the Deluxe Pro Plan resources into my final phase of studying?

The Deluxe Pro Plan resources can easily be fit into your final phase of MCAT studying. In fact, many students have found these resources to be especially helpful during the final study period.

The 5,000+ Quizlet Flashcard Collection allows you to quickly review every single concept taught by Khan Academy, Kaplan, and Princeton. The Memorization Courses such as the Metabolic Pathways Mastery Course and 100 Most Essential Equations Mastery Course allow you to quickly review the most highly-tested topics. Most importantly, the Ultimate CARS Strategy Course and Science Passage Reading Strategy Course allow you to learn key passage reading techniques in a step-by-step, go-at-your-own-pace manner.

Fitting these resources into your final phase of MCAT studying will allow you to steadily increase your scores on full-length practice exams and ultimately your score on test day. I’ve seen this for many students such as Adrianna (see her testimonial) who boosted her score from a 508 to a 521 by using the Deluxe Pro Plan during her final study phase. I would highly recommend it.

Elite Tutoring

Which plan is right for me?

What are sessions like?

Each Elite Tutoring session will include the following:

Meticulous Preparation. Before the session even starts, your tutor will look through your Study Portal as they prepare an individualized lesson plan.

Pivotal Adjustments. At the beginning of each hourlong session, your Premium Elite Tutor will examine your progress and help you adjust your study plan using the Study Plan Spreadsheet.

Individualized Training. Your Premium Elite Tutor will spend the bulk of the session focused on teaching you the strategies and content that address your exact needs.

Can a tutor help me with my study plan?

Our Elite Tutors’ primary focus is on helping you know what and how to study in order to achieve MCAT success. They understand that having an effective study plan is the number one determining factor regarding whether you will reach your goal MCAT score. For this reason, they will focus on helping you develop and follow a customized study plan unique to your needs. They all scored in the 97th+ percentile using the MCAT Self Prep Program, so they know what it takes to achieve MCAT success.

Will Elite Tutoring help me during my final month of MCAT studying?

Yes! The final month of studying is actually the best time to take advantage of Elite Tutoring. You will be doing many full-length practice exams during your final month, and your Elite Tutor can review the toughest passages and questions with you. Study Plan Advising is also extremely helpful as you try to decide what and how to study during the final month. Students find that working with someone who has already conquered the exam to be very reassuring during the most stressful period of studying.

I need help with the CARS section. Can an Elite Tutor help me with that?

Yes! Our Elite Tutors are trained to help you with every section of the MCAT.

How do I start meeting with a tutor?

To start meeting with your tutor, simply add Elite Tutoring to your cart, and complete the checkout process. Afterwards, you will receive an immediate confirmation email with detailed instructions for getting started.

You can immediately start our Create-your-own Study Plan Course, which will walk you through developing a rough draft study plan using the Study Plan Spreadsheet.

After that, you can schedule a your first at your convenience so that you can discuss your study plan with one of our Elite Tutors in a one-on-one setting.

How often will I meet with a tutor? How does scheduling a session work?

The great thing about our program is that it offers you the flexibility to study at your own pace and on your own schedule. You do not need to meet with your tutor at the same time every week for a set number of weeks. You are able to choose any available tutoring slot from your tutor’s calendar, whether that slot is two months from now or two days from now. You choose the time that works for you! Students love having this flexibility.

Is there any way to meet in person with my tutor?

All of our tutoring sessions are conducted online, and our students find this to be just as effective, if not more effective, than meeting in person. Students really enjoy the fact that they can visit with their tutor without having to ever leave their apartment!

Can I defer my payment or pay in increments over time?

Yes! At the checkout page, you can select Pay Over Time. Many students who are looking to avoid paying upfront really enjoy this Pay in Four option. It allows you to get started on any premium package for only 25% paid up front. This payment plan will automatically charge the outstanding balance in 25% increments monthly (30 days, 60 days, and 90 days), and it’s completely interest free!

Can I schedule sessions before my payment plan is paid off?

Yes! You can begin scheduling tutoring sessions right away after signing up. But keep in mind that we will suspend your account and postpone all remaining tutoring sessions if your recurring payment fails at any time. If you plan to change your billing method during your payment plan period, please keep your information up-to-date in your billing account to avoid losing access.

What materials will I receive as part of this tutoring program?

As soon as you enroll in Elite Tutoring, you will receive immediate and free access to all of the following:

Our MCAT Video Collection, which covers ALL the MCAT topics as listed by the AAMC.
All ten of our online content modules (Biology I, Physics II, etc) as well as MCAT Bootcamp with customization.
Create-your-own Study Plan Course, which includes our Create-your-own Study Plan Spreadsheet and Score Tracker.

Ultimate CARS Strategy Course

Which plan is right for me?

Who should sign up for this CARS Course?

CARS is easily the hardest section of the MCAT to improve on your own. For this reason, if you find that you’ve been struggling to improve your CARS score, you should take advantage of this course. Whether you are currently scoring a 120 or a 128, this course will help.

How is this course structured?

The first two sections of this course can be completed quickly and will teach you some foundational test-taking principles to keep in mind as you practice CARS. The next section is the meat of this course, containing the 10 strategy modules. Each module includes a written description of the comprehension strategy that teaches you the what, why, and how. After this description, there is a Virtual Video Lecture in which I walk you through a CARS passage and illustrate how the strategy can be applied in a test-taking situation. Afterwards, you will find 10-12 homework assignments. Based on how many points you need to improve your CARS score by, I will tell you how much time you should be investing in these assignments. The fourth and final section of this course will teach you how to apply these strategies to the other three sections of the MCAT and how to continue practicing CARS now that you’ve completed this course.

Will you reimburse me for this mastery course if I upgrade to the Deluxe Pro Plan later?

Yes! We are big believers in “try before you buy.” If you decide to upgrade to the Deluxe Pro Plan, the amount you paid for this course and any other mastery courses will be subtracted from the final cost. Simply add the Deluxe Pro Plan to your cart, and the discount will apply automatically.

How long does this course take to complete?

Students love the start-when-you-would-like, go-at-your-own-pace nature of this course. You can take as little or as much time as you’d like to complete it. In order to maximize your improvement, however, I do suggest that you set aside at least 50 hours to complete it. At the beginning of the course, you will use your current CARS score to determine how many hours to invest in this course, and those study hours can be spread out over as short or as long a period as you’d like. It is best to spread it out over a longer period of time, but if needed, you even could complete the course in as little as a week or as long as multiple years.

I get anxious when I study or practice. Will this course help me with that?

Your fear will be replaced with confidence as you gain an understanding of how to truly succeed on this section. Additionally, as you face your fears by practicing on passage after passage, your fears will begin to subside.

I really struggle with timing. Will this course help me with that?

This course will help you with timing in many ways. First of all, through mastering the 10 comprehension strategies, you will become a Good Reader who quickly understands what they read. Also, I teach you a simple timing method that will allow you to finish on time with the highest score possible.

When will my access expire?

Do I need both your Ultimate CARS Course and your Science Passage Reading Strategy Course?

If you struggle with CARS, you should sign up for my Ultimate CARS Strategy Course. If you struggle with reading science passages, you should sign up for my Science Passage Reading Strategy Course. If you struggle with both CARS and science passages, you should sign up for both courses. Although both courses teach similar reading strategies, the way they are applied varies tremendously depending on if you are confronting a CARS passage or a science passage. With each course, you will see firsthand how I apply these strategies in the proper context through my 10 Virtual Video Sessions. The CARS Course contains ten of these demonstration videos for CARS passages and the Science Passage Course contains ten for science passages. Through doing both courses, you will conquer both types. And you can gain access to both courses (plus every other resource on the site) for just $1999 as part of my Deluxe Pro Plan.

What outside materials will I need to complete this course?

As part of this course, you will learn how to access 1,000+ free CARS passages. In addition, because this course is focused on helping you become better at CARS problems written by the writers of the actual exam, the AAMC, it is essential that you purchase CARS Question Pack 1 and CARS Question Pack 2 from the AAMC for just $15 each (or if you already own the AAMC’s complete bundle, you should have full access). Think of these like your textbook for this course.

Can I defer my payment or pay in increments over time?

I’ve already done CARS Question Packs 1 and 2 from the AAMC. Will this course still work for me?

It is essential to learn the AAMC-style of CARS questions, and for this reason, I highly recommend completing all the CARS practice problems from the AAMC multiple times. Even if you’ve already done these problems 5 times or if you just did all of them last week, this course will still work for you. Additionally, the majority of your study time during this course will be spent on the 1,000+ CARS passages and 100+ homework assignments.

Do you offer a Higher Score Guarantee?

Science Passage Reading Strategy Course

Which plan is right for me?

Who should sign up for this Strategy Course?

It is very challenging to learn science passage reading strategy on your own. For this reason, if you find that you’ve been struggling to understand science passages and it is affecting your MCAT score, you should take advantage of this course. Whether you are currently scoring a 490 or a 510, this course will help.

How is this course structured?

The first two sections of this course can be completed quickly and will teach you some foundational test-taking principles to keep in mind as you practice science passage reading. The next section is the meat of this course, containing the 10 strategy modules. Each module includes a written description of the comprehension strategy that teaches you the what, why, and how. After this description, there is a Virtual Video Lecture in which I walk you through an actual MCAT passage and illustrate how the strategy can be applied in a test-taking situation. Afterwards, you will find 10-12 homework assignments. Based on how many points you need to improve your MCAT score by, I will tell you how much time you should be investing in these assignments. The fourth and final section of this course includes a few bonus resources and teaches you how to continue practicing science passage reading now that you’ve completed this course.

Will you reimburse me for this mastery course if I upgrade to the Deluxe Pro Plan later?

How long does this course take to complete?

Students love the start-when-you-would-like, go-at-your-own-pace nature of this course. You can take as little or as much time as you’d like to complete it. In order to maximize your improvement, however, I do suggest that you set aside at least 30 hours to complete it. At the beginning of the course, you will use your current performance on MCAT science passages to determine how many hours to invest in this course, and those study hours can be spread out as short or as long a period as you’d like. It is best to spread it out over a longer period of time, but if needed, you even could complete the course in as little as a week or as long as multiple years.

I get anxious when I study or practice. Will this course help me with that?

I really struggle with timing. Will this course help me with that?

When will my access expire?

Do I need both your Ultimate CARS Course and your Science Passage Reading Strategy Course?

Can I defer my payment or pay in increments over time?

What outside materials will I need to complete this course?

As part of this course, you will learn how to access 800+ free Science passages. In addition, because this course is focused on helping you become better at science passages and problems written by the writers of the actual exam, the AAMC, it is essential that you purchase the AAMC Section Bank for just $45 (or if you already own the AAMC’s complete bundle, you should have full access). It includes access to over 300 science-based questions written by the writers of the actual MCAT. Think of these practice questions like your textbook for this course.

I’ve already done the questions from the AAMC Section Bank. Will this course still work for me?

It is essential to learn the AAMC-style of passages and questions, and for this reason, I highly recommend completing all the practice problems from the AAMC multiple times if possible. Even if you’ve already done these problems 5 times or if you just did all of them last week, this course will still work for you. Additionally, the majority of your study time during this course will be spent on the 800+ free science passages and 100+ homework assignments.

Do you offer a Higher Score Guarantee?

Medical School Application Course

Which plan is right for me?

Who should sign up for this course?

Because getting accepted to medical school can be so challenging and even the simplest mistake can result in a rejection, this course is recommended for all pre-medical students applying to medical school.

How is this course structured?

This course is divided into three easy-to-follow sections:

The first section of this course provides you with a detailed overview of the application process and how to best prepare yourself to get accepted to medical school. It is meant for pre-medical students of all stages, whether you just finished high school or will be applying to medical school next week.

Section 2 can be started at any point within six months of submitting your application. It will walk you through everything you need to accomplish in order to submit your primary application.

Finally, during section three, you will learn how to wow each and every medical school that shows interest in you through strong secondary essays and interviews. By the time you’ve finished this section, that medical school acceptance letter should be in your hands.

How long does this course take to complete?

Students love the start-when-you-would-like, go-at-your-own-pace nature of this course. You can take as little or as much time as you’d like to complete it.

What outside materials will I need to complete this course?

This course will provide you with every tool you need to immediately start working towards medical school acceptance.