MCAT ELITE

Starting February 2009, every student who completes the MCAT Elite course is asked to complete a survey of questions about the quality of the course and about the exclusive Verbal Virtuoso strategy.  A small percentage of these students have responded.  Their anonymous opinions are submitted to MCAT Elite electronically, along with granting or denial of permission to post these anonymous opinions on the MCAT Elite website.   

 

Each testimonial below will show you the survey of an individual student who has granted MCAT Elite permission to post his or her opinions.

We will continue to post EVERY survey that is completed by our past students if permission is granted, regardless if they are negative or not towards our preparatory services.

 

Please note that all opinions are taken directly from students of MCAT Elite without any editing by MCAT Elite, so MCAT Elite is not liable for negative opinions regarding other test preparatory companies.

 

 

Do we (MCAT Elite) have your permission to ANONYMOUSLY publish your responses in MCAT Elite literature?	Yes
Please state the top three things you liked about the MCAT Elite classroom course?	Engaging lectures focus on MCAT material and help to work out problem areas and pinpoint the areas of the highest importance. Relaxed instructor effectively builds the student's test taking confidence while quelling student anxiety. Works through passages in class to teach effective strategies and help his students think like a successful test taker.
Please state the top three things you disliked about the MCAT Elite classroom course?
Please describe your thoughts on the effectiveness of your instructor’s teaching methods. Was your instructor knowledgeable with the MCAT science material? Would you take another course with your instructor, if he or she were to instruct you in a future science course?	Fayaz is an engaging teacher and uses plenty of examples and works out problems on the board to help teach this material.  He is extremely knowledgeable about the all MCAT science material but on the rare occasion, he is not afraid to admit when he doesn't know the answer.  I would certainly take another course from him.
Do you think the MCAT Elite classroom course is worth the full cost of tuition? Why or why not?	Yes definitely. With this course I scored a 31Q on the MCAT and solidified my knowledge base in biology. Whats more is that I aced Organic Chemistry I (a concurrent course) because Fayaz is excellent at explaining this material as well.  I also went on the ace Organic II, also because I learned much of this material in Fayaz's MCAT course.  This was possibility the best deal I've ever had in higher education.
Please describe your overall satisfaction with the MCAT Elite classroom course.	The highest level possible.  I would recommend this course to any pre-medical student whether or not they plan on taking an MCAT course.
If you’ve taken another MCAT preparatory course, please state the name of the course, and please describe any advantages or disadvantages when studying under the MCAT Elite classroom course as compared to your previous course.	n/a
Would you recommend the MCAT Elite classroom course to your friends preparing for the MCAT? Why or why not?	Hell yes. (see above)
Do you have any suggestions to improve the MCAT Elite classroom course?	This course was most successful when the students would read through the Think Guide and Fayaz would follow that up with applicable problems on the board.  This should be the model of this course whenever possible.
Please describe your overall satisfaction with the Verbal Virtuoso technique? (The rest of this questionnaire refers to this strategy specifically)	As a student of English Literature, I was impressed with the success in Fayaz's signature verbal method.  To begin, his method helps the reader solve these problems like a scientist, working one step at a time until the whole of the material is exposed.  While this method did not raise my score (I scored 9-10 on every AAMC verbal passage I took, before and after I learned this method) Fayaz's systematic method brought me peace and confidence as I tackled each verbal passage, lowering my test stress levels which allowed me greater concentration and focus on the science passages.  Thus when I reached the biological sciences passages, I was focused enough to score an 11.
Does the Verbal Virtuoso strategy help you understand the author’s main arguments? How so?	By mapping each opinion stated by the author, his/her overall perspective and principle arguments are exposed.  This is crucial for understanding the passage and this information is tested directly by more than half of the passage's questions.
Did you modify your use of the technique in any manner to achieve better results?  How so?	no
Will you recommend the Verbal Virtuoso strategy to future MCAT test-takers? Why or why not?	I would recommend this strategy for anyone because it increases speed and provides a systematic approach to the otherwise chaotic, warp speed section of the MCAT.
If you’ve taken an MCAT preparatory course with another company, how does the Verbal Virtuoso strategy compare with the verbal comprehension strategy taught in your previous MCAT preparatory course? Please explain.
Do you feel as if the Verbal Virtuoso strategy is the best strategy in helping the reader analyze an MCAT verbal passage? Why or why not?	If you are a speed reader who can truly remove your own bias from the information you read, then you probably do not need a strategy and you may also be a robot.  However, if you are looking to improve your score or if you are looking to increase your test confidence and save some necessary mental clarity and concentration for the science passages, then this method is for you.
Do you have any recommendations to future students in how to most effectively study and apply the Verbal Virtuoso strategy?