405. ALL ABOUT THE MCAT
11/04/22 • 29 min
We all value physicians, which means we all, by extension, value medical school. Like it or not, that must mean we all value that really challenging admissions exam all future doctors in the U.S. must excel on. Amy and Mike invited educational consultant Shirag Shemmassian, Ph.D. to tell us all about the MCAT.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What is tested on the MCAT?
- How is the MCAT scored, and what is a good score?
- What kinds of schools or programs use the MCAT for admissions?
- When should students prepare for and take the MCAT?
- When should students retake the MCAT?
MEET OUR GUEST
Shirag Shemmassian, Ph.D. is the founder of Shemmassian Academic Consulting and one of the world's foremost experts on medical school admissions and college admissions. For nearly 20 years, he and his team have helped thousands of students get into medical school and top colleges using his systematic and proprietary approach.
Shirag first appeared on this podcast in episode #215 to discuss GETTING INTO MEDICAL SCHOOL.
Find Shirag at www.shemmassianconsulting.com.
LINKS
Taking the MCAT® Exam | Students & Residents
MCAT: The Ultimate Guide (2022) | Shemmassian Academic Consulting
RELATED EPISODES
WHAT EVERY PRE-MED MAJOR SHOULD KNOW
GETTING READY FOR GRADUATE SCHOOL
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
We all value physicians, which means we all, by extension, value medical school. Like it or not, that must mean we all value that really challenging admissions exam all future doctors in the U.S. must excel on. Amy and Mike invited educational consultant Shirag Shemmassian, Ph.D. to tell us all about the MCAT.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What is tested on the MCAT?
- How is the MCAT scored, and what is a good score?
- What kinds of schools or programs use the MCAT for admissions?
- When should students prepare for and take the MCAT?
- When should students retake the MCAT?
MEET OUR GUEST
Shirag Shemmassian, Ph.D. is the founder of Shemmassian Academic Consulting and one of the world's foremost experts on medical school admissions and college admissions. For nearly 20 years, he and his team have helped thousands of students get into medical school and top colleges using his systematic and proprietary approach.
Shirag first appeared on this podcast in episode #215 to discuss GETTING INTO MEDICAL SCHOOL.
Find Shirag at www.shemmassianconsulting.com.
LINKS
Taking the MCAT® Exam | Students & Residents
MCAT: The Ultimate Guide (2022) | Shemmassian Academic Consulting
RELATED EPISODES
WHAT EVERY PRE-MED MAJOR SHOULD KNOW
GETTING READY FOR GRADUATE SCHOOL
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Previous Episode
404. MOST COMMON QUESTIONS ABOUT MERIT AID
While college applicants are often offered all different sorts of financial aid, one type of aid stands head and shoulders above the rest. Amy and Mike invited educational consultant Nancy Paul to answer the most common questions about merit aid.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What is merit aid, and why is it more desirable than other forms of financial aid?
- What are the most common criteria for merit aid, and do test scores still matter?
- Can a student ever earn enough merit aid to cover all costs of college?
- How can applicants find out about merit aid?
- What are some common myths about merit aid and college costs?
MEET OUR GUEST
Nancy Paul believes that every family has a right to know how they can pay less for college...and empower students with confidence, life skills, and financial literacy in the process.
Nancy founded The Institute for Financial Literacy in College Planning to educate, collaborate and advocate around the importance of financial literacy as a solution to unnecessary college debt and missed opportunities.
Nancy helped her three daughters win $600,000 in merit scholarships – money for college based on student achievement. A professional speaker and consultant, she is also the author of the bestseller The Little Book about Scholarships.
She advises school districts, financial educators, credit unions, and financial advisors. Since 2011, Nancy has been creating custom strategies for families so their students can go to college without going into debt.
Find Nancy at [email protected].
LINKS
The Little Book about Scholarships
How to Pay Less for College...Even if You Earn Too Much for Financial Aid
RELATED EPISODES
COMMON MISTAKES IN SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATIONS
HOW TO WIN LOCAL SCHOLARSHIP AWARDS
WHAT IS SCHOLARSHIP DISPLACEMENT?
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
Next Episode
406. WHAT DOES UNHOOKED MEAN IN ADMISSIONS?
Most of us understand the meaning of the term “hook” in the context of a catchy song or piece of writing, but when did we start using it for college applicants? Amy and Mike invited educational consultant Aly Beaumont to explain what “unhooked” means in admissions.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What exactly is a "hook" in college admissions parlance?
- Why do institutional priorities carry so much weight in admissions?
- Are hooks the same from one college to another?
- Is there really anything like a completely unhooked student?
- How can an unhooked applicant improve their odds of being accepted?
MEET OUR GUEST
Aly Beaumont is the founder of Admissions Village, a family focused, affordable, one-on-one college guidance consultancy. Aly is deeply committed to making the college admissions process less stressful, and her success with this objective can be measured by both the growing number of referrals she receives as well as the repeat business of family siblings. Aly is also a founder and advisor to The College T, a website connecting high school students with college students and recent graduates so that first-hand information and experiences can be shared.
Aly is a graduate of Tufts University where she majored in History with a concentration in Modern Women and African American History, and was captain of the Equestrian Team. She lives in Wilton, CT with her husband Perry, their two dogs Buddy and Buzz and their three sons. Two of their sons are currently in college at The University of St. Andrews in Scotland and Keyon College in Ohio, and one graduated from Santa Clara University. Aly is an Associate member of IECA and she has her certificate as an Independent Educational Consultant from the University of California Irvine.
Aly previously appeared on this podcast in episode 212 to discuss PREPARATION FOR HIGHLY SELECTIVE COLLEGE ADMISSIONS, episode 341 to discuss COURSE SELECTION FOR HIGHLY SELECTIVE ADMISSIONS, and was the subject of an IEC PROFILE in episode 264.
Find Aly at https://www.admissionsvillage.com.
LINKS
What Does it Mean to be a “Hooked” Applicant?
Takeaways from 2022: What's Next in College Admissions?
RELATED EPISODES
BUILDING AN A+ EXTRACURRICULAR RESUME
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.
If you like this episode you’ll love
Episode Comments
Generate a badge
Get a badge for your website that links back to this episode
<a href="https://goodpods.com/podcasts/tests-and-the-rest-college-admissions-podcast-41536/405-all-about-the-mcat-24774310"> <img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/goodpods-images-bucket/badges/generic-badge-1.svg" alt="listen to 405. all about the mcat on goodpods" style="width: 225px" /> </a>
Copy