Premed Village

We have been teaching a strategy method for MCAT passages in our incubator called MCAT Passage Reader Response (MPRR). MPRR is a collection of reading strategies that help make the content and intentions of MCAT passages more clear in the light of test-writer intentions.

MCAT Passage Reader Response - A Toolkit for the Test

The reader-response school of literary theory focuses on the reader and their experience of a literary work. The reader response approach to MCAT passages keeps the focus on the test-taker and their subjective experience of the verbal language, figures, and tables in an MCAT passage. In reader response theory, a text doesn't exist except in the mind of the reader. Providing meaning to a text is a mental performance. In the MCAT, you as the test-taker are completing the meaning of every passage element.

MCAT Passage Reader Response (MPRR) is a body of techniques we have developed for the performance of Chem/Phys, Bio/Biochem, and Psych/Soc passages. In these sections, the MCAT passages are written by AAMC, not selected like CARS, and you must use a knowledge-base to interpret passage elements.

Empowering your knowledge-base for an active, intentional kind of reading performance in MCAT passages is the central focus of MPRR. Another aspect of MPRR curriculum helps you see through the puzzles created by the passage writer. The MCAT passage writer isn't like a normal scientific writer. The writer of an MCAT passage will always work to interfere with your understanding of what they are pretending to describe in good conscience.

In normal scientific writing the author is trying to communicate

The biggest difference between normal scientific writing and MCAT passages is that the author in scientific writing really is doing their best to communicate. In a serious research setting, such as the Bill and Melinda Gates Medical Research Institute (Gates-MRI), where this author served twelve months last year as contract QC Writing Manager, I can personally testify that the subject matter experts and the medical writing teams always try their utmost to make the writing clear for the reader, especially with dense, difficult scientific topics. In other words, in normal scientific writing, the author cooperates with the reader. However, in an MCAT passage, the opposite is the case. In an MCAT passage, the author is non-cooperative.

The designer of an MCAT passage produces something that presents itself as scientific writing. MCAT passages will superficially resemble journal articles, but MCAT passages are designed to impede you. In MPRR practice mode, we have deconstructed many AAMC Section Bank passages with students. AAMC MCAT designers use strategies that intentionally make it difficult to form a clear picture of the scientific ideas in the passage. Within the reader response framework, we use game theory in our strategic curriculum to form a picture of the MCAT passage writer. Reading an MCAT passage is a non-cooperative game between you and the passage writer.

Knowing the other and knowing oneself: In one hundred battles no danger

Not knowing the other and knowing oneself: One victory for one loss

Not knowing the other and not knowing oneself: In every battle certain defeat — Sun Tzu

An MCAT passage is a non-cooperative game

MCAT writers have developed many strategies for being non-cooperative. In almost any MCAT passage, for example, you will find multiple instances of the writer being cryptic on purpose. If the passage says, "the residue at position 259", understand a normal manuscript author would just write "glutamate", but there is a puzzle instead based on a topical learning goal, so you can predict a question coming, which you have already answered. Likewise, if the passage writer labels a substance as "Compound A", but this is not because the identity of Compound A is a mystery to the writer. Often Compound A will be something you should recognize like benzoquinone or lactate, or maybe half of it is a peptide. If noticing the passage being cryptic becomes part of your reader response strategy in practice, you will soon find you are answering many of the topical questions in the exam before you get to them.

Another non-cooperative strategy you'll find at the beginning of Bio/Biochem passages is a very dense background section. These are designed to make you feel like you are in big trouble. However, if you deconstruct this type, you can see it is purposefully designed to shipwreck you, often with a lack of cohesion and long run-on sentences. Responding to the puzzle in the emergent flow of reading, you notice the field of reference shifting between phrases moving from genotypes, now onto the concentrations in aliquots they will use and then to the fluorescent characteristics of the label. You see they are trying to make your head spin, so it doesn't. The beginning of a Bio/Biochem passage will often try to shipwreck you, so here they go again.

What is the learning goal beneath this kind of puzzle which seems like just an impedance? What the MCAT is teaching you is take your time and assemble scientific ideas in your imagination. You are responsible to make a world when you read scientific material, so you stop and study that background section of the passage for a bit. The experimental section of the passage will depend on you understanding the living system beforehand to understand experimental results. The reader response strategy is to take your time at the beginning. Study that first paragraph as a whole when you get to the end of it, and the rest of the passage will unfold more easily.

MCAT Mastery

Game theory is an AAMC topic in the psych/soc section. The originators of game theory were John von Neumann and John Ogden Nash. According to John Nash, a player in a non-cooperative game should ask themselves this question: "Knowing the strategy of the other player, can I benefit by changing my own strategy?" If the answer is no, then your strategy is a Nash equilibrium and you have mastered the game. To rephrase, MCAT mastery comes from both understanding AAMC's strategies and how to respond to them. As an overall strategy, responding to the exam as it is, MPRR produces a kind of choreographed performance where your knowledge-base and understanding of the test make the passage clear in content and test-writer intention.

One-on-one tutoring in MPRR techniques is available Fall/Winter 2024

From the start at MCAT Academy in the 1990's to Premed Village now, development of the curriculum and learning materials in this project for premedical education has always been through live-teaching. It has always been an incubator first. Working closely with students for decades, is the creative life of the project.

In the past three years we have deconstructed a great many of the passages of AAMC Section Bank I with MPRR techniques. We are working with a limited number of one-on-one students Fall and Winter 2024 to prepare MPRR for a wider audience in Premed Village next year and, ultimately, interleaving within the interdisciplinary content review in its next iteration. We are working to integrate MPRR into the broader course. At this stage, we are extending the scope of MPRR analysis and practice to Section Bank 1 to also include Sample Test and the Handbook passages. In other words, we are currently offering a limited number of students a short one-on-one course in MPRR. The course will be taught by this author, John Wetzel, one of the most experienced MCAT teachers in the country.

The basic course consists of 10 two-hour sessions via Zoom ($75/hour). TYou can purchase a one session at a time. In addition to test-taking strategy, sessions with John include targeted content review as needed, and help with your study plan.

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Testimonials

Just wanted to share the fruits of your labor (attached). It seems the center of AMCAS's preliminary percentile ranges were a little off for Chemical/Physical and Psychosocial, but having hit the magical 96th percentile overall, I really cannot complain. Should definitely have done better than an 129 on those two, but I think I will be well served by my scores. It's funny because I went back and forth on several CARS questions, changing some of my answers in the last minutes of the section, so I definitely would not have predicted my perfect score in CARS. - A. P.

Your course, and it is utterly brilliant, effectively teaches me. As someone with a strong intellect; I have to understand concepts fully before I can master them. In order to understand fully I have to grasp the concepts spatially, as a whole and then I unify them..that's when the magic starts to happen and my brain explodes with connections, questions and creativity. Previously, the teaching I received was inadequate..I may be bright but I couldn't come up with the kind of perspective and mature mastery that the years of intelligent and insightful reflection you have worked at provides. The spiralling nature of the curriculum, the emphasis on the key scientific concepts and their inter-disciplinary application not only concisely identifies the MCAT material, but brings the subjects/universe to life. It's immensely pleasurable to go on the journey with you. - J. H.

I got my score back yesterday and was very surprised to see that I got a 519! (131,128,129,131) I was in shock, since I really expected myself to get around a 513-515. I'm most surprised about CARS, since I completely guessed on a passage.
Anyways, thank you so much for tutoring me. It was a real honor to learn from someone who is so passionate and dedicated towards a single cause. I feel like every tutoring session, I was impressed by your knowledge of the material and your ability to help me understand something. I'm a bit active still on reddit and have referred some people over to you. I hope that I got you some students. I would be happy to leave you a 5 star review somewhere and feel free to let potential students reach out to me for questions about your tutoring. - E. D.

I really hope that students come to know the value of Integrated-MCAT... you really prepared me not just for the MCAT but for medical school. There are things that I'm encountering and I'm not panicking because we covered it in such detail. I included some genetics slides as evidence! I think it's easy to feel insecure about being in medical school, like Imposter Syndrome, especially when I hear classmates coming from big name schools and Ivy Leagues, and I have felt, 'what if I'm not as prepared as them?' I'm not saying this to be obsequious, but I really feel like I received a world class education through our tutoring-- like I can totally hang with some of the Yale kids in my class. Right now where I'm in the Pulmonary block and I have classmates struggling to grasp the Bohr effect and the Haldane effect and I get to chuckle at their misfortune... well not exactly lol, but it's really nice to feel ahead of the curve. - A. G.

I just wanted to share with you my appreciation for all the work you have done with WikiPremed. Your lessons on physics and general chemistry changed my perspective on many of the topics and were, in my opinion, at the level of teaching required for students to score a 14 or 15 on PS - something many other MCAT resources lack. I received a 14 in physical sciences, up from 11 without using WikiPremed, and achieved an overall score of 37. I will definitely recommend WikiPremed to anyone who mentions they are writing the MCAT in the future. Thank you again for all your hard work! - A. P.

Thank you John for making this amazing website. I used wikipremed as my primary study tool, and I just received a score of 14 PS 11 VR and 13 BS for a total of 38. Not only did this site help me achieve the score I wanted, but it has left me with a deeper appreciation and understanding of science. - P. M.

I found John through his website. I was very impressed with his videos and liked his curriculum. John is not only highly professional and experienced, he’s also a great guy. Couldn’t ask for more. Very, very happy with his services. - K. T.

Thank you so much for your time and effort in developing WikiPremed. In studying for the MCAT, WikiPremed has proven to be an invaluable resource. I credit my 35 to it. - C. K.

I would like to thank you for this great website. I have spent quite a bit of time and money on a prep course and materials, and WikiPremed has been far more helpful than anything I have come across. - S. O.

I just wanted to say thank you so much for having these free videos here! I decided late I wanted to go to medical school so I had to take the MCAT this summer because I'm graduating in May, but I had never taken physics before, in high school or college. All I did was watch your videos and do the practice problems and I was able to get a 10 on the physical sciences section, which I'm sure would not have been possible otherwise, because it was absolutely unintelligible to me in the books I had been using. I thought you had a really thorough way of explaining things and making the concepts stick. - T. C.

I just wanted to thank you for setting up such an awesome way to learn and prepare for the MCAT exam. I am a premed student who is not interested in paying $3000 for a preparatory course, and this is such an awesome alternative. Great job putting together such awesome resources. The videos, pictures, text, example problems, and answers help SO much. Thank you! - E. F.

I think your sight is fantastic. Thanks for investing the time and energy into it! - S. A.

Hi John, Finally got scores and percentiles
35 M 93.8-95.7% ranking
Thanks again so much. - D. C.

I truly can't say enough good things about WikiPremed. I took the MCAT for the first time last year and again this summer. Last year I participated in a weekly on-site prep course for four months. This summer I stumbled upon WikiPremed through a Google search for MCAT study materials. I improved my MCAT score by three points using the resources on WikiPremed. Reasons you should consider WikiPremed: - the structure [ The value of the "spiraling curriculum" that John Wetzel mentions in his course introduction is perhaps best realized after working a bit with the actual material. In my opinion, other methods don't compare to this setup. It's the way I believe most all things should be taught - dynamically and relevantly. The structure also allows you to work at your own pace and according to your own schedule. Call me nerdy, but I found the flashcards and crosswords to be pretty fun, while the videos offer the sense of a private tutor. Oh yeah - and he's not ruthlessly charging you by the minute for it. ] - the economics [ ...which brings me to my next point. For starters, it's free. No gimmicks where after 50 views of the site you get some unfriendly warning to "Pay up or log off!" Nope. Check out all the stuff he's got on there as much as you want, whenever you want. If you want the tangible products, you can buy "the bundle" for about fifty bucks. And suffice it to say that's many, many, many, many fractions less than I paid for my previous MCAT prep class. (Never mind the lower score I got doing so.) ] - the philosophy [ So, it's official. After using WikiPremed throughout my MCAT prep and ultimately reaching my goal with my score, I can say with confidence: Wetzel is not some profit-hungry monster. In reality, he's far from it. Honestly, I kept waiting for the catch. Instead, I came to accept that there are still genuinely good people in this world and realized he's in it for the right reasons - to offer access to MCAT prep materials to anyone, anywhere with the motivation to pursue becoming a physician. ] My suggestion: use WikiPremed as a central resource, KhanAcademy for clarification and a set of prep books (I used ExamKrackers) to supplement all of it. I'd also attempt to take as many practice tests as you can fit in your prep schedule whilst maintaining sanity. May seem like a lot, but once I got in the swing of things I was sincerely grateful for WikiPremed as a consistent guide and invaluable study tool. - J.T.

Just wanted to say thanks for taking on this huge project!!! I really appreciate all the information and hardwork you put into this. Wish me luck on the MCAT! - K. C.

I just want to thank you for all the work you put into this site. It has really helped me to understand Physics in a way that the big review companies have not been able to. God bless you and this company and thanks again. - A. S.

As a physician, there is a balance between the shear volume of learned information one is exposed to and the practical application that one ultimately retains. Hard work and diligent study are expected, but the ability to navigate through mountains of knowledge in order to firmly grasp the essentials requires a mentor. The principles that I learned through MCAT academy not only helped me to achieve a 90th percentile score, but have served as a foundation for a broad and practical understanding of scientific principles which I have continued to use since. John's passion for teaching is evident and he's also a genuinely nice person. His course makes studying palatable and enjoyable rather than drudgery. - A. H., MD

Not sure if you would ever read this. But I just really wanted to thank you so much for all your work and god energy that you have placed in wikipremed. I have watched about 85 % all the videos and the way you explain physics is waw !!!! Thank you. Me and my friend already ordered the package, with the flashcards and everything. - K. C.

Hey John, first of all, THANK YOU so much for creating this one in a million website. I have been searching for sites for MCAT and this beats everything out there, hands down. I really like the video part about the physical sciences parts, rather than just bombarding all kinds of facts, the intuition you provide is amazing. - D. R.

I just wanted to thank you for doing this entire series. I suggested this site to everyone in the premed club at my university, and we now all use it as the main means to study for the MCAT. So thank you so much for putting all of this online and for free as well. Many of my classmates were unable to afford Kaplan courses and so on, so this is a life saver to them, and several of the ones who have alreaady taken the Kaplan course agree that this site provides a better and more robust study schedule. - A. W.

I haven't heard back on what my test results are yet, but my last practice test was a 34, so I'm hoping for the best. I just wanted to let you know that I appreciate what you've done in creating this course. Having benefited from not only the materials, but also your syllabus/schedule and the order in which you chose to present them, there is no way I would have guessed something like your program existed. WikiPremed is a true dark horse. Congratulations on an original and well executed idea! - L. L.

As a premed I had the same thought, that there should be a study program that builds knowledge block by block and connects the physics with the chemistry and biology. It looks like I found it. I can tell you put a ton of work into it, so this is just me saying Thanks. - P. S.

I love you. Very much. Thank you for putting this site together. I received a 32 on the MCAT. And this made me very happy. After taking a kaplan course and being stuck at around a 28. I wondered what more I could do. It was wikipremed.com. I find myself recommending this site to many people. Thank you for being wonderful, clear sighted, and altruistic. You really are amazing. - V. K.

WikiPremed is an MCAT preparation site with flashcards, questions and video explanations by John Wetzel, an incredibly experienced MCAT course instructor. The site has comprehensive lessons in all aspects of the MCAT and is a superb asset for those preparing to take the test. - Truman State University AMSA

Thank you for creating Wikipremed. I primarily used Wikipremed and the online AAMC tests to study. My pretest was a 27, rather horrifying. I wound up with a 32, decent enough to keep me in the running for medical school. I think your program is valuable for studying for the MCAT but should also be required for every student graduating from college, regardless of their major. Wikipremed does a fantastic job of drawing connections between the sciences, promoting a lifelong basic scientific understanding of the world. - D. P.