5.0The MCAT is the admissions exam for medical school. We tutor it one-on-one, online, for pre-med students and career changers, from the first diagnostic to test day.
Who tutors it
MCAT tutoring is led by Daniel Theng, a fourth-year medical student at UCSF applying into diagnostic radiology. His own path through the MCAT, medical school coursework and board-style exams shapes how he teaches: he helps students understand the reasoning behind the material and builds frameworks that make hard topics easier to remember.
When he works practice questions with you, he digs into the distractors: why a wrong answer looks tempting, and when it would actually be right, so you recognise the trap on test day. Read his full bio.
What MCAT tutoring looks like
- A structured study plan from your diagnostic score to your test date.
- Passage strategy for all four sections, including CARS.
- Practice questions worked with you, with time spent on why each wrong answer is wrong.
- Full-length practice exams reviewed together, so each one changes the plan.
MCAT format
AAMC lists four sections. Total content time is 6 hours 15 minutes, and seated time is about 7 hours 30 minutes (AAMC, What’s on the MCAT exam).
| Section | Questions | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Chemical and Physical Foundations of Biological Systems | 59 | 95 min |
| Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills (CARS) | 53 | 90 min |
| Biological and Biochemical Foundations of Living Systems | 59 | 95 min |
| Psychological, Social, and Biological Foundations of Behavior | 59 | 95 min |
CARS is 9 passage-based sets of 5–7 questions. The other three sections each have 10 passage-based sets of 4–6 questions plus 15 independent questions.
How is the MCAT scored?
You receive five scores: one for each section and a total. Each section is scored from 118 to 132 with a midpoint of 125, and the total runs from 472 to 528 with a midpoint of 500 (AAMC, score scale).
What each MCAT section tests
AAMC describes the four sections this way (AAMC, What’s on the MCAT exam):
- Chemical and Physical Foundations of Biological Systems draws on chemistry and physics concepts, mostly in the context of biological systems.
- Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills tests how you read, comprehend and analyse passages taken from a wide range of disciplines in the social sciences and humanities. AAMC says it requires no specific content knowledge.
- Biological and Biochemical Foundations of Living Systems draws on biology and biochemistry concepts.
- Psychological, Social, and Biological Foundations of Behavior draws on psychology, sociology and biology as they relate to behavior.
Three sections are built on science content plus passages; CARS is built only on reading and reasoning. That difference shapes the plan: content review for three sections, and steady passage practice for CARS from the first week, since reading skill improves slowly.
How we plan MCAT prep
- Diagnostic first. A baseline practice test shows which sections and skills need the most time.
- Content by weakness. We review the science you are weakest in, not every chapter evenly.
- Passages every week. Passage-based questions make up most of the exam, so we practise reading and extracting data throughout.
- Full-length practice tests. In the final stretch, full-length tests build stamina for a day that runs about seven and a half hours seated, and each one is reviewed together.
- Distractor review. For every miss we look at why the wrong answer was tempting, Daniel's core method.
MCAT attempt limits
AAMC limits how often you can sit the MCAT: no more than three times in a testing year, no more than four times over two consecutive testing years, and no more than seven times in your lifetime, counting from the April 2015 test dates. You can hold only one exam appointment at a time (AAMC, testing attempt limits).
Those limits are a reason to sit the exam when your practice scores say you are ready, not on a date chosen months in advance. We use your full-length results to decide whether to keep your test date or move it.
Reading your five MCAT scores
Your report shows four section scores and a total. Because each section is scored on the same 118 to 132 scale, the section scores show exactly where points were lost, which is where the next plan starts.
Choosing your MCAT test date
Pick a date with enough time for content review, passage practice and several full-length practice tests, and leave room to move it. Because AAMC caps attempts per year, in two consecutive years and in a lifetime, it is better to test when your practice scores are steady than to test early and plan on a retake.
We set the date with you after the diagnostic, then check it against each full-length result. If the scores are not where they need to be a few weeks out, we talk about moving the date before it costs an attempt.
CARS practice that works
CARS passages come from the humanities and social sciences, and AAMC says the section needs no specific content knowledge. That means the only way to improve is practice with feedback: read a passage, answer, then go back to the text to see exactly why each answer is right or wrong.
We work CARS passages with you every week from the start, because reading speed and accuracy improve slowly. Daniel's distractor method fits CARS especially well: most wrong answers are tempting because they are almost what the author said.
Retaking the MCAT?
A retake starts from your score report: which sections lost points, and whether it was content, passage strategy or timing. We build the plan around that.
Price and how to start
Every plan is priced per 50-minute session: $349 for a single class, $2,999 for 10 classes (save $491) and $3,999 for 15 classes (save $1,236). See full pricing.
Start with a free 20-minute intro consult. We look at your exam date, your practice scores and how you are studying now, then map out your priorities. Book a session.
MCAT tutoring by city
Each city page uses AAMC's 2025-26 data for that area: applications and seats at local medical schools, the state's MCAT averages, and the colleges sending the most pre-meds. All cities.