Choosing a career in medicine means signing up for a life of expensive and high stakes standardized exams. I’ve always loved taking standardized exams. They are like games to me. In 2012, I decided to expand my tutoring repertoire to include USMLE & COMLEX tutoring.
Prior to tutoring medical licensing boards officially, I had been tutoring for over a decade in university/pre-med courses, MCAT, DAT and more.
Testimonials
#1
Boston University Post Bac /John’s Hopkins MA
Test: MCAT
Success: total score 14 to 37
Jan 2015 test date
“Amanda is the hardest working, most dedicated tutor I have had. She knew the importance of increasing my knowledge of the material on the MCAT, increasing my familiarity with the test itself, and everything in between. But, most of all, she knew how to keep my spirits up. The MCAT is one of the most grueling standardized exams, and she knew how to keep me feeling uplifted and positive, while still continuing to teach me along the way. She was always there for me, day and night, to reschedule or rearrange study plans, and always had my back when I was feeling down. Even though we have never met in person, I feel that I have made a friend through this process, and she brought my confidence to its maximum throughout my studying. I would not have been able to make it through these demanding months without her relentless support. She is also one of the smartest tutors I have had, and really knows her material. She can explain things in 101 different ways, with the most patience I have ever seen, until you master the material. I cannot thank Amanda enough for her undying support towards me throughout this process!”
#2
American University Mathematics Major2011 Grad (Teach for America High School Mathematics Teacher), GPA 3.5
Test: MCAT
Success: total score 12 to 30
Thank you so much for all of your help. It is amazing to see the gains I am making all thanks to you. I seriously can’t thank you enough. Before I started meeting with you I was starting to just give up and think that medical school wasn’t going to be able to happen for me. And let me tell you, it is soooo exciting to know that I now have the ability to succeed and medical school can and will be in my future! YOU ROCK!!!
#3
3rd year Podiatry student
Test: (Board exam similar to USMLE)
Success: 3 fail (prior to our tutoring sessions) to PASS
“Simply put, Amanda was the best tutor I ever had. She tutored me for my APMLE Part I examination. She made me a great study plan to follow and when we went over practice questions she was clear and concise but also very thorough in her explanations. Amanda also “diagnosed” my weak areas and gave me tips that were very useful on test day. She is worth every penny and I wish I found her earlier. Do not hesitate to contact her if you need a tutor, as I mentioned above she is the BEST!”
#4
UC Berkeley Molecular Cell Biology Graduate 2010
Test: MCAT
Success: total score 29 to 36
“I signed up for 20 hrs of MCAT tutoring with Amanda. We mainly focused on Physics, Chemistry, and a bit of Organic Chemistry. Amanda was really helpful in explaining the important concepts, especially for Physics and Chemistry. I would prepare questions and topics that I want Amanda to go over during the week, and bring these to our weekly 3 hr session. Another student joined our last couple sessions. It worked out well for me not only because it was cheaper, but having another student there gave a broader range of topics.
Before meeting with Amanda, I have taken a Kaplan course and the MCAT once a year ago. I was frustrated with some subjects of Chem and Physics and was not able to get the help I needed from Kaplan. I needed a good teacher to explain specific sub-topics to me, and Amanda was great. My previous MCAT score: 11BS, 8PS, and 10 VR. I just took the real MCAT May 21st (no score yet). I took several AAMC practices after tutoring, and my latest MCAT score: 13BS, 12PS, and 11VR.
My only complaints for Amanda were that she is quite expensive and I had to travel to her. But I figured it is a once in a lifetime expenditure, and Amanda is worth it.”
#5
UC Davis Neurobiology Graduate 2010, GPA 3.7
Test: MCAT
Success: total score 17 to 32
“Amanda tutored me in all the MCAT subjects. She was ten times better than any prep course and she was very sweet and understanding. She genuinely cares about her students well-being and will spend extra time with you whenever you need it. Initially, I didn’t find her until a week before my MCAT which wasn’t enough time to improve my score the amount that I wanted, but I retook the MCAT just this past Saturday. She helped me out a lot in terms of studying a 2nd time. My scores improved by 2 or 3 points in each section. Before her help I couldn’t even get my individual scores into double digits, but after working with her for a couple of weeks, my score in VR and BS both hit 10s on my practice tests. I worked with Amanda a few times a month (about 4) for about 4-5 hours each sitting. She was very easy to talk to and explained every concept very clearly. Amanda is very hands on and aggressive in terms of keeping you on track and making sure that you understand every concept. She has no problem repeating herself or finding news ways of explaining something that you don’t understand. When I tutored with her, we would go through stacks of scratch paper with different explanations and practice problems written down. All in all, I’m so grateful to have found her and would recommend her to anyone who needs help!”
#6
UC Berkeley Graduate 2010
Subject: Genetics
Success: B to A+
“Amanda tutored me for my UCB genetics course. She was extremely helpful and made me feel confident about taking my exams. After getting tutored by Amanda I was able to spend my time reviewing material comfortably so my time was used much more efficiently. I would highly recommend her as a tutor because she can grasp material quickly and explain the material in a clear manner.”
#7
Albany High School 11-12th grade, later UC Berkeley
Test(s): AP Chemistry, AP physics, SAT subject test Math II
Successes: 5, 5, 800
“My original tutor went on vacation for a few weeks, and Amanda was my temporary tutor. However, she was so good that I did something difficult: I replaced the other tutor. She is not only qualified, but she also has an uncanny ability to have an introvert with low confidence feel right at home. Her mission is to create as many “magical teaching” moments as possible; when a laymen explanation explains a once confusing chemistry / physics concept.”
#8
DAT student
has not taken Ochem at all prior to preparing for DAT
Score on actual DAT Organic Chemistry Section: 16
“Amanda tutored me Ochem from scratch (since I have never learned Ochem prior to our first lesson.) With Amanda’s help, I was able to pass the Ochem section on the DAT with only 3 months of tutoring and also while studying for the other three science sections. Amanda has a gift to simplify Ochem, narrow the scope of dense topics to fit your personal level in a given topic, and communicates professionally as a tutor. Furthermore, Amanda also teaches you how to study, understand, and conquer questions on standardized exams with essential instructions to getting the right answers when you feel stuck. Some might feel discouraged to pay for online lessons, however they happened to be more flexible when scheduling a session, clear when learning, and much more efficient in time management during the lesson. I used other sources to learn, but I needed human-to-human communication with a tutor that efficiently teaches a topic in 1 or 2 lessons, and construct them for standardized exams.”
Exams & Subjects
I have taught extensively in the following subjects & test preps:
*USMLE step I/II/III
*COMLEX step I/II/III
*MCAT Verbal/Physical Sciences/Biological Sciences
GRE Math/Verbal
DAT Organic/General Chemistry, Math/Biology
Podiatry Board Exams
*Organic Chemistry, Inorganic Chemistry, Immunology, Neurobiology, Genetics, Molecular Toxicology, Biochemistry, Anatomy, Physiology, Exercise Physiology, Synthetic Organic Chemistry, Microbiology, Oncology (Biology of Cancer), Modern/Archaic Chinese, Mandarin –well versed in UC Berkeley/UC Irvine/UC Davis/Berkeley City College/SF state/CSUEB curricula of these courses
*K-12 English and Math
AP sciences and test prep (biology, chemistry), AP Calculus AB/CB
SAT I Math/Reading Comprehension/Writing
SAT II Math I/II, Sciences, Writing, Literature, Mandarin
I also offer:
- Curriculum planning
- Application help (college/grad school/medical school visiting student rotation at prestigious institute)
- Mentorship/support
- Counseling
- School/work/life balance consultation
Pricing & Policies
First Call Is Free: Let’s find out if we make a good team!
Consulting Rate: $388/hr
Personalized MCAT Success Plan: flat-rate of $850
Rescheduling/Cancellation requires 48 hour notice, or forfeiture of fees associated
I am located in Tucson, AZ and available for virtual sessions via Skype or FaceTime.
One of the biggest expense associated with higher education comes from the endless and expensive HIGH stake standardized testing. If you optimize your test prep and test score, you will save much money and open more doors for professional opportunities 🙂
I authored the following books. You will find them awesome investments.
A Minimalist’s Approach to MCAT: Excel in Medical College Admission Test and Beyond
List Price: $38.88 34 pages
ISBN-13: 978-1500485368 (CreateSpace-Assigned)
ISBN-10: 1500485365
BISAC: Medical / Education & Training
I have been tutoring MCAT for over a decade and enjoyed sharing successes with many students.
This book distills my professional and personal experiences with standardized testing along the journey to become a doctor myself and helping others realize their dream of becoming healthcare providers—from SAT, AP, IB exams, to MCAT, PCAT, DAT , to USMLE and COMLEX (the last 2 are medical licensing board exams for M.D. and D.O.) This book targets the MCAT. The fundamental principles on testing strategies and effective learning can help you succeed throughout medical school and beyond.
While all my students find these strategies amazingly helpful and enjoy reproducible successes, the majority of them have also expressed that they could not have come up with these strategies on their own.
This is completely understandable. The average MCAT takers have spent 3 months-2 years preparing for the MCAT. On the other hand, I have been analyzing and teaching MCAT for over 12 years. This is why I can offer strategies and approaches that are not apparent to many current MCAT takers 🙂
This book is short and sweet, contains distilled MCAT strategies and worksheets. It not only gives you section-specific testing strategies, but also guides you to make your personalized MCAT prep plan. Practice these strategies, follow the ground rules and use the “Golden Moments.” You will realize buying this book is the best investment you could have made for your MCAT performance.
A Minimalist’s Approach To USMLE I: You Can Excel in Medical Boards and Beyond.
List Price: $48.88 40 pages
ISBN-13: 978-1505840155 (CreateSpace-Assigned)
ISBN-10: 1505840155
BISAC: Study Aids / Professional
I have been tutoring tutoring USMLE/COMLEX for a few years and enjoyed sharing successes with many students.
This book distills my professional and personal experiences with standardized testing along the journey to become a doctor myself and helping others realize their dream of becoming healthcare providers.
This book is short and sweet, contains distilled USMLE I study plan and strategies. It not only teaches you to maximize your precious time prior to taking USMLE I, but also helps you keep USMLE I in perspective. Use this book as the blueprint of your USMLE I preparation, and follow the ground rules and use the “Golden Moments.” You will realize that purchasing this book is one of the best investments you have ever made for your USMLE I performance.
A Minimalist’s Approach to the Match: Enjoy Your Journey and Destination of the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP)
List Price: $39.88 32 pages
ISBN-13: 978-1505922127 (CreateSpace-Assigned)
ISBN-10: 1505922127
BISAC: Study Aids / Graduate School Guides
The Match process is an adventure. If you learn to navigate the system early on, you will enjoy both the journey and your destination. The Match (for residency), rather than fellowship match or first attending job match, is the single most decisive and impactful milestone for a physician in the making. Regretfully, most who journeyed only recognize what they should have done differently after arriving at their destinations on Match Day.
Fortunately, numerous mentors and guides have made my Match journey much smoother and more rewarding than many others’. This book contains the collective wisdom from those who helped me along my journey and those who shared the adventure with me.
This book addresses the top factors considered by program directors when selecting residency applicants for interview and ranking them for training positions. Questions are answered, such as—(Where) should I do audition rotations? How and from whom should I get recommendation letters? Does my leave of absence from medical school ruin my chances of getting into residency? And more.