Would you like to take the MCAT? Become an MD? Well, “the MCAT (Medical College Admission Test) is the big test for premeds. It’s taken late in the course of college” (p. 21 of 243, 13%). And Dr. Peter Rogers spells out how he made the grade. Whatever program you do, ace it with the doc’s tips on how to hone a super high IQ.
Learn to kiss academic butt.
I told a friend about the value of relationships in grad studies: “Butt kissing is a useful skill in life. There ought to be a class called, ‘butt kissing 101’” (Rogers, p. 24 of 243, 14%). I didn’t get along with my supervisor. Bad news. She’s the Dean. “Colleges, medical schools and hospitals will any day of the week take a likable person with minimal qualifications over a highly qualified person that they don’t like” (Rogers, p. 25 of 243, 14%). I should’ve read Dale Carnegie’s book about How to Win Friends and Influence People ().
Take options that advance your degree.
Take undergrad classes as closely aligned to the med classes as possible. “The reason so many students did better than me was because they had already taken these classes. In college they had majored in real, premed biology that emphasized humans …. It’s a big advantage to have seen the material before” (Rogers, p. 27 of 243, 15%). Similarly, in grad studies, only sign up for classes that advance your thesis—and use those classes to write parts of your thesis. For instance, sign up for a methodology class, and write about the exact method you plan to implement in your thesis.
Hone your social skills.
Doctors with great bedside manners end up with more clients. One dentist had a reputation for being the finest in dental surgery. But he had cutting sarcasm and made jokes about accidentally slicing patients’ gums. He made me so fearful under his drill that I got up, bib on, and left the dentist chair. He was an A student but with an F for social skills. Dr. Rogers says, “A lot of persons who were C student level, academic performers in medical school, have A level social and financial intelligence and end up owning their own medical clinics or imaging centers. Then the A student doctors like me, go work for them” (p. 28 of 243, 15%). Dr. Rogers even goes on to say, “I am the poster child for high academic skills but low social skills and financial skills” (p. 30 of 243, 16%).
You can achieve top grades, even if you lack the skills.
You couldn’t have a desire if you weren’t capable of its achievement, says motivation speaker Earl Nightingale. But “this means you are going to constantly go thru those phases of being a beginner, making embarrassing, beginner mistakes and improving as you go along” (Rogers, p. 30 of 243, 16%). A Buddhist article says when you no longer feel the pain, then you’ve arrived.
Boost your IQ to maximum performance.
Dr. Rogers says, “It has been proven that studying can lead to dramatic improvement on IQ tests …. Here’s another little secret. The tests are often intentionally designed to have ‘too many’ questions. This is done to make the tests more difficult on purpose …. It’s a test of speed at problem solving” (p. 31 of 243, 16%).
So, how does Dr. Rogers help you get a super high IQ to speed through tough exams? Through seven IQ boosters. Let’s scour them.
IQ booster #1: Eat healthy.
Food can boost our IQ. I eat walnuts, salmon, blueberries, and flaxseed for brain health. “If we eat a healthy diet, our IQ will go up a couple of points …. If you eat better foods, your brain health will have better raw materials out of which to make neurons. Healthy neurons conduct action potentials faster so that you can think faster” (Rogers, p. 31 of 243, 17%).
IQ booster #2: Exercise.
Dr. Rogers says, “Now if we exercise, [our IQ] goes up a little more … because of improved brain glycogen … more mitochondria … better blood supply … production of new neurons … improved attention” (p. 31 of 243, 17%). I can attest to how exercise makes us smarter. Since training almost daily, I have the stamina to read and study. Before training, some days I felt so sick, I couldn’t read a page.
IQ booster #3: Get good sleep.
Who doesn’t love to sleep? “Now if improve our sleep, [our IQ goes up more] because of improved memory consolidation and attention” (Rogers, p. 31 of 243, 17%).
IQ booster #4: Enroll in classes with top-notch textbooks.
Our IQ goes up again, “if we study from the best textbook and practice questions book” (Rogers, p. 31 of 243, 17%). Research your textbooks before going into a course. Make sure the language is clear and easy to understand and the book comes with fully worked-out solutions (for classes like math and chemistry).
IQ booster #5: Pick the best profs.
Our IQ goes up even higher “if we have a good teacher” (Rogers, p. 31 of 243, 17%). A good teacher can take you from an F student to a PhD. Seriously.
IQ booster #6: I mean, pick the very best profs.
Our IQ spikes again “If we have a great teacher” (Rogers, p. 31 of 243, 17%). I found the top-rated instructors, and I enrolled in their classes the first day online registration became available.
IQ booster #7: Study nonstop.
But add all this up, and our IQ goes through the roof if we also “study every day and manage our time well” (Rogers, p. 32 of 243, 18%). The best formula I found for studying and breaks involves studying for thirty-minutes straight and then taking a five-minute break. During the undergrad, I studied all the time, thirty minutes straight with fifteen-minute breaks. But I could’ve tightened those fifteen-minute breaks to five minutes and added another class to my workload.
So, that’s some tips from the doctor. If you try his IQ boosters, your brain power will boom. Forget the chicken soup, you’re onto acing your program.