things i wish someone told me before i took the MCAT
1) DON’T take an MCAT prep course
self-study > MCAT prep course
with self-studying, you’re able to create your own tailored schedule.
a tailored schedule is more effective because you can focus on your weaknesses rather than focusing on material you’ve already mastered
2) take high priority courses before the MCAT
courses i recommend taking before the MCAT:
biochemistry (with an emphasis on biochem!!!)
other courses to consider taking to live up to your maximum potential:
courses that will help but aren’t really necessary:
not a major part of the new MCAT
everything on the MCAT related to psyc is easy, so you’ll be fine, even if you learn it independently.
courses that wouldn’t be all that helpful:
the MCAT questions are quite different from what you’ll learn in your college class
all the math you need for the MCAT is very basic
3) the 4 MCAT sections & courses that would help to do well on them
chemical & physical foundations of biological systems
main courses to do well on this section:
main themes in this section:
cell transport, signals, and response
chemical interactions and reactions
critical analysis & reasoning skills
main courses to do well on this section:
humanities (language, literature, history, etc.)
social science (psychology, sociology, economics, etc.)
main themes in this section:
foundation of comprehension
in layman’s terms: what was the point of the passage?
reasoning within the text
what did this particular passage try to argue?
was this author a credible source?
reasoning beyond the text
applying what the passage said to an outside context
this section consists of passages that are 600+ words in length
you don’t need any outside knowledge for this section
biological & biochemical foundations of living systems
main courses to do well on this section:
main themes in this section:
biomolecule contribution to structure and function of cells
cell contribution to organisms
psychological, social, & biological foundations of behavior
main courses to do well on this section:
main themes in this section:
impact of culture and social differences
factors that affect human behavior
factors that affect how individuals think and react
factors that influence how we see ourselves and others
by factors i’m talking about biological, psychological, and sociocultural.
4) resources i recommend for studying for the MCAT
you can skip the verbal book
from my experience, kaplan basically covers 99% of what you need to know for the MCAT.
what you DON’T want to do with the kaplan books (or any other unofficial practice resource) is take the practice tests in the books
i know a lot of people do that, but i strongly advise against it. the reason being is MCAT test makers phrase their questions in a very specific way, and they want you to think in that specific way.
AAMC official practice resources
they include passage-based question sets, practice tests, and flashcards.
you want to do all of those at least once, BUT you wanna take the practice test at least 2x.
5) schedule your studying
learning period: from the beginning of college up to a month before your MCAT test date
when you read the kaplan books, take very detailed notes (because you don’t wanna spend extra time re-reading when there’s this much material), and come back to those notes any time you forget or need a refresher on something.
this time period is pretty flexible, so you can read the books however you want at whatever pace as long as you get them done a month before your test date before you enter that cram period.
also, during this learning period, you’re taking the relevant classes and absorbing the knowledge to succeed on the MCAT.
how i used the kaplan books during this learning period:
before every relevant class (e.g., before an organic chemistry class), i read the organic chemistry kaplan book.
i think this played a big role in my maintaining a 4.0 throughout the past three years of undergrad
so if it’s still early in college for you, i highly recommend this approach!
cram period: a month before your MCAT test date
you wanna spend the first couple of days (maybe 2-7 days) reviewing those notes you took from the kaplan books
after reviewing your notes, what you want to spend the rest of your time on is taking practice tests.
take a practice test one day, review it the next day, and you wanna repeat that until a day before your test date.
if you’re doing it right, you should be spending more time reviewing the practice tests than you do taking them (and the exam takes 7 hours, so that’s a lot of reviewing).
you might be wondering, “with that schedule that’s a lot of practice tests. where do you get that many practice tests?”
the official AAMC source only has about 3 practice tests
those passage-based question sets the AAMC offers: you want to conglomerate those sets into mock practice tests
you can make an unofficial practice test by taking like 60 biology questions, 60 chemistry questions, 60 verbal questions, 60 psychology questions.
protip for study scheduling for the MCAT: you want to set up your test date so that in that cram period right before the MCAT, you don’t have any school/classes
balancing school and serious (no half-assing!!!!) MCAT studying just don’t go well together
6) scheduling your test date
schedule 3 months of study time
it’s the optimal amount of time to study for the MCAT
finish required (and recommended) courses beforehand
beware of MCAT retake restrictions
you can take it 3x in 1 year & only 7x in your lifetime
register early to avoid paying more
the later you wait, the more expensive it is.
3-4 weeks before test date: $310
1-2 weeks before test date: $365
beware of rescheduling & cancellation fees
it’s gonna be a long and boring day
the new MCAT is about 7.5 hours long
most start at 8a and end between 2p-4p
10-minute breaks between each section
you’ll get a locker to put your belongings in
scan your body with a metal detector thing
you’re escorted to the testing room (a cubicle with a desk and computer)
bring water and snacks for your breaks
bring a jacket or blanket
you don’t know how cold or hot it’s going to be in the testing room
you don’t want to be anxious the day of your MCAT
when you’re done with the MCAT, treat yourself!!!!
we have all been there!!!
i’m alive and sane, and you will be, too!!!
i know it sounds really daunting to study for this monster, but you’ll get past it!!!
try to be as optimistic and motivated as possible!!!
