Tame the {M}CAT: My General Study Plan

Hey guys! This will be the first of many parts in “Tame the {M}CAT” series. I want to share my personalized study plan to give you an idea of where to start, so let’s get to it! MCAT Fast facts:

1. The MCAT takes 7.5 hours to complete but do not be frightened: each section is 1.5 hours long with built in 10 minutes breaks and a 30 minutes lunch. So, it’s not THAT bad; just think of it as going to work for a shift.
2. It is meant to show your capability to enter medical school. In my opinion, the test requires vigorous studying, a certain way of thinking, and stamina that medical schools look for when trying to recruit an incoming class. It will open up a glimpse into the type of course load you will face in graduate school. The MCAT is not the only defining factor on your application but you should take it seriously because for most people, it will test their determination of becoming a doctor.
3. Some schools weigh your GPA more heavily than your MCAT score so if you don’t do well in test settings, make sure you keep up your grades and beactive in interesting extracurriculars.
4. A perfect score on the MCAT is a 528 but it is based on a bell curve. Meaning, you can still miss questions and get all the points. The official AAMC states that 500 is the average scores for most students, but I would say most medical schools range their average from 505 - 510. If you score above a 510, you will have a better chance at going to your top choices.
5. Signing up for the MCAT is a free for all. They do not release a time of when they will open registration, just a date. Make sure you follow AAMC on Twitter to find out as well as look online to see when they usually released it (for mine it was at 6AM CST). You should make an account and have your information ready beforehand so on the day of you can just pick a date and pay. When you enter the website on the day of, they will put you in a waiting line and make sure you move your cursor every 5 minutes or you will be kicked out (learn from my mistake).

First and foremost before you start studying, you should take a practice MCAT test to gauge where you are on the scoring scale. I suggest you take a shorter version of the test (~4 hours). There are many free ones you can find online just by searching it up.Once you know where you stand, you can start crying it all out and then start studying (like me) OR you can see potential and raise your score even higher. After your first diagnostic test, you will see the sections you need help on the most. This will give you an idea of which area to brush up in terms of content.

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How long did you study? My study period was approximately 4 1/2 months long (December - April) and I studied 20-25 hours per week. The best time to study would be the summer entering your junior year of college (a full 3 months with no school work) OR in January (studying during the first semester and having a built in winter break for hardcore cramming).  What resources did you use?

• Kaplan online course which included practice tests, videos, and live sessions.
• The Complete Study Package - 10th edition by ExamKrackers
• 101 Passages by ExamKrackers
• AAMC section packs and practice exams

  How did you study?1st month: I studied strictly biochemistry and general chemistry to really understand the bulk of the science questions that were going to be asked. This period is what I like to call “leisure study.” I read the book and went over the material but it was more like scouring through my brain dumpster to recall what I’ve learned in these classes in my earlier college years.2nd month: Most prep courses will have their list of hot topics and those are the questions that usually show up at least once on the actual exam. The first 3 weeks should be focused on learning/reviewing the material. I read all the books, did some practice questions, and memorized the concepts. At the end of the month you should be taking your first real MCAT. 3rd month: At this point forth, you should be trying to take a practice exam every week. You should study your weaknesses during the week, take the practice, and spend the next day reviewing all of it in detail. You should be very acquainted in what you are good at and what you lack. As of now, your studying is predominantly practice questions (60-70%). You should also be familiar with the structure of the exam and really becoming best friends with it. 4th month: I took practice exams every week and began doing more single section tests during the weekday. For me, I was doing 80% practice questions and 20% content. For the last few days before my exam, I only reviewed content and casually looked over all the material. I hope you find this breakdown useful and the MCAT less intimidating, I have a lot more content coming out so I hope you subscribe! Lub dub,Shanon