Compilation 509+ MCAT Study Habits

[supremus]

Use the template below:

1) Your individual scores and composite score
2) The study method used for each section
3) What materials you used for each section(Kaplan, TPR, Examkrackers, AAMC, TBR, etc)
4) Which practice tests did you use? (Optional: include scores)
5) What was your undergraduate major?
6) Any other tips you may have for those of us who still have this test lurking over us?
7) How long did you study for the MCAT?

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[CHoge25]

Here are the AAMC materials I have access to:

AAMC MCAT Practice Exam (Scored) - This is the new test released this week that gives you an actual scaled score
Official MCAT Sample Test- This is the 230 questions that most of you took where you get your percentage.
AAMC Question pack Biology 1 + 2 - 120 questions each of biology (No biochem though)
AAMC Q Pack CARS 1 + 2 - 240 CARS questions
AAMC Question pack Chemistry - 120 chem questions
AAMC question pack Physics - 120 physics questions though
AAMC Official Guide Questions - 120 total, 30 from each section.

And I do not yet have access to the AAMC MCAT Section Bank, which is 300 questions that are biochem and psych/soc based (obviously need to purchase this if I do not get access to it)

 

[Doctor Dream]

Just from my experience, I saved most of my AAMC material for the end (like ~1-2 weeks before my actual exam) and wished I hadn't waited that long. I would do what you're saying and start doing the practice packs about 1-2 months out from your exam, and take your FL's somewhere around there too. Maybe space them a couple weeks apart and take a couple Kaplan exams in between.

I used the AAMC OG as a half-length 2 days away from my exam and was glad I did that though. It was nice to have a refresher on the AAMC style of testing, and it was short enough that I didn't feel burned out.

 

[deleted421268]

Out of all those who posted extremely high scores which one is best person and template to follow?

 

[Doctor Dream]

Out of all those who posted extremely high scores which one is best person and template to follow?

There is no "best" person to follow, the people that scored really high found a study schedule and strategy that worked well for them. You know yourself best. Your best bet is to pick and choose the strategies you think will work for you. How do you learn best? How much of the content are you already familiar with? How much study time do you have? Think about those things when youre deciding a schedule.

 

[deleted421268]

There is no "best" person to follow, the people that scored really high found a study schedule and strategy that worked well for them. You know yourself best. Your best bet is to pick and choose the strategies you think will work for you. How do you learn best? How much of the content are you already familiar with? How much study time do you have? Think about those things when youre deciding a schedule.

I learn best from books. I know what content will be ontest just need major review on all topics so I can get questions right. Im only in second year of college.

 

[Neuroplasticity]

Thank you to all those who posted in this thread and the 45 point scale thread. This wealth of knowledge is a huge advantage.

1. Overall Score:
516 C/P: 130 CARS: 127 B/BC: 130 P/S: 129

2. Study Method:
After reading many comments on study materials, I decided to go with BR for physics and chemistry, Kaplan for biochemistry, and PR for biology and P/S. While reading each of these I made flashcards for the factual knowledge I didn’t have memorized using the program ANKI. For CARS I had hoped to complete all of the passages in the EK 101, PR Hyperlearning, and old AAMC exams. Example schedule:
M: Read ch. 1 BR Physics, do 1st 1/3 of ch. 1 BR physics problems, do 2 timed CARS passages, make and do ANKI flashcards
Tu: ch. 1 BR Chem, 1st 1/3 problems, 2 CARS passages, ANKI
W: ch. 1 BR Ochem, 1st 1/3 problems, 2 CARS passages, ANKI
Th: ch. 1 K Bchem, 1st 1/3 problems, 2 CARS passages, ANKI
F: ch. 1 PR B/BC, 1st 1/3 problems, 2 CARS passages, ANKI
Sa: ch. 1 PR P/S, 1st 1/3 problems, 2 CARS passages, ANKI
Su: Review/re-read chapters, do 2nd 1/3 of all problems, 2 CARS passages, ANKI
The review days often took me 2 days to complete. The day after, I would review every problem/passage I did the day before, right or wrong. The last ~1/3 of study time I had to do >1 chapter a day and stopped practicing CARS.
After reviewing all of the content, I had planned to do the last 1/3 of all of the problems and take practice tests, but I didn’t have enough time for this.

3. Study Materials:
C/P: Berkeley Review Physics 2010, Berkeley Review Chemistry 2010
CARS: Princeton Review Hyperlearning 2011, ExamKrackers 101 Passages in Verbal Reasoning, old AAMC practice exams
B/BC: Berkeley Review Ochem 2012, Kaplan Biochemistry 2015, Princeton Review B/BC 2015
P/S: Princeton Review P/S 2015

4. Practice Tests:
8/21 Next Step Diagnostic: 507 C/P: 129 CARS: 126 B/BC: 126 P/S: 126
9/7 Princeton Review Demo: 504 C/P: 126 CARS: 124 B/BC: 126 P/S: 128
9/11 Princeton Review FL1: 504 C/P: 126 CARS: 126 B/BC: 125 P/S: 127
9/15 Free Kaplan FL: 513 C/P: 125 CARS: 130 B/BC: 130 P/S: 128
9/18 AAMC Official Guide: C/P: 83% CARS: 80% B/BC: 83% P/S: 83%
9/19 AAMC FL: C/P: 88% CARS: 87% B/BC: 90% P/S: 86%
AAMC Chem Question Pack: 92%, AAMC Bio1 Question Pack: 88%

5. Undergraduate Major: Biomedical engineering
This may have helped in the C/P portion of the exam and the overall ‘problem solving’ theme.
This may have hindered in the CARS as I do not read anything non-science/-engineering related in classes, and there is very minimal B/BC, and no P/S.

6. Tips:
I’d highly recommend studying over the summer or when you have a lot of time, I don’t think I would have been able to study nearly as much while taking classes or working full-time.
To get an optimal score I could have pushed myself more to practice CARS like I had planned, take more practice exams, and complete content review earlier to do more practice problems, but I think this test helped me see what my goals are in life and how much time I want to spend on work vs. with friends and family. My goal is no longer to spend 120 hours a week in the OR or ICU, I want to have more time to take care of myself and be with the people I love. So I’d recommend you also use this test to think about what you want and how willing you are to get there.

7. Time Spent Studying:
I studied for about 3 months, almost every day, while working a couple of part-time jobs. Average time studying per day was probably around 6 hours.

 

[njg]

I owe this site so much, thanks a ton SDN. Let me preface my post by saying I wanted to limit my costs as much as possible, and did NOT want to drop $2000 on a prep course. My study plan turned out pretty cost effective I think, I was able to do all the prep I wanted without draining my bank account. I am also NOT the smartest person on campus by any means and really think anyone with reasonable intelligence who works hard and studies effectively can do well!

1) Your individual scores and composite score
514 (91st %ile) - 129/126/131/128

2) The study method you used for each section
2 months before starting my actual study schedule (which I'll talk about later) I started going through the AAMC 2015 content outline and made flashcards for every bullet point using a program called Anki. I found some handy websites like mcat-review.org and premedhq.com which had brief explanations for most of the points, and used those to make my cards. My Anki deck was an ongoing project that took about 4 months to finish, and I continued to add cards even after I'd finished going through the outline. I'd review the cards which were due every day, and I really think this was a vital part of my content review.
I started out using the NextStep 100 day schedule found here. You can read the schedule for yourself if you're interested, but I basically followed this for the first couple months. I used the EK set for general content review, bought a TPR book which had 3 TPR FL's included, and a Kaplan book which also came with an FL. I made sure I knew the EK books inside and out, and anything I didn't feel confident in or had never learned I watched Khan academy videos on. I'd also add any additional information to my flashcards from the EK books or Khan. I don't think I touched the TPR or Kaplan books though, other than to take FL's. I used the NS CARS book for CARS practice, which I thought did a good job.
After following this schedule for a couple months, I felt like there was too much content review and not enough FL practice, so I abandoned it. I felt like one FL per week was okay for the beginning of my prep, but felt too long later on. I instead did an FL every two or three days, and reviewed that FL the day after I took it. I used the Gadwin print screen app to take pictures of questions I got wrong and turned them into flashcards which I could study. As I got closer to my exam, I started doing more and more AAMC material, to get acclimated to the style of the real thing.

3) Materials you used for each section
Like I mentioned, I used EK for my main content review, and knew those books inside and out, and supplemented it with Khan for topics I still struggled with. I also used all the AAMC material which was released (the FL, official guide, and practice packs). These materials were invaluable, in fact the CARS section of my actual MCAT felt exactly like another AAMC CARS practice pack. I bought the Kaplan and TPR books along with the set of NS books mentioned in the study schedule I linked but I never really used them. I only used the Kaplan and TPR books for their FL's and out of the NS set I only used the CARS book for practice. If I could do it over, I'd only buy the NS CARS book and not the whole set.

4) What practice tests did you use? (Optional: Include score)
I took my first exam in early June and the last on Sept. 10th, two days before the exam. Here they all are, ordered chronologically earliest to most recent
NS half length diagnostic - 495 (121/124/125/125)
AAMC FL - 77% (83%/85%/76%/66%)
NS 1 - 505 (126/124/128/127)
TPR 1 - 501 (124/124/125/128)
NS 2 - 504 (127/123/128/126)
TPR 2 - 502 (126/125/124/127)
Kaplan 1 - 501 (125/125/127/124)
NS 3 - 511 (127/128/128/128)
TPR 3 - 502 (124/126/125/127)
NS 4 - 508 (127/127/128/126)
EK 1 - 73% (63%/74%/78%/76%)
NS 5 - 508 (127/126/128/127)
AAMC FL (again) - 92% (92%/92%/92%/90%)
AAMC OG - half length - 82.5% (86.6%/86.6%/76.6%/80%)

Note - DO NOT get discouraged if you score low when you first start. That 495 diagnostic scared the crap out of me initially, but everything turned out fine in the end.

5) What was your undergrad major?
Biochemistry

6) Any tips for those of us who still have this test lurking over us?
Don't underestimate the importance of practice exams. Content review is important, but taking practice exams is by far more important I feel. People who say taking the MCAT is a skill that can be learned are 100% right I think. If I could do it over again, I'd stop my content review earlier and start taking more exams sooner. I think it's important to divide your study schedule into two sections, the first consisting mainly of content review for a month or two, and second consisting of practice exams for another two months. During the content review section, refresh your brain with all the concepts you learned in your classes, work on things you struggled with, and learn important topics if need be. The second section is for learning how to take FL's, improving mental endurance, and ironing out the gaps of knowledge in your content review.
Also, don't put too much stock into your practice FL scores. They can kind of be a predictor of your actual MCAT score, but completely off other times. I've seen people post on here that you shouldn't take the real thing without consistently scoring 510+ on NS exams, or stuff like that. I 100% disagree. Let the AAMC material be your gauge if anything.

EDIT: Adding this bit because I think it's really important. When you are taking your practice FL's, REPLICATE TEST DAY AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE. I can't tell you how much this helped me. Every day I planned to take an FL, I would wake up at the same time I would on test day, eat the same breakfast, wear similar clothes, drive the same route. Hell, I even drove to the Prometrics site those days and would walk around and envisioned myself going in their office and taking the MCAT, then drive off and take my exam in a different place. Maybe some of that is overkill, but doing all that REALLY helped reduce my anxiety on test day. When I woke up, it literally just felt like another FL day. I was actually surprised how calm I was. Point being, simulating test day as much as possible helps get your brain conditioned and really reduces anxiety.

7) How long did you study for the MCAT?
2 months of passive content review, 3 months hardcore studying and taking practice exams.
I started making my flashcards in early March, but had classes simultaneously, so I didn't really dive into my studying until classes were out in May.

If anyone has any questions about anything MCAT, feel free to PM me, I'm more than happy to help. I remember how it feels to be totally lost and confused with all this stuff! I'm also willing to share my Anki deck with anyone interested, I think it's ~900 cards total.

Best of luck to everyone reading this! Work hard, believe in yourself, and you'll slay this thing.

Hey. Im interested in your Anki deck.

 

[doctorally]

A lot of members have been mentioning 2015 TPR CARS and P/S prep books. Can someone please explain to me what these books are? Whenever I google them, all I see is the TPRH books for the old MCAT. Thanks in advance!

 

[WorkDawg]

A lot of members have been mentioning 2015 TPR CARS and P/S prep books. Can someone please explain to me what these books are? Whenever I google them, all I see is the TPRH books for the old MCAT. Thanks in advance!

They're books that are only available through the TPR course. However they can be bought second hand off eBay. I purchased the TPR 2015 CARS book and the TPR 2015 science workbook off eBay and I would recommend them. However I prefer the Next Step CARS workbook over the TPR workbook.

 

[ieatshrimp24]

A lot of members have been mentioning 2015 TPR CARS and P/S prep books. Can someone please explain to me what these books are? Whenever I google them, all I see is the TPRH books for the old MCAT. Thanks in advance!

I have the TPR books for both the old MCAT and the current MCAT. They're pretty much the same except for the new version there's some Psych/Soc passages and they removed the free standing questions. So you can get the old version for a cheaper price.
Also, the new TPR CARS book removed the natural science passages from the old version and added in some additional passages. Both the SW and CARS books are great resources.

 

[lap12]

So for those who have done well, do you highly recommend a course? If so, will the self-paced online course suffice (ie: is the point of the course access to materials) or was the actual instruction valuable?

I work part-time with a flexible schedule so was planning to self-study, but after seeing how many people did well after taking a course I'm reconsidering and may opt for the self-paced Kaplan course, but wondering whether it's truly worth it.

Anyone have input?

 

[neelsmith]

Physical Science is always a weak subject for all ! you should start from their

 

[Doctor Dream]

So for those who have done well, do you highly recommend a course? If so, will the self-paced online course suffice (ie: is the point of the course access to materials) or was the actual instruction valuable?

I work part-time with a flexible schedule so was planning to self-study, but after seeing how many people did well after taking a course I'm reconsidering and may opt for the self-paced Kaplan course, but wondering whether it's truly worth it.

Anyone have input?

I also worked part time during my studying and decided to self study without a class. If you're disciplined and self-motivated, it's totally feasable to do well without one. I might have scored better with a class, I don't know, but I saved a bunch of money and still got a nice score. Sorry I can't offer any info about the specific courses!

 

[Ellron]

1) Overall Score: 522 (99th percentile) PS: 130 CARS: 131 BS: 132 Psych: 129

2) Study Method: About 4 months of content review using Kaplan’s books then a month of practice tests using TPR, EK and the official AAMC FL. I also used Kahn academy for any material that was not effectively covered in my courses. I tried to incorporate some lectures from the Great Courses as well. I felt these were more in depth than Kahn Academy, but since they are very expensive unless you get them on sale

3) Study Materials: Kaplan 2015 Bookset, EK tests 1&2, TPR MCAT Complete tests, Some Kahn academy videos, The Great Courses Videos

4) Practice Tests:

Princeton Review FL Scores:
FL Demo: PS:125 CARS:125 BS:127 Psych:127 Total: 504
FL 1: PS:128 CARS:125 BS:127 Psych:125 Total: 505
FL 2: PS:126 CARS:126 BS:129 Psych:128 Total: 509

ExamKrackers FL:
FL1: PS: 46/59 CARS:42/53 BS:45/59 Psych: 43/59 Total: 77%
FL2: PS: 43/59 CARS:34/53 BS 49/59 Psych:48/59 Total: 76%

AAMC FL: PS: 83% CARS: 83% BS: 88% Psych: 83%

5) Undergraduate major: Biology B. S.

6) Tips: Learn how to interpret data and analyze scientific research. This is the most useful skill that you can have going into the exam. This new test is more about reasoning than rote memorization. Reading scientific journal articles and taking classes in which this is required will greatly benefit you.

Also, on test day, you need to try to repeat the conditions in which you took your practice tests. So, simulate the real thing when you practice. If you practice taking all the breaks then take them all even if you feel you don't have do. If you do not take a lunch (like me) then you probably don't want to eat on test day.

7) Time Spent Studying: Around 6-8 hrs per day during the week and maybe 2-3 hrs on weekends.

What course specifically in the great courses did you use?

 

[InvalidUsername]

1) Overall Score: 520 (98th percentile) PS: 131 CARS: 130 BS: 131 Psych: 128
4) Practice Tests: I used the online Kaplan FLs that came with the course, along with their initial half-length diagnostic. Also took a TPR FL, AAMC FL, and the AAMC Official Guide as a half length.

Kaplan FL Scores: (not in order)
Diagnostic: 504
FL 3: PS:125 CARS:128 BS:125 Psych:127 Total: 505
FL 4: PS:125 CARS:127 BS:125 Psych:127 Total: 504
FL 5: PS:124 CARS:126 BS:125 Psych:127 Total: 502
FL 8: PS:125 CARS:128 BS:126 Psych:124 Total: 503
FL 9: PS:125 CARS:128 BS:126 Psych:124 Total: 503

AAMC FL: PS: 78% CARS: 91% BS: 88% Psych: 83%

AAMC Official Guide: PS: 80% CARS: 90% BS: 76% Psych: 90%

Pardon me if I'm being especially dense, but where did you find all of these full length practice exams? I'm looking on Kaplan's website and do not see them anywhere. I'm going to buy the Kaplan 7 Book Set 2015 edition also, but I was under the impression that it came with only 3 FL exams.

 

[Mr. otcoD]

Sure! So TPR I only used their psychology and their gen chem books- just noticed that I wrote chem/phys by mistake, sorry didn't catch that before. Overall, I read the books like I would a textbook (so for me just reading and writing down key points along the side margins since writing helps me memorize, along with highlighting, underlining, and copying figures onto a whiteboard repeatedly for things like pathways). First run through I mostly just tried to learn the major points, then next run through the extra details- from there some chapters I knew I didn't need to go over again, so I would leave those out from then on, and from there I was mostly just rereading to add extra details from the chapters that I wasn't 100% on, so it got faster and meant I was only working on the areas I had most trouble with. I agree it is a lot of reading, but it was split from Jan- May so it wasn't really that bad. Additionally I think the chem and physics books seem longer than they are due to lots of worked out problems that cover multiple pages- I mostly skipped over the in text examples unless it was something I knew I would potentially struggle with. Ultimately I used this method because it is what I had used for most of my science coursework and it had worked well for me, but I don't mean to say this is the best method for everyone!

Hi I just wanted to ask quick advice: Out of the two, which one did you like better? Was the content presented better in TPR than in Kaplan? I'm in Kaplan right now and I'm taking the test in June. Wanted to know if I should focus on TPR material or just stick with Kaplan or do what you did (TPR + Kaplan). Thanks!

 

[feelsomoon]

There are some awesome tips here! Just thought I’d offer my 2 cents too (apologies in advanced for the length!).

1) Tested 7/15/15 (do not take the exam while working on apps - it is super stressful!). Overall: 511 (85th percentile); Chem/Phys: 127, CARS: 126, BS: 128, Psych/Soc: 130

2) Study method used for each section:
While I did take an online TPR course, I didn’t use their strategies. Only the Bio and Chem classes helped with quick review; overall, really only helpful for access to the resources and practice tests (imo).

I compiled all the exam topics on a google doc (it’s a lot to print out), and started on areas I wasn’t familiar or confident with, and used strike-through to keep track of progress. Take a diagnostic exam (or even better, use the official AAMC practice questions) to identify your weak areas.

The MCAT2015 subreddit guided a lot of my studying. The MCAT2015 is Biochem heavy, so I focused on that. I studied with old Berkeley Review (BR) books (their old books were detailed enough to cover several biochem topics in depth), and my own Biochem notes from school. I reviewed Biology from my TPR classes. In order to get used to the passages, I looked up research papers through PubMed and Nature. There’s a great app called Read by QxMD that you can access papers, set what topics or journals you are interested in, etc. (available free through Google Play and the App Store). I read a few a week and wrote up a short summary of each to make sure I understood what measures were taken, the aims of the study, the data, etc. I would strongly recommend at least reading research publications regularly to get a good hang of MCAT science passages (if anything, it will over-prepare you).

I also used BR for Physics and Gen Chem. I’m super visual so YouTube videos helped a lot too – if you can find real world application videos and explanations, those are a big help. I reviewed just the basics for Organic Chem since it is not high yield (lots of Biochem integrated into Organic Chem passages), and used only my FLs to practice problems. You may run into more Organic Chem passages based on your test, so know your reaction types (nucleophilic/electrophilic, Sn2 Sn1, E1, E2, etc.) and acid/base chem really well; ideally, you'll want to be more prepared than I was. ^^;; I think the AAMC topics list will best guide your studying.

I did 2 TPR CARS passages a day using the 50+ practice passages online, all timed, and redid many after I ran out. Every day, I tried different strategies until I found what worked for me and stuck with it. Unfortunately, the passages were not very representative of the real thing. I don’t know if it was the font size used on the exam, but the real MCAT had much longer passages and I was very pressed for time for CARS. Would advise finding reading materials that are longer than those of test prep companies, or shortening amount of time per passage (as someone else suggested).

Since Psych/Soc is my forte, I just covered topics I didn’t know. I made flashcards for the different stages of development all those psychologists came up with (be able to relate those to each other; I vaguely recall Piaget and Freud coming up) and for different sociology theories, etc. Watched Khan Academy videos on unfamiliar topics. If you struggle with Psych/Soc, prioritize understanding research methods; read some publications to help with that and do lots of passages. A lot of definitions are intuitive!

I reviewed my flashcards for amino acids, psych/soc, physics equations, and metabolism maps every day until my exam. As far as I can remember, the only official AAMC resource I had was the question pack, so if you have more AAMC resources now, spend the money, and use them.

3) Materials used for each section (Kaplan, TPR, Examkrackers, AAMC, TBR, etc)

Mostly BR for sciences, TPR books for Psych/Soc and Bio, TPR online FLs and passages, and the official AAMC practice questions pack. Supplemented with YouTube videos and Khan Academy videos.

4) Practice Tests:
TPR Course Test 1: 498
TPR Course Test 2: 500
TPR Course Test 3: 502
TPR Course Test 4: 506
TPR MCAT Complete 1: 505
TPR MCAT Complete 2: 505
AAMC Practice Questions Pack: PS: 61%, CARS: 81%, BS: 69%, Psych/Soc: 86% (This was just a few days before my exam, and I was terrified, haha. If I could have done this differently, I would have done these practice questions before practicing FLs and tried them again a few days before the exam.)

5) Undergrad Major

Biology/Japanese (take Biochem before you test, ideally, very soon before you test)

6) Other Tips:

• Find a simple relaxation method that works for you, and incorporate it whenever you are taking breaks, especially when you start practicing FLs. My method was meditation. I'd meditate for 2-3 minutes between sections. It really helped me overcome my test anxiety.
• On test day, when other folks started talking about the exam and what might be tested, the horror of the exam, yada yada, I wasn't able to physically get away from them, so I just tuned them out by imagining the lyrics to my favorite motivational song or interjected positive comments when things got quiet. Don’t get caught up in the pre-test gloom and doom.
• Visit your testing center a few days before your exam. Physically get in your car and drive down there (or ask someone else to take you). Locate the bathrooms, water fountain, and get a good feel for the temperature of the site so you can dress comfortably on test day.
• Minimize whatever test day stressors you can: pack your ID and lunch (lots of protein!) and get your clothes out the night before, and get plenty of sleep the days leading up to your exam.
• MEMORIZE: amino acids (structure, properties, one and three letter abbreviations) enzyme kinetics (Michaelis–Menten) and substrate-enzyme interactions, and major biochemical pathways (metabolic pathways, fat synthesis and break down, etc.) the intermediates, and all enzymes involved (especially those involved in metabolic processes).
• Know relationships between variables in all your physics and chem formulas. Know how to convert units and how to derive formulas from units (every time I got to a Physics or Gen Chem equation, I’d see how I could relate the formulas to other equations with the same variables and how I could breakdown things down to their SI base unit like Joules into N*m and further into kg*m^2/s^2).
• I think many others have already stressed this, but practice EVERYTHING timed. I'm sure everyone could get a fantastic score if you had all the time you wanted to take it, but unfortunately, that is not the case. Start out giving yourself more time per passage and cut down as you take more FLs (ex. Had 9 mins/CARS passage – aimed for 8 or 7 mins 30 sec).
• Practice > content review. Give yourself a solid month of time to take FLs with enough space in between to review your answers, right or wrong. It is a long exam and especially long to review. Do not take a FL the day before your exam!
• Might not work for everyone, but because I did my passages in the order they came, I wrote down the time points on my scratch paper during the tutorial and break sections by which I aimed to have my passages done, like so: 1:00:00 – 1, 52:30 – 2, 45:00 – 3, etc. It really helped keep me on track (memorized it for test day).
• If timing is an issue for you, specifically being too slow, learn to move on by taking as many practice tests as possible with the mindset that you won’t have enough time to go back over your answers. This was very difficult for me personally; if I got stuck on a question, I’d agonize over an answer choice forever. Don’t do that to yourself. If you can’t choose, go with your best, educated guess and move on. On test day, I knew I wouldn’t have time to go back over my answers and that forced me to keep my pace up.

7) How long did you study for the MCAT?

1 and ½ months + time for TPR course (Please give yourself more time. Burnout is awful and real; do not do that to yourself).

The July exam was my third time taking the MCAT (I took the old exam twice: 28 the first time and tanked my score to 26 after I got sick the second time). Believe me, I know how frustrating and exhausting it is to prepare for this test, but do not get discouraged. You have spent the last few years preparing for this next stage of your life, and you have all the tools you need within yourself to get through. It’ll be ok. Best of luck! If I can answer any other questions, I'd be happy to help!

 

[PremedHELPME]

1) Overall Score 518 (PS 129, CARS 130, BS 131, Psych 128)
2) What I used: Examkrackers - 9th Edition MCAT Study Pack and Examkrackers Online Comprehensive Course
3) What materials you used for each section - Used EK for all - also used 101 passages book for additional Verbal/ CARS practice
4) Which practice tests? Examkrackers #1-4 & AAMC (non scored)
5) What was your undergraduate major? Biology w/ minor in Psychology
6) Any other tips you may have for those of us who still have this test lurking over us? Whatever you choose, make the most of it. NO materials or course is the magic answer and none of them will work unless you put in the time as well to STUDY on your own as well. I took a course bc I KNEW myself well enough to know that I needed someone to keep me on course and I was right! This is not the time for best laid plans - if you need to be held accountable then a class (live or online) is where you should be (IMO). Also...YOU CAN DO IT...this exam is not impossible, but is hard. The right tools will get you there and you CAN DO IT!
7) How long did you study for the MCAT? Course was 9 weeks - started there and then kept a strict study refresher schedule for the remaining 2 months until my MCAT date.

 

[wareagle107]

1) Overall score: 523 (PS 132 / Cars 130 / BS 132 / Psych 129)

2 & 3) Study method/materials used: My initial approach as I began studying was to go through TPR's materials. I used a borrowed set designed for the old MCAT (because hey, it was free!), although I wouldn't say that's the best approach. Because I was using the old books, I looked up lists of topics no longer covered to make sure I didn't review anything unnecessarily. That meant skipping maybe 5 or 6 sections out of the set - overall not a lot has been taken out. TPR is very thorough and detailed, great for content review. I used the books as suggested, reading each unit and then working the practice sets under timed conditions. I also rotated Bio/Chem/Phys to avoid burnout. Everybody needs a break from physics now and then, haha.

For psych/soc., since that wasn't covered on old MCAT review books, I went through all the Khan academy videos. Great for nighttime studying or something you can play in the background while working around the house - I liked KA for whenever I wasn't feeling like doing any intense, sit-down-and-stare-at-a-book kind of studying.

Lastly, I used the new ExamKrackers set which was VERY helpful. I would highly recommend their materials if you're picking just one set. The books are much shorter/denser than TPR - i.e., you can finish an entire subject book in one day if you decide to. Another draw is the great graphics, plus the writing style is more engaging than TPR in my opinion. It's much more a big picture type review that focuses in on what's key for the test. Also the question sets are more similar to the MCAT than TPR's.
I wish I had gone through all their materials but the only books I finished completely were CARS and Psych/Soc, the rest I just skimmed. Their CARS method worked really well for me and was very straightforward.

Other study materials I used were random "MCAT question of the day" type websites, along with Crash Course, which is a Youtube channel with 10 minute warp-speed reviews of whole topics like the endocrine system. I relied on their videos for physiology mostly.

As you go through, I recommend taking a couple steps to ensure your "weak points" get extra attention before test day:
-Keep a running list of topics you need to review or are shaky on
-Circle missed questions on practice sets, and note in the margins something about the correct answer/why you missed the question. Maybe that's obvious, but if you miss a question, be very sure you know why to minimize making the same mistake in the future.
-Make flash card sets on Quizlet. This is especially good for things like physics equations or vocab words you want to remember. That way you can star cards that need review and let the rest fall out of rotation. It's also handy when you want to go back right before the test and refresh things you learned 3 months ago.

4) Practice tests: Next Step 1/2 length, Kaplan 1/2 length, old AAMC FL (#7 I think) - got a 37, and then the official AAMC new FL - got 90% overall
I don't remember what scores I got on the half lengths or how they were scored. Kaplan seemed much harder than any other test I took, including the actual MCAT. Maybe that's just my personal bias but either way I wouldn't read too much into scores on a non-AAMC test.

5) Undergraduate major: Microbial, cellular, and molecular biology (not three majors! just one). I was on a grad-school track for much of undergrad with a heavy emphasis on research. That meant reading a ton of journal articles for several bio classes, plus summers spent doing mostly research and reading papers every day. Research is a HUGE focus on the new MCAT, and I believe if you make it a point to regularly read research papers and/or join a lab, that's going to help enormously when the MCAT comes around. Many if not most of the questions pertain to passages in the form of what you might see in a journal, and aim to make you think like a researcher.
Also I was recently graduated at the time I took the MCAT, which is probably relevant. Those upper-level bio classes really help.

6) Tips: As hard as it may sound, try to have fun studying for the MCAT! You may not enjoy every subject, but try to get excited about what you're learning/reviewing, especially if it's bio, because the human body is pretty cool and you're going to get to keep learning about it for a long time if all goes as planned. Don't let yourself get to a place where you're burned out and hate studying, because you're not going to learn as well in that state. It's okay to take breaks or skip a day here or there as long as you're staying on track overall. Be willing to be flexible with yourself so you can maintain sanity! This is a marathon, not a sprint. And on test day, LEAVE EARLY, earlier than you think you need to, because there will invariably be an accident en route. Not that I know this from personal experience...

7) Time spent studying: I started studying sometime after graduation (May) and took the test Sept. 23rd. It's hard to say exactly how much time I spent studying but I probably spent 3-4 months truly studying in earnest, probably starting out around 20 hours/week and then getting up to 40. Also, I didn't work during that time-frame, just did some volunteering and traveling. That may not be possible for everyone, but it's much easier than trying to squeeze studying in at night when you're already exhausted.

Good luck everyone who is studying right now! Feel free to ask any questions and I'd be happy to get back to you!

 

[biancadoc]

After reading through most of this thread, the common theme I'm seeing from most people is that doing timed practice (individual passages as well as FLs) trumps content review. While I get that and I think it's great advice, I have a somewhat unique situation. I finished undergrad in 2005 with a major in Bio, but I didn't work very hard. Got B's and C's in my prereqs mainly bc I'm a terrible procrastinator and basically never studied. I actually took the MCAT back then and got a 29.

Anyway, jump forward 11 years...I've now retaken some of my prereqs (chem, orgo, taking biochem this semester) and gotten all A's, but I'm not planning to redo Bio or Physics. So given that my last Bio and Physics classes were 13 years ago, does anyone have advice on that content vs. practice balance? Feedback from people who have taken the MCAT recently after a lengthy hiatus from school would be especially helpful!

 

[dimpleslikeWHOA]

1) 521 total 130 PC/129 CARS/130 Bio/132 Psy/Soc
2)Explicitly used Kaplan's materials and study guide for each section
3)I used only Kaplan and aamc material. Kaplan for content studying. Kaplan Q-bank and aamc Q packs for daily practice. Kaplan FLs 1-7. And AAMC FL right before exam. Also did the 120 Qs in the official guide to the MCAT.
4)Kaplan FLs 1-7 scoring ranged from 501-508. AAMC practice right before exam ~86%
5)Biology @ top 100 state school
6)I did every single little thing my Kaplan Course had to offer. I swear by them, they helped me so much. Which is why I now teach for them I strongly suggest taking a course. When you do, do every single reading, watch every single video, every practice Q they got. Suck everything you can out of that course.

My schedule was this. I followed their instructions to a Tee, except didn't just do "recommended" material, I did everything the course had to offer. around 5 hours a day. When the course was over, I still had 8 weeks till my exam. So I took a FL every weekend, and spent the rest of the week doing focused content on what I got wrong. And doing practice specific to that area. Thats it folks. I simply followed Kaplan, and did FLs after the course ended.

One thing I think REALLY heped.... do one practice passage from each of the 4 section EVERY DAY (except test days). I used the aamc Qpacks and official guide, and the Kaplan Q bank for these practice passages. Don't skip this ever. Do them. Do them Do them Do them. Oh one more thing. DO THEM. one P/C, one CARS, one BIO, and one Psy/soc every day.

5) 5 months for at least 5 hours a day...... yes folks... thats 5 x 30 x 5=750 hours... its actually more than that because FLs were 7 hours long.

Note: I'm not that bright... AT ALL. I do have a 3.99gpa, but thats only because I work myself to the bone!!!! Most people won't have to put in nearly 750 hours to do this well... probably around 300-350 from what I can see. BUT... if you're dumb like me... DON"T BE DISCOURAGED!!!! JUST WORK YOUR @$$ off. You can do it! WHO CARES IF THEY SAY 300-350 hours to prepare???!!! TRY TO DOUBLE THAT IF YOU KNOW YOUR NOT SMART!! I guarantee you can out work people smarter than you, and grab a disgusting score.

Good luck

I don't remember if you said this or not, but did you take the live online course or the in person Kaplan course? Also, congrats on your awesome score! I just took a half length from Kaplan and only got a 484. So I'm hoping that after I actually start studying with Kaplan it'll increase a bunch!

 

[Krabbeman]

I don't remember if you said this or not, but did you take the live online course or the in person Kaplan course? Also, congrats on your awesome score! I just took a half length from Kaplan and only got a 484. So I'm hoping that after I actually start studying with Kaplan it'll increase a bunch!

My diag was only a 501! and I took the in person. Its definitely possible hang in there and study like you want success on the mcat more than you want to eat, breath or sleep goodluck

 

[deleted407021]

Hellur. I'm not sleepy despite the time, so I'll give my $0.02.

510 (83rd %-ile) -- CP 126 (67th %-ile) / CARS 129 (93rd %-ile) / BB 127 (77th %-ile) / PS 128 (86th %-ile) -- first and last MCAT for me (woohoo)


I used ExamKrackers 2015 Manuals for most of my content review. I highly recommend these -- comprehensive with an engaging format. Lots of practice problems provided at the back of each unit. EK gets to the important stuff and cuts the proverbial fat.
To brush up on and find step-by-step walkthroughs of content (esp. biochem & physics material), I made good use of Khan Academy's free online videos. Some are not as tailored to the test as one would want, as they are all within an anthology of extant videos. However, you can't complain about a free, one-on-one tutor walking you through the Krebs Cycle, etc.
The only practice exams I used were through Next Step. The only comparisons I can make are based on what I've read on this forum and I am confident in my following assessment ... NS's practice exams are comprehensive, well written, realistic (mimic the real thing, imo) and appear to have a greater degree of reliability than the tests from other companies. Full breakdowns of each practice exam (half-length or full-length) are available. I don't think you can go wrong with NS. I recommend doing lots of these FL practice exams and I think NS does a good job making them analogous to the MCAT itself.
As for my "method", I went through the EK manuals, augmented and touched up with KA, made the occasional Google Scholar search and took periodic practice exams. I attempted to follow the NS schedule, but decided to go it alone yolo style about 2/3 the way through. As you can see, I ended up doing well. I did take the summer semester to study, with only one easy upper div. class to worry about. I recommend this, as you usually have more flexibility between semesters. I studied for ~3 months.


I did two HL and 4 FL NS practice exams. This seemed like enough for me, but one could certainly do more, time allowing.


I graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology, this past December. I took the exam in August. I was happy to see much of what I studied in upper division psychology represented on the exam. Most notably, a large amount of material from my Social Psychology course showed up in review, practice and on the real exam. My psych stats and behavioral mod courses came in handy throughout. Outside of psych., I found my genetics course to be helpful.


Take some soft science classes. More and more, the mainstream of the health sciences are appropriating the biopsychosocial model, and the new and improved [sic] MCAT testifies as much.
Practice getting into whatever you're being forced to read. It's hard to get interested in "old world olive cultivation: an anthology of primary historic sources", but if you can, its easier to both understand the argument and apply your analysis, as well as maintain the energy needed to tackle an exam of this length and breadth.
Do what you need in order to relieve stress. Ask others whether or not you seem stressed, as you may be so amped up that you fail to notice your body slowly annihilating itself. I developed shingles. Don't be like Senpai. Take plenty of breaks.
Keep things in perspective ... This exam is high stakes and it is important, but it isn't everything. Don't neglect the other portions of your app and certainly don't neglect the other important things in your life. It's really just an exam.


Best of luck, y'all. I'm always on SDN if anyone has any questions for me.

 

[PassEdge]

I got a 38 (11V/13P/14B) on the old exam. But here goes:

1) Your individual scores and composite score
Above
2) The study method used for each section
Honestly, just practice tests. Did super low intensity practice (1 passage a day, maybe 30 mins of work for almost 1 year). HUGE for knowledge retention.
3) What materials you used for each section(Kaplan, TPR, Examkrackers, AAMC, TBR, etc)
EK/TPRH for verbal. AAMC for all. TBR for biology and physics.
4) Which practice tests did you use? (Optional: include scores)
AAMC only, and I saved those for the very end.
5) What was your undergraduate major?
Computer Science
6) Any other tips you may have for those of us who still have this test lurking over us?
Practice exams are key, and as of right now, paper tests are the best we've got. AAMC is overpriced, but you gotta take em
7) How long did you study for the MCAT?
About a year, but super low intensity practice each day.

 

[XxiycmanxX]

Use the template below:

1) Scores:

• C/P: 128
• CARS: 131
• Bio: 132
• Psych: 127
• Total: 518

2) The study method used for each section

• Overall: I read every page of the review books and took notes for chem and psych, as they were my weakest sections. For any section that I had never gone over in school, I read and took notes (such as the metabolism sections). I would go back and forth with the Kaplan online videos/lessons, their practice problems, and the book in order to really memorize the info
• Chem/Phys: this was easily my weakest section to begin with, so I went back to the basics (for chem)
• CARS: the Kaplan tips on how to work with the CARS section were invaluable. Their hour-long MCAT channel sessions helped with the more complicated passages, such as philosophy, and their tips on triaging/writing notes on each section increased my scores a ton. The CARS passages on the actual test were MUCH longer than all of my practices, so watch out for that! I would recommend practicing with less time than you'd actually have on test day.
• Bio/Biochem: as a biology major, I wasn't worried about bio, but was about biochem. For bio, I just read over various sections in the books at times during the day - such as breakfast, or between sessions, because I didn't need to dedicate as much effort to them. For biochem, I focused mostly on metabolism (I had taken the first part of biochem this last semester, and it was fairly fresh in my mind). I would write out the cycles over and over again, use mnemonics, and make sure I had every enzyme/intermediate in my head. I hoped this would be my strongest section, so I made sure I had no weak areas to bump my score up that extra bit.
• Psych: This ended up being my weakest section. I memorized all of the vocab in the Kaplan books, but that's not enough. You need a deeper understanding and to be able to mix the concepts together.

3) What materials:

• Kaplan for most of the background information, although looking back it was definitely lacking in Psych
• Khan Academy - but ONLY for areas I was weak in. There's too much information on Khan to use for the entire exam, but it was perfect for small topics that I just needed to personally go a bit more in depth into

4) Practice FLs - I ALWAYS took them "test day" style, with breaks, earplugs, and no distractions. I think that really helped on test day, as I was so used to the long exam that I didn't fatigue

• Kaplan (each a bit too specific compared to actual exams)
  • FL1: 494 (halfway through Kaplan course, before reviewing content)
  • FL2: 501 (right after Kaplan course, before reviewing content)
  • FL3: 504 (3 weeks before test day)
  • FL4: 503 (1 week before test day)
• AAMC FL (2 weeks before test day)
  • C/P: 68%
  • CARS: 94% (easier than test day, real passages were longer)
  • Bio: 73%
  • Psych: 85%

5) Undergrad major: Biology
6) Any other tips you may have for those of us who still have this test lurking over us?

• One of the most helpful things I did was treat every day like test day. Starting 2 weeks in advance, I woke up every day at 6am (as I would on test day), ate the same breakfast, and packed snacks/lunch for the day. I went to a quiet spot, and would study for hours at a time. I would take breaks as they give us on the test - 1.5 hours, snack/10 min break, 1.5 hours, lunch/30 min break, etc. I was so used to this routine, that test day felt like just another day studying. I wasn't tired, overwhelmed, or worried about the long test.

7) How long did you study for the MCAT?

• Kaplan Course: March-April
• Studying full time (8-10 hours per day, 6-7 days a week): May 7 to Test day

.

 

[XxiycmanxX]

1) Overall Score: 520 (98th percentile) PS: 131 CARS: 130 BS: 131 Psych: 128

2) Study Method: Physical Sciences has always been my weakest subject area, so I used both Kaplan and TPR books for these to make sure I fully covered the material since I had a poor foundation. I read each of the books a few times making notes as I went along and mostly focused on concepts, relationships between variables, and memorizing formulas for this section.
CARS I didn't study for other than the practice tests since I thought my time was better spent learning science content.
Biological sciences I spent most of my study time on; I read the Kaplan bio book multiple times until I felt comfortable explaining each topic, and also read through my notes from the biochemistry course I took the semester leading up to the test- I don't think I would have succeeded on this section without having taken that course, but I also did not have a science background so this may not apply to everyone. I memorized all the amino acids, hormones, enzymes, etc using flashcards and writing out different pathways multiple times.
Behavioral sciences I used TPR + Kaplan + glossary for intro to sociology text + Khan Academy videos to cover all my bases with it being a new section. I wrote out flashcards to memorize all of the terms in Kaplan. If I were taking the test again, I would probably have taken an intro psych/soc course or at least read a textbook as there were topics on my test that I had not seen in any of my prep materials.

3) Study Materials: Kaplan 7 book 2015 set**, Kaplan 528 book (didn't find this very helpful, it seemed mostly strategy based), TPR Chem/Phys, TPR Behavioral Sciences, Lehninger Biochemistry, intro to sociology textbook glossary, Kaplan online practice tests, AAMC FL, AAMC questions packs, AAMC Official Guide Questions, Khan Academy videos (mostly psychology and some biology)
** I didn't use the CARS book at all, and the orgo book I didn't spend much time on either. The other subjects I read through multiple times each until I was confident about the material and did all the practice questions. For physics, I picked out the formulas I thought would be most biologically relevant and memorized a sheet of them for the test; I found this more helpful than doing the practice problems in the Kaplan physics text.

4) Practice Tests: I used the online Kaplan FLs that came with the course, along with their initial half-length diagnostic. Also took a TPR FL, AAMC FL, and the AAMC Official Guide as a half length.

Kaplan FL Scores: (not in order)
Diagnostic: 504
FL 3: PS:125 CARS:128 BS:125 Psych:127 Total: 505
FL 4: PS:125 CARS:127 BS:125 Psych:127 Total: 504
FL 5: PS:124 CARS:126 BS:125 Psych:127 Total: 502
FL 8: PS:125 CARS:128 BS:126 Psych:124 Total: 503
FL 9: PS:125 CARS:128 BS:126 Psych:124 Total: 503

AAMC FL: PS: 78% CARS: 91% BS: 88% Psych: 83%

AAMC Official Guide: PS: 80% CARS: 90% BS: 76% Psych: 90%

5) Undergraduate major: Marketing, but I completed a post-bac program this year which included all pre-reqs

6) Tips: Can't speak for every test day, but my exam had a heavy biochem emphasis on both science sections, so I would recommend spending a larger amount of time studying those concepts than say orgo reactions (definitely memorize amino acids!). Physics was supposed to be de-emphasized vs. the old test, but I still had a number of physics questions, so I wouldn't blow off studying that either. Overall I think the Kaplan books did a great job of covering pretty much everything with the exception of behavioral sciences, so I think they are a pretty safe bet.

7) Time Spent Studying: I completed a 1-year post bac premed program, so I had taken all of the prerequisite coursework + biochem in the year leading up to the test (May 2015). I also was enrolled in the Kaplan on site course this spring, but only really used their book set for content & FLs as I didn't find their strategies helpful. I started studying MCAT specific materials around January, took my first diagnostic in February, and took a practice test roughly once per week starting around March. In the last two weeks before the test I stopped taking practice tests and spent about 8-10 hrs a day studying content, and took the AAMC FL roughly 1 week prior to the test date.

If

.

 

[medang5]

My diag was only a 501! and I took the in person. Its definitely possible hang in there and study like you want success on the mcat more than you want to eat, breath or sleep goodluck

Hi, you mentioned you did one passage everyday in each of the four sections. Would you mind sharing, where did you get so many passages from for each section? Also, did u do these passages timed and if so, how much time did you allow yourself for each?

 

[Krabbeman]

Hi, you mentioned you did one passage everyday in each of the four sections. Would you mind sharing, where did you get so many passages from for each section? Also, did u do these passages timed and if so, how much time did you allow yourself for each?

Sure.

If you are taking the Kaplan Course like I did, on the syllabus, there are the aamc Q packs, and the PBQs. Also, there is the Kaplan Q bank. This is what I used. If you are not enrolled in a Kaplan class, you wouldn't have access to the Q bank or the PBQs and probably wouldn't be able to use this method.

I did them all timed. On CARS I took 10 minutes (9 passages/90 minutes)
For Sciences I took 8-9 minutes (10 passages + 15 multiple choice... you get about 8-9 minutes a passage on the real deal)

Hope this helps.

 

[medang5]

Sure.

If you are taking the Kaplan Course like I did, on the syllabus, there are the aamc Q packs, and the PBQs. Also, there is the Kaplan Q bank. This is what I used. If you are not enrolled in a Kaplan class, you wouldn't have access to the Q bank or the PBQs and probably wouldn't be able to use this method.

I did them all timed. On CARS I took 10 minutes (9 passages/90 minutes)
For Sciences I took 8-9 minutes (10 passages + 15 multiple choice... you get about 8-9 minutes a passage on the real deal)

Hope this helps.

I am registered for the Kaplan course. I just didn't realize they had so many extra passages! I'm guessing you did these extra passages on top of the assigned homework passages for each class?

This is great feedback. Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge with us!

 

[Krabbeman]

I am registered for the Kaplan course. I just didn't realize they had so many extra passages! I'm guessing you did these extra passages on top of the assigned homework passages for each class?

This is great feedback. Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge with us!

Yes- I actually did everything on my syllabus, recommended or extra; I did it all (not including FLs). However, the Q bank has so many passage I honestly don't know if you could possibly do them all!

 

[inthemaking1]

Yes- I actually did everything on my syllabus, recommended or extra; I did it all (not including FLs). However, the Q bank has so many passage I honestly don't know if you could possibly do them all!

where is the syllabus found in the online kaplan portal?

 

[Krabbeman]

where is the syllabus found in the online kaplan portal?

1 sign in
2 access my online resources (for your class, not the Q bank(
3 click on lesson you want to study from left hand column (ie CARS unit 1)
4 click on teach me more, or test me more and all the available readings, videos, or practice problems for that unit will show up for you to do

Some of them will be "recommended" based on your past performance... others will still be listed there, just not as "recommended"

 

[Krabbeman]

where is the syllabus found in the online kaplan portal?

You could also just hit "more resources" at the top left (as opposed to "study plan") and this will bring you to a page where you can filter thru resources.

For example select "chem/phys/bio for units 3" and all the resources for those topics will show up

 

[zhonghang]

I owe this site so much, thanks a ton SDN. Let me preface my post by saying I wanted to limit my costs as much as possible, and did NOT want to drop $2000 on a prep course. My study plan turned out pretty cost effective I think, I was able to do all the prep I wanted without draining my bank account. I am also NOT the smartest person on campus by any means and really think anyone with reasonable intelligence who works hard and studies effectively can do well!

1) Your individual scores and composite score
514 (91st %ile) - 129/126/131/128

2) The study method you used for each section
2 months before starting my actual study schedule (which I'll talk about later) I started going through the AAMC 2015 content outline and made flashcards for every bullet point using a program called Anki. I found some handy websites like mcat-review.org and premedhq.com which had brief explanations for most of the points, and used those to make my cards. My Anki deck was an ongoing project that took about 4 months to finish, and I continued to add cards even after I'd finished going through the outline. I'd review the cards which were due every day, and I really think this was a vital part of my content review.
I started out using the NextStep 100 day schedule found here. You can read the schedule for yourself if you're interested, but I basically followed this for the first couple months. I used the EK set for general content review, bought a TPR book which had 3 TPR FL's included, and a Kaplan book which also came with an FL. I made sure I knew the EK books inside and out, and anything I didn't feel confident in or had never learned I watched Khan academy videos on. I'd also add any additional information to my flashcards from the EK books or Khan. I don't think I touched the TPR or Kaplan books though, other than to take FL's. I used the NS CARS book for CARS practice, which I thought did a good job.
After following this schedule for a couple months, I felt like there was too much content review and not enough FL practice, so I abandoned it. I felt like one FL per week was okay for the beginning of my prep, but felt too long later on. I instead did an FL every two or three days, and reviewed that FL the day after I took it. I used the Gadwin print screen app to take pictures of questions I got wrong and turned them into flashcards which I could study. As I got closer to my exam, I started doing more and more AAMC material, to get acclimated to the style of the real thing.

3) Materials you used for each section
Like I mentioned, I used EK for my main content review, and knew those books inside and out, and supplemented it with Khan for topics I still struggled with. I also used all the AAMC material which was released (the FL, official guide, and practice packs). These materials were invaluable, in fact the CARS section of my actual MCAT felt exactly like another AAMC CARS practice pack. I bought the Kaplan and TPR books along with the set of NS books mentioned in the study schedule I linked but I never really used them. I only used the Kaplan and TPR books for their FL's and out of the NS set I only used the CARS book for practice. If I could do it over, I'd only buy the NS CARS book and not the whole set.

4) What practice tests did you use? (Optional: Include score)
I took my first exam in early June and the last on Sept. 10th, two days before the exam. Here they all are, ordered chronologically earliest to most recent
NS half length diagnostic - 495 (121/124/125/125)
AAMC FL - 77% (83%/85%/76%/66%)
NS 1 - 505 (126/124/128/127)
TPR 1 - 501 (124/124/125/128)
NS 2 - 504 (127/123/128/126)
TPR 2 - 502 (126/125/124/127)
Kaplan 1 - 501 (125/125/127/124)
NS 3 - 511 (127/128/128/128)
TPR 3 - 502 (124/126/125/127)
NS 4 - 508 (127/127/128/126)
EK 1 - 73% (63%/74%/78%/76%)
NS 5 - 508 (127/126/128/127)
AAMC FL (again) - 92% (92%/92%/92%/90%)
AAMC OG - half length - 82.5% (86.6%/86.6%/76.6%/80%)

Note - DO NOT get discouraged if you score low when you first start. That 495 diagnostic scared the crap out of me initially, but everything turned out fine in the end.

5) What was your undergrad major?
Biochemistry

6) Any tips for those of us who still have this test lurking over us?
Don't underestimate the importance of practice exams. Content review is important, but taking practice exams is by far more important I feel. People who say taking the MCAT is a skill that can be learned are 100% right I think. If I could do it over again, I'd stop my content review earlier and start taking more exams sooner. I think it's important to divide your study schedule into two sections, the first consisting mainly of content review for a month or two, and second consisting of practice exams for another two months. During the content review section, refresh your brain with all the concepts you learned in your classes, work on things you struggled with, and learn important topics if need be. The second section is for learning how to take FL's, improving mental endurance, and ironing out the gaps of knowledge in your content review.
Also, don't put too much stock into your practice FL scores. They can kind of be a predictor of your actual MCAT score, but completely off other times. I've seen people post on here that you shouldn't take the real thing without consistently scoring 510+ on NS exams, or stuff like that. I 100% disagree. Let the AAMC material be your gauge if anything.

EDIT: Adding this bit because I think it's really important. When you are taking your practice FL's, REPLICATE TEST DAY AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE. I can't tell you how much this helped me. Every day I planned to take an FL, I would wake up at the same time I would on test day, eat the same breakfast, wear similar clothes, drive the same route. Hell, I even drove to the Prometrics site those days and would walk around and envisioned myself going in their office and taking the MCAT, then drive off and take my exam in a different place. Maybe some of that is overkill, but doing all that REALLY helped reduce my anxiety on test day. When I woke up, it literally just felt like another FL day. I was actually surprised how calm I was. Point being, simulating test day as much as possible helps get your brain conditioned and really reduces anxiety.

7) How long did you study for the MCAT?
2 months of passive content review, 3 months hardcore studying and taking practice exams.
I started making my flashcards in early March, but had classes simultaneously, so I didn't really dive into my studying until classes were out in May.

If anyone has any questions about anything MCAT, feel free to PM me, I'm more than happy to help. I remember how it feels to be totally lost and confused with all this stuff! I'm also willing to share my Anki deck with anyone interested, I think it's ~900 cards total.

Best of luck to everyone reading this! Work hard, believe in yourself, and you'll slay this thing.

Hey which full lengths did you feel are most representative of the real deal? I'm trying to choose between spending $150 for 5 NS tests or $200 for 4 EK tests... I don't mind spending the extra $50 on EK if they are more representative of the real MCAT. What do you recommend based off of your own experience?

 

[zhonghang]

1) Your individual scores and composite score
C/P: 132
CARS: 130
B/B: 131
P/S: 127
Composite: 520 (98th)
2) The study method used for each section
For C/P, B/B, and P/S, I simply did content review with EK followed by a ton of passages from pretty much any resource I could find, which were:
TPR Science Workbook (MCAT 2015 version)
All of the NextStep Strategy and Practice Books (These FL sections were tough, but I felt they were actually very good practice)
AAMC Official Guide
AAMC Study Packs
All of the FL's listed below
In addition, for P/S, I watched a lot (but not all of) the Khan Academy videos and took notes on them. I wish I had used all of the passages online through them, and finished watching all of the sociology videos. In addition, the glossary in the back of the TPR Psych book was useful in the final few days for me to make sure I had at least a passing idea of the definition of the key words mentioned throughout the book. As you can see, my P/S score was the lowest. However, as someone who has never taken a psychology or sociology class, I'm fine with what I ended up with (and it's not even a bad score...not about to complain haha)
3) What materials you used for each section(Kaplan, TPR, Examkrackers, AAMC, TBR, etc)
C/P:
Read through the EK Chemistry/Physics manuals, and did all the passages from the new MCAT 2015 TPR Science Workbook for the Ochem and GenChem questions. I did a few of the physics passages, but a lot of them seemed low yield to me, since they were extremely calculation based. Even though ochem is also relatively low yield, most of the passages were short. For any mechanisms that had given me trouble and I saw repeatedly popping up, I watched the corresponding Khan Academy videos and did a couple Khan passages. *ALSO* Even though the AAMC question packs are a different format to the current test, they're good for content review and reviewing concepts-especially those that you may need more practice on.
CARS:
Everyone has their own tricks here. The one that I found to work for me was to make sure I understand what each paragraph adds to the passage right after I read it. Instead of reading through and just saying "oh, ok", I forced myself to read critically and give a little summary at the end of each paragraph. The pace of reading slowed down, overall, but I would answer the questions much faster. This took me from a 9 on the old test to a 130, so I'd say it helped me out. I also read the EK advice on CARS, but I felt it didn't add much.
B/B:
Like for C/P, I read the corresponding EK books (Bio I and II), and then dove into the 2015 TPR Science Workbook bio passages. Honestly, I'm not sure how much these helped me. Sure, it's good to get a lot of bio practice for basic molecular biology and physiology memorization, but these passages don't really make you think critically like the real test will. In my opinion, I was most prepared for this section by my biochem course, as well as the several upper division molecular biology courses I had taken. The courses allowed me to be immersed in literature of the field, and taught me how to quickly analyze data and understand how research is approached and carried out. If you have time, take a molecular bio upper division course before taking this test. If not, read at least a few research articles that utilize common molecular bio techniques. This test truly has changed to favor molecular biology, and I believe that a lot more premeds in the future will be majoring in it in lieu of physiology....just wait. As with C/P, the AAMC question packs were good at reinforcing all of the content for various topics.
P/S: Honestly, there's probably better strategies out there besides mine. I started by reading the EK Psych book and quickly realized that it was severely lacking in information. I got a TPR Psych book, and really only used it for the FL's and the glossary at the big. Most of my psych studying came from Khan academy videos and my notes on them. Most of the concepts in psychology are relatively easy to memorize, but I personally think you need to be careful to not overlook sociology. I think that may have come back to haunt me a bit on my test. It's nice that the new Science Workbook by TPR has P/S passages in it, so get your hands on those if possible.
4) Which practice tests did you use? (Optional: include scores)
Kaplan 1: 503
TPR Demo: 503
TPR 1: 504
TPR 2: 507
EK1: 80%
EK2: 77%
EK3: 77%
EK4: 79%
NS1: 513-127/128/130/128
NS2: 509-128/127/128/126
NS3: 514-128/128/129/129
AAMC FL Take 1 (1st FL taken-1.5 months before test): 88%-93/87/86/81
AAMC FL Take 2 (3 days before test): 95%-95/94/95/95
OG: C/P-90% CARS-87% B/B-80% P/S-77%
5) What was your undergraduate major?
Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology
6) Any other tips you may have for those of us who still have this test lurking over us?
You might notice a pattern, but make sure to do passages, passages, and more passages. Content review is important and memorization is certainly still needed for some questions you'll see on test day, but understanding the format and style of passages and questions is your most valuable asset.
Before you take this test, make sure part of the time you spend studying is fully dedicated to the MCAT!! When I took the old version, I was in school the whole time while studying, and barely pulled out a 30, which is still a decent score, yet I knew I could improve. This time around, I still did some studying during school, but also blocked off the first 6 weeks of my summer for strictly MCAT studying. Use the morning/afternoon to study, and unwind during the evening. This will prevent the burnout that happens to so many people. Lastly, give yourself at least one day off a week. Seriously. Just. Do it.
7) How long did you study for the MCAT?
A little over three months. I was also fresh out of biochem when I started studying, which was a huge help. I started off using the NextStep schedule, but felt that they spent too much time overall on content review.
(April 16th-July 17th)
If you want to see my study schedule for the last month or so leading into my test, just let me know! Hope this helps, and good luck!!!

Hey which full lengths did you feel are most representative of the real deal? I'm trying to choose between spending $150 for 5 NS tests or $200 for 4 EK tests... I don't mind spending the extra $50 on EK if they are more representative of the real MCAT. What do you recommend?

 

[Doctor Dream]

Hey which full lengths did you feel are most representative of the real deal? I'm trying to choose between spending $150 for 5 NS tests or $200 for 4 EK tests... I don't mind spending the extra $50 on EK if they are more representative of the real MCAT. What do you recommend based off of your own experience?

I felt EK was more representative of the real thing. I thought both companies exams were similar in difficulty, but the structure of EK felt more like AAMC's style. If money's not an issue then I'd buy all 4 EK exams. NS was very useful too though and is much cheaper than EK (30$/exam vs. 50$/exam).

 

[miasdontwork]

6)I did every single little thing my Kaplan Course had to offer.

Does the Kaplan self-paced online course provide a scheduled pace, even though it's self-paced? None of the courses work with my schedule, and I would probably benefit from having to follow a course schedule.

 

[FlyingPancakes]

1) Overall score: 523 (PS 132 / Cars 130 / BS 132 / Psych 129)

2 & 3) Study method/materials used: My initial approach as I began studying was to go through TPR's materials. I used a borrowed set designed for the old MCAT (because hey, it was free!), although I wouldn't say that's the best approach. Because I was using the old books, I looked up lists of topics no longer covered to make sure I didn't review anything unnecessarily. That meant skipping maybe 5 or 6 sections out of the set - overall not a lot has been taken out. TPR is very thorough and detailed, great for content review. I used the books as suggested, reading each unit and then working the practice sets under timed conditions. I also rotated Bio/Chem/Phys to avoid burnout. Everybody needs a break from physics now and then, haha.

For psych/soc., since that wasn't covered on old MCAT review books, I went through all the Khan academy videos. Great for nighttime studying or something you can play in the background while working around the house - I liked KA for whenever I wasn't feeling like doing any intense, sit-down-and-stare-at-a-book kind of studying.

Lastly, I used the new ExamKrackers set which was VERY helpful. I would highly recommend their materials if you're picking just one set. The books are much shorter/denser than TPR - i.e., you can finish an entire subject book in one day if you decide to. Another draw is the great graphics, plus the writing style is more engaging than TPR in my opinion. It's much more a big picture type review that focuses in on what's key for the test. Also the question sets are more similar to the MCAT than TPR's.
I wish I had gone through all their materials but the only books I finished completely were CARS and Psych/Soc, the rest I just skimmed. Their CARS method worked really well for me and was very straightforward.

Other study materials I used were random "MCAT question of the day" type websites, along with Crash Course, which is a Youtube channel with 10 minute warp-speed reviews of whole topics like the endocrine system. I relied on their videos for physiology mostly.

As you go through, I recommend taking a couple steps to ensure your "weak points" get extra attention before test day:
-Keep a running list of topics you need to review or are shaky on
-Circle missed questions on practice sets, and note in the margins something about the correct answer/why you missed the question. Maybe that's obvious, but if you miss a question, be very sure you know why to minimize making the same mistake in the future.
-Make flash card sets on Quizlet. This is especially good for things like physics equations or vocab words you want to remember. That way you can star cards that need review and let the rest fall out of rotation. It's also handy when you want to go back right before the test and refresh things you learned 3 months ago.

4) Practice tests: Next Step 1/2 length, Kaplan 1/2 length, old AAMC FL (#7 I think) - got a 37, and then the official AAMC new FL - got 90% overall
I don't remember what scores I got on the half lengths or how they were scored. Kaplan seemed much harder than any other test I took, including the actual MCAT. Maybe that's just my personal bias but either way I wouldn't read too much into scores on a non-AAMC test.

5) Undergraduate major: Microbial, cellular, and molecular biology (not three majors! just one). I was on a grad-school track for much of undergrad with a heavy emphasis on research. That meant reading a ton of journal articles for several bio classes, plus summers spent doing mostly research and reading papers every day. Research is a HUGE focus on the new MCAT, and I believe if you make it a point to regularly read research papers and/or join a lab, that's going to help enormously when the MCAT comes around. Many if not most of the questions pertain to passages in the form of what you might see in a journal, and aim to make you think like a researcher.
Also I was recently graduated at the time I took the MCAT, which is probably relevant. Those upper-level bio classes really help.

6) Tips: As hard as it may sound, try to have fun studying for the MCAT! You may not enjoy every subject, but try to get excited about what you're learning/reviewing, especially if it's bio, because the human body is pretty cool and you're going to get to keep learning about it for a long time if all goes as planned. Don't let yourself get to a place where you're burned out and hate studying, because you're not going to learn as well in that state. It's okay to take breaks or skip a day here or there as long as you're staying on track overall. Be willing to be flexible with yourself so you can maintain sanity! This is a marathon, not a sprint. And on test day, LEAVE EARLY, earlier than you think you need to, because there will invariably be an accident en route. Not that I know this from personal experience...

7) Time spent studying: I started studying sometime after graduation (May) and took the test Sept. 23rd. It's hard to say exactly how much time I spent studying but I probably spent 3-4 months truly studying in earnest, probably starting out around 20 hours/week and then getting up to 40. Also, I didn't work during that time-frame, just did some volunteering and traveling. That may not be possible for everyone, but it's much easier than trying to squeeze studying in at night when you're already exhausted.

Good luck everyone who is studying right now! Feel free to ask any questions and I'd be happy to get back to you!

Hellur. I'm not sleepy despite the time, so I'll give my $0.02.

510 (83rd %-ile) -- CP 126 (67th %-ile) / CARS 129 (93rd %-ile) / BB 127 (77th %-ile) / PS 128 (86th %-ile) -- first and last MCAT for me (woohoo)


I used ExamKrackers 2015 Manuals for most of my content review. I highly recommend these -- comprehensive with an engaging format. Lots of practice problems provided at the back of each unit. EK gets to the important stuff and cuts the proverbial fat.
To brush up on and find step-by-step walkthroughs of content (esp. biochem & physics material), I made good use of Khan Academy's free online videos. Some are not as tailored to the test as one would want, as they are all within an anthology of extant videos. However, you can't complain about a free, one-on-one tutor walking you through the Krebs Cycle, etc.
The only practice exams I used were through Next Step. The only comparisons I can make are based on what I've read on this forum and I am confident in my following assessment ... NS's practice exams are comprehensive, well written, realistic (mimic the real thing, imo) and appear to have a greater degree of reliability than the tests from other companies. Full breakdowns of each practice exam (half-length or full-length) are available. I don't think you can go wrong with NS. I recommend doing lots of these FL practice exams and I think NS does a good job making them analogous to the MCAT itself.
As for my "method", I went through the EK manuals, augmented and touched up with KA, made the occasional Google Scholar search and took periodic practice exams. I attempted to follow the NS schedule, but decided to go it alone yolo style about 2/3 the way through. As you can see, I ended up doing well. I did take the summer semester to study, with only one easy upper div. class to worry about. I recommend this, as you usually have more flexibility between semesters. I studied for ~3 months.


I did two HL and 4 FL NS practice exams. This seemed like enough for me, but one could certainly do more, time allowing.


I graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology, this past December. I took the exam in August. I was happy to see much of what I studied in upper division psychology represented on the exam. Most notably, a large amount of material from my Social Psychology course showed up in review, practice and on the real exam. My psych stats and behavioral mod courses came in handy throughout. Outside of psych., I found my genetics course to be helpful.


Take some soft science classes. More and more, the mainstream of the health sciences are appropriating the biopsychosocial model, and the new and improved [sic] MCAT testifies as much.
Practice getting into whatever you're being forced to read. It's hard to get interested in "old world olive cultivation: an anthology of primary historic sources", but if you can, its easier to both understand the argument and apply your analysis, as well as maintain the energy needed to tackle an exam of this length and breadth.
Do what you need in order to relieve stress. Ask others whether or not you seem stressed, as you may be so amped up that you fail to notice your body slowly annihilating itself. I developed shingles. Don't be like Senpai. Take plenty of breaks.
Keep things in perspective ... This exam is high stakes and it is important, but it isn't everything. Don't neglect the other portions of your app and certainly don't neglect the other important things in your life. It's really just an exam.


Best of luck, y'all. I'm always on SDN if anyone has any questions for me.

Congrats on your scores! Two quick questions if you don't mind. What did you do to improve CARS? I've been sticking mainly with EK CARS Method and reading extremely closely, finding the main idea etc. Using the method, I scored fairly consistently 9-11 in EK Verbal 101 for Tests 1-10, but crashed from then (slipped to 8s and 7s). I'm getting worried and wasn't sure how to proceed/what materials to use (planning to save the AAMC stuff near the end).

Also I found myself averaging 8-10 minutes per passage, but would like to trim it down to <7 minutes to save extra time. I spend roughly 4-5 minutes reading the passage and 4-5 minutes answering the questions. Where should I reduce my time?

Thanks!

 

[deleted407021]

Congrats on your scores! Two quick questions if you don't mind. What did you do to improve CARS? I've been sticking mainly with EK CARS Method and reading extremely closely, finding the main idea etc. Using the method, I scored fairly consistently 9-11 in EK Verbal 101 for Tests 1-10, but crashed from then (slipped to 8s and 7s). I'm getting worried and wasn't sure how to proceed/what materials to use (planning to save the AAMC stuff near the end).

Also I found myself averaging 8-10 minutes per passage, but would like to trim it down to <7 minutes to save extra time. I spend roughly 4-5 minutes reading the passage and 4-5 minutes answering the questions. Where should I reduce my time?

Thanks!

Hmm, you're asking two questions I don't really know how to address. I'm of the mind that it's very difficult to improve CARS scores over the course of a few months. I've been an avid reader for years and the only way I prepared for CARS was to do practice exams. I'd suggest following the guidelines set out in the EK Manuals. I found that that's what I was already doing.

Also, I've never timed myself on the MCAT. I was always left with 10 or so min extra time on each section during my FLs. I actually had almost 20 min left after P/S on the real thing. And I'm actually a slow reader by most standards. I made a point of not thinking about my time too much.

Sorry I can't be of more help

 

[FlyingPancakes]

Hmm, you're asking two questions I don't really know how to address. I'm of the mind that it's very difficult to improve CARS scores over the course of a few months. I've been an avid reader for years and the only way I prepared for CARS was to do practice exams. I'd suggest following the guidelines set out in the EK Manuals. I found that that's what I was already doing.

Also, I've never timed myself on the MCAT. I was always left with 10 or so min extra time on each section during my FLs. I actually had almost 20 min left after P/S on the real thing. And I'm actually a slow reader by most standards. I made a point of not thinking about my time too much.

Sorry I can't be of more help

So basically stick with EK Guide, keep doing more passages and learn from the mistakes? I realize that CARS is the most difficult section to improve on but kinda doing anything i can to score consistently above 127+.

 

[wareagle107]

Congrats on your scores! Two quick questions if you don't mind. What did you do to improve CARS? I've been sticking mainly with EK CARS Method and reading extremely closely, finding the main idea etc. Using the method, I scored fairly consistently 9-11 in EK Verbal 101 for Tests 1-10, but crashed from then (slipped to 8s and 7s). I'm getting worried and wasn't sure how to proceed/what materials to use (planning to save the AAMC stuff near the end).

Also I found myself averaging 8-10 minutes per passage, but would like to trim it down to <7 minutes to save extra time. I spend roughly 4-5 minutes reading the passage and 4-5 minutes answering the questions. Where should I reduce my time?

Thanks!

Hi FlyingPancakes! Sorry to say I do not have a ton of tips for CARS, since I didn't work on it much until the last 3 weeks or try different strategies. But I can share what I did, and maybe it will help you!
EK's method was the one I used and that seemed to work great for me so I didn't modify it. I believe they mentioned the importance of really "getting into" the passage. It's basically a test to see how well you can immerse yourself instantly into a topic and identify with the author's viewpoint. Empathizing with the author is really important - be able to see what their viewpoint is, as well as step back and see the potential inconsistencies of what they assert in the passage. Pretend you are passionate about the subject matter! (Even if it is about the 16th century French architecture or whatever )
Reading through the passage, you have to be on your game as far as focus. Nothing else exists besides that passage. Ideally, I think it's good if you can read the passage in 3 - 3.5 minutes and spend the other 6 minutes on the questions. The key is really swallowing the passage as a whole on the first quick read through. If you have that, then you won't necessarily need to look back to pick the right answer. Maybe 5 questions you will be reasonably sure about and the 6th you'll need to go back to the passage for. DON'T slow down/backtrack when reading through. If you are around 4-5 minutes then maybe you are spending more time trying to understand as you read. I would say just go with it and accept it even if not all of it makes sense initially.
Also, I don't think you need to shoot for 7 minutes a passage. That would be 27 minutes left over on the MCAT - 10 should be plenty. You will waste less time by picking final answers on the first go-round, rather than having to go back to a passage and "re-orient" yourself at the end.

Anything else… hmmm… In between passages I always took the EK 5-second break and closed my eyes. 5 seconds well spent
Also, as much as you can, don't stress out about time. Some passages will take a little longer than others and that's okay as long as the average doesn't go over about 9 minutes. Checking your time once or twice while going through should be enough, and if you have been practicing you probably have a good idea of your pace anyway.

Good luck! Let me know if you have any more questions!

 

[RealityDream]

Most people that scored extremely well on the MCAT emphasized that they spent 6-8 hrs a day studying. While this method does work, it may not work for everyone. If 2-3 hours a day is all you can put in, that's fine but use them wisely. This means do not study passively (i.e. watching tv, texting, skyping, etc etc) but actively study. Turn off all distractions. Treat those 2-3 hours as if you're lost on an island with no mode of communication.

First, Don't jump in advance and register for a test date 3-4 months in advanced, thinking that's plenty of time. It will just stress you out more. When you stress yourself out, you would not be able to focus on understanding the materials.

Second, learn and understand the foundation of the subjects. You can use a test prep material like TPR, Kaplan, EK. Find one that works best for you. If you like the details, go with TPR. If you like good explanation without too much detail, go with Kaplan. If you like short and concise, go with EK. It doesn't matter what book you use. There is a content list AAMC released for the new MCAT. Make sure you understand each points like the back of your hand. This means, if a friend were to ask you about glycolysis. You should be able to tell them, what it is? where it occurs? what are the reactants, products, limiting reagent?, etc... This is when you know you fully understood the material. The reason for this is that all the questions on the MCAT are made to test your knowledge. If you understand the subject well, you'll be able to determine the correct answer from the incorrect answers. You probably all heard how test writers makes their answer choices. They would start with the correct answer. Then, make an answer opposite of that. Other 2 answer choices are usually those common mistakes most people tend to fall for.

Third, take practice test. After each practice test, spend the following day or week to go over each question (both right and wrong). Ask yourself, did you got the answer right because you knew the answer or did you guessed it correctly? For every wrong answer, ask yourself what approach did you took to get it wrong? Make a note of each. From there, you will see your pattern. Go back to those subjects and review those content areas. Then, take another practice test the following week or 2 weeks from your first one. If you dumbfoundly take practice test one after another without reviewing your questions and answers, that is just a waste of time.

When to register for your exam? It really depends on your schedule. If you study full time, then you'll tend to know after a few weeks. If you have other commitments, it may take you longer. The important part is confidence. Spending a few weeks to a month to understand and apply the foundation will boost your confidence. Sometimes, it may take someone until they take their first or second practice test before they know when they would be ready.

Day before Exam: Do not study or even review whatsoever. This should be a day where you just relax - read a book, exercise, listen to music, watch tv. Do whatever you do during your leisure time.

Day of Exam: Do not panic, feel nervous or have any sort of emotions. On this day, you should be confident. Panicing or being nervous will not help you at all so why bother? Do not think about anything besides what you're about the face - MCAT.

I hope this helps.

 

[FlyingPancakes]

Hi FlyingPancakes! Sorry to say I do not have a ton of tips for CARS, since I didn't work on it much until the last 3 weeks or try different strategies. But I can share what I did, and maybe it will help you!
EK's method was the one I used and that seemed to work great for me so I didn't modify it. I believe they mentioned the importance of really "getting into" the passage. It's basically a test to see how well you can immerse yourself instantly into a topic and identify with the author's viewpoint. Empathizing with the author is really important - be able to see what their viewpoint is, as well as step back and see the potential inconsistencies of what they assert in the passage. Pretend you are passionate about the subject matter! (Even if it is about the 16th century French architecture or whatever )
Reading through the passage, you have to be on your game as far as focus. Nothing else exists besides that passage. Ideally, I think it's good if you can read the passage in 3 - 3.5 minutes and spend the other 6 minutes on the questions. The key is really swallowing the passage as a whole on the first quick read through. If you have that, then you won't necessarily need to look back to pick the right answer. Maybe 5 questions you will be reasonably sure about and the 6th you'll need to go back to the passage for. DON'T slow down/backtrack when reading through. If you are around 4-5 minutes then maybe you are spending more time trying to understand as you read. I would say just go with it and accept it even if not all of it makes sense initially.
Also, I don't think you need to shoot for 7 minutes a passage. That would be 27 minutes left over on the MCAT - 10 should be plenty. You will waste less time by picking final answers on the first go-round, rather than having to go back to a passage and "re-orient" yourself at the end.

Anything else… hmmm… In between passages I always took the EK 5-second break and closed my eyes. 5 seconds well spent
Also, as much as you can, don't stress out about time. Some passages will take a little longer than others and that's okay as long as the average doesn't go over about 9 minutes. Checking your time once or twice while going through should be enough, and if you have been practicing you probably have a good idea of your pace anyway.

Good luck! Let me know if you have any more questions!

Thanks for your suggestions! EK seems a very strong approach, which I followed and did well for most EK VR 101 passages until the slide, but i guess the last few passages weren't all that great.

What additional verbal practice would you recommend? Should I focus more on the full-lengths to get a repeated, focused practice and work my way out? Just hoping to score 128+ (130+ would be sweet ) on test day.

 

[NecrotizingFasciitis]

I'm feeling a lot better about the MCAT after reading through this thread. I am about 1/2 way through my chemistry book for E.K. (started with that one because it is the section I fear most) and I got bored reading so much chem. so I took a practice test while I was at work when I had some down time and I got a 498... I was really discouraged. I'm still about 3 months out from my exam though.

 

[Doctor Dream]

I'm feeling a lot better about the MCAT after reading through this thread. I am about 1/2 way through my chemistry book for E.K. (started with that one because it is the section I fear most) and I got bored reading so much chem. so I took a practice test while I was at work when I had some down time and I got a 498... I was really discouraged. I'm still about 3 months out from my exam though.

Seven hours is some major down time haha can I have your job?

But yea seriously, a lot of practice scores are so inaccurate and deflated they're borderline useless. Keep working hard, you're doing fine.

 

[NecrotizingFasciitis]

Seven hours is some major down time haha can I have your job?

But yea seriously, a lot of practice scores are so inaccurate and deflated they're borderline useless. Keep working hard, you're doing fine.

I mean it was over the course of Saturday and Sunday but yeah.. it was a REALLY slow weekend this weekend, lol.

 

[wareagle107]

[deleted]

 

[wareagle107]

Thanks for your suggestions! EK seems a very strong approach, which I followed and did well for most EK VR 101 passages until the slide, but i guess the last few passages weren't all that great.

What additional verbal practice would you recommend? Should I focus more on the full-lengths to get a repeated, focused practice and work my way out? Just hoping to score 128+ (130+ would be sweet ) on test day.

I would just say get as many practice passages as you can! IMO, the old test passages and practice are completely relevant for CARS. Science material may have changed, but verbal is still verbal. Does it matter if you do a full 9 passages back to back? Maybe, but probably not as much as simply practicing the individual passage unit. If it would help you, I have a Google Drive file someone shared with me and it has seven of the old AAMC FL's as well as Kaplan practice material, including a folder on verbal. Here's the link:

https://drive.google.com/folderview...lWaldmTG1TdzNPQW8wZlZ0d09qYWU3YlU&usp=sharing

Btw, if sharing this is breaking any copyright laws, anyone is welcome to call me out on it. However this is "outdated" and not current material so I don't see it as necessarily a problem. Open to input though!

 

[medang5]

1) Your individual scores and composite score
CP: 131 CARS: 127 BS: 130 PS: 130; Overall: 518 (97th percentile)

2) The study method used for each section
In the beginning of the summer (around mid-May), I began a very thorough review of all of the material. Then, I zoned in on specific topics that I knew I was fuzzy/unfamiliar with, and I studied those further.
Afterwards, I started doing a ton of passages (mostly from the Berkeley Review and EK). I took TBR prep class, and we were assigned homework (passages given to us in class and within the review books), which I compiled into a schedule and followed throughout the summer. As for specifics...

3) What materials you used for each section
I used TBR, TPR, and EK books.
TPR: This was what I used for my general, comprehensive overview. It's extremely dense and has lots of extraneous information, but it covers pretty much everything you need to know.
TBR: Where the Berkeley Review seriously shines is the sheer amount of practice problems that they give you. For each topic within each subject, there are roughly 15 passages and 100 total practice questions. Many of them are tricky, many will make you facepalm because you thought you had the right answer, and all of them are helpful. The Berkeley Review helped me TONS for discrete questions and learning to navigate passages. The questions will make you think very critically, and they're significantly more difficult than the problems you'll see on the real thing on test day. It really prepares you for those WTF questions that you might not expect, and you'll have a reliable test bank of knowledge ready to be used. Admittedly, I hardly read the books for content (extremely dense and overly detailed), but I imagine that it could really help with reinforcing concepts. One of my Berkeley Review teachers openly admitted that she (almost) never read the books, her entire study schedule was based on practice, practice, practice.
EK: I read all of these books to reinforce what I already knew. Furthermore, the 30 minute practice passages are EXTREMELY, EXTREMELY helpful. The questions are unreasonably difficult (much more difficult than AAMC-level questions), but they prepare you for the few difficult questions you might encounter on test day. The star of these practice passages are the passages themselves. After taking the AAMC FL and the real thing, EK did (in my opinion) the best job of capturing the essence of what the new MCAT passages are all about. Many of their passages are experiment/biochem heavy, and reading through them and getting used to them really helped me tackle those types of passages on the real deal.

C/P: Typically one of my weaker sections because I suck at physics (sound, doppler, light, optics, I hate it all). But, very thankfully, there was a strong biochem and gen chem emphasis on my exam (two of my strongest subjects). My preparation for physics mostly consisted of reviewing using TPR and EK, and using the practice problems from TBR and thoroughly trying to understand the answers. Since biochem and gen chem are my stronger suits, I didn't review much, mainly used practice problems as my way of studying those subjects.
CARS: Also one of my weaker sections, as reflected by my score. I did really well on CARS for some of my practice FLs, and really poorly on others. I can't say much for CARS besides practicing helps a lot, and really grasping the main idea of each passage is the key to doing well.
BS/B: Pure memorization when it came to review for bio. No other way around it, really. As for ochem and biochem, my courses in each subject really solidified my understanding of both, so they weren't so much of a problem for me. Again, I'd like to emphasize that doing practice problems will ultimately determine how well you know the material, being able to regurgitate information just doesn't cut it. Furthermore, Khan Academy videos does an amazing job of organizing all of the biochem topics you need to know. If you're rusty on gluconeogenesis, glycogenolysis, fatty acid oxidation, etc etc, then use their videos. Know enzymes. You never know what kind of discrete questions you could get. *hint hint*
P/S: Honestly, I'm not sure what happened here. I put off studying for P/S very last minute, I spent 3-4 days before my exam memorizing all of the theories and terms I had studied/reviewed from TPR. Furthermore, I went to the Khan Academy video website and watched pretty much every single video on topics that I was uncomfortable or unfamiliar with. I also did all of the P/S Khan Academy passages. Somehow, I pulled that 130 out of my butt. Be prepared for more sociology than you would expect/be familiar with. Also, I treated some of the passages as almost a CARS/P/S combination, and that worked for me. It seemed as though the passage writers had opinions which could be used to answer the questions.. Not sure if anyone else felt the same way. Also, I have heard that P/S has a very generous curve, but I'm not sure how accurate that assertion is.

4) Which practice tests did you use?

TPR (3 free ones with review books): 502, 503, 503
EK (FL 1, 2, 3): 82%, 71%, 73%
TBR: 509, 511, 513, 515
AAMC Official Guide: 26, 26, 22, 22
AAMC FL: 86%, 83%, 85%, 80%

5) What was your undergraduate major?
Neuroscience

6) Any other tips you may have for those of us who still have this test lurking over us?
**Disclaimer: I am a terrible standardized test taker. In the past, I've lacked the discipline to study in the long term, and I'm really good at cramming for exams and waiting until the last minute. All I can say is that if you're anything like me, suck it up and put in the effort. It will go a long way.**

Cannot emphasize enough, PRACTICE > CONTENT REVIEW. No matter how much you feel like you've mastered the material, it doesn't matter if you can't apply it to AAMC-like question types. This is why practice is miles more important if you have the general concepts down.

Get into a habit of waking up as early as you would on test day and doing practice problems/ tests to mirror testing conditions. This will help you immensely and eliminate some of the nerves that might be associated with test day.

Eat healthy and don't drink too much caffeine (less than you would on a normal day) on test day. The adrenaline is plenty sufficient to keep you awake and wired. I drank too much coffee and was shaking for half of the test.

Did I mention you should do practice problems? Because you should.

7) 3 months, from mid-May to mid-August. 2 hours of classes per week for 5-6 days per week, and 6-7 hours of studying each day on top of that.

You mentioned you used Berkeley Review. Did you use the updated version for the new exam or the older version of the books?

 

[chowder_2701]

1) Overall Score: 520 (98th percentile) PS: 131 CARS: 130 BS: 131 Psych: 128

2) Study Method: Physical Sciences has always been my weakest subject area, so I used both Kaplan and TPR books for these to make sure I fully covered the material since I had a poor foundation. I read each of the books a few times making notes as I went along and mostly focused on concepts, relationships between variables, and memorizing formulas for this section.
CARS I didn't study for other than the practice tests since I thought my time was better spent learning science content.
Biological sciences I spent most of my study time on; I read the Kaplan bio book multiple times until I felt comfortable explaining each topic, and also read through my notes from the biochemistry course I took the semester leading up to the test- I don't think I would have succeeded on this section without having taken that course, but I also did not have a science background so this may not apply to everyone. I memorized all the amino acids, hormones, enzymes, etc using flashcards and writing out different pathways multiple times.
Behavioral sciences I used TPR + Kaplan + glossary for intro to sociology text + Khan Academy videos to cover all my bases with it being a new section. I wrote out flashcards to memorize all of the terms in Kaplan. If I were taking the test again, I would probably have taken an intro psych/soc course or at least read a textbook as there were topics on my test that I had not seen in any of my prep materials.

3) Study Materials: Kaplan 7 book 2015 set**, Kaplan 528 book (didn't find this very helpful, it seemed mostly strategy based), TPR Chem/Phys, TPR Behavioral Sciences, Lehninger Biochemistry, intro to sociology textbook glossary, Kaplan online practice tests, AAMC FL, AAMC questions packs, AAMC Official Guide Questions, Khan Academy videos (mostly psychology and some biology)
** I didn't use the CARS book at all, and the orgo book I didn't spend much time on either. The other subjects I read through multiple times each until I was confident about the material and did all the practice questions. For physics, I picked out the formulas I thought would be most biologically relevant and memorized a sheet of them for the test; I found this more helpful than doing the practice problems in the Kaplan physics text.

4) Practice Tests: I used the online Kaplan FLs that came with the course, along with their initial half-length diagnostic. Also took a TPR FL, AAMC FL, and the AAMC Official Guide as a half length.

Kaplan FL Scores: (not in order)
Diagnostic: 504
FL 3: PS:125 CARS:128 BS:125 Psych:127 Total: 505
FL 4: PS:125 CARS:127 BS:125 Psych:127 Total: 504
FL 5: PS:124 CARS:126 BS:125 Psych:127 Total: 502
FL 8: PS:125 CARS:128 BS:126 Psych:124 Total: 503
FL 9: PS:125 CARS:128 BS:126 Psych:124 Total: 503

AAMC FL: PS: 78% CARS: 91% BS: 88% Psych: 83%

AAMC Official Guide: PS: 80% CARS: 90% BS: 76% Psych: 90%

5) Undergraduate major: Marketing, but I completed a post-bac program this year which included all pre-reqs

6) Tips: Can't speak for every test day, but my exam had a heavy biochem emphasis on both science sections, so I would recommend spending a larger amount of time studying those concepts than say orgo reactions (definitely memorize amino acids!). Physics was supposed to be de-emphasized vs. the old test, but I still had a number of physics questions, so I wouldn't blow off studying that either. Overall I think the Kaplan books did a great job of covering pretty much everything with the exception of behavioral sciences, so I think they are a pretty safe bet.

7) Time Spent Studying: I completed a 1-year post bac premed program, so I had taken all of the prerequisite coursework + biochem in the year leading up to the test (May 2015). I also was enrolled in the Kaplan on site course this spring, but only really used their book set for content & FLs as I didn't find their strategies helpful. I started studying MCAT specific materials around January, took my first diagnostic in February, and took a practice test roughly once per week starting around March. In the last two weeks before the test I stopped taking practice tests and spent about 8-10 hrs a day studying content, and took the AAMC FL roughly 1 week prior to the test date.

Hi ikat, I was wondering how you got access to the Kaplan FL. Did you take a course with them? I don't think I can afford their course right now.