Looking for advice on how to prepare for September MCAT

[ush02]

Hi all,

I'm registered to take the MCAT on September 9th, very last day of testing. I wanted to ask about studying for it because I'll be taking biochem and one of my coding classes (comp sci minor) over the summer for 7 total credits; this is stressing me out a lot because I'm conflicted on what approach to take.

On one hand, I know that with these two classes already taking up time outside of my schedule that MCAT studying is going to be hell, and am considering doing a self-study course with Anki, UWorld, Kaplan tests, the works. It would allow me to get started earlier on and once I finish up with my summer classes I can simply go all out on studying for the MCAT in August. On the other hand, I know I'm already losing motivation for this semester of school (trad junior year) and doing summer classes right after will probably cause me to lose all interest and willpower to study for the MCAT; this is where I'm considering a prep course a la Princeton Review or Kaplan.

I'm aiming for a 510+ score, and I've done okay in all my prereqs so far, except for Orgo (dropped to a B in Orgo 2 from an A- in Orgo 1). Biochem is the only prereq I have not taken yet. I could really use some advice on what to do here; I don't even know if I'll have enough time to study for the MCAT over the summer alone.

Thank you!

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[okbuy37]

Heyo! I took the MCAT while having a full-time job, and here's my breakdown of the schedule. Usually on my commute/if I was doing work, I would listen to the MCAT Go podcast. These are on Spotify and I found they were great for latent learning. My study time frame was about the same as yours (5 months). I started by doing the AAMC free sample test (the initial score was an oof, but it will give you great insight as to how to tailor your content review. For content review, I stuck to Khan Academy and some used Kaplan books, studying for about 4-5 hours a day with more time on weekends. (I also incorporated at least one break day a week which I highly recommend ) My content review lasted for about a month and a half before I transitioned to straight-up question practice. Essentially I would go through a Q-bank, then analyze what I got right or wrong. Once I got to about two months out I began using the AAMC Materials (their QBanks as well as full-lengths). When I got to the full-length stage, I would take the test on Saturday, then do a review on Sunday (going through each question and writing down why I got it right/wrong). If you have any questions feel free to PM me

 

[theoceanman]

Hi all,

I'm registered to take the MCAT on September 9th, very last day of testing. I wanted to ask about studying for it because I'll be taking biochem and one of my coding classes (comp sci minor) over the summer for 7 total credits; this is stressing me out a lot because I'm conflicted on what approach to take.

On one hand, I know that with these two classes already taking up time outside of my schedule that MCAT studying is going to be hell, and am considering doing a self-study course with Anki, UWorld, Kaplan tests, the works. It would allow me to get started earlier on and once I finish up with my summer classes I can simply go all out on studying for the MCAT in August. On the other hand, I know I'm already losing motivation for this semester of school (trad junior year) and doing summer classes right after will probably cause me to lose all interest and willpower to study for the MCAT; this is where I'm considering a prep course a la Princeton Review or Kaplan.

I'm aiming for a 510+ score, and I've done okay in all my prereqs so far, except for Orgo (dropped to a B in Orgo 2 from an A- in Orgo 1). Biochem is the only prereq I have not taken yet. I could really use some advice on what to do here; I don't even know if I'll have enough time to study for the MCAT over the summer alone.

Thank you!

Here's my personal take on this: if you think you're going to have difficulty scheduling everything out and staying on-track with MCAT studying, I would say a Kaplan prep course (I prefer Kaplan due to my friends having good success with them) would be really beneficial (not necessary, but helpful and expensive).

You're on the right track with using UWorld, Anki, and Kaplan FL exams to prepare and self-study, but if you're losing motivation and interest, consider a Kaplan prep course. To give some personal anecdotes, I have had exactly 6 friends of mine use the Kaplan course, 4 of them during the summer a year or two ago, and they all have scored 513+ on their MCAT exams, and all 4 of them have matriculated or are planning to matriculate into a medical school this upcoming fall semester. One of my mentors was actually someone who taught the Kaplan course at one point and they said if you're not confident with a study schedule and maintaining, it is one of the better methods of going about the MCAT process as you don't want to take that a second time, etc.

Studying for biochemistry and coding courses during the summer and managing your MCAT studying habits may be difficult, but for someone who did not use a course and had a relatively successful cycle, I would say it took around 3 hours daily minimum commitment to studying. I did not use my phone at all or use any podcasts, although in hindsight, podcasts or videos might have helped. I strictly used the Kaplan books and UWorld questions along with Anki and reviewing incorrect World questions to reinforce my content knowledge. I rotated sub-topics every day so that I could go through the entire MCAT sub-topic reviews every 2-3 weeks or so, which prevented me from forgetting anything important high-yield. I also did content review for about a month, nothing more, because I hate reading through books for that long since it felt super passive to me.

Do you have any other commitments during the summer that may impede upon your MCAT schedule, such as shadowing, volunteering, or community service?

 

[ush02]

Here's my personal take on this: if you think you're going to have difficulty scheduling everything out and staying on-track with MCAT studying, I would say a Kaplan prep course (I prefer Kaplan due to my friends having good success with them) would be really beneficial (not necessary, but helpful and expensive).

You're on the right track with using UWorld, Anki, and Kaplan FL exams to prepare and self-study, but if you're losing motivation and interest, consider a Kaplan prep course. To give some personal anecdotes, I have had exactly 6 friends of mine use the Kaplan course, 4 of them during the summer a year or two ago, and they all have scored 513+ on their MCAT exams, and all 4 of them have matriculated or are planning to matriculate into a medical school this upcoming fall semester. One of my mentors was actually someone who taught the Kaplan course at one point and they said if you're not confident with a study schedule and maintaining, it is one of the better methods of going about the MCAT process as you don't want to take that a second time, etc.

Studying for biochemistry and coding courses during the summer and managing your MCAT studying habits may be difficult, but for someone who did not use a course and had a relatively successful cycle, I would say it took around 3 hours daily minimum commitment to studying. I did not use my phone at all or use any podcasts, although in hindsight, podcasts or videos might have helped. I strictly used the Kaplan books and UWorld questions along with Anki and reviewing incorrect World questions to reinforce my content knowledge. I rotated sub-topics every day so that I could go through the entire MCAT sub-topic reviews every 2-3 weeks or so, which prevented me from forgetting anything important high-yield. I also did content review for about a month, nothing more, because I hate reading through books for that long since it felt super passive to me.

Do you have any other commitments during the summer that may impede upon your MCAT schedule, such as shadowing, volunteering, or community service?

Nope. I’ve put a pause on my volunteering for the first two months of the summer so that once I’m finished with classes I can go back, and I don’t have any community service or shadowing lined up over the summer either.

 

[mra1738]

Something small you can do that really helped me memorize the amino acids is to download the amino acid quiz app on your phone. It is completely free and includes structure, codons, name, 1 letter code, 3 letter code, and side chain classes. Easy to do on your commutes or whenever you have a free moment!