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- Jan 11, 2009
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Hi,
Does anyone have any advice on constructing an MCAT study plan.
I'm taking my junior year abroad, so I'll be taking the MCAT upon my return in May (and please, if you think this is too late, there is nothing I can do about it at this point, so I just want to make the best of it). I have the McGraw Hill MCAT prep book, which looks relatively complete to me, and a box of Exambusters flashcards (they were just an impulse buy...I have no idea if they are any good). I've decided to take the equivalent of 16.5 credits a semester this year instead of 18, to allow extra time to study (for those of you familiar with the European credit system, 55, rather than 60 credits)--and yes, like many an overachiever, I have been conflicted over this.
But hanging out in my room with my MCAT book this morning, I'm realizing I'm not sure where to begin. And I don't have a very good track record with standardized tests--I did well on the AP tests in high school, but the SATs were another story--I failed to come up with an effective way to study and did not do as well on the essay and math portions of the test as my GPA (and my later English AP scores and college math grades) would suggest. I did well in all my prereq courses (lowest average was a B+), but something tells me I can't really judge my odds of MCAT success by that.
I'm thinking of, for starters 2-3 focused MCAT sessions a week (Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday). Study for two hours. Break for an hour. Study another hour (three hours straight isn't always best for actually absorbing material). I survived Orgo by recording my notes on a voice recorder and listening to them while I exercised, ran errands, etc, so I might try that here as well. I'm not sure how to break up the material, though, because I feel like I shouldn't go strictly thematically--if I do the whole physics section now, for example, it won't be fresh in my mind in May. I'm planning on structuring this as much like a course as possible, so I'm going to do the quizzes provided whenever I finish a chapter and take a practice MCAT in December and April and maybe at 'midterms' as well. I am just not sure how to break up the material and what the best way to internalize it without driving myself crazy is.
Thanks for tolerating my ramblings. One one hand, being abroad during MCAT year means you're not surrounded by other people panicking about the MCAT. On the other hand, it means there's a lot less support...
Does anyone have any advice on constructing an MCAT study plan.
I'm taking my junior year abroad, so I'll be taking the MCAT upon my return in May (and please, if you think this is too late, there is nothing I can do about it at this point, so I just want to make the best of it). I have the McGraw Hill MCAT prep book, which looks relatively complete to me, and a box of Exambusters flashcards (they were just an impulse buy...I have no idea if they are any good). I've decided to take the equivalent of 16.5 credits a semester this year instead of 18, to allow extra time to study (for those of you familiar with the European credit system, 55, rather than 60 credits)--and yes, like many an overachiever, I have been conflicted over this.
But hanging out in my room with my MCAT book this morning, I'm realizing I'm not sure where to begin. And I don't have a very good track record with standardized tests--I did well on the AP tests in high school, but the SATs were another story--I failed to come up with an effective way to study and did not do as well on the essay and math portions of the test as my GPA (and my later English AP scores and college math grades) would suggest. I did well in all my prereq courses (lowest average was a B+), but something tells me I can't really judge my odds of MCAT success by that.
I'm thinking of, for starters 2-3 focused MCAT sessions a week (Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday). Study for two hours. Break for an hour. Study another hour (three hours straight isn't always best for actually absorbing material). I survived Orgo by recording my notes on a voice recorder and listening to them while I exercised, ran errands, etc, so I might try that here as well. I'm not sure how to break up the material, though, because I feel like I shouldn't go strictly thematically--if I do the whole physics section now, for example, it won't be fresh in my mind in May. I'm planning on structuring this as much like a course as possible, so I'm going to do the quizzes provided whenever I finish a chapter and take a practice MCAT in December and April and maybe at 'midterms' as well. I am just not sure how to break up the material and what the best way to internalize it without driving myself crazy is.
Thanks for tolerating my ramblings. One one hand, being abroad during MCAT year means you're not surrounded by other people panicking about the MCAT. On the other hand, it means there's a lot less support...
