My MCAT 2015 Study Schedule

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mcatjelly

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*Analysis of my May Exam*

I'm sharing my study schedule
(<-- link) that I've spent an embarrassing amount of time creating in hopes that it'll help others formulate their own. :) I started studying about a month ago but not consistently as I'm still settling into the study groove, and am working FT until I switch to prn status for two months at the end of March.

DISCLAIMER: There are no rest days integrated into the schedule. THIS DOES NOT MEAN that I think this schedule can or should be done without taking a break, because I definitely don't think that. Rather, you don't see any break days because 1) I started studying while working full-time and just used this as a guide to determine what order I did things in/pair up the various resources, and 2) I now work on-call so between that and the spontaneity that is life, I wasn't sure exactly when those rest days would be. If I don't feel like studying one day, I won't push it. If I'm really feeling five 8+ hour study days in a row, I'll go with it. And that's why you see what looks like an only-55 day schedule, because of the lack of pre-planned break days. PLEASE TAKE BREAKS!

These are the primary materials I ended up using (edited 6/8/15 for clarity):
  • 2015 EK set
  • 2015 TPR Psych/Socio book
  • 2012-2013 TBR set, mostly for practice passages
  • AAMC CARS question packs
  • EK FLs
  • Official Guide 120 questions, taken as a half-length
  • AAMC Official Sample Test
Optional materials:
  • Kaplan MCAT 528
  • 2015 Kaplan set
  • The rest of the AAMC Question bundles
  • Online Kaplan passages
  • Kaplan sectional exams for CARS, Biochem, and Behavioral Sciences (3 each)
  • 3 Kaplan FLs
  • 3 TPR FLs
Note: I rarely supplemented an EK chapter with other readings, it was just an option in case I needed the extra review.

A typical study day: I aimed for 6-8 hours a day, one EK (or TPR for Psych/Socio) chapter each day. After I read EK chapter #1 of the day, I would do all of the respective TBR practice passages untimed. (Warning: this can take awhile--sometimes even a day's worth of studying--depending on how many passages there are. Don't feel obligated to complete all of the relevant passages. Also, for the physics and ochem books, the passage numbers refer to those in the 52 question exam, not the 25 question exam.) I liked to review my answers after each individual passage so that I could apply the knowledge I gained from wrong questions on one passage to subsequent passages, rather than keep making the same mistakes. Then I moved onto the next EK chapter + TBR passages + review.

As for the 30 minute exams: I found that I did much better on them when I didn't take them immediately after reviewing the relevant TBR passages. Instead, I took the 30 min exams the following day to allow for the material to sink in overnight. Once I started taking them the day after instead of the day of, my scores increased.

Let me know if you have any questions or suggestions!

SCORES ON STUFF (in order by date of completion):
(order: C/P | CARS | B/B | P/S | TOTAL)

Official Guide Half-Length: 21/30 (70%) | 29/30 (97%) | 21/30 (70%) | 23/30 (77%) | 94/120 (78%)

Official Sample Test: 37/59 (63%) | 47/53 (89%) | 42/59 (71%) | 52/59 (88%) | 177/230 (77%)

CARS Sample Pack 1a: 43/60 (72%)

EK FL 1: 38/59 (64%) | 41/53 (77%) | 43/59 (73%) | 49/59 (83%) | 171/230 (74%)

CARS Sample Pack 1b: 55/60 (92%)

EK FL 2: 38/59 (64%) | 38/53 (72%) | 37/59 (63%) | 49/59 (83%) | 162/230 (70%)

CARS Sample Pack 2a: 53/60 (88%)

EXAM SCORE: 125 | 130 | 125 | 128 | 508

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@mcatjelly How come you have on your schedule you take the Physics Lecture 2 30 minute exam before reading the material several days later?

Also, now that you are closer to taking the test, do you have any advice for those about to begin studying? Any changes you would make if you were to start all over again?
 
@mcatjelly How come you have on your schedule you take the Physics Lecture 2 30 minute exam before reading the material several days later?

Also, now that you are closer to taking the test, do you have any advice for those about to begin studying? Any changes you would make if you were to start all over again?

That's a typo, sorry! I switched things around a few weeks ago and apparently didn't catch that.

Hmm, advice... spend as little time on content review as you feel comfortable with. The amount of learning you do through passages and reading the solutions is totally superior to that which is gained through reading the review books. I knew this as a result of spending a lot of time reading advice prior to beginning my own studying, but I didn't realize how true it was until I did it myself.

On the other hand: if you're following this schedule, I recommend against doing every single practice passage I list as relevant. I got really bogged down by feeling the need to stick to the plan to a T, but it resulted in me falling way more behind than I would have liked. Like, for EK's orgo section, you so don't need to do 60+ practice passages. It's not a good use of your time.

Other than that, I'm going to brag a bit and say that, for the most part, I did a really good job with my schedule and wouldn't change anything else about it.

Good luck with your studying! :)
 
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Forgive me for my idiocy, but you mention that you do 2 EK chapters each day? In the schedule this isn't reflected?
 
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Forgive me for my idiocy, but you mention that you do 2 EK chapters each day? In the schedule this isn't reflected?
I think his schedule isn't necessarily broken up into days but is just sessions. That being said, I think he did two sessions per day.
 
Forgive me for my idiocy, but you mention that you do 2 EK chapters each day? In the schedule this isn't reflected?
I think his schedule isn't necessarily broken up into days but is just sessions. That being said, I think he did two sessions per day.
Ah, so do, for example, day 1 and day 2 material in one day?

For the record, I've got them XX chromosomes. :)

So back when I was idealistic about what I could accomplish in a day, I thought I would be able to fit in 2 EK chapters. That plan failed rather quickly considering the number of practice passages that corresponded to each chapter. (In retrospect, I should not have done so many topic-specific ones because content review took me up until...this week and was a major source of stress, but whatevs.)

But like @Monkeys4Lyfe said: yes, think of my schedule as not broken up into days, but sessions. Many people have been confused at what they see to be a lack of break days when really this was intended to be more of a guide vs.You Must Study on This Day/You Must Break on That Day.
 
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Just curious, you don't go through the whole Kaplan Psych/Behavior book? I was under the assumption that it is the preferred material for that subject.
 
Just curious, you don't go through the whole Kaplan Psych/Behavior book? I was under the assumption that it is the preferred material for that subject.

No, I used TPR for Psych/Socio and EK for the rest. I was a Neuroscience major with a Psych minor and have a very strong background in mental health, so I didn't really need the thorough review.
 
Hey! Do you have a list of all the possible materials/practice tests published by all the *most known* test prep companies? Or do you know where I can find one?
 
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You are THE best! What are your thoughts on newer companies or companies that aren't so frequently used like Sterling and McGraw Hill??

I post them because people do use them, but I've never checked them out and figure they're not as popular for a reason.

When you mention your scores on the CARS sample pack 1a, 1b, etc... is that from Kaplan?

Nope, the AAMC question bundles. I split each of the 120 question packs into an individual 60 question CARS test.
 
Hey mcatPbjelly, i was looking at your study schedule but I have a question regarding the physics. I am using TBR but since some topics or many have been removed are their specific chapters or sections I should skip? I saw that on your schedule it says to read through every chapter and was just wandering if that was necessary.
 
Hope everything went well for you, mcatjelly! Now that you're done, any thoughts on how well EK prepared you for the test?
 
Hope everything went well for you, mcatjelly! Now that you're done, any thoughts on how well EK prepared you for the test?

For the record, here's my analysis of the exam in the May thread.

EK definitely gets a thumbs down for the current Psych/Socio book and their saying that we don't need to know amino acids (literally the biggest error one could ever make about the new MCAT), but all in all I maintain they make for good prep. They're really good at recognizing the "big picture," and I can now say from experience that THE MCAT TESTS THE BIG PICTURE. REALLY. I SWEAR.
 
You've been incredibly helpful, mcatjelly, so thank you for everything thus far! Looks like I'll look into another way of learning psych/soc for the mcat in the next few days. Hope you ended up kicking that mcat's butt!
 
You've been incredibly helpful, mcatjelly, so thank you for everything thus far! Looks like I'll look into another way of learning psych/soc for the mcat in the next few days. Hope you ended up kicking that mcat's butt!

You are quite welcome! And thank you. :)
 
Since you said in your commentary that amino acids are really important to know on this, would you think it helpful to write down the amino acid R groups, the names of the amino acids, and their abbreviations on the scratch paper during the 10 minute information step? Also for physics, what would you suggest are high yield topics to look into?
 
Since you said in your commentary that amino acids are really important to know on this, would you think it helpful to write down the amino acid R groups, the names of the amino acids, and their abbreviations on the scratch paper during the 10 minute information step? Also for physics, what would you suggest are high yield topics to look into?

For sure. Though if you've memorized them well enough to write them all down from memory in 10 minutes, you probably don't need to do that in the first place!

Oh gosh, uh... fluids, phase changes, work, energy, electrochemistry, and waves. That's all I remember. D:
 
For sure. Though if you've memorized them well enough to write them all down from memory in 10 minutes, you probably don't need to do that in the first place!

Oh gosh, uh... fluids, phase changes, work, energy, electrochemistry, and waves. That's all I remember. D:
Haha yeah. I like to have them written down just in case I blank under the stress, I'll have them to look at without stressing if I picked the right one. Thanks for the info on the high yield physics topics. I'm definitely still gonna have to work on fluids and waves cuz those are my weak points!
 
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Yep, i suck at fluids and electrochemistry stuff.

Is there a thread somewhere that discusses what books people preferred most for each subject? I currently have all of kaplan (well I will when it ships) and the online stuff they provide. Is it worth purchasing any other books for certain subjects? I saw that EK is good for most but not all sections. Thanks and please be specific if possible. Congrats to everyone that has tested today or before!
 
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Yep, i suck at fluids and electrochemistry stuff.

Is there a thread somewhere that discusses what books people preferred most for each subject? I currently have all of kaplan (well I will when it ships) and the online stuff they provide. Is it worth purchasing any other books for certain subjects? I saw that EK is good for most but not all sections. Thanks and please be specific if possible. Congrats to everyone that has tested today or before!

This please!!!!!
 
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Do you still recommend working through TBR gen chem or orgo book passages? :)

Lolz, asking the right questions here.

Gen Chem was still pretty helpful. Orgo..........not nearly as much. I would still do a few but considering there are two whole books' worth, focus on those that relate to metabolism or a biological context in general.
 
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Lolz, asking the right questions here.

Gen Chem was still pretty helpful. Orgo..........not nearly as much. I would still do a few but considering there are two whole books' worth, focus on those that relate to metabolism or a biological context in general.
What about Physics, jelly?
 
First of all thanks for the posting this schedule and guide-it's awesome and I will be using it to study! Quick question-- what are you thoughts on using the EK 1001 series as practice questions, instead of the TBR passages? Even though they are for the old MCAT, do you think it would be useful to use? Thanks in advance!
 
First of all thanks for the posting this schedule and guide-it's awesome and I will be using it to study! Quick question-- what are you thoughts on using the EK 1001 series as practice questions, instead of the TBR passages? Even though they are for the old MCAT, do you think it would be useful to use? Thanks in advance!


Idt 1001 has passages.. Does it?
 
First of all thanks for the posting this schedule and guide-it's awesome and I will be using it to study! Quick question-- what are you thoughts on using the EK 1001 series as practice questions, instead of the TBR passages? Even though they are for the old MCAT, do you think it would be useful to use? Thanks in advance!

Not nearly as useful as using passages, I have to say. They'll still be helpful for learning the material but you'd need to make sure you were also getting some experience doing passages.
 
Hi! Was really debating whether I should get TBR but it seems almost necessary/ look like good practice. Should I be fine buying the 2012 books separately or should I buy the set? What am I missing if I buy orgo/ gen chem/ bio/ physics individually?

For Kaplan Online questions and EK 30 min tests, these come with full set, right?

Also could you point me in the right direction for what the AAMC questions bundle and FL is? Does the Official AAMC guide come with the possibility of purchasing the 120Q bundle or is the guide the actual questions?

Thank you!!
 
Hi! Was really debating whether I should get TBR but it seems almost necessary/ look like good practice. Should I be fine buying the 2012 books separately or should I buy the set? What am I missing if I buy orgo/ gen chem/ bio/ physics individually?

Nothing! :) You can totally buy in piecemail if you want.

For Kaplan Online questions and EK 30 min tests, these come with full set, right?

Correct.

Also could you point me in the right direction for what the AAMC questions bundle and FL is? Does the Official AAMC guide come with the possibility of purchasing the 120Q bundle or is the guide the actual questions

There are ten question packs: two for bio, two for CARS, one for physics, and one for chemistry, each with 120 questions. They're select recycled passages from past practice exams that AAMC officials thought would be closer to the feel of the new test. The Official Guide is just a guide to the MCAT, and you can choose to buy it with or without 120 practice questions. You can also choose to buy just the 120 questions without the guide itself.
 
*Analysis of my May Exam*

I'm sharing my study schedule
(<-- link) that I've spent an embarrassing amount of time creating in hopes that it'll help others formulate their own. :) I started studying about a month ago but not consistently as I'm still settling into the study groove, and am working FT until I switch to prn status for two months at the end of March.

DISCLAIMER: There are no rest days integrated into the schedule. THIS DOES NOT MEAN that I think this schedule can or should be done without taking a break, because I definitely don't think that. Rather, you don't see any break days because 1) I started studying while working full-time and just used this as a guide to determine what order I did things in/pair up the various resources, and 2) I now work on-call so between that and the spontaneity that is life, I wasn't sure exactly when those rest days would be. If I don't feel like studying one day, I won't push it. If I'm really feeling five 8+ hour study days in a row, I'll go with it. And that's why you see what looks like an only-55 day schedule, because of the lack of pre-planned break days. PLEASE TAKE BREAKS!

These are the materials I'm using (edited 4/28/15):

Primary content review:
  • 2015 EK set
  • 2015 TPR Psych/Socio book
Supplementary content review:
  • 2012-2013 TBR set
  • 2015 Kaplan set
Exam strategy:
  • Kaplan MCAT 528 (optional)
Practice passages:
  • TBR passages
  • All AAMC Question bundles
  • Online Kaplan passages
Practice exams:
  • AAMC Official Guide 120 questions, done as a half-length exam
  • EK 30 min exams
  • Kaplan sectional exams for CARS, Biochem, and Behavioral Sciences (3 each)
  • 3 Kaplan FLs
  • 3 TPR FLs
  • 3 EK FLs
  • AAMC FL
Note: I won't always supplement an EK chapter with other readings, it's just an option in case I need the extra review.

A typical study day: I aim for 6-8 hours a day, two EK (or TPR for Psych/Socio) chapters each day. After I read EK chapter #1 of the day, I do all of the respective TBR practice passages untimed. (Warning: this can take awhile--sometimes even a day's worth of studying--depending on how many passages there are. Don't feel obligated to complete all of the relevant passages.) I like to review my answers after each individual passage so that I can apply the knowledge I gain from wrong questions on one passage to subsequent passages, rather than keep making the same mistakes. Then I move onto the next EK chapter + TBR passages + review.

As for the 30 minute exams: I find that I do much better on them when I don't take them immediately after reviewing the relevant TBR passages. Instead, I take the 30 min exams the following day to allow for the material to sink in overnight. Once I started taking them the day after instead of the day of, my scores increased.

Let me know if you have any questions or suggestions!

SCORES ON STUFF:
(order: C/P | CARS | B/B | P/S | TOTAL)

Official Guide Half-Length: 21/30 (70%) | 29/30 (97%) | 21/30 (70%) | 23/30 (77%) | 94/120 (78%)

Official Sample Test: 37/59 (63%) | 47/53 (89%) | 42/59 (71%) | 52/59 (88%) | 177/230 (77%)

CARS Sample Pack 1a: 43/60 (72%)

EK FL 1: 38/59 (64%) | 41/53 (77%) | 43/59 (73%) | 49/59 (83%) | 171/230 (74%)

CARS Sample Pack 1b: 55/60 (92%)

EK FL 2: 38/59 (64%) | 38/53 (72%) | 37/59 (63%) | 49/59 (83%) | 162/230 (70%)

CARS Sample Pack 2a: 53/60 (88%)
 
Do you think it's okay if I replace Kaplan/EK with the TPR, so I'll just do TPR and TBR. I do need more content review because my undergrad courses weren't very helpful. So I was thinking that EK or Kaplan would be too concise compared to the TPR?
 
Do you think it's okay if I replace Kaplan/EK with the TPR, so I'll just do TPR and TBR. I do need more content review because my undergrad courses weren't very helpful. So I was thinking that EK or Kaplan would be too concise compared to the TPR?

You could certainly do that, but Kaplan is not at all concise.
 
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By the way, for those wondering...

C/P: 50-65%
CARS: 85-100%
B/B: 49-64%
P/S: 81-96%
Total: 74-84%
 
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Thank you for the schedule! I was wondering what you typically do during the supplemental portion of the schedule? I have the old set of kaplan books, the new set of EK, and the new set of TPR. I was also planning on using the Khan academy videos, and trying to make an organized schedule of my own loosely based off of what you did. Any advice is welcome! Thanks.
 
Thank you for the schedule! I was wondering what you typically do during the supplemental portion of the schedule? I have the old set of kaplan books, the new set of EK, and the new set of TPR. I was also planning on using the Khan academy videos, and trying to make an organized schedule of my own loosely based off of what you did. Any advice is welcome! Thanks.

I can count on one hand the number of times I actually used the supplemental material. It's up to you how you'd like to incorporate it into your own schedule, but I usually just looked information up in the TBR books or online if I wanted to expand upon what I read in the EK books.

So you could do the same with your new EK and TPR books, using the TPR book as the supplement, or solely using EK for the practice.
 
Ok, thank you! Also, does TBR have a lot of passages for each chapter compared to other review books? I know that the TPR books I have typically only have 1 per chapter in each book.
 
Ok, thank you! Also, does TBR have a lot of passages for each chapter compared to other review books? I know that the TPR books I have typically only have 1 per chapter in each book.

Yes, quite a bit--it's usually around 15 passages and a total of ~90-100 questions per chapter.
 
Do you or anyone else happen to know a cheaper source of passages? Or do you recommend getting TBR regardless of its price?
 
Do you or anyone else happen to know a cheaper source of passages? Or do you recommend getting TBR regardless of its price?

Well, Khan has many, many passages! I do recommend TBR Bio books if you can afford them, but if not, it's not a big deal.
 
Did you really create all the stuff in your signature?
That's super impressive
 
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