- Joined
- Sep 10, 2015
- Messages
- 112
- Reaction score
- 31
Hello everyone,
I am taking the MCAT in 13 days. I would appreciate any advice you may have on how to effectively study for the remainder of the time I have. I am asking for advice because I thought I had a good study plan, yet the full-length practice test I took last week was extremely discouraging, so I am not sure I have been using the correct study method. I'll write out the details below.
I am currently going through an online Kaplan course. I started this course in July. I have gone through most of the Kaplan books (all except for Psych/Soc and the High-Yield problem solving guide) and their online videos. I took a total of two practice exams. The first was a 4 hour diagnostic exam which I took before starting the course (I got a 493). The second was the Kaplan FL1 practice test (I got a 495... 124 Chem/Phys, 124 CARS, 125 Bio/Biochem, 122 Psych/Soc) which I took last week.
On average, I study about 5 hours per day. I go through each chapter at a pretty slow pace so I can focus on understanding the main concepts of the material, and I take notes as I go along. I haven't had time to go back through my notes yet as I am still in the process of reading through the last 2 Kaplan books.
I have 13 days left. I'm not sure how I should prioritize my time. I know that everyone HIGHLY recommends to go through practice exams. However, I am doubting if it's worth going through practice tests for 3 reasons:
1) I don't think I know enough material to do well on the exams. Like I mentioned, I haven't reviewed my notes or spent much time on memorization.
2) My parents are both doctors. They both insist that I do not actually "take" any practice tests, but ONLY go over the correct answers on each problem in each test so I can fully understand why they are the correct answers. They both believe that solving problems incorrectly will just make me remember the wrong answers and confuse me during the actual exam. (not entirely sure what to make of their opinion...)
3) When I took the diagnostic and FL1, I found that I finished each section about 5 minutes ahead of time. Except for CARS. So, it seems that pacing is not a problem.
So... what would you recommend I focus on these last 13 days? And what do you think I should do about practice tests?
I would tremendously appreciate any advice you may have!
I am taking the MCAT in 13 days. I would appreciate any advice you may have on how to effectively study for the remainder of the time I have. I am asking for advice because I thought I had a good study plan, yet the full-length practice test I took last week was extremely discouraging, so I am not sure I have been using the correct study method. I'll write out the details below.
I am currently going through an online Kaplan course. I started this course in July. I have gone through most of the Kaplan books (all except for Psych/Soc and the High-Yield problem solving guide) and their online videos. I took a total of two practice exams. The first was a 4 hour diagnostic exam which I took before starting the course (I got a 493). The second was the Kaplan FL1 practice test (I got a 495... 124 Chem/Phys, 124 CARS, 125 Bio/Biochem, 122 Psych/Soc) which I took last week.
On average, I study about 5 hours per day. I go through each chapter at a pretty slow pace so I can focus on understanding the main concepts of the material, and I take notes as I go along. I haven't had time to go back through my notes yet as I am still in the process of reading through the last 2 Kaplan books.
I have 13 days left. I'm not sure how I should prioritize my time. I know that everyone HIGHLY recommends to go through practice exams. However, I am doubting if it's worth going through practice tests for 3 reasons:
1) I don't think I know enough material to do well on the exams. Like I mentioned, I haven't reviewed my notes or spent much time on memorization.
2) My parents are both doctors. They both insist that I do not actually "take" any practice tests, but ONLY go over the correct answers on each problem in each test so I can fully understand why they are the correct answers. They both believe that solving problems incorrectly will just make me remember the wrong answers and confuse me during the actual exam. (not entirely sure what to make of their opinion...)
3) When I took the diagnostic and FL1, I found that I finished each section about 5 minutes ahead of time. Except for CARS. So, it seems that pacing is not a problem.
So... what would you recommend I focus on these last 13 days? And what do you think I should do about practice tests?
I would tremendously appreciate any advice you may have!