Need to start studying for MCAT, but overwhelmed by options

[ChemCrazy]

Hello all!

I graduated in May with a B.S. in biochemistry and plan on taking the MCAT on January 19th.

I have the Kaplan set, ordered EK 9th edition, EK 101 Verbal, EK 1001 for the sciences, and AAMC question packs, guide, and flashcards. I briefly checked out Khan Academy yesterday.

It dawned on me that I should have taken the MCAT at least a year ago, but alas, this isn't the place to explain that. Now, I feel as though I have forgotten everything and the Kaplan Bio chapters I checked out (kidney and other anatomy) were never covered in my curriculum. That's why this morning I bought literally every other prep I listed.

I have about 11-12 weeks to study with Christmas break, so how does one go about content review without burning out? Are the books I ordered sufficient? I read about BR, but I need advice on whether that money would better be spent on practice exams.

Basically, I would not mind committing the 7 hours a day I had planned to if I knew I was doing the right thing/ something worthwhile to getting a good score. After having learned so much the last 4 years, it's physically paining me that I don't feel it prepared me for this exam. My stress level is highly elevated and I haven't even started.

Finally, would it be better to read quickly through both sets and then watch videos on the topic, or to take detailed notes on one? I want to be focused on FL within 2 months.

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[drv123]

I used the SDN 3-month study schedule. I hadn't taken the courses in 8 years, and had forgotten absolutely everything. It worked really well for me, and I ended up with a 514.

I would definitely not recommend Kaplan. The questions are not similar to the MCAT questions, and it is not predictive of actual exam performance. BR is the best, and EK and TPR are great too. I would highly recommend the 3 month study schedule.

Good luck!

 

[ChemCrazy]

There are multiple 3-month schedules?

 

[drv123]

There are multiple 3-month schedules?

Sorry I don't know where you got that from my post. The one I used was posted by SN2ed. Does that clear things up for you?

 

[Shadowhunter]

Sorry I don't know where you got that from my post. The one I used was posted by SN2ed. Does that clear things up for you?

do you have the link to the study schedule? I can't find it.

 

[drv123]

do you have the link to the study schedule? I can't find it.

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/breaking-down-the-mcat-a-3-month-mcat-study-schedule.623898/

 

[FCMike11]

Use MCATJelly's schedule (found in MCAT forum). Simplified it completely for me. Non-science background, only took necessary pre-reqs. Extended the schedule to accommodate full-time work. Took studying very seriously, made a balanced 508.

http://www-forums.studentdoctor.net/index.php?threads/1122820/
Sent from my Nexus 6P using SDN mobile

 

[FCMike11]

I used the SDN 3-month study schedule. I hadn't taken the courses in 8 years, and had forgotten absolutely everything. It worked really well for me, and I ended up with a 514.

I would definitely not recommend Kaplan. The questions are not similar to the MCAT questions, and it is not predictive of actual exam performance. BR is the best, and EK and TPR are great too. I would highly recommend the 3 month study schedule.

Good luck!

TBR seems to be the best, but could be a bit much for me sometimes. EK was the best for me, not too concise but gave enough. Supplemented with khan academy for stuff I didnt feel 100% on (physics and psychology/sociology).

Sent from my Nexus 6P using SDN mobile

 

[787593]

I copied this from another post that I made.

This was my weekly schedule:

Saturday: take full-length practice exam starting at 8 am (simulate test day conditions, no phone usage, take the full breaks)

Sunday: fill out WIMI (why I missed it) sheets for the chem/phys section of Saturday's exam. Try to understand each question you missed and review the ones you got right. Take organized notes. Spend the rest of the day reviewing chem/phys. "Why I missed it sheets" just means a word document or handwritten notes. Practice problems are very important here.

Monday: make WIMI sheets for CARS. Re-read passages and practice outlining. Try to understand what the author's message is. Try to understand what each question is asking. Do 5-10 practice cars passages. Time yourself and try to finish each one in 8-10 minutes or less! Spend the rest of the day with weak chem/phys/bio/biochem/psych/soc areas.

Tuesday: Make bio/biochem WIMI sheets. Be very detailed in notes! Spend the rest of the day studying bio/biochem.

Wednesday: Make psych/soc WIMI sheets. Be very detailed in notes! Spend the rest of the day studying psych-soc.

Thursday/Friday: HIT THOSE WEAK AREAS! Make flash cards for chem/phys equations and psych/soc terms. If you nail vocab then psych is easy. Do practice problems!!!!

Friday evening: relax after dinner and go to bed early.

IN SUMMARY

Take a practice test every 6-7 days.
Review each section of the practice exams thoroughly with WIMI sheets.
Videos/books/notes to review weaker areas.
Do 2-3 cars passages EVERY DAY.
Try to get 7+ hours of sleep.
Use the AAMC list of psych/soc terms to make sure you hit all the content.

Take AT LEAST 10-15 practice exams from multiple companies (I used kaplan exclusively but I wish I would have taken exams from other companies as well).

 

[787593]

Hello all!

I graduated in May with a B.S. in biochemistry and plan on taking the MCAT on January 19th.

I have the Kaplan set, ordered EK 9th edition, EK 101 Verbal, EK 1001 for the sciences, and AAMC question packs, guide, and flashcards. I briefly checked out Khan Academy yesterday.

It dawned on me that I should have taken the MCAT at least a year ago, but alas, this isn't the place to explain that. Now, I feel as though I have forgotten everything and the Kaplan Bio chapters I checked out (kidney and other anatomy) were never covered in my curriculum. That's why this morning I bought literally every other prep I listed.

I have about 11-12 weeks to study with Christmas break, so how does one go about content review without burning out? Are the books I ordered sufficient? I read about BR, but I need advice on whether that money would better be spent on practice exams.

Basically, I would not mind committing the 7 hours a day I had planned to if I knew I was doing the right thing/ something worthwhile to getting a good score. After having learned so much the last 4 years, it's physically paining me that I don't feel it prepared me for this exam. My stress level is highly elevated and I haven't even started.

Finally, would it be better to read quickly through both sets and then watch videos on the topic, or to take detailed notes on one? I want to be focused on FL within 2 months.

With 11-12 weeks, you should try to do 9-10 practice exams

 

[ChemCrazy]

@drv123 Thank you! I had looked extensively over that and the modifications from other users, but it seemed having only Kaplan limited what I could do. Once I receive BR and the EK books I ordered, I can follow those much better.
But, I am a very slow reader, so it's possible the 6-7 I had planned per day may become 10 if I follow those too closely. Do you have any advice on what worked specifically for you?

Until they arrive, I guess I'll look at Kaplan biochem and Khan academy so I don't lose too much time. Maybe?

 

[ChemCrazy]

@Healer@1994
After how many weeks (or how much content) should I start?
Also, it seems your schedule would take all day, mostly every day.

 

[drv123]

@drv123 Thank you! I had looked extensively over that and the modifications from other users, but it seemed having only Kaplan limited what I could do. Once I receive BR and the EK books I ordered, I can follow those much better.
But, I am a very slow reader, so it's possible the 6-7 I had planned per day may become 10 if I follow those too closely. Do you have any advice on what worked specifically for you?

Until they arrive, I guess I'll look at Kaplan biochem and Khan academy so I don't lose too much time. Maybe?

I never spent 10 hours per day on studying. Closer to 6-8. However, I am a fast reader, so I'm not sure how different it would be for you. I will say that the material is much more in-depth than you will need for the exam, so you can get away with not reading it super closely. There were definitely days where I got behind, and I just tacked on that day's task to the next day. It all ended up working out

Also, I reinforced the material with Khan Academy videos, and used a TPR book for psych/soc for the content, and a Next Step book for the questions. Whenever I had an O. Chem chapter, I also did a psych/soc chapter. That's how I modified it for the 2015 test. Very simple, but very efficient.

 

[ChemCrazy]

Also, I reinforced the material with Khan Academy videos, and used a TPR book for psych/soc for the content, and a Next Step book for the questions. Whenever I had an O. Chem chapter, I also did a psych/soc chapter. That's how I modified it for the 2015 test. Very simple, but very efficient.

This is great insight. I will have paid about half of what a prep course costs once I add TPR Soc/Psych and the FLs. Maybe I'm overspending.
Yes, I'm a slow reader, so I would have to compensate by taking less in to get 6-8 hours. Anymore than that and I might forget why I wanted to be a doctor in the first place.

 

[drv123]

This is great insight. I will have paid about half of what a prep course costs once I add TPR Soc/Psych and the FLs. Maybe I'm overspending.
Yes, I'm a slow reader, so I would have to compensate by taking less in to get 6-8 hours. Anymore than that and I might forget why I wanted to be a doctor in the first place.

This whole process is crazy expensive, but my advice would be: don't worry about overspending. You don't want to take the exam more than once, and your score can either really help you, or be a hindrance. Just go for it, give it all you can, and you won't have any regrets about that extra hundred bucks you spent when you are living your dream.

 

[787593]

@Healer@1994
After how many weeks (or how much content) should I start?
Also, it seems your schedule would take all day, mostly every day.

1. That's up to you! Practice is equally (if not more) important than content review.

2. The days when you take a practice exam will be all day, 7.5-8 hours. I think you can accomplish solid work in 6-7 hours most days.

And if you don't want to burn out, go for a walk in the morning or exercise daily. Get 7 hours of sleep and eat healthy!!!

 

[787593]

@Healer@1994
After how many weeks (or how much content) should I start?
Also, it seems your schedule would take all day, mostly every day.

With 11 weeks to study, you could get 500 hours of studying with 6.5 hours per day. That is plenty of time! Don't stress yourself out too much

 

[rolliespring]

How much you will need to study will depend on you OP. I studied about 13 hrs/day for a bit more than a month (although I highly do not recommend this) and that was sufficient for me. The same amount of hours can be achieved by studying 6 hrs/day for 2 months. Just pace yourself and make sure you understand the material.

My overall advice is: ONLY TAKE THE MCAT WHEN YOU ARE READY.

 

[ChemCrazy]

Don't stress yourself out too much

Thank you! I'll try to keep all of this in mind.

 

[ChemCrazy]

I've officially exhausted my bank account and will (hopefully) soon have:
Orgo: KA, BR, EK
Chem: KA, BR, EK
Biochem: KA, EK, BR (through other books)
Behavioral sciences: KA, EK, TPR
Physics: KA, BR, EK
CARS: KA, EK, TPR
Biology: KA

Can anyone advise which is the best for each? EK is the 9th edition content set, I might get the 1001 books.

 

[dka94]

I personally really liked TPR biology, especially since the last time I took AP bio was in high school - it's pretty thorough. I liked EK for physics and TPR for behavioral sciences.

Agree with @rolliespring, don't take it until you're ready. I know way too many people who jumped the gun and are suffering from a bad/mediocre score.

Also, when you take the practice exams make sure you thoroughly review all the questions and answers. Even the ones you happened to get right but know you are unsure how you arrived at the answer. I spent almost all of the next day going over the practice exams in detail and it really helped for me.

 

[787593]

I personally really liked TPR biology, especially since the last time I took AP bio was in high school - it's pretty thorough. I liked EK for physics and TPR for behavioral sciences.

Agree with @rolliespring, don't take it until you're ready. I know way too many people who jumped the gun and are suffering from a bad/mediocre score.

Also, when you take the practice exams make sure you thoroughly review all the questions and answers. Even the ones you happened to get right but know you are unsure how you arrived at the answer. I spent almost all of the next day going over the practice exams in detail and it really helped for me.

Yes yes yes!!!

 

[ChemCrazy]

I don't have TPR for Biology

I personally really liked TPR biology,

I would cringe to buy yet another book. BR isn't any good? I forgot to write that I have BR, EK, and KA for Bio (some of the others, but no TPR)

 

[dka94]

I have heard BR is very good for bio as well! You'll be fine with that. Khan academy was a good resource for all of the sections.

 

[ChemCrazy]

Thank you @dka94 I have my first practice exam set for 3 weeks in- until then (and after) is one chapter a day fine, or push for 2? I am a firm believer in starting practice exams ASAP, so I'm sure you can tell I want to rush through content review. But, I also don't want to do so to a fault. I have a break every Saturday, a couple days around Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years, so it's getting borderline for content review for the 11 FLs I plan on taking with 2 days of review and concept checks for each exam.

Is it easy to start FLs too early and forget to go back to all the content?

 

[787593]

Thank you @dka94 I have my first practice exam set for 3 weeks in- until then (and after) is one chapter a day fine, or push for 2? I am a firm believer in starting practice exams ASAP, so I'm sure you can tell I want to rush through content review. But, I also don't want to do so to a fault. I have a break every Saturday, a couple days around Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years, so it's getting borderline for content review for the 11 FLs I plan on taking with 2 days of review and concept checks for each exam.

Is it easy to start FLs too early and forget to go back to all the content?

Reviewing full length practice exam sections is akin to content review. For example, if I missed a question on acid/base chemistry, I would spend ~15 minutes reviewing that concept there's no perfect study plan! Check out the "509+" MCAT thread. Great stuff in there!