Question about study strategy

[Turkeyman]

First off, taking the April '05 MCAT

School begins again on the 26th of January, and it's now the 3rd. So I have around 22-23 full days to review material on my own before the kaplan prep course comes around.

I got my hands on EK AudioOsmosis...and I was thinking of using these CDs as my primary source of review, while allowing Kaplan to fortify details and concepts in the months leading up to the test.

In addition to listening to the AudioOsmosis lectures religiously, I also decided that I'll probably read 1-2 hours a day and pull out some old SAT passages to tune up..then move onto MCATs.

So that's it really, audioosmosis(while taking notes), reading, and like 2 passages each day after I finish my reading.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[gluon999]

I just don't visualize myself using some audio-tape/CD to help me prepare for the toughest exam of my life....but whatever works for you.

I plan to read all of Kaplan's course books and also attend their classes, in addition to using the TPR science review book, their science questions book, and their verbal questions book....hopefully I can balance that with school and 20-25 hours of work per week.

 

[Turkeyman]

Yeah, I was just talking about how to use the next 20 days or so, plus I've heard a lot testify to the effectiveness of EK AudioOsmosis.

After the Kaplan prep course starts, it'll be kaplan review and practice AAMC/free online tests

 

[Pontifex Maximus]

I'm going to be looking over Bio in Kaplan and EK before the official start of studying with the EK schedule. I'm going to try to read through the whole Kaplan before I start with EK I have a very very weak Bio background, so thats why I'm doing it this way.

 

[sscooterguy]

Its good that you plan to studying now. Your plan sounds pretty good, and it doesn't sound like you'll overstudy this first month and burn out which is very important. However, I don't think old SAT's will do any good. Yes its good to get some reading and questions in, but SAT is just reading comp. MCAT questions are more 2 teir questions, and are way above the level of SATs. If I were you, I'd just read the newspaper everyday. Read articles from the sunday edition of a respected paper from the op/ed section, to front page, to arts, to travel. That kind of reading, especially from topics you are unfamiliar with, will much better prepare you for the MCAT. Also, if you are using audio tapes, make sure you stop every once in a while, maybe every 20 to 30 min and mentally or physically (say it or write it down) make a summary of key points and a few details of what you just reviewed.
For everyone studying for the MCAT, its just as important to not burn out as it is to study hard. Take needed breaks as frequently as you need to keep your concentration at first, then from there work on keeping your concentration longer. Its much harder to start studying quickly and then work on concentration later. Same thing with test questions. Work on getting them all right first, then work on speed afterwards. There's no use in finishing all of your questions on your practice MCATs if you can't get them right. Accuracy, then speed.
Good luck again.

 

[MeowMix]

If you want something to do for 3 weeks, AO is a good use of time for science.

You could also take AAMC 3, which is free at e-mcat.com. Print it out and take it on paper, fully timed, breaks and all. Between that and your Kaplan diagnostic, you will start to have a good sense of your problem areas (content, strategy, timing). There is also benefit in doing an 8-hour practice instead of a 4-hour to start; you have a better sense of how LOOOOONG it is.

Then I would get going on your VR technique, which can take a while to develop. Listen to the AO VR section (even better to add the EK VR book, because there's a bunch more stuff in there). Then go back and apply the techniques to the VR passages in AAMC 3, which has at least one very difficult passage. Don't bother with SAT passages; they are written for an entirely different testing approach. Applying the EK technique to passages of articles from the Atlantic would be more useful.

Oh, you will also need to preview all the science content for the Kaplan course before each lecture. You might do the first week's content during the week before your course starts, so you get a running start and some idea of how long you'll need to spend studying.

 

[MeowMix]

I'm going to be looking over Bio in Kaplan and EK before the official start of studying with the EK schedule. I'm going to try to read through the whole Kaplan before I start with EK I have a very very weak Bio background, so thats why I'm doing it this way.

I would not recommend doing it this way, it'll take twice as long, and there is a bunch of stuff in the Kaplan books that you do not need to know in that much detail (e.g. fetal circulation). Just work through the Kaplan stuff at the same time as you are doing the EK. If your bio background is truly dreadful then just start all the bio earlier.