Quick question

[uzmon123321]

For those of you who have scored above a 510 on the MCAT, what is a good timeline to study for the mcat? As in how many hours/months? Also is there a certain order to study the material? Thanks! Just looking for tips! I am doing a MCAT class through princeton review. But was just wondering how many hours a day is good to study without burning yourself out! thanks!!!

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[aldol16]

No order but keep rotating through and don't focus on one subject at a time. 2-4 hours a day for 1.5-2 months plus 5-6 FLs is good if you're solid on the background knowledge. If you need a little more content review, you should spend more time in that area and tack on more time to study without taking any time out of what you've allotted for practice.

 

[DesitnationMD]

For those of you who have scored above a 510 on the MCAT, what is a good timeline to study for the mcat? As in how many hours/months? Also is there a certain order to study the material? Thanks! Just looking for tips! I am doing a MCAT class through princeton review. But was just wondering how many hours a day is good to study without burning yourself out! thanks!!!

Top 5% scorer here. there is no magic recipe for a top score. I would suggst you plan to study for about 12-16 weeks. As for hours, treat the mcat like a job if you can, ~ 40 hours a week on average. If your schedule is shorter you may need more hours per week and if you are good on science you may need less. Your own commitments otuside the test will also dictate how much you can realistically spend on prep. The minimum suggested by the AAMC themselves is ~ 300 hours. Do not study more than 2 hours at a time without taking a 15-30 minute break.

Vary what you study every other day at a minimum. Be sure to mix up mcat questions every day you study new content to help you understand it the way the aaamc will test it.

as for burnout, I am a big fan of taknig 1 day off per week. I start medical school in ~ 3 weeks and all the MS Is I spoke with at our accepted students event say they typically take a day off per week, maybe a half-day around exam time, to help avoid burnout. Their schedule is way mroe dense than an mcat study schedule so I woudl say you could take a full day off per week to help your mind unwind and maximize your study effectiveness.

 

[sh.h]

I have a question that could fit in here, so I wont make another thread.

I registered to take the MCAT on September 9th. 95% of content review is finished.


However, the closer I get to the test date, the less confident I feel. I have not taken any full lengths and I am afraid that the time I have left will not be enough to get me high score. I think emotionally, I am not where I want to be.

My plan is to only write this exam ONCE, so I do now want to go in there with the thought that I am going to void it.

The next time I can take the MCAT is next year. I know it is not recommended to study full time and prepare for the mcat. One one hand, I will be focusing on practice test, but on the other hand, in the second year pharmacy it is going to get harder to get As everywhere. mcat prep and exam prep have different mindsets and approaches, so mixing them up may not be the best idea. Also, I am afraid things I learned will "evaporate" as time goes ...

You are the best I could think of to ask for thoughts and suggestions.

PS: I created a half length from AAMC questions, scored less than 50% in all sections, 68% on CARS

I appreciate your time for reading my post
Many thanks