I'll tell you how I studied for the old MCAT and you can take from it what you will, although I know the new MCAT has changed some content around and added some as well. I did get a 32 on the old MCAT which should be around a 511 on the new MCAT. I took the MCAT the first week of January and I only studied for it the three months prior. Also in that time, I was taking Organic Chemistry I and I hadn't taken Organic Chemistry II or Physics II yet either so all of that was completely new to me in my studying. Also I was working 40 hours a week and was taking classes full time and I was in a band and had other commitments. Suffice it to say, I didn't have much study time. Here are my tips:
(1) Review this and start a word document that lists every single item that they list:
https://www.aamc.org/students/download/377882/data/mcat2015-content.pdf This step is super lame but also super vital. This is the test makers telling you EXACTLY what is fair game for you to be tested on. This is the same list that the test writers work off of, so this is the same list you should study off of. I made a list of all the categories and items, just as they did, and then I went through my lecture notes and my MCAT review materials and filled in information under each item, basically just putting in definitions or brief descriptions. Nothing on the MCAT will be super in depth. It is just covering basic knowledge. If you have more than a few solid sentences per item, you probably have too much info.
(2) Use a variety of source materials (e.g., ExamKrackers, Kaplan, etc.) because each source will cover subjects differently and one might explain something better than another. Also, from my experience each of these sources maybe covers like 85-90% of the potential MCAT content. Yes, some topics a source will just completely skip over. You can't trust them to cover every single thing, but if you have your handy-dandy list from step one then you will know what they didn't cover and so what you'll need to find from another source.
(3) Use a variety of study methods. Don't just read material, but actually type the most relevant information into your document from step one. Also, try something like ExamKrackers Audio Osmosis or make your own audio study clips. This will allow you to study while you work, drive, exercise, shower, etc. and the more study time the better.
(4) Find anything that will help you remember. Use every clever mnemonic you can find or make your own. Also, it will help if you can make connections between all these random facts and understand a bit of the underlying processes or maybe even the history behind a particular topic. These facts are like a puzzle. There is only one truth in science and so only one way that all the pieces of the puzzle fit together. If you have a good idea of the bigger picture each fact should trigger the memory of multiple other facts. That kind of approach will make it less like memorizing definitions and more like memorizing a story, which is FAR easier.
(5) Repetition. For audio studying, let's say through the music app on your phone, once you have a particular clip or lesson down, delete it. Once you reach the end of all your audio content or whichever specific section you're having trouble with repeat it all. Every time you go through it and delete more things you remember the list that's left over will be smaller and smaller. This will keep you from wasting time on things you already know and will force you to keep repeating the things you don't. You will just have an ever-decreasing playlist of things you don't know. Do the same with that long content list that you make. I made a copy of the document as a kind of worksheet and I read through it, retyping tougher concepts in ways easier for me to understand and deleting topics that I knew well. Every time I repeated the list I remembered more and more things and deleted more and more things and the list became a list of things I didn't know well and that list grew smaller and smaller with every repeat.
(6) Theory is good and well, but you'll need practice. Especially for the mathematics, since you'll have to remember all of your basic equations and you'll have to quickly scribble out some basic arithmetic and logarithmic calculations on scratchpaper and without a calculator. Don't waste your time practicing though until you've got a good hold of all the knowledge you'll need. The MCAT approaches questions in a pretty unique way, so you'll need to allot time to get used to their style. And once you get comfortable with their style, start timing yourself. That timer can be a bi-otch.
(7) As far as the passages, don't sweat trying to remember every single word of every single passage. It won't happen. Many of the passage associated questions you could probably answer without ever reading the passage and the rest you can probably narrow down to 50/50 with a brief read through of the passage and of course you knowledge of the content. Just look for any landmarks in the passage that might help you quickly go back and reference the passage if necessary. Unless you have robot eyes you will not have time to read any passage twice.
( 8 ) During the test take a break whenever you get a chance, even if only for a few seconds just try to clear your mind. Very soon into the test your head will feel like a block of cement, like no more information could possibly enter or exit your brain any more. This test is overwhelming. Relax as much as possible and try not to get flustered.
