Studying for MCAT in Two Waves - Yea or Nay?

[noruen]

So I'll lay out my tentative MCAT study timeline below, and I'd like to see if people think this is a good or bad idea or if there's anyway I should modify it to make it better. Thanks in advance for your feedback!

I should start by saying that I plan to study independently, since that's the way I've taken all those basic science classes (skipping lectures and reading the book, taking independent notes). What I'd like to do since I won't be applying for another year, so June 2017, is to take this Summer 2016 as a primer for studying (10hrs/wk) some psychology and sociology (my worst subjects, at least in terms of grades) and a basic overview of the other hard-sciency material. I'll finish the second part of a two-semester biochem course next Fall 2016 (my last basic science MCAT class), and will start in mid-late December for the final leg of studying (15-20hrs/week) until I take the exam in early April 2017.

My thought is I'll have some extra time this summer since I'll only be working, so why not refresh so it sticks better the second time around. The aim here is to spread out studying for better retention, and a less intense final round of studying. I'll also only need to take two classes Spring 2017 to graduate, but would like to take a third so if I feel confident with my summer prep behind me I might enroll in that extra interesting class.

Anyway, I'd appreciate any advice you can offer - especially if you or someone you know has done something similar!

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[NextStepTutor_3]

Hmm I kind of like your plan! I certainly think it can't hurt to do that "early leg" of studying in addition to December-April. Here's what I would advise (although I'd be curious to hear what others have to say as well):

- Use the early leg for the most basic content (in addition to psych/soc, like you said). By "basic," I mean things like stoichiometry, translational motion, etc. Virtually nobody understands these topics as well as they should (even if they think they do), and they're more likely to "stick" in your memory than some of the more complex topics (like electrochem or optics).

- If possible, set aside some amount of time (even something tiny, like an hour a week) in between the two legs to refresh. This could even be something like looking over your notes for 10 minutes per day. Otherwise, it's just so easy to lose all the knowledge you've gained.

- Take at least one or two full-length exams during the first leg. I think it's tempting to spend the first stretch of time on content alone, but it's really valuable to get a feel for the MCAT style early in the process. If you "saved" all your practice tests for the second leg, you might find that you spent the first leg studying things in too much detail, or that you weren't really thinking about it in an MCAT way. Plus, you can assess what you need to review most from the very beginning.

Good luck

 

[noruen]

- If possible, set aside some amount of time (even something tiny, like an hour a week) in between the two legs to refresh. This could even be something like looking over your notes for 10 minutes per day. Otherwise, it's just so easy to lose all the knowledge you've gained.

Definitely like that idea. I haven't thought about how I'll take notes yet, but I'll keep this in mind when I do. Thanks!

 

[noruen]

If you ever consider thinking about making an hourly plan you can find easy ways to fit in a consistent amount of study time even during that gap time. If you want any specific advice on this I would love to help!

Any advice would be great! I've actually experienced a bit of a change in plans and will be doing a more comprehensive studying routine over the summer, still taking Biochem 2 in Fall 2016, but will then study up until the January exam dates and take it then. What do you think would be an effective way to review the material comprehensively over that fall semester? Fortunately Biochem draws on a little bit of everything (minus psych and soc) so that should help.

 

[deleted446889]

Hmm I kind of like your plan! I certainly think it can't hurt to do that "early leg" of studying in addition to December-April. Here's what I would advise (although I'd be curious to hear what others have to say as well):

- Use the early leg for the most basic content (in addition to psych/soc, like you said). By "basic," I mean things like stoichiometry, translational motion, etc. Virtually nobody understands these topics as well as they should (even if they think they do), and they're more likely to "stick" in your memory than some of the more complex topics (like electrochem or optics).

- If possible, set aside some amount of time (even something tiny, like an hour a week) in between the two legs to refresh. This could even be something like looking over your notes for 10 minutes per day. Otherwise, it's just so easy to lose all the knowledge you've gained.

- Take at least one or two full-length exams during the first leg. I think it's tempting to spend the first stretch of time on content alone, but it's really valuable to get a feel for the MCAT style early in the process. If you "saved" all your practice tests for the second leg, you might find that you spent the first leg studying things in too much detail, or that you weren't really thinking about it in an MCAT way. Plus, you can assess what you need to review most from the very beginning.

Good luck

Hey there! I'm in a similar situation in that I'll be taking the test in April of 2017 as well. The MCAT is an enormously important upcoming event for me (need to make up for a lousy GPA!) and I really, really want to knock it out of the park. I originally planned on taking it this year so I had already bought the main subjects from TBR. I'm very weak in content knowledge so I figured I should go for the most dense material.

My plan is a bit similar, I intend to go through the TBR set, taking thorough notes and really focusing on absorbing the knowledge, starting now. I want to go through it all and have an extensive set of notes/flash cards, and then continually review that for the rest of the year (Feb/March-Dec). I'll be taking Orgo II in the summer and Biochem in the Fall as well (hope to learn it really well!), and then the Spring semester from January will be open for nothing but MCAT studying. This is when I plan on moving into the PRACTICE phase, as by that point I should know the content from TBR like the back of my hand. I think I would like to use EK during this phase along with all the practice tests I can get my hands on, and just practice like a madman for 3-4 months before taking the test.

Do you mind critiquing my strategy? I'm a fairly slow learner, and I really want to MAXIMIZE my score. Any recommendations for what to focus on in the coming year besides the TBR content? What else could I do to give me a leg up on the test?

 

[NextStepTutor_3]

@wildcherry , thanks for the question! I actually think that if you're going to use TBR, a plan like the one you laid out is the only way to do it properly. Most of what you said sounds great. Make sure that, when you're going through the TBR book, you start with the absolute most basic material (they do a pretty good job of ordering most of their books this way anyway) and don't move on until you feel like you have a solid grasp of what you've covered. This should be true even if a topic seems pretty familiar already - I can't tell you how many students I've seen get stuck on things like acid/base or solubility because they didn't have a proper understanding of stoichiometry or periodic trends.

Two small comments on your plan in general:

- I know the "practice" phase of your plan is from Jan-April 2017, and that's certainly more than enough time to devote to practice full-lengths and passages. But were you planning on working through any of the TBR passages during your early "content phase" as well? I strongly advise doing at least some of them to make sure you've grasped the material you've read. You can also gauge how much time you have during this phase and see how many TBR passages you might want to save for later.

- I'd love to hear what others say about this, but I would advise using the TBR books for everything EXCEPT organic chem. Some people think that orgo isn't very high-yield on the MCAT, and that's not exactly accurate - the AAMC's own practice FLs had a substantial amount of orgo, and even a large amount of the biochem / gen chem can be better understood from an orgo angle. But it is true that you don't need an insanely detailed understanding of orgo for virtually any MCAT question. I firmly believe that 90% of MCAT orgo is either a variation on "the nucleophile attacks the carbonyl carbon," something related to lab techniques, or a problem similar to a puzzle that can be worked through with little outside knowledge. Learning orgo in the depth in which TBR tends to present material isn't a great use of time.

But anyway, great question! I do like the "TBR first, EK second" order because it allows you to finesse your idea of what topics are high-yield (in that, if something came up in TBR but never appears in EK or any practice FLs, that's something that's likely low-yield and more acceptable to forget). Good luck

 

[TheRealCookieMonster]

So I'll lay out my tentative MCAT study timeline below, and I'd like to see if people think this is a good or bad idea or if there's anyway I should modify it to make it better. Thanks in advance for your feedback!

I should start by saying that I plan to study independently, since that's the way I've taken all those basic science classes (skipping lectures and reading the book, taking independent notes). What I'd like to do since I won't be applying for another year, so June 2017, is to take this Summer 2016 as a primer for studying (10hrs/wk) some psychology and sociology (my worst subjects, at least in terms of grades) and a basic overview of the other hard-sciency material. I'll finish the second part of a two-semester biochem course next Fall 2016 (my last basic science MCAT class), and will start in mid-late December for the final leg of studying (15-20hrs/week) until I take the exam in early April 2017.

My thought is I'll have some extra time this summer since I'll only be working, so why not refresh so it sticks better the second time around. The aim here is to spread out studying for better retention, and a less intense final round of studying. I'll also only need to take two classes Spring 2017 to graduate, but would like to take a third so if I feel confident with my summer prep behind me I might enroll in that extra interesting class.

Anyway, I'd appreciate any advice you can offer - especially if you or someone you know has done something similar!

Hey there in my experience December to April is a long time. Everyone learns differently but in my experience content review outside of questions is a waste of time unless you have never been introduced to it. I have a less than beautiful GPA as well but a great MCAT. Most of the high scorers I've talked to took 2 or 3 months and crushed the material. 6-8 hours a day. Practice questions and then when you miss questions hit the khan academy or the books and do your content review. But before all this you really need to know where you stand. Where your weak and strong points are. AAMC and Khan academy will give a great idea of where you stand. As far as certain material being high or low yield this is true. Focus on the big stuff first. However if you're making up for a poor GPA and need a very strong MCAT 515 or better you need to be prepared to know everything. Understand every problem and why you missed certain things. Be a master of the material. And make sure you have great timing. In the end this test is all about your ability to know yourself and how to be successful. Meta cognition is very important.

 

[EverStriving]

Studying in two distinct, separated periods of time is a great idea, and is supported by research into learning (google 'the spacing effect'). In fact this is specifically what I recommend to all the people that have asked me for tips in PMs. Theoretically, the key to optimal preparation would be to maximize benefit from the spacing effect while also getting in as many repetitions of the material as possible. So perhaps it would be best to review all the content, then wait until you've almost completely forgotten it, then relearn it, and so on in cycles. Though I'm not aware of any specific data to support this strategy, it seems reasonable enough.

Once you get to the last 2-3 months before your exam, targeted studying should become your focus. Take practice tests to help you identify your weak points, then use similar learning-forgetting-relearning cycles on those specific topics to turn them into strengths!

 

[Summerlax2016]

I did the 100-days to MCAT success back to back augmenting the final couple weeks to include different practice tests, and all the aamc stuff. I thought it worked well for me, and I wouldn't change it one bit. It was exhausting emotionally and physically, an absolute ton of work, but worth it to study for six month.

 

[noruen]

Thanks everyone for your replies, and let's keep this thread alive for those who may be considering a similar study schedule! I, however, have had yet another change of plans and will be testing in August of this year instead of April of next. Such is life ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

 

[Lucca]

So just for posterity although the advice on here is pretty solid already I'll add my two cents.

I ended up studying for the MCAT in two waves not on purpose but because life gets in the way. Summer, nothing over the semester and then December. Took it this January. It ended up working out for me because I'm happy with my score but I wouldn't recommend the study separation. You really do lose a lot during that in between period. I think two to three months of dedicated study is optimal as long as you have few interruptions and then take the MCAT as soon as your study period is complete. I think my MCAT prep that was reflected on test day was really 95% from the December month (it was also a pretty hard core grind the whole month compared to the summer where I was doing 3-5 hours a day with break days).