When to start studying for the MCATs?

[UCLABruin]

I plan on taking the MCATs in spring of my junior year... when is a good time to start studying?

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[Doc AdamK in 2006]

If you are planning to take PR or Kap then just wait until the courses start. Its not worth worrying about. You have to concentrate on 3rd year grades also.

If not then i would start over your winter break.
I have all the MCAT books from Princeton if you want them, plus lots of Kaplan materials, and Diag tets.

AK

 

[UrSexyLatinDr]

Doc AdamK in 2006 I Pmed you!

Eduardo

 

[Jalby]

Now. (I'm serious)

 

[Tweetie_bird]

To take the MCAT in spring, I started studying (not too hard though) since Oct. Starting Jan, I was hitting the books really hard. By 8 weeks before the test, I was doing nothing but tests.

I am not sure how I did on the damn test...but while I was practising, I used to get b/w 27 and 33.

 

[Explosivo]

If you have taken all the classes, then a good rule of thumb is at least 3 months of intensive study prior to the exam date. Three months is good because you'll be able to retain much of what you began to learn from the beginning. If you have a serious problem area like for me it was chemistry, then review that only for one month before the 3 months of studying begin. Make no mistake, you will have to study for it so while studying those 3 months be SERIOUS AND DILIGENT about it. Disregard any posters on this board that claim that they hardly studied for it at all or just 2 weeks before and got a 36. Assuming that they are not lying, remember that they are the exception and not the rule.

Good luck!

 

[DrMom]

•••quote:•••Originally posted by Tweetie_bird:
•To take the MCAT in spring, I started studying (not too hard though) since Oct. Starting Jan, I was hitting the books really hard. By 8 weeks before the test, I was doing nothing but tests.
•••••I pretty much did the same thing, but I kept reviewing some until about 2 weeks before the test. I did practice tests regularly starting about in January.

 

[UCLABruin]

Does anyone recommend taking a class? I am extremely driven and diligent, so studying on my own will not be a problem... are classes more for those who would have trouble making time to study? (I don't know much about the classes that are offered.)

 

[relatively prime]

This is my opinion... you need to study ~200 hours within the last 3 months before you take the test. So studying 15 hours a week for the first 2 months... and then 30 hours a week for the last 3 weeks right before the test would probably be ideal.

I would not start seriously studying anytime before November... seriously, you don't want to burn out... I knew a guy who studied like mad for months on end... he was scoring 35s and 37s on practice tests... but then he burned out and didn't study at all the last 2 weeks before the test... he ended up with a 31 (not bad, but he could have done a lot better).

Good luck

(Hey... why isn't this in the MCAT forum? )

 

[brickmanli]

If you're a very motivated person, I would not waste a grand on Kaplan or TPR. You can buy your review books and AAMC exams for a fraction of that. I can't believe I wasted one grand on the Kaplan course, we had ******* teachers and they didn't motivate me at all.

I would start studying for the science sections at least four months before the exam. But I would start preparing for the verbal NOW. Start reading good magazines and newspapers like the New York Times, Atlantic Monthly, and the New Yorker. They will make you less anxious when it's time to tackle the actual verbal section.

Keep this motivation up and you will kick butt on the MCAT!

 

[Doc AdamK in 2006]

If you were to take a course I would reccommend Princeton review. But it wasn't the teaching that got me there. I think I knew more than every one of my teachers except for Physics and Verbal.

I think getting the materials finding a partner to study with is the best way. You can ask JP Hazelton. We studied together and improved each other. We both had strengths and weaknesses.

With his help I increased my score 5 points from my last PR diag and he improved 4 points.

AK