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Last edited:
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- Thread starter ilovegrapesoda
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On CARS: Kaplan CARS is absolutely dreadful. The worst. Hideous. Horrible. Worth its weight in elephant dung. On SDN, we have the free (and best) CARS resource around: Testing Solutions 30 Day Guide to MCAT CARS Success.
On Scheduling/Timing: Create a calendar and stick to it. People, generally, learn and remember information better when it is ingested in small chunks over a long period of time. If you're shooting for a 509+, you should expect to put in around 300 h of studying time total. If you take the exam in January (i.e. in 24 weeks), you need to do about 12 h/wk studying (high-five on your calculation so far, but those hours need to start now, not in the fall).
On Motivation and Concentration: Just reading and taking notes from a book is quite possibly the most dull and, for many, least helpful ways to study. Luckily for you, there are a billion resources out there to use. Let's focus on the big one: KHAN ACADEMY. A solid method to use is to (1) pick a chapter and skim it, (2) read one mini-section, (3) watch the relevant Khan video, and (4) do the practice problems from the video or buy a resource that gives you them directly (Kaplan/TPR Science Workbook/TBR Workbooks). Additionally, many students find Anki flashcards to be helpful for review (I prefer practice passages). Finally, Get a study group! I found a Skype group on SDN... pretty much every day we did 1-2 h of random Khan passages: there are hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of them. We encouraged one another; it made studying much more entertaining; and you get to reinforce content in the absolute best way possible, by explaining/teaching a concept to someone else.
You totally have enough time. Everyone has enough time to do well on the MCAT. Not everyone is willing to make the sacrifices to get the score he or she wants, though. Find or make a schedule and stick to it. I spent many, many Friday or Saturday nights at home with my Skype group with a beer out doing practice passages or playing MCAT Jeopardy.
On Test Preparation: Start taking practice exams ASAP. Take as many exams as possible and make sure your exams are varied. Do a few Kaplan, TPR, TBR, NextStep, Examkrackers, and Altius exams. Start with 1/2 lengths or just by doing 1 section at a time (and only sitting for periods of 1.5 h). Work your way up to full length exams within a month or two, and, then, take a full length once a week. So much of the MCAT is knowing how and being able to handle a 6 h, monster test.
Buona fortuna!
On Scheduling/Timing: Create a calendar and stick to it. People, generally, learn and remember information better when it is ingested in small chunks over a long period of time. If you're shooting for a 509+, you should expect to put in around 300 h of studying time total. If you take the exam in January (i.e. in 24 weeks), you need to do about 12 h/wk studying (high-five on your calculation so far, but those hours need to start now, not in the fall).
On Motivation and Concentration: Just reading and taking notes from a book is quite possibly the most dull and, for many, least helpful ways to study. Luckily for you, there are a billion resources out there to use. Let's focus on the big one: KHAN ACADEMY. A solid method to use is to (1) pick a chapter and skim it, (2) read one mini-section, (3) watch the relevant Khan video, and (4) do the practice problems from the video or buy a resource that gives you them directly (Kaplan/TPR Science Workbook/TBR Workbooks). Additionally, many students find Anki flashcards to be helpful for review (I prefer practice passages). Finally, Get a study group! I found a Skype group on SDN... pretty much every day we did 1-2 h of random Khan passages: there are hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of them. We encouraged one another; it made studying much more entertaining; and you get to reinforce content in the absolute best way possible, by explaining/teaching a concept to someone else.
You totally have enough time. Everyone has enough time to do well on the MCAT. Not everyone is willing to make the sacrifices to get the score he or she wants, though. Find or make a schedule and stick to it. I spent many, many Friday or Saturday nights at home with my Skype group with a beer out doing practice passages or playing MCAT Jeopardy.
On Test Preparation: Start taking practice exams ASAP. Take as many exams as possible and make sure your exams are varied. Do a few Kaplan, TPR, TBR, NextStep, Examkrackers, and Altius exams. Start with 1/2 lengths or just by doing 1 section at a time (and only sitting for periods of 1.5 h). Work your way up to full length exams within a month or two, and, then, take a full length once a week. So much of the MCAT is knowing how and being able to handle a 6 h, monster test.
Buona fortuna!
- Joined
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Last edited:
- Joined
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Example from chapter 6 of Chemistry from Kaplan:
Instead of reading chapter 6 from start to finish (ZzzzzZzzzzzz), I would (1) skim the entire chapter and look at the pictures, (2) read the first section, "Dynamic Equilibria and Reversibility", and then (3) head over to Khan to watch the introductory video on equilibrium.
I'm biased against Kaplan, because I think their program is ineffective and also highway robbery... but that's what I'd do if I had your books.
I recommend Examkrackers! They just came out with a 10th ed. of their books last month and they focus on the "big idea".
Instead of reading chapter 6 from start to finish (ZzzzzZzzzzzz), I would (1) skim the entire chapter and look at the pictures, (2) read the first section, "Dynamic Equilibria and Reversibility", and then (3) head over to Khan to watch the introductory video on equilibrium.
I'm biased against Kaplan, because I think their program is ineffective and also highway robbery... but that's what I'd do if I had your books.
I recommend Examkrackers! They just came out with a 10th ed. of their books last month and they focus on the "big idea".
- Joined
- Jan 8, 2013
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- 314
1) Try out a practice passage? Do you think you have enough content knowledge? If not, review content.
2) Once content is reviewed, do practice passages untimed. Are you able to figure out most of the questions eventually? No? Keep practicing.
3) Once timing is down, do practice passages timed. Continue until test date.
If you can't get a good amount of questions done (exact number depends on the goals you set for yourself) in timed conditions by test date, postpone and keep studying.
2) Once content is reviewed, do practice passages untimed. Are you able to figure out most of the questions eventually? No? Keep practicing.
3) Once timing is down, do practice passages timed. Continue until test date.
If you can't get a good amount of questions done (exact number depends on the goals you set for yourself) in timed conditions by test date, postpone and keep studying.