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I studied about 3-5 hours everyday for about 3.5 months, so it totaled to about 400 hours. I did really well, but I think what's important to take away from this is not that I studied a lot, but that I studied smart. I knew what areas I was weak in, and focused more on those. I also know what study methods work best for me, so I utilized more of those methods. My advice to you is that before you start studying, make a study plan tailored specifically to your strengths and weakness. Good luck!!
 
It's different for everyone
I studied for 3 months on my own or a total of ~250 hrs
I got 510 which is not bad
I'd imagine a bit 300-350 would've made a couple points difference if you spend the later hours taking practice tests



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freshprinceMD said:
It's different for everyone
I studied for 3 months on my own or a total of ~250 hrs
I got 510 which is not bad
I'd imagine a bit 300-350 would've made a couple points difference if you spend the later hours taking practice tests



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I studied about that much over the course of a summer. Scored 520+. My main advice- take as many practice tests as you can (with real test-day timing/environment) and take the time to really review your answers.
 
buzzl1ghtyear said:
I studied about that much over the course of a summer. Scored 520+. My main advice- take as many practice tests as you can (with real test-day timing/environment) and take the time to really review your answers.
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Agreed.

I think the best score predictor is number of practice tests taken instead of gourde studied, I took 8 and got a 515.
Of course as Uncle Ben once said, with many FLs come many hours..
 
Study hours are not a good predictor for this test. Its all about structuring your schedule to cover everything. I studied for 2 months 3-5 hours a day, not counting full length exams. Got a 507. Make sure you take full lengths to build endurance. Once you can stay awake and alert for Psych you know you're getting somewhere.
 
I think it's possible but unwise. Allow yourself 3 months. You'd probabaly spend the same amount of time, but cultivate a strong sense of your problem areas and therefore invest your study time more wisely. (i.e. you'd study smarter). I used about 2 months and did well. However, I knew exactly what my strengths and weaknesses were going in.
 
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Dagrimsta1 said:
Once you can stay awake and alert for Psych you know you're getting somewhere.
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Lol giving me flashbacks to my test day. Beast mode for 6 hours or whatever, then I got halfway through psych and splatted up against the wall. Took like 40 minutes to muster the mental energy to do the last 2 passages.
 
I probably did an honest 1-2 hours per night every night. Made lots of flash cards and did lots of practices problems, though I probably could have done more. The last month or so before the test I did a practice exam every Friday morning. Probably ended up hitting 10-20 hours per week total of MCAT prep.

Ended up taking 6 full lengths (including the AAMC scored FL

505->506->507 ->506 ->508 -> 510 on AAMC

512 on the real deal and I took the last few days before the exam off to rest and recuperate.


If it seems like I didn't study 24/7 it's because I didn't. I would do at least 1 chapter of a prep book section per day, and test myself on it the next day. My study was (admittedly) very disorganized but I focused heavily on my weak points and I went over my wrong answers from every practice test to make sure I learned concepts I was weak in.

To be quite honest, memorizing things (besides formulae) didn't really help me that much. I found the key to my success was learning how to take the test not necessarily the material. MCAT is a thinking test, not a memorization test. Best way to learn how to take the MCAT is to take it, so do practice tests as often as possible.
 
Gurby said:
Lol giving me flashbacks to my test day. Beast mode for 6 hours or whatever, then I got halfway through psych and splatted up against the wall. Took like 40 minutes to muster the mental energy to do the last 2 passages.
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I'm pretty sure I was just clicking random buttons by the end of P/S
 
It depends. I put in around 300 hours and got a 516, but I spread the studying out over 6 months, which is better than the same amount of time in 3 months. 300 hours of studying is different for everyone, some people are more efficient at studying so the amount of practice covered in 300 hours for 1 person might take 400 hours for another.
 
buzzl1ghtyear said:
I studied about that much over the course of a summer. Scored 520+. My main advice- take as many practice tests as you can (with real test-day timing/environment) and take the time to really review your answers.
Click to expand...

What practice test/material do you guys recommend?


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Vanillax7 said:
What practice test/material do you guys recommend?
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You'll find more detailed advice in the MCAT subforum. I recommend Examkrackers for passage practice and high-yield content review. Kaplan and TPR are about the same for content review, but for practice exams they're a little iffy. Nothing beats the AAMC Q banks and practice FLs. I highly recommend using Anki flashcard software for retention - I bumped my P/S and B/BC about 4 points each by using Anki.
 
DrHart said:
You'll find more detailed advice in the MCAT subforum. I recommend Examkrackers for passage practice and high-yield content review. Kaplan and TPR are about the same for content review, but for practice exams they're a little iffy. Nothing beats the AAMC Q banks and practice FLs. I highly recommend using Anki flashcard software for retention - I bumped my P/S and B/BC about 4 points each by using Anki.
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Could you introduce how to use Anki? I am assuming it's a relatively new thing. It appears a lot in the MCAT studying tips...
The only flashcard app I used before was Quizlet
 
I studied for about 3 weeks (did half content review and took 4-5 FL) and got a very unbalanced 516. Decided to take the exam in January after my winter break just because I had a chunk of study time. But again, it really depends on how you study, which areas are weak for you, and your endurance through a 7 hour exam. Create a specific study schedule and stick to it; you're gonna do great!
 
Gurby said:
Lol giving me flashbacks to my test day. Beast mode for 6 hours or whatever, then I got halfway through psych and splatted up against the wall. Took like 40 minutes to muster the mental energy to do the last 2 passages.
Click to expand...
Lol my test day found me drinking coffee to wake up (not a coffee drinker) and made the rookie mistake of drinking too much. After the first section which was C/P I ran for the bathroom and peed for like three minutes straight. Turned out to be a great section for me tho hahaha
 
IJumpYouJumpJack said:
I studied about 3-5 hours everyday for about 3.5 months, so it totaled to about 400 hours. I did really well, but I think what's important to take away from this is not that I studied a lot, but that I studied smart. I knew what areas I was weak in, and focused more on those. I also know what study methods work best for me, so I utilized more of those methods. My advice to you is that before you start studying, make a study plan tailored specifically to your strengths and weakness. Good luck!!
Click to expand...
That is intense. 3-5 hours of studying solely for MCAT? How did you study for anything else 😀 JK
 
I reviewed flash cards for 10 minutes before the test. I answered every question right. Is this helpful?
 
TRPMinus said:
Lol my test day found me drinking coffee to wake up (not a coffee drinker) and made the rookie mistake of drinking too much. After the first section which was C/P I ran for the bathroom and peed for like three minutes straight. Turned out to be a great section for me tho hahaha
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Caffeine pills my dude.
 
TRPMinus said:
Lol my test day found me drinking coffee to wake up (not a coffee drinker) and made the rookie mistake of drinking too much. After the first section which was C/P I ran for the bathroom and peed for like three minutes straight. Turned out to be a great section for me tho hahaha
Click to expand...

Also I think this highlights the importance of doing at least 1 "dress rehearsal". That is to say, wake up at the time you'll wake up when you take the real test, eat the same foods you'll eat for breakfast/lunch/snack, drive to a library close to your testing center, take the test under "real" conditions and only let yourself use the bathroom or take breaks in between sections, etc. IMO the more realistic you can make your studying, the more comfortable you will be on test day.

I did all of my MCAT studying with earmuffs on to condition myself for that. Then again I'm a huge nerd. And my testing center didn't provide earmuffs anyways :rage:
 
Colleague of mine studied from freshman year of college (no joke) and got a 43 on the old MCAT
 
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