Amount of time needed to study for MCAT

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LowlyPremed

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I'm trying to decide when to take the MCAT. If I take it in April, my study time will be limited because of school. If I take it in August, it means putting of the MCAT until August and applying late. How much time is really needed to study for this exam?
 
Take it in April. Everyone struggles with trying to balance between classes and studying for the MCAT. Don't underestimate how much preparation will be needed for the MCAT, though. If you start early (December/January), you should have more than enough time to get ready.
 
sorry to say, but it really depends on you. basically, it's all about the test. i know people who have studied for a very long time for the mcat and dont score as high as expected. you need to know the test as well as you can. it is a given that you will know the material. and unless you have memorized every single fact that will come up on the mcat, it wont help that much to devote much of your study time towards reviewing material. most of your study time should be devoted to practing as many sample sets as you can. you need to be able to do the questions in the amt of time given. that is the most important thing. i know many people who have missed somewhere between 5-10 questions per section (verbal, bio, phys sci) during practice sessions because they could not manage their time. get a timer that does not make noise. however, the official mcat rule is that you cant have a timer at the test site. so i also suggest bringing a digital watch that does not make noise to the test site on test day. probably one of the most important skills that you should develop is knowing how to manipulate or use info that they give you in the passages in order to obtain answers. if you have the basic skills in all of the general subjects (ie gchem ochem physics, etc), then you should be able to get most of the answers for each passage.
 
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