Any suggestions for my MCAT study plan?

[doctry23]

Hi! now that this semester is all online, I am thinking of spending now until mid june to start studying for the MCAT using only Khan Academy resources. Then over the summer, I want to shift to Magoosh (I get a free subscription through my school) and use their resources while planning to take the MCAT in september. I know I'm not using any big name companies like Kaplan or using any tutoring services, so will I be putting myself at a disadvantage? My goal is 518+ and I know it's really important to practice using AAMC practice tests so I will make sure to do that during the summer also, but anything else I definitely need to add into my schedule? Are Khan Academy and Magoosh good enough for getting a good score?

Thanks!

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[dogbert2234]

Can't speak on Magoosh but I have friends who self studied and scored in the 100th percentile. I used a prep company and also did well...I think the difference is just having your study plan laid out for you. If you're confident that you can generate an adequate plan that will cover all your bases content-wise (including CAR, which I didn't think Khan was very good for), give you sufficient practice in testing environments, and that you can stick to, you'll be fine.

 

[CindyLieu]

I would suggest looking at the study plan provided in this forum and adjusting it to your needs. There’s also suggestions for study material and it incorporates khan academy into it. I can only see those posts from my iPad or a desktop pinned to the right, not sure how to find them on my phone

 

[GreenDuck12]

Generally speaking your plan sounds fine. Essentially you’re talking about starting content review now and continuing until June. Taking a short break and then continuing with more intensive MCAT prep. There are a couple of things I would keep in mind as you make your plan: one that the material that we cover early on we tend to forget and to K. Academy is a passive way of learning material. The first point means that you may have to review content again closer to your MCAT test date. The second point means that you’re going to need to find a way to more actively engage with the material. I think K Academy is a great resource but it gives a false sense of security in that it’s really easy to go through videos without deeply engaging the material and without really learning the material.

There are a couple things I would suggest to supplement your plan. First I would go through the AMC cars question pack early on and again closer to your MCAT test date. None of the third-party cars passages are similar to the AAMC. Going through this will help you learn the logic and style that the cars questions will be like. This is important because all sections of the MCAT are similar to CARS. Also go through the section bank early on as well. Another point I would make is that it is really important to practice timing and a variety of question styles as you are preparing for the MCAT. For me that meant using third-party resources to practice full length MCAT exams and sections of the MCAT. To useful resources would be the Berkeley review especially for c/p, and b/b, and UWorld, for practicing sections of the MCAT with high quality passages with excellent explanations. Best of luck to you.

 

[doctry23]

I would suggest looking at the study plan provided in this forum and adjusting it to your needs. There’s also suggestions for study material and it incorporates khan academy into it. I can only see those posts from my iPad or a desktop pinned to the right, not sure how to find them on my phone

There's so many study plans here and so many of them use really expensive ways to study which is why I came up with this - is there something that is definitely worth paying for?

 

[Cornfed101]

Definitely pay for the AAMC bundle. Beyond that, you don't need to buy anything else. Get a free FL from all the companies that offer one. I used videos from KA, Crash Course, and AK lectures for all of my content review. I also got UWorld for P/S, but this is not required. You should be able to do well with the KA docs. Read my study tips in my signature if you want more specifics of what I did.

 

[CindyLieu]

There's so many study plans here and so many of them use really expensive ways to study which is why I came up with this - is there something that is definitely worth paying for?

the plans posted in SDN that I’m talking about are free. There’s also a free study scheduler that SDN links too. The only thing you need to pay for are your study materials. If you want more freedom to choose the materials, the study scheduler app seems better for that since it asks you to select the materials you plan to use. I the various options and plan to merge what I like from them into my own plan