Anyone Here Who Studied for the MCAT over 6 Months and Had Success?

[GrayArea]

Hello!

Was wondering if there was anyone who studied for about 6 months and could share their experience/strategies with me. Were you happy with your results? Did you still end up studying hard core during the last couple of months or did you stick with a schedule that spread the hours of study over the months?

Would appreciate different perspectives. Thanks.

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[premedkid1994]

I studied little by little for ~4 months (during school and volunteering). and classes ended on Jun 10 for me so been studying a lot since.

IMO the best studying you can do is 4 months straight with no distractions. 4-6 month full-time MCAT will most likely get you a decent score, at the very least. (well, depending on CARS performance since that's always a crap shoot)

 

[GrayArea]

I studied little by little for ~4 months (during school and volunteering). and classes ended on Jun 10 for me so been studying a lot since.

IMO the best studying you can do is 4 months straight with no distractions. 4-6 month full-time MCAT will most likely get you a decent score, at the very least. (well, depending on CARS performance since that's always a crap shoot)

Did you have a strict study schedule?

Yes, I need to find a way to build my CARS skills in 6 months. I was going to take the MCAT in a couple of months, but realistically, I do not think I can become an excellent analytical and comprehensive reader in that time frame. CARS is my biggest hurdle.

 

[premedkid1994]

Did you have a strict study schedule?

Yes, I need to find a way to build my CARS skills in 6 months. I was going to take the MCAT in a couple of months, but realistically, I do not think I can become an excellent analytical and comprehensive reader in that time frame. CARS is my biggest hurdle.

yeah i would study ~2 hours every day and I wouldn't study for mcat 3-4 days before a midterm or a week before finals

 

[premedkid1994]

what were you getting on CARS on practice fls?

 

[alpha-GTP]

I ended up studying for about 9 months, but this is because I had originally scheduled my exam for this January and ended up moving it to May. I had to go back and review some of the concepts that I studied earlier in the process. I agree that 4-6 months is best in order to retain us much info as possible before the exam.

 

[GrayArea]

what were you getting on CARS on practice fls?

My best has been a 123. How did you study for CARS?

 

[GrayArea]

I ended up studying for about 9 months, but this is because I had originally scheduled my exam for this January and ended up moving it to May. I had to go back and review some of the concepts that I studied earlier in the process. I agree that 4-6 months is best in order to retain us much info as possible before the exam.

How did you do? If you do not mind me asking.

 

[premedkid1994]

My best has been a 123. How did you study for CARS?

I've only taken two ns fl and percentage correct on CARS has been 60-65%.
It's my fault, I didn't really practice CARS at all. I have one month left and going to be doing 5-10 passages daily till my exam.

 

[alpha-GTP]

How did you do? If you do not mind me asking.

I did a total of 9 practice exams in a period of 2 months leading up to the MCAT. Scores were anywhere from 500-517. CARS was always between 125 and 126. My actual MCAT score was 517 (129/127/132/129). When I realized that my CARS score wasn't changing and I was always running out of time, I began giving each passage 10 minutes and moving on no matter what. I have to admit I did little to prepare for this section, and my score reflects it.

 

[GrayArea]

I did a total of 9 practice exams in a period of 2 months leading up to the MCAT. Scores were anywhere from 500-517. CARS was always between 125 and 126. My actual MCAT score was 517 (129/127/132/129). When I realized that my CARS score wasn't changing and I was always running out of time, I began giving each passage 10 minutes and moving on no matter what. I have to admit I did little to prepare for this section, and my score reflects it.

That is a great score. After you moved your exam, how much time did you "take off" before studying again? And how long did you study for after deciding to move it?

 

[alpha-GTP]

That is a great score. After you moved your exam, how much time did you "take off" before studying again? And how long did you study for after deciding to move it?

Thanks! I didn't take a break. I just continued studying to 3 hours a day, and then began to focus more on practice exams in the last two months.

 

[MareNostrummm]

My best has been a 123. How did you study for CARS?

Get a tutor ASAP, you are unlikely to score over a 125 CARS on your MCAT at this rate.

 

[MareNostrummm]

Hello!

Was wondering if there was anyone who studied for about 6 months and could share their experience/strategies with me. Were you happy with your results? Did you still end up studying hard core during the last couple of months or did you stick with a schedule that spread the hours of study over the months?

Would appreciate different perspectives. Thanks.

Honestly a focused hardcore 3-4 months of studying is much better than 6+ months of casual studying. You will be able to answer questions on reflex.

 

[GrayArea]

Get a tutor ASAP, you are unlikely to score over a 125 CARS on your MCAT at this rate.

Do you really think a tutor is necessary for CARS?

 

[GrayArea]

Thanks! I didn't take a break. I just continued studying to 3 hours a day, and then began to focus more on practice exams in the last two months.

Did you take any practice exams before deciding to move the exam to May?

 

[MareNostrummm]

Do you really think a tutor is necessary for CARS?

I scored a 124 in CARS. Looking back I would have definitely been willing to work with a tutor if I could greatly increase my chances of a 127+.

Honestly at a low CARS you can make some basic strategy changes and see significant improvements to reach the 127 range (beyond that is exponentially harder). Having a tutor to identify what those changes are would be a great help.

 

[alpha-GTP]

Did you take any practice exams before deciding to move the exam to May?

At that point (~ Oct/Nov last year), I had not taken any exams. I had spoken with an Adcom about my situation as an future applicant and rescheduling was one of the pieces of advice I was given. After I thought about it for a while, it made sense. I may have been able to pull of a 508 at that point if I was really lucky, but with my 3.3 cGPA, a 508 wouldn't put me in a good position. I'm glad I gave myself more time. I think taking all the practice exams were what helped me the most.