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Feel free to ask us any questions you have about preparing for the MCAT.
MCAT Ask Us Anything You Like About Preparing for the MCAT
- Thread starter AdaptPrep
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My hardest section is chem/phys, especially physics. I am really struggling in under standing the passages. Can you give some tips on what to do. I plan on buying those 1000 question books to get familiar with the concepts, equations, etc. For Bio/biochem, CARS, and Soc/Psy, I believe i need more practice as I have score in the 50th percentile for those sections.
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I find myself getting discouraged every time I try to study for the MCAT. I believe it is due to how much information I am missing. I am 18 months away from a BA, so I lack a lot of upper level classes such as organic chemistry. I also lack physics, which I now understand to be quite important for the MCAT. Because I have maintained a 4.0 and have a known dedication to my studies, my Gen Chem teacher squeezed me into his class without the required prerequisite (physics).
As a nontraditional student, I feel I need to study harder and longer than my peers to do as well as them. I need to begin my studies now. How do you suggest I begin my studdies? Do you have any tips that would fit this specific scenario?
As a nontraditional student, I feel I need to study harder and longer than my peers to do as well as them. I need to begin my studies now. How do you suggest I begin my studdies? Do you have any tips that would fit this specific scenario?
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Your idea of working through many examples is a good basic strategy. Let me add some additional suggestions:
1) Try to use sample questions from more than one source. While I hope that AdaptPrep is one of your sources, there are a number of quality sources available for sample questions.
2) Use full length sample tests to identify topics for improvement. Identifying weak topics or skills can help you study more efficiency. Try to spend as little time as possible studying what you already know, that time is better spent working on topics not yet mastered. AdaptPrep offers section reports to help analyze areas of strength and weakness.
3) Start with easy problems and work toward more challenging ones. I have seen talented students take sample tests and get completely discouraged by the difficulty. Your goal is to get ready for the real exam. However starting with something a little easier and slowly moving up the difficulty is a great way to achieve that goal. AdaptPrep is based on this philosophy. We start you with sample problems a bit easier than the real thing and move you up from there. Our question difficulties are based on actual student experience so you can get a feel for how difficult others find the questions.
4) Start by working one or two passages at a time and carefully looking at the solutions. Finding study materials with fully explained solutions is a must. Understand what mistakes you have made so you don't repeat them. I sometimes joking tell my students to make new mistakes, but don't repeat old ones.
5) As the test date gets closer start to practice on full length exams. Try to keep the conditions where you are studying as close to the exam environment as possible.
6) Make sure you eat and sleep properly. Remember developing long term memory is a biological process, taking care of yourself will help this process.
I hope these ideas help. Feel free to contact us if you have further questions
