Breaking Down the MCAT: A 3 Month MCAT Study Schedule

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SN2ed

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Written by SN2ed.

Downloadable MCAT Calendar iCAL and XML versions: http://www.studentdoctor.net/3-month-mcat-study-schedule/
(Click the events for more details)

Everyone please keep the questions to this strategy AND READ ALL OF THE FIRST FOUR POSTS.

Do NOT start this schedule late. You will burnout. There have already been numerous posts & threads on people starting late, trying to rush through the material, and burning out quickly.
Check the Update log in the last post for any changes.

I noticed that some people are claiming they wrote this guide to scam people out of money. Let me make this clear, I have not and will not be selling anything related to this guide. If you see a poster trying to sell books saying they wrote this schedule, do NOT buy from them. They are attempting to take your money away on false pretenses. Additionally, this guide has only been and should only be posted on SDN. I have not posted this guide anywhere else. Furthermore, SDN is the sole MCAT/medical forum I visit and the only forum where I use the screen name SN2ed. I never imagined this thread would be popular enough to warrant this kind of attention. The contents of this thread (and any other on SDN) cannot be replicated and re-hosted on any other forum, blog, or website without prior consent of both the author and SDN.
Make sure you read ALL of the opening posts, including the FAQ, before posting questions.

To begin with, check out these two threads:

Why Diagnostics are Worthless: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=557231

MCAT and a Heavy School Workload Don't Mix: Stop rushing to take the MCAT:http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=602186

Can I accomplish this schedule with a part-time job or school?

Very unlikely. I highly recommend you devote 3 months to the MCAT. There may be a few that could follow this schedule and work part-time, but chances are it would not end well. You are FAR more likely to burn out if you try to study for the MCAT using this schedule and go to school or take a part/full-time job.

Furthermore, I've yet to see a valid reason for students (ie. not non-trads) to not take the MCAT in the summer.

Will following this guide guarantee me a +30?

Sadly, there are no guarantees on the MCAT. I certainly hope it helps you, but I can't say whether or not you'll hit your target score.

Should I take the MCAT before finishing my pre-reqs?

There's no point in doing so. You have to take them anyway. Hence, you might as well go into the test with your pre-reqs completed. Yes, this includes the English pre-req.

Any tips for retakers?

Check out the thread I made on the subject: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=754682

Remember to check out the third and fourth post FAQ.

Anything else before I start?

CONFIDENCE. Through all of the troubles and hardships you'll face, approach everything with confidence. You must constantly attack this test. The MCAT is merely a stepping stone on your journey.

Also, this is just a guide I made up. It is my opinion on what a study schedule should resemble. I'm sure there will be people that disagree with parts of this schedule or the whole thing. This schedule can easily be adjusted for 4 months instead of 3. I don't suggest starting heavy studying 5 months+ from your test date. Keep it to 3-4 months. If you start too soon, it will be a waste of time and resources.

Remember to use the search function on these forums. Tons of questions have already been asked and answered.
Lastly, please give credit to me, SN2ed, if you post this elsewhere. I put a ton of work into it.

Materials:

- Berkeley Review (BR) General Chemistry
- BR Organic Chemistry
- Examkrackers (EK) Biology for non-detailed approach OR The Princeton Review Hyperlearning (TPR) Biology/BR Biology for a detailed approach (In the schedule, I will use EK Bio because most prefer a non-detailed approach)
- BR Bio
- BR Physics
- EK 1001 series, excluding EK 1001 Bio (i.e. do NOT buy EK 1001 Bio)
- EK Verbal 101
- TPR Hyperlearning Verbal Workbook or Berkeley Review Verbal
- AAMC Full Length (FL) #3-5 and 7-11 (AAMC #6 is not available at the moment)

You're using EK Bio for content review and BR Bio for passages. If you need more detail during in your content review, refer to BR Bio.

You can pick up the BR books from their website: http://www.berkeley-review.com/TBR/home-study.html
Also, check out the For Sale section on here: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/forumdisplay.php?f=230 All of the above, except for the AAMC FLs show up from time to time. I've regularly seen a complete BR set go for under $100 on there. Whenever you buy used, MAKE SURE THE PASSAGES ARE UNMARKED.

To buy the AAMC FLs: http://www.e-mcat.com/

Bare Minimum Set-up:

$245 for AAMC FLs (http://www.e-mcat.com/)

$240 for BR Physics, O-chem, Gen Chem, Biology (http://www.berkeley-review.com/TBR/home-study.html)

$26 for EK Verbal 101 (http://www.amazon.com/Examkrackers-MCAT101-Passages-Verbal-Reasoning/dp/1893858553)

$30 EK Bio (Amazon product ASIN 1893858626)


Prices vary on TPR Hyperlearning Verbal Workbook, search the For Sale forum on here for copies. They regularly show up. You should be able to get one for under $50.

Total = $541 + TPR Hyperlearning Verbal Workbook

Set-up with EK 1001:

$18 EK Physics 1001 (http://www.amazon.com/Examkrackers-1001-Questions-MCAT-Physics/dp/1893858189)

$20 EK O-Chem 1001 (http://www.amazon.com/Examkrackers-1001-Questions-Organic-Chemistry/dp/1893858197)

$19 EK Chem 1001 (http://www.amazon.com/Examkrackers-1001-Questions-MCAT-Chemistry/dp/1893858227)

Total = $598 + TPR Hyperlearning Verbal Workbook

Possible Book Replacements:

If you're having a hard time finding the TPR Hyperlearning Verbal Workbook, BR is an okay replacement. Well, there's not much of a choice left. Again, I HIGHLY recommend you hunt down the TPRH Verbal Workbook.

TPRH is a great choice for content review in all subjects, however, you still need the BR books and EK 101 Verbal for their practice passages. TPRH does not have enough practice passages, though the Workbooks are still great resources.

A Little Bit more about TPRH books:

If you're looking for the Science or Verbal Workbooks, your best bet is through the For Sale forum on here: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/forumdisplay.php?f=230

You can also find the full TPRH set in the For Sale. People usually sell the whole set together.

If you want the content books, they're available on Amazon.

Yes, these books are the same as the TPRH content review books. The only difference is that these books, unlike the class content review books, contain some practice passages. I believe it's 3-4 passages per chapter. It's not enough to just stick with these books and some FLs, but it's nice to have a few passages thrown in.

About the EK 1001 series:

It is a good idea to get the complete EK 1001 series. I thought they really helped me nail down my understanding of the various topics. Through using the physics especially, I found that I didn't understand some things as well as I would like. Furthermore, for whatever reason, they helped me visualize the problem in my head and made the equations intuitive to use.
Too many people neglect their basic understanding which could be bolstered by EK 1001. They think they have a strong grasp, yet when those fundumentals are tested, one's weaknesses become more apparent. Plus, doing more timed practice problems is always a good thing.

The only negative for the non-bio and VR practice books is that they aren't in the right format (unless you think of them as tons of discretes).
However, it is significantly easier to spot your content weaknesses with EK 1001 because they aren't passages. You don't have to worry about if you messed up due to a failure to synthesize multiple ideas or the passage was worded strangely. When you mess up on EK 1001, you know it's due to a content weakness. Lastly, this problem would be alleviated by the BR books and EK content books containing practice passages. There are also the practice tests that you will be taking.
I suggest you get the above materials 1-2 months in advance! It takes awhile to get your BR books! You don't want to be missing your materials when you're about to start this schedule. Also, older content review books are usually okay, just don't go too far back (past 5 years old).
Lastly, sign up for your MCAT as soon as possible. Seats fill up months in advance.

Timing:

- ALWAYS complete your practice problems under TIMED conditions
- For BR passages: 6-7 minutes per passage, work towards 6 minutes
- For the EK 30-minute exams….well 30 minutes
- EK 1001, except Bio series: 30 seconds to 1 minute per question
- EK Verbal 101/TPR Verbal: 6-7 minutes per passage, work towards 6 minutes
- AAMC FLs: Use their timing


Notes:

- Do NOT retake old practice material
- Thoroughly review ALL of your practice problems. Review your problems the day AFTER you take them. Don't even look at the answers until then. If there's a break day, review your problems on the day after your break.
- Remember to round like crazy for any math problem
- Always use process of elimination with your answer choices
- Before you begin this schedule, count the number of verbal practice passages (101 from EK + however many in the TPR Hyperlearning Verbal Workbook). Divide the number of passages by 70 (total days - the number of break days AND FL days). That number is the number of verbal passages you should be taking per day. I'm hoping that number breaks down to at least 3 passages per day. Ideally, you should take 4-5 verbal passages per assigned day. You do NOT take verbal passages on break days OR FL days.
- If you don't want to get the EK 1001 series, spread out the second 1/3 of BR practice passages over 2 days. Again, I recommend you get the EK 1001 books that are listed.
- If your practice test score is not within your target range after 2-3 tests, you should consider delaying. If you delay, go over your weaknesses again and complete an in-depth analysis of what went wrong.
- If you have enough money, you could adjust the schedule to fit in more practice tests. I didn't include that many to keep the cost down.
- If your test is in the morning and you're not a morning person, start getting used to waking up early when you start taking practice tests.
- Try to practice under as realistic as possible conditions when you take your practice tests. In other words: wake up early enough to be able to drive to your center; eat a meal you would eat before a test; follow the proper timing; and if you're really into it, you could even drive around for about the same time it would take you to get to your test center.

General Guidelines for Reviewing:

- Go over EVERY question. Both the ones you got right and the ones you got wrong.
- Reviewing should take 2-3 times longer than taking the timed practice problems.
- If your tests are fluctuating, it is due to the different topics on the various tests. In other words, you have some glaring weaknesses that when targeted, nail you, badly. You have to find out what those weaknesses are because they are evident by your scores. Do NOT dismiss any wrong answer as a "stupid mistake." You made that error for a reason. Go over your tests again.
- You might want to consider making a log for all of your post test results where you work through the questions below. Doing so, you'll be able to easily notice trends.

Some things to go over when reviewing:

1. Why did you get the question wrong? Why did you get the question right?
2. What question and passage types get you?
3. How is your mindset when facing a particular passage?
4. Are you stressed for time?
5. Where are your mistakes happening the most? Are they front loaded? Are they at the end? All over?
6. What was your thought process for both the questions you got right and the ones you got wrong?
7. For verbal, what was the author's mindset and main idea?
8. Did you eliminate all of the answer choices you could from first glance?
ex. You know an answer should be a positive number so you cross out all of the negative number answer choices.
9. What content areas are you weak in?
10. Why are the wrong answers wrong and the right answer right?
11. How can you improve so you don't make the same mistake again?

Hat Trick:

Get a hat and write every single MCAT PS and BS topic onto a piece of paper. Then, when you're ready to practice PS, put all the PS topics into the hat. Draw two or three pieces of paper and connect the topics together. In addition to connecting them, come up with what a passage might look like and what kind of questions you might get. If you can't do this, go back and review each of the three sections. Rinse and repeat.

The hat trick days are important because they aid you in synthesizing the various topics together. On the MCAT, you utilize this skill for every passage because MCAT passages combine topics. Furthermore, you may also discover content weaknesses that you will need to go over.

PS Topic List: https://www.aamc.org/students/download/85562/data/ps_topics.pdf
BS Topic List: https://www.aamc.org/students/download/85566/data/bstopics.pdf
Page to get topic lists if you don't want to directly download the pdf: https://www.aamc.org/students/applying/mcat/preparing

Here's a rough example using Distillation, Mendelian Genetics, and Lipids:

You are studying a Mendelian inherited recessive genetic defect of a lipid receptor. A defect in this receptor prevents the uptake lipids in the body and can cause several negative effects, such as, atherosclerosis due to fat build-up in arterial walls.

To test for the concentration of lipids in a patient's blood, you design a distillation experiment.

1. Given a couple where the male is Ll and the female is ll, what is the chance the child will have the defect?

2. What kind of solvent should you use to test the concentration of lipids?

3. What type patient would have the highest boiling point elevation?

4. If the trait exhibited incomplete dominance, which patient is likely to be Ll? Boiling point information here.

5. Which cell component requires lipids?

Verbal Help:

Check out Vihsadas's verbal guide and the other guides found in the MCAT Guide sticky
Vihsadas's Guide: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showpost.php?p=6022602&postcount=96
MCAT Guide Sticky: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=602154

Arithmetic Tricks:

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=528674&highlight=Arithmetic Tips Tricks
 
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SN2ED,

I plan on taking the mcat on July 30, so I calculated the days I can start using your 3 month schedule. I won't be able to start until May 14 because of finals. I took out all the break days and starting May 14 would make me a 3-4 days late still. Would I be able to catch up? Or is it advised that I take the mcat August 4th, instead? The score release dates will be 7 days apart so I dont know if that is a big difference. Please help!
 
First page of this thread: "Do NOT start this schedule late. You will burnout. There have already been numerous posts & threads on people starting late, trying to rush through the material, and burning out quickly."

That includes skipping break days, I've seen him answer this several times in this thread. I can say from following this schedule since day 1 and now on day 26, break days are crucial don't leave them out.
 
1. Do you recommend doing nothing but the FL on the day you take the practice exam or would it be ok to review some problems from the previous day right after your exam?

2. I got a hold of BR sectional exams which are supposed to be pretty close to the real thing. If i wanted to use those along with AAMC official guide passages would you suggest I spread those out with review passages in the last month or should I save them for the last couple weeks before the MCAT? (I think altogether they amount to about 80-90 passages)
 
TheMightyBoosh:
From my experience, I couldn't do anything else because I was so tired after taking the FLs. I'd try studying but my eyes would just zone out on me. I think just resting out the day is beneficial.

As for doing additional passages in the last month, I don't think you'll have much time. Doing ALL of the same number chapters over the course of 2 days AND reviewing FL - which is frustrating, time consuming, stressful - will leave very little urge and time for doing additional work. All throughout the last phase I slacked off 2 days and was always one chapter behind until chapter number 9, where I just forgo the passages and did it only for my weak GenChem, in order to catch up for Chapter 10. Again, this is just my opinion but SN2ed's schedule is very time consuming at its basic structure.
 
TheMightyBoosh:
From my experience, I couldn't do anything else because I was so tired after taking the FLs. I'd try studying but my eyes would just zone out on me. I think just resting out the day is beneficial.

As for doing additional passages in the last month, I don't think you'll have much time. Doing ALL of the same number chapters over the course of 2 days AND reviewing FL - which is frustrating, time consuming, stressful - will leave very little urge and time for doing additional work. All throughout the last phase I slacked off 2 days and was always one chapter behind until chapter number 9, where I just forgo the passages and did it only for my weak GenChem, in order to catch up for Chapter 10. Again, this is just my opinion but SN2ed's schedule is very time consuming at its basic structure.

Thanks for the feedback! I guess I'll try doing additional passages on the first few days of the new phase and see if I can handle it.
 
I followed this guide with my own slight modifications due to class and other activities and obtained a 27R. Now I really like the BR materials and even though I already used them I would like to continue using them, however I feel as though I really used up the AAMCs and know how to do everything on each and every single one of them. What practice tests do you suggest I obtain? Thanks
 
I had a question about the last ~30 days of the 90 day program. I see that it is basically practice tests and problems. Can you explain a little more when you say 1/3 of a chapter? When you say chapter 6, do you mean chapter 6 in all the content books? I'm unfamiliar with BR materials, and I have EK materials instead. How could I use EK materials in place of the BR materials in the last month of the schedule?

Thanks!!!
 
I had a question about the last ~30 days of the 90 day program. I see that it is basically practice tests and problems. Can you explain a little more when you say 1/3 of a chapter? When you say chapter 6, do you mean chapter 6 in all the content books? I'm unfamiliar with BR materials, and I have EK materials instead. How could I use EK materials in place of the BR materials in the last month of the schedule?

Thanks!!!

BR Chem breaks their passages into three phases, one and two are meant to be taken together and phase three is last.
 
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Sorry if this was answered before, but why it says to doe only 1/3 of EK1001. When do you start doing the 1/3? Can i just do all of them
 
How could I use EK materials in place of the BR materials in the last month of the schedule?

Just doing a little drive-by here, but I don't think that substitution will work. As so many people discover after they have finished studying, it's all about doing passages and going over the answer explanations. That is what makes BR materials (the physics, general chemistry, and orgo) so strong and popular (the most highly recommended for those subjects). During the last month of study is when you should be doing nothing but passages and practice tests, not free standing questions.
 
Sorry if this was answered before, but why it says to doe only 1/3 of EK1001. When do you start doing the 1/3? Can i just do all of them

Because you are rereading 5 chapters that same day and you would never finish if you were doing them all. I've cut some EK 1001 sections down to every 10th question and still ended up doing 30 questions for that corresponding BR chapter.
 
You are an incredible person.

Excellent post! This should go into the official guide.

Wow, what a gem!

Phenomenal! On behalf of all current and future MCAT takers, THANK YOU!


Nice job stealing EK 10-week home study method and replacing it with BR material and adding practice tests.


Could we delete these kinds of messages from the thread so we don't have to wade through so many pages?
Thanks again OP (please delete my post as well)
 
Hi SN2,

I am having real difficulty with the verbal section. I am still trying to hunt down the book you suggested. Currently I have the EK, BR, and Kaplan verbal passages. I tried doing a few of those but am terrible. Are there any guidelines to follow or strategies for this section that can help, I would want to do that and then try and attack the passages instead of just blindly doing more passages. Please tell me what to do.

Thank you.
 
I've followed this plan to the T - or at least tried - and have taken the MCAT.
AmChk: As for the verbal, you will suck unless you were trained in the art of speed reading/comprehension. Don't fret. I got like 1 right in the first few BR passages. Big part of it is feeling how the questions will be asked, and your brain will get used to it unconsciously if you repeatedly do the passages.

And when you are done with BR and ready to do EK, you'll get a lot wrong again because EK questions are a bit different from BR. But again, don't fret. Verbal should be a daily reading habit for you and nothing less. Take 3, correct 3. Just get the pattern down and while at it, enjoy learning interesting tidbits! Down the line you'll even grasp what kind of themes these passages generally dwell in.

I can offer my practice FL scores but as it takes 30 days to correct a MCAT, I'll have mine in June 1st. Overall feeling is I didn't do too well in it, but I had the same feeling during practice FLs so I decided not to be too sensitive about it.
 
Thank you Lovebes for your insight. I am trying to do as many passages possible, but don't know where to find more beyond the few in these books: Kaplan, BR, and EK. The hyperlearning verbal workbook is very difficult to find! Thank you again!
 
Can someone tell me how representative the TBR passages are of the real mcat. I'm referring to the level of difficulty, more/less/right on the nose? Thanks all.
 
any suggestion on my materials?

PS: TBR Physics/Chem, kaplan topicals/ Sectionals/ EK Physics/Chem Content

BS: EK bio content, EK 1001 Bio, Kaplan topical/sectionals, EK Ochem content

VR: AAMC, Kaplan, EK 101, TPRH verbal, reading the New yorker
...

I think i am done buying books, and just want to start, is it ok that i dont have BR Bio? wouldnt Ek and all kaplan sources be enough??

Also im done with all AAMC and kaplan, will TBR 1-3 or 1-5 be enough?
 
I have all of the TBR and examkrackers books that are recommended in this thread, but I happened to buy a cheap set of 2005 TPR books. Are these worth spending the time studying, or would they be a waste of time considering the changes to the test? Thanks in advance.
 
Ok I am confused. I got everything the berkeley set the Princeton hyperlearning and Exam Krackers and EK 1001 set. Which books should I choose from each one of them

Br : Physics , Gen Chem, O-chem
TPH: Verbal
HElp please suggestions?SneD
Anyone! Thanks.
 
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Hey SNed,

I got my hands on paper versions of a few Kaplan FL tests from the way way back (2003 edition). I wanted to know if I should incorporate them for endurance sometime close to my actual MCAT since they are the 8 hour ones. So I would aim to finish them in less time..What are your opinions on this?

Also, how exactly do I go about reviewing FL? I have been looking at my mistakes figuring out why I got them wrong and moving on. But would you suggest adding in passages pertinent to my FL weaknesses at the same time as reviewing?

thanks in advance MCAT guru!
 
I followed this schedule pretty closely, with the exception of a few days where I fell behind and had to redouble my efforts to get back on schedule.

All in all, I completed all the passages for BR Bio, Chem, Orgo and Physics; EK Bio, Chem, VR, Orgo and Physics and EK 1001 Bio, Chem, Orgo, Physics and 101 Verbal.

Just got my score back today and got a 38Q, with PS of 14 and BS of 14. I totally credit both of those science scores to the tons and tons of BR passages and the double content review from both books.

I can't thank you enough SNed for this schedule (and saving $1700 on a prep class!)😍
 
I will be taking the MCAT in about 18 months, so this is great that I found this resource to plan for my own test, as well as incentive to study extra hard in my courses to make sure I understand everything as I am learning it, and to identify my sore spots. But it would be great to get some follow up from anyone who has used this schedule. What worked, and also how well they did.
 
@Caligrrl. congrats on the great score! I am following the four month version and I am wondering how you were able to fit all those passages and questions in? Could you tell me your basic schedule for doing this?
 
thanks dandi!

my basic schedule was to read EK and then BR for each of the chapter days. I would start with EK and write notes while reading the chapter, take the problems, take the chapter exam. After seeing how I did, I would read the same material in BK and just add to my notes anything additional that wasn't covered. That way, the chapter went a bit faster but I didn't miss any of the details that EK tends to gloss over.

Those days of 1/3 Ch1- Bio, Chem, Orgo, Phys were brutal because I tried to do the 1001 AND 1/3 of the BR passages. These were the days I usually fell a bit beyond in and just made up for the next day. In a way it was good because after I was reviewing the questions I missed in Bio1- EK 1001, I then took the 1/3 BR passage on the same material. I got the repetition of the material and stayed on track.

I didn't get the BK Physics books until about a month before my exam so I had to add a Chap everyday-ish to get through that material. By that time though, I was into my study rhythm and it wasn't too bad.

Also, on some of my break days, I did review the problems from the day before. It didn't take more than an hour or 2 and took off some of the pressure for the next day of more content review/problems.

Hope that helps!
 
thanks dandi!

my basic schedule was to read EK and then BR for each of the chapter days. I would start with EK and write notes while reading the chapter, take the problems, take the chapter exam. After seeing how I did, I would read the same material in BK and just add to my notes anything additional that wasn't covered. That way, the chapter went a bit faster but I didn't miss any of the details that EK tends to gloss over.

Those days of 1/3 Ch1- Bio, Chem, Orgo, Phys were brutal because I tried to do the 1001 AND 1/3 of the BR passages. These were the days I usually fell a bit beyond in and just made up for the next day. In a way it was good because after I was reviewing the questions I missed in Bio1- EK 1001, I then took the 1/3 BR passage on the same material. I got the repetition of the material and stayed on track.

I didn't get the BK Physics books until about a month before my exam so I had to add a Chap everyday-ish to get through that material. By that time though, I was into my study rhythm and it wasn't too bad.

Also, on some of my break days, I did review the problems from the day before. It didn't take more than an hour or 2 and took off some of the pressure for the next day of more content review/problems.

Hope that helps!


your discipline level must be flawless
it's amazing how you had time/energy to cover these
but I think it clearly paid off for you
kudos to you friend 🙂
btw how useful was it to go over both content reviews? I would imagine doing both ek/tbr for passage/practice helps tremendously, but I don't think I'll have enough time to go over both for content review.
 
thanks apc- i didn't feel like i was too disciplined at the time, but i guess it worked out well in the end. it helped that I was only taking 1 real class, 1 writing/med apps class and 1 indep study (6 units). there's no way I could have done this schedule taking more classes. plus, most of my work is from home so that helped tremendously.

some days I spent just a few hours (2-3) and others were a more horrible 7-8. like i said, i did use some of those "break" days as "make-up" days when i feel behind a few times.

i'm not sure content review is essential in both, particularly in Bio. BK goes into a ton of detail for Bio review that I didn't find all that helpful. However, the practice Bio passages at the end of the chapter were invaluable. i'd say if you don't have time to read both the EK and BR chapters, at least skim the one you don't get to. in my case, i sort of inherited both sets of books so i wanted to use all that i had. in any event, BR passages for all the sciences are awesome and were the closest thing to the real deal that I found. My real MCAT had very few "easy" passages or "easy" questions and the BR was similar. Plus, BR focuses a lot on passages that contain experiments and require understand them/graph/tables/etc. 3 or 4 of my BS passages were of a similar nature so I felt as well prepared as possible when the crazy MCAT curve ball was sent my way.
 
ALSO...I am now ordering BR, but do you think it is fine to use one of them, or should I get both as SNED recommends?
I heard it takes about 2-3 weeks to wait for the arrival?
 
SN2ed, you mentioned that if we don't get the EK 1001 series it's advisable that we spread out the 2nd 1/3 BR passages over 2 days. Why is this recommended?

Also if we do get the EK 1001 series, are you saying we should do the EK 1001 instead of doing the 2nd 1/3 BR passages?
 
Hey I found I was getting near 100% on every passage with 7:30, then when I came down to 7:00 its been pretty distributed. I'm getting 100%s but also a lot of weird scores in verbal like 2/7 and things like that. You think I can stay comfortably at 7:00 and work at this level? I don't see how I could do well at 6:00, and I feel like I'm wasting some passages.
 
Hey I found I was getting near 100% on every passage with 7:30, then when I came down to 7:00 its been pretty distributed. I'm getting 100%s but also a lot of weird scores in verbal like 2/7 and things like that. You think I can stay comfortably at 7:00 and work at this level? I don't see how I could do well at 6:00, and I feel like I'm wasting some passages.

Keep working at it at 7min then when your getting >85% go lower... Your mind will get used to thinking faster. Your obviously going to plateau but try to do them as fast as possible while keeping your accuracy up
 
SN2, why is that the first review day is after doing the second section of physics? Would it be wise to swap the review day with the Physics Chapter 2 review? That way, review day will be all of the Chapter 1's, rather than all of the chapter 1's + chapter 2 of physics...

Would that be a good idea?

I plan on using your schedule throughout the 3 months!! Thanks =)
 
Hey SN2ed and my fellow MCATers!

I know its cliche at this point but I really do have to thank and congratulate you on this wonderful study plan. I think I speak for everyone when I say that your efforts are greatly appreciated 😍. And also, a big thank you those of you who have posted some really great, informative posts in this thread for the benefit of the larger SDN community🙂.

Before I go any further, let me first explain my situation.

Firstly, a few weeks ago I ordered all of the BR science books. However, I was informed by the folks at TBR that the costs associated with shipping the BR books to my residence in Canada would be unfeasible. Hence, as per the recommendations given by the folks at TBR, I had the books shipped to an American address. Given the time required for standard shipping, I do not expect to have access to the BR books until approximately Thursday, May 27, 2010.

Secondly, through a combination of practice tests available for free such as Kaplan's free online practice test (http://kaplan.base77.com/MCAT/ for those that don't have the URL) and other practice tests available for a fee, I have access to about 36 practice tests.

Now, the challenge I face is somehow integrating these tests into your study plan; in particular, the challenge crops up after the content review phase. Do you have any suggestions? So far, I have kicked around the idea of first doing tests which are thought to be less representative of the MCAT - e.g. Princeton Review (Cracking CBT), Kaplan (Premiere, Practice Test Book), EK, and GS - consecutively; I would do a FL each day and review the same FL on that very same day. From there, I plan to do the TBR and AAMC tests every other day; on the day in between the BR and AAMC FLs, I plan to review the previous day's FL and do the appropriate passage problems identified in the standard form of your schedule. In addition, I have eliminated the break days (something which I am willing to do).

To give you some background, I spent the last year or so gathering MCAT books so at this point, I do have access to a lot of material. To be specific, I have the full 2007 sets of TPRH and Kaplan, as well as Nova Physics, the EK content review series, EK1001 series, EK101 verbal and EK mini-MCATs. I think I have enough passages to spread around but I seek your and other people's input with this.
 
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So after going through the physics portions, I noticed that they throw alot of equations at you. Do you have to memorize all of them?! Will they give us basic equations during the mcat or is it all on us to know them...
 
I feel like I'll have a lot of extra time if following this schedule full time. I'm compressing this schedule into ~8-9 weeks, doing the following:
1) Review previous day's problems (~30 min)
2) Read a chapter, do 2/3 of the passages (2 hours to read, 1.5 hours to do the ~7 passages)
3) Do 5 verbal passages (~32 questions, about 45 min)
4) Make sure everything is thoroughly understood, memorize all bio stuff (10 min - 2 hrs)

That's only a max of 6 hours a 45 min of studying a day... That's assuming it takes me a full 2 hours to thoroughly understand stuff (which would vary from 10 min for physics sections to the full 2 hrs for bio sections I'm not too familiar with).

Anyone want to comment on how long it's taking them per day to follow the schedule? I might have to find some more stuff to do if I finish a "full" day's worth of studying in 5 hours.
 
does it matter if I switch up the break days? Like if a break day is every 7 days can I make day 5 a break day instead? If i do that consistently the break days will still be every 7 days..
 
does it matter if I switch up the break days? Like if a break day is every 7 days can I make day 5 a break day instead? If i do that consistently the break days will still be every 7 days..

I don't understand questions like these. This schedule is not the be all and end all of things. You can do whatever you want and what you think will work for you. I think this schedule is a good framework that shows how to make a good schedule and important things that your scedule should have (ie breaks). but by all means do what YOU feel comfortably doing.
 
does it matter if I switch up the break days? Like if a break day is every 7 days can I make day 5 a break day instead? If i do that consistently the break days will still be every 7 days..

Only if you're willing to get 3 points lower on the MCAT. Clearly, having the break at day 7 instead of day 5 will drastically alter your score.
 
Is the Hyperlearning verbal workbook from different years different, what would you recommend if I could buy the 2006 version? Please help!
 
I hope youre being sarcastic..^^^^
I was 😀
Is the Hyperlearning verbal workbook from different years different, what would you recommend if I could buy the 2006 version? Please help!

Quote from SN2ed:
"If you haven't already used TPRH Verbal Workbook, the 2004 version is fine. The only other reason you wouldn't want to use that book (or any other source of practice passages) is if there was writing in it. So if your TPRH VW 2004 is clean, use it."
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?p=9633236
 
Thanks a ton!! That really helps, I just won a bid on a brand new 2006 version from ebay. I have never bought anything on ebay, especially through bidding before. Any suggestions or advice on how to go about doing this, specifically I want to make sure that it is not a fraud since I have heard so many things about ebay.

Thank you all in advance!
 
Thanks a ton!! That really helps, I just won a bid on a brand new 2006 version from ebay. I have never bought anything on ebay, especially through bidding before. Any suggestions or advice on how to go about doing this, specifically I want to make sure that it is not a fraud since I have heard so many things about ebay.

Thank you all in advance!

Haha, was it worth $127?
 
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