Do you study one subject at a time or two continously?

[integralx2]

So I was wondering. Which study habit is better. If I study chemistry and physics by a little at the same time, is that better then studying one subject at a time by itself ?

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[SN2ed]

Rotate through all of the subjects, not just two.

Why rotate subjects?

I think rotating subjects is better for a couple reasons. First, it keeps material from the different areas fresh. Often times, concepts in one chapter build upon another. It also lessens the chance of forgetting what you've already studied. By studying all of one area and then moving on, you lack exposure to that topic for the remainder of your content review which leads to forgetting that area. Lastly, rotating subjects fosters connections between the different topics. One of the biggest aspects of the MCAT is connecting various topics together in any given passage. By rotating, you can easily begin to see connections as you complete content review from different areas. If you were only studying one subject, such connections would not be as evident.

 

[FollowTheMoney]

Rotate through all of the subjects, not just two.

Why rotate subjects?

I think rotating subjects is better for a couple reasons. First, it keeps material from the different areas fresh. Often times, concepts in one chapter build upon another. It also lessens the chance of forgetting what you've already studied. By studying all of one area and then moving on, you lack exposure to that topic for the remainder of your content review which leads to forgetting that area. Lastly, rotating subjects fosters connections between the different topics. One of the biggest aspects of the MCAT is connecting various topics together in any given passage. By rotating, you can easily begin to see connections as you complete content review from different areas. If you were only studying one subject, such connections would not be as evident.

I agree with SN2ed completely. I can attest to that because I'm currently in the process of studying for it. I'm following his schedule "loosely" and I can tell you BR does a great job integrating the subjects together as well. I think if I would've studied one subject at a time it would have been detrimental in the end.

 

[integralx2]

Yes! Good Idea . I was thinking the same thing. I was planning to study 2 chapters per subject, then rotate to another. That way everything like you stated is fresh.

 

[WhizoMD]

I think rotating may ease fatigue also; I started my study schedule with 2 straight days of Bio (because chapter 1 was ~70 pages), and by the end of the second day I was sick of it, now that I'm into the rotation I actually sort of look forward to the next subject.

 

[ilovemcat]

So I was wondering. Which study habit is better. If I study chemistry and physics by a little at the same time, is that better then studying one subject at a time by itself ?

I have to disagree with those above 🙂 It all depends on the person. The norm here is to rotate subjects while studying. For me personally, I prefer studying one subject at a time mainly because I like to master the material for one subject before moving to the next. I also study everyday - 1 subject during a 2 week period (with the exception of Verbal which I practice daily). The reason I chose to study this way is because learning the material becomes more understandable when you can recall concepts you learned say ...yesterday. Some might find this approach to be boring and uninteresting. I actually feel like I'm accomplishing something by studying this way which impacts your attitude towards studying. I feel like balancing too many subjects at once can get overwhelming.

That's one reason why I chose to study this way. Another is that I'm reviewing the material in a relatively short amount of time, everyday for 8 weeks straight (2 weeks per subject) and so for the most part, everything is still fresh in your mind.

What I plan on doing after I finish reviewing all content areas is beginning a quick review for each subject for 1 week, then beginning practice problems over the duration of 3 weeks (including 7 AAMC exams). Phewww... *whipes sweat* ...way ahead of myself there.

Anyways, we'll see how this pans out for me once it's time to take the MCAT. 🙂

 

[libraryismyhome]

wait then how do I rotate? One subject per day or like 4 subjects per day?

 

[WhizoMD]

wait then how do I rotate? One subject per day or like 4 subjects per day?

😱, I do 1 chapter per day(2 chapters if they're short), a different subject everyday. I'm currently following a 6 week content review plan where I'll get through every tpr review chapter (~37 chapters, 4 subjects).

 

[addo]

Well for what is worth, when i study I constantly do verbal, and rotate the science topics. Sucks I put the most effort on the verbal, yet it is the section that made me void today. 🙄

 

[RATM2010]

def rotate through all, except verbal. You should be doing at least 1-2 practive verbal passages a day. I think the sciences will start to be diffused from your brain the longer you study and it is best to have all that info in your brain for the shortest amount of time. studying 1-2 topics at a time may set you up to forgetting older studied material.

 

[SN2ed]

Oh yeah, forgot to mention that rotating subjects applies to the sciences only. You should be constantly completing 3-4 verbal passages per day except of break days or FL days.