From one procrastinator to another, can it be done?

[emulsifier]

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It seems to be a disease among the student population.
I can't study for a test unless I am stressed out. In university, I can study 2-3 days before the date, and it works out well. And there are assessments to keep you on track.

With the MCAT, the test date 4 months away, I just can't seem to take it seriously.. I slack off. I know with the MCAT, I should follow a schedule, have goals for each day.. Basically take baby steps towards the big thing.

I took a prep course, and I didn't really help me keep myself on track. And I was pretty excited to tackle it, but that quickly went away.

How did those, who were major procrastinators, do it?
I am also worried, that if I am successful, it will be the same for USMLEs which would be a bigger disaster. If I can't take the MCAT seriously, how can I pass USMLEs?

So please vent here, and share your thoughts.

 

[dawson]

I'll read this post and get back to you tomorrow.

 

[mitchlucker]

I had the same problem...

Everyone on here is gonna b*tch about saving practice tests for last, but I wouldn't in your situation.

You're 4 months away.

Take a practice test every 3 weeks at first. Study for those practice tests. (Don't cram.) It'll give you a "short term" goal to shoot for, something you need if you procrastinate.

Then once you get closer start studying for practice tests every other week or every week.

I had the same issue as you, and trust me cramming for the MCAT won't get you anywhere. You need to have many short term goals to study effectively if you're a procrastinator or else you won't see a point in studying for the big long goal of the MCAT.

Just split your studying up into short term goals (ie- Get through this physics review, then get through the chem review, go up 3 points on my next practice test, etc)

In the end, the studying is your responsibility.

 

[emulsifier]

Lmao @ dawson.

Take a practice test every 3 weeks at first. Study for those practice tests. (Don't cram.) It'll give you a "short term" goal to shoot for, something you need if you procrastinate.

Then once you get closer start studying for practice tests every other week or every week.

What simple yet amazing advice! I saved the FL for the last month, and ya it didn't work, because I never finished the content review.
I think studying for one is a great idea! 🙂

 

[erure]

Maybe you should try sn2ed's schedule since it's so explicit on what you should do every day. I am a procrastinator myself and I remember that feeling at the pit of my stomach when I felt that it was too late and I hadn't studied enough. You have 4 months but if you slack off, it will soon be a week until test day and you'll freak out feeling unprepared. I think taking a practice full length every week or two is a great idea but I would save the AAMC's for later like a month or two before test day. I'd recommend TPR or TBR for their FL's (actually I haven't taken any of TBR's FL's so I don't know but TPR will get you studying for sure).

 

[kimicurtis]

i'll read this post and get back to you tomorrow.

lol

 

[BeancheBlanco]

Read through the examkrackers books now. You will have to do it eventually and it takes longer than a week. Once you read through those books at least once (I had to read them twice before I got the material down), start taking aamc practice tests and reviewing specific topics you are weak at.

I know you don't want to do this but, unless you are an outlier/exception, you HAVE to do this to succeed at the mcat. This is the bare minimum, and many people do a lot more and go over other books like berkeley review, princeton review, etc.

 

[kexy]

I'm the same way, I keep up in class but I definitely cram for tests. If I study a week before a test, I forget it all anyway.

Same for the MCAT. I knew I wouldn't remember anything I studied more than one month out, so I crammed for a month. I did practically nothing but MCAT, usually around 8 hours a day. I'd just finished the prereqs and done very well in them, which made cramming a lot more feasible.


I get my score back on Tuesday, so I'll let you know how it worked out haha.

 

[emulsifier]

If I study a week before a test, I forget it all anyway

Ah I know! I remember studying for neuroscience exam, which was very memory based, for a week. I did worse on it, than I did on cell biology, which was also very heavy memory based (but I studied 3 days).
3 days seems to be my golden number for university exam.

I haven't found my golden number for the MCAT.

Well, I am glad to see I am not alone. I appreciate all you guys writing. =)

 

[kehlsh]

Ah I know! I remember studying for neuroscience exam, which was very memory based, for a week. I did worse on it, than I did on cell biology, which was also very heavy memory based (but I studied 3 days).
3 days seems to be my golden number for university exam.

I haven't found my golden number for the MCAT.

Well, I am glad to see I am not alone. I appreciate all you guys writing. =)

mcat is not a memory-based test AT ALL
it's all about doing the work (doing the passages)
memory-based part, aka content review, should only take around 10-20% of the prep!

 

[Catan]

I have always procrastinated on the things that I have perceived as difficult/hard. So I could study for hours as long as I thought that subject was manageable or I thought that I was smarter than the class; thus, those manageable subjects earned me As while I did worst on the difficult/hard subjects. Of course, it was a self-fulfilling prophecy since I avoided studying the difficult/hard subjects. 🙄


Buy a notebook, each day set up small goals. Then simply check them off (or buy those star stickers) as you complete them. After completing each one, you gain a sense of accomplishment which helps motivate you to the next goal.

For me, this works. I also don't let myself touch my PC until I completed half those goals.

And be reasonable. Limit the number of goals at first. Otherwise my suggestion will just make you feel stupid.

 

[paul411]

Looking forward, beyond the MCAT and onto medical school, it is not a good idea to cram. Every medical student and faculty I've met so far has unequivocally reassured me that cramming does not work in medical school.

Personally, I crammed throughout undergrad: I would start studying ~12 hours before a test and study all night till the test. I did this for almost all my tests and got by just fine because the volume of materials to be mastered for an undergrad test is relatively small. I tried to do the same thing for the MCAT by cramming for 3-4 weeks before my first MCAT. I did not do as well as I had hoped: 30 (11PS 8VR 11BS; 75th percentile).

The second time around, I prepared the right way for the MCAT: I studied over 3 months for 2-3 hours per day. I ended up with a 39 (12PS 13VR 14BS; 99th percenile). So now I know which way I'll be studying throughout medical school and beyond (the not-cramming way).

It's perfectly fine if you can cram for undergrad classes and get by. But be ready to shift your study habits quite radically when it comes to preparing for the MCAT and studying during medical school. Or you could start developing healthy study habits right now.

 

[emulsifier]

mcat is not a memory-based test AT ALL

oh I know. I was just mentioning in reply to the other poster, how I don't do well on courses if I study longer.. 3 days works best for me in uni courses. Of course, that can't happen for that MCAT.

memory-based part, aka content review, should only take around 10-20% of the prep!

Thanks for this though! This is where i've gone wrong. I knew practice is important, but I wanted to get through all the content first. Which is fine, but it took me too long, and left no time for practice.

 

[MShopes]

I'll read this post and get back to you tomorrow.

 

[NickNaylor]

I had a friend in undergrad who was VERY intelligent - probably one of the smartest, if not the smartest, friend I had - who waited until 2-3 weeks before his test to start studying. He ended up with a score in the mid to high 20s and didn't apply to medical school.

Don't procrastinate. Are there people that can study for a week and get 35+? Yes. Are you one of them? Almost certainly not.

 

[sc4s2cg]

I stopped procrastinating. Took me 4 years to get over it, and I'm still working on it, but I procrastinating would be a major set back in med school I think.

Also, sn2ed's 4 month plan really helped me out. Having set goals, every day, that *has* to be done in order to get that MCAT score is a big motivator. So instead of procrastinating until 1 month before the MCAT, I started studying in May/early June and procrastinated from morning 10am-2pm. Then studied 3pm-8pmish. So got my procrastinating desire in, and learned not to procrastinate all at the same time.

I think setting goals for each day helps. Ex: I learn by reading. I convince myself that I have to read so much chapters by the first exam.So I set the goal to read 1/2 ch/day of each class this semester. Except on Sundays (break day). This should get me that A.

 

[Propylene]

It seems to be a disease among the student population.
I can't study for a test unless I am stressed out. In university, I can study 2-3 days before the date, and it works out well. And there are assessments to keep you on track.

With the MCAT, the test date 4 months away, I just can't seem to take it seriously.. I slack off. I know with the MCAT, I should follow a schedule, have goals for each day.. Basically take baby steps towards the big thing.

I took a prep course, and I didn't really help me keep myself on track. And I was pretty excited to tackle it, but that quickly went away.

How did those, who were major procrastinators, do it?
I am also worried, that if I am successful, it will be the same for USMLEs which would be a bigger disaster. If I can't take the MCAT seriously, how can I pass USMLEs?

So please vent here, and share your thoughts.

Honestly, I had the same problem. I never really could look too far ahead for school and I would definitely label myself as a procrastinator. I started studying for my 9/2/11 test about 3 months ago and it was very hard at first to motivate myself for something that seemed so far away. Haha, one thing that motivated me was taking a practice test and getting a lower score; I realized that if I wanted to better I needed to get my act together. I still study lighter than most of my friends but once you realize it's essential it does make it easier to study.

Try and give yourself a solid 3 weeks where you're done with content review and simply taking practice tests. A lot of it is hard to get through, but you'll need a good foundation if you want a higher score. Good luck!

 

[emulsifier]

Honestly, I had the same problem. I never really could look too far ahead for school ...

Mind sharing what your schedule, day was like? How many hours? How much time did you spend on content review.

Good luck to you too!

 

[NickNaylor]

I stopped procrastinating. Took me 4 years to get over it, and I'm still working on it, but I procrastinating would be a major set back in med school I think.

Also, sn2ed's 4 month plan really helped me out. Having set goals, every day, that *has* to be done in order to get that MCAT score is a big motivator. So instead of procrastinating until 1 month before the MCAT, I started studying in May/early June and procrastinated from morning 10am-2pm. Then studied 3pm-8pmish. So got my procrastinating desire in, and learned not to procrastinate all at the same time.

I think setting goals for each day helps. Ex: I learn by reading. I convince myself that I have to read so much chapters by the first exam.So I set the goal to read 1/2 ch/day of each class this semester. Except on Sundays (break day). This should get me that A.

Don't mean to get off topic here, but procrastinating in med school absolutely doesn't work. "Cramming" for an exam - and in med school, cramming is 2-3 days before the test - doesn't work. There's simply too much material and too many little things to memorize.

In undergrad, I was one of those people that waited to study until a couple of days before an exam. In med school, if I go two days without studying I'm behind to such a point that I can't catch up. I can occasionally take a day off, but two in a row or a whole weekend is a no-no.

The point of this being that it's important to get in the habit of consistently studying now rather than when you first begin med school: if not for your undergrad classes, then at least for the MCAT.

 

[emulsifier]

Don't mean to get off topic here, but procrastinating in med school absolutely doesn't work.

no no, that's an absolutely relevant point, and something I always think about. If I can't do the MCAT because of procrastination, can you imagine med school?

In highschool, I use to study the night before and got good grades. I did the same in my first year undergrad, and learned the mistake. And it was a learning curve.
So, in university, I studied 2-3 days before and that got me good grades.

So, I have a few questions.
1) Did you have that sort of learning curve from highschool to university? If so, then would it be a similar curve in medical school, or much more amplified?
2)Do you see students struggling in medical school to keep up?
3) MCAT is critical thinking. Is med school like that, or more rote memory?

 

[emulsifier]

double post

 

[kehlsh]

this is sad

 

[emulsifier]

^ Thanks. I find your input highly encouraging.

 

[paul411]

no no, that's an absolutely relevant point, and something I always think about. If I can't do the MCAT because of procrastination, can you imagine med school?

In highschool, I use to study the night before and got good grades. I did the same in my first year undergrad, and learned the mistake. And it was a learning curve.
So, in university, I studied 2-3 days before and that got me good grades.

So, I have a few questions.
1) Did you have that sort of learning curve from highschool to university? If so, then would it be a similar curve in medical school, or much more amplified?
2)Do you see students struggling in medical school to keep up?
3) MCAT is critical thinking. Is med school like that, or more rote memory?

No time for a "learning curve" in med school; it's full throttle from day one. The sheer volume of stuff you have to know makes it impossible to do well by cramming (especially anatomy).

Luckily, the environment is medical school is conducive to studying regularly. A lot of students study everyday. I don't know how long everyone is going to keep up, but anyone who's not studying almost everyday is going to fall way behind.

There's not much critical thinking in medical school anatomy (the only subject I have experience with so far) but it's definitely not all rote memorization (just a lot of it). There's a lot of visualizing and organizing of all the stuff you memorized into a nice coherent human body -- you essentially need to have a map of the human body with labels in your head.

 

[kexy]

Okay, so, I got a 37. 11 VR, 13 BS and PS. Not the best VR score, but whatever. It's interesting because VR started out as my best section by far, so then I devoted all of my energy to the sciences, clearly at the expense of my VR score. But whatever. My point is, if you're naturally a good test taker/the kind of person who scored near perfect on the SAT or whatever, cramming can be effective. If you aren't a good test taker, or you aren't happy with your first diagnostic score (take AAMC 3 under timed conditions!) then cramming is not going to cut it.

But for me, cramming the science crap in my head was definitely the best way to score as well as I could.