Hardcore Studying (3 months) vs Part-Time Studying (6 months)

[GapLustrum]

I am deciding between:

a) Studying 8+ hours a day 6 days a week for 12 weeks for the September MCAT w/ some volunteering and some shadowing. Then working as a scribe (40 hours/week) and working on my application/ECs in place of MCAT studying (mid-Sep on).

b) Studying 3 hours a day 5 days a week and 8+ hours 1 day a week for 6 months for the January MCAT w/ 40-hour work as a scribe (and similar volunteering/shadowing). Then continuing work as a scribe, working on my application/ECs in place of MCAT studying (mid-Jan on).

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[futurephysician57]

When do they send out interviews till?

 

[futurephysician57]

Sorry wrong forum. Post this on mcat forum

Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk

 

[MamaPsalmist]

Take a practice test or two and see where you're at. If you're close to the score you want, study part time. If you have more work to do, give yourself more time.

 

[Dr.Kat]

6mo hardcore studying

 

[Mclovin0351]

Hardcore all the way. I took 7 weeks, one and done.

 

[MareNostrummm]

Hardcore studying for 3 months is way better. After about 4 months you will start forgetting little details.

 

[ScreenName23]

I have to disagree with everyone else. My hardcore for a few months got me a low score. Then doing some everyday for 5 months got me 98th percentile. The key for me was using flashcards (Anki) which I kept doing throughout. I found that the things I learned at the very beginning were the most fresh in my mind at the end because they had been cemented in for 5 months. Also it kept me from burning out because it wasn't all I was doing all day.

For more info on this approach: https://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/how-i-prepped-for-a-526.1146107/

 

[Mad Jack]

Some every day for 6 months. That's what I did, got a 35.

 

[ScreenName23]

I have your thread bookmarked hah, I am also a non-hard-science (Econ) non-trad without the greatest pre-req background (took all the classes but some were with easy professors where I didn't learn much). The hardcore studying to get it out of the way rather than have it hanging over me is appealing, but part of me agrees with you that interleaving other things would likely have a beneficial effect. I generally don't read very much (never did growing up), so I'm also thinking developing my reading comprehension skills may be harder to "boot camp" over a short period (regardless if I do 10 hour days).

Awesome! Yeah just to clarify I am not the OP in that thread. I just used his awesome study plan and commented later about how I modified it to fit 5 months. I highly recommend it. The OP in that thread is awesome!

 

[deleted781806]

I have to completely disagree with previous posters, I have always preferred the longer route as repetition is better for memory in the long-term rather than just cramming the information in your head, this also can help prevent burnout because you'll probably feel pretty terrible at the end of those 50hr/wk studying sessions. My personal story was that I began an MCAT prep-course in October and took the April test date, so that was 6-7 months of studying for the MCAT alongside standard undergraduate academic obligations. I ended up in the 96th percentile so not too shabby, but with every kind of personal advice on these forums, n=1

 

[efle]

Hardcore for a few months. That's what I did, better than 35

 

[chillingpanda]

I have to disagree with everyone else. My hardcore for a few months got me a low score. Then doing some everyday for 5 months got me 98th percentile. The key for me was using flashcards (Anki) which I kept doing throughout. I found that the things I learned at the very beginning were the most fresh in my mind at the end because they had been cemented in for 5 months. Also it kept me from burning out because it wasn't all I was doing all day.

For more info on this approach: https://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/how-i-prepped-for-a-526.1146107/

Did you use the normal settings on anki?

 

[ScreenName23]

Did you use the normal settings on anki?

Hmm I don't think I used the exact ones it defaults to. I changed it up a bit for things like # of new cards per day or something. I'm really not an expert on Anki which is kind of the nice thing about it. You can feel it out as you go and even as a beginner it is really helpful!
Good luck with Anki!!

 

[flapjack3d]

Hardcore is always the way to go for the mcat. Did 12 hrs a day for a month and went from a 31 to a 41

 

[Fortyfive]

Hardcore is always the way to go for the mcat. Did 12 hrs a day for a month and went from a 31 to a 41

I second this strategy

 

[veebo]

Wow, I didn't realize how underwhelming my study routine was until seeing no one else here get shocked at studying for 3 months for 8+ hours 6 days a week lol.

 

[Dr.Kat]

Wow, I didn't realize how underwhelming my study routine was until seeing no one else here get shocked at studying for 3 months for 8+ hours 6 days a week lol.

lol welcome to sdn!

 

[deleted781806]

Wow, I didn't realize how underwhelming my study routine was until seeing no one else here get shocked at studying for 3 months for 8+ hours 6 days a week lol.

Yeah, I think the only time I ever got even close to that was over Winter Break and I was maybe pushing 6 hours a day for five days a week (only a couple weeks though). I probably could have taken the more "hardcore" approach but I guess it wasn't too much of a problem.

 

[citykid92]

I 100% vote studying for 3-4 months more hardcore. I think that there are definitely diminishing returns for studying for longer than that. Basically, I think that you start to lose stuff from the beginning of your study period if you study for so long. I studied probably about 5 hours a day 6 days a week (maybe a couple days a week with more hours) for 3 months and did really well. I had lots of friends who I studied with along the way who took longer to study and I don't think it helped them.

 

[Frogger27]

I hardcore studied for ~3 months (8-10 hrs a day) and literally don't think it is possible to study any longer than that and have a benefit. I had learned everything and any extra time would not have made a sig. difference on test day.

 

[veebo]

Yeah, I think the only time I ever got even close to that was over Winter Break and I was maybe pushing 6 hours a day for five days a week (only a couple weeks though). I probably could have taken the more "hardcore" approach but I guess it wasn't too much of a problem.

I didn't get anywhere close to that much and at this point I'm too embarrassed by my study patterns based on the people in this thread to post it lol.

 

[veebo]

I actually think I'm low-balling these numbers tbh (I'll probably start earlier than 3 months hardcore/earlier than 6 months part-time). I know I'm a much much much slower reader and learner than most people. Like it takes me 6-8 hours to read and take notes on a 40 page chapter in a science textbook. I'm also always one of the last people to finish an exam. Sometimes I think I have a learning disability, but then I outperform 95% of my class on tests, so who knows. I've just come to accept I'm gonna need to put in more hours than most everyone else to do well.

I can understand that. I know people like that but I think you might be selling yourself short there. Most of the people I know who have to study like that rarely score that highly still. If you can learn the material well enough to score higher than 95% of people I think you could do it in less time than that. But you've found success doing it this way so unless it starts stressing you out too much than why fix what isn't broken.

 

[787593]

6mo hardcore studying

I was about to post the same thing and I saw this