help MCAT september 18

[ynRNtoMD]

I have been trying to study for the MCAT without any success, I'm trying to read the EK books and I just can't focus, I can't get through a chapter without paling asleep. Ive tried questions but I do horrible in them. I am freaking out and I am thinking I probably should get into a class or something. I wanted to see if you guys know of any good prep courses that I can take in such little time or just cancel and lose my money. I already rescheduled twice and can't reschedule anymore I work as a part time RN and doing community service just got caught up in my summer class I don't know how I let myself get to this point.

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[workaholic181]

First off, take a deep breath. Your exam is months away.

The only mistake you could make is taking the exam before you're prepared adequately. We'll get back to that later. Canceling your exam date means you'd lose what, 300$? You're gonna blow a ton of money applying to med school, then paying tuition. That's an inconsequential sum of money. If, when you're close to the deadline to cancel you're doing poorly on practice exams, you should cancel at that time. Do not worry about canceling at this point.

MCAT should be your priority. If you have to decrease other outside activities, do so. By far the best thing you can do for your app is scoring highly on the MCAT exam the first time around. It sounds like you're burnt out.

IMO, studying for the MCAT is all about perseverance. There were tons of times I thought I could never learn and apply so much material. But after a few months of studying I did just that. Don't get overwhelmed with the hugeness of this task. Get organized and make a schedule, day by day what you want to be covering, up until your exam date. Then just focus on being successful each day. PM me if you'd like me to go into detail about scheduling what worked for me.

It's also okay to be overwhelmed. I had to take whole days off from studying a few times during my prep. Take a day off if you need it. I'd be shocked if there isn't an MCAT class that you could take between now and mid september if you feel you need it. Good luck OP.

 

[ynRNtoMD]

Thank you so much for your advice. its so hard not to get overwhelmed but I will see how I can arrange my schedule to have more time. I am new here not sure how to PM you but I would be interested in knowing what worked for you maybe it can give me an idea

 

[workaholic181]

Thank you so much for your advice. its so hard not to get overwhelmed but I will see how I can arrange my schedule to have more time. I am new here not sure how to PM you but I would be interested in knowing what worked for you maybe it can give me an idea

No prob, I'll edit this post tomorrow with the schedule I used for you to check out.

 

[Itisnottoolate]

I am so overwhelmed also. I keep pushing my date back. I wanted to apply this cycle but nowe unlikely at this point. I guess we just have to keep at it!

 

[Blanky]

Working part time, in school and doing community service. Same mistake I made and what you should do Is cancel the exam and take a semester off school and study for the exam properly.
If you hate the review books and did decently in your prereqs I would advise to skip the content review, grab the Anki app and download premed95s deck from reddit.
Take like NS 1-6 FLs and review them, maybe practice questions are more your speed.

 

[Goro]

I have been trying to study for the MCAT without any success, I'm trying to read the EK books and I just can't focus, I can't get through a chapter without paling asleep. Ive tried questions but I do horrible in them. I am freaking out and I am thinking I probably should get into a class or something. I wanted to see if you guys know of any good prep courses that I can take in such little time or just cancel and lose my money. I already rescheduled twice and can't reschedule anymore I work as a part time RN and doing community service just got caught up in my summer class I don't know how I let myself get to this point.

SDNers seem to have a regard for ExamKrackers.

Have you checked into the MCAT forum?

 

[ynRNtoMD]

SDNers seem to have a regard for ExamKrackers.

Have you checked into the MCAT forum?

I will take a look right now. I just finished a practice test and scored a 481. I feel terrible. Thinking in canceling and scheduling a new date.

 

[KiddCo]

I will take a look right now. I just finished a practice test and scored a 481. I feel terrible. Thinking in canceling and scheduling a new date.

Was it a FL and made by who?
Kaplan FLs tend to give slightly deflated scores I hear.

Have you tried the online Khan Academy Videos? It's a great free resource with many subjects covered by video. It may keep your attention better than reading. Though that brings up the concern on how will you read and comprehend as a medical student if you are struggling to such a degree with the MCAT?

 

[Goro]

I will take a look right now. I just finished a practice test and scored a 481. I feel terrible. Thinking in canceling and scheduling a new date.

This is a prudent course of action

 

[ChiDr]

I have been trying to study for the MCAT without any success, I'm trying to read the EK books and I just can't focus, I can't get through a chapter without paling asleep. Ive tried questions but I do horrible in them. I am freaking out and I am thinking I probably should get into a class or something. I wanted to see if you guys know of any good prep courses that I can take in such little time or just cancel and lose my money. I already rescheduled twice and can't reschedule anymore I work as a part time RN and doing community service just got caught up in my summer class I don't know how I let myself get to this point.

Deep breath or two. Acknowledge where you are at. Be honest with yourself. It’s okay. We all start somewhere. Realize this, it’s doable. You are not the first and will not be the last to require time to prep.

Do not take it before you are comfortable with content and are scoring 505+. That’s my opinion.

Deep breath again. First action plan, you will prob not make this year so you have time. That’s great news. Reschedule for early next year if that works for you. Plan a schedule. Make it a priority. Understand how much time you will have every day to do the work. 1 hour a day of solid studying is better than 4 hours of time where you are not focused. Do a passage or two of CARS every day, make it a priority.

Assess why you got it wrong. Do you not know the material? Did you second guess? Did you get confused because of something.

Make flash cards, use quizlet, uworld has great questions and a free trial.

Follow your schedule and do a lot of practice problems.

Deep breath, you got this but you will need to make it a priority and you need to focus on this if it is important to you.

I am in my 30s, full-time startup company, classes, volunteer, shadow, and have a serious relationship. I made it a priority to study for 6mo. It sucked, was difficult, and put my social life on hold. It’s what you need to do. Reach out if you have any questions.

 

[DarklingThrush]

Just schedule a new date. You will have to cancel your exam and you will get 150$ back. There is no way to reschedule for a later date, as September 19 is the last 2018 year day, and the 2019 schedule won’t be released until October or so. You were way too late to apply this cycle anyway, so try not to get so down. If I were you, I would take the next month or so to really do some research. Look up schedules, look up study techniques. Read through people’s suggestions on here and Reddit. Make your own study guide. Buy a planner and write day by day what you’re going to do.

You might need more than the 3-4 months people suggest to study, and that’s ok. But come up with a plan now so that you’re not rushed. Of all the resources... USE UWORLD. You can find the 90 day link if you dig enough and you will be glad you used it.

Last thing... know your limits. I was studying for a September test date. I’ve been sick and my doctors have advised against it as I wasn’t able to make it through an 8 hour day without incidence. I was super upset about moving my date, but I’m not even applying this cycle. The goal is to get in, not take the exam as fast as possible. Set yourself up for success, and take the exam when you’re ready.

 

[ynRNtoMD]

I am so overwhelmed also. I keep pushing my date back. I wanted to apply this cycle but nowe unlikely at this point. I guess we just have to keep at it!

your username is nptodoc are you a nurse also? sorry to ask. I just don't know any other nurse that is transitioning.

 

[ynRNtoMD]

Just schedule a new date. You will have to cancel your exam and you will get 150$ back. There is no way to reschedule for a later date, as September 19 is the last 2018 year day, and the 2019 schedule won’t be released until October or so. You were way too late to apply this cycle anyway, so try not to get so down. If I were you, I would take the next month or so to really do some research. Look up schedules, look up study techniques. Read through people’s suggestions on here and Reddit. Make your own study guide. Buy a planner and write day by day what you’re going to do.

You might need more than the 3-4 months people suggest to study, and that’s ok. But come up with a plan now so that you’re not rushed. Of all the resources... USE UWORLD. You can find the 90 day link if you dig enough and you will be glad you used it.

Last thing... know your limits. I was studying for a September test date. I’ve been sick and my doctors have advised against it as I wasn’t able to make it through an 8 hour day without incidence. I was super upset about moving my date, but I’m not even applying this cycle. The goal is to get in, not take the exam as fast as possible. Set yourself up for success, and take the exam when you’re ready.

thank you for your advice. I am aiming to apply next cycle, my pre-health advisor (who I believe is not the best at this point) advised me to take it in august and have been rescheduling since. she is constantly telling me I am out of time and I just felt rushed. i don't want to take it unless I am ready and scoring 505+ but she thinks I should just take it before I forget all the material. the truth is my content knowledge is terrible and I am completely ashamed.

 

[ynRNtoMD]

Deep breath or two. Acknowledge where you are at. Be honest with yourself. It’s okay. We all start somewhere. Realize this, it’s doable. You are not the first and will not be the last to require time to prep.

Do not take it before you are comfortable with content and are scoring 505+. That’s my opinion.

Deep breath again. First action plan, you will prob not make this year so you have time. That’s great news. Reschedule for early next year if that works for you. Plan a schedule. Make it a priority. Understand how much time you will have every day to do the work. 1 hour a day of solid studying is better than 4 hours of time where you are not focused. Do a passage or two of CARS every day, make it a priority.

Assess why you got it wrong. Do you not know the material? Did you second guess? Did you get confused because of something.

Make flash cards, use quizlet, uworld has great questions and a free trial.

Follow your schedule and do a lot of practice problems.

Deep breath, you got this but you will need to make it a priority and you need to focus on this if it is important to you.

I am in my 30s, full-time startup company, classes, volunteer, shadow, and have a serious relationship. I made it a priority to study for 6mo. It sucked, was difficult, and put my social life on hold. It’s what you need to do. Reach out if you have any questions.

Thank you for taking time to reply to my post. I am still not done with the second semester of physics (will take it this fall) and my advisor wants me to take genetics and cell bio in the spring. since those are not official pre-requisites I was thinking in maybe taking the spring semester off and schedule the mcat for march and start studying now. I still feel like I need some guidance though. its overwhelming to think that once school starts I not only have to worry about that but also volunteering, research and work. I am afraid I will get caught up in the routine again.

my other option is to not apply next year, finish all the courses, do research, volunteer more, shadow, and after the spring semester tackle the mcat at the end of next year. I am just confused with everything.

 

[DarklingThrush]

thank you for your advice. I am aiming to apply next cycle, my pre-health advisor (who I believe is not the best at this point) advised me to take it in august and have been rescheduling since. she is constantly telling me I am out of time and I just felt rushed. i don't want to take it unless I am ready and scoring 505+ but she thinks I should just take it before I forget all the material. the truth is my content knowledge is terrible and I am completely ashamed.

Honestly I disagree with what she’s saying. If you’re applying June 2019, you are not behind... technically if you took it now, you’d be ahead! Don’t be worried about forgetting the material. Honestly you’re going to have to do content review regardless and you’ll be practicing the material so much... forgetting info from your classes should be the least of your concern. That’s what the MCAT review books are for!

 

[ChiDr]

thank you for your advice. I am aiming to apply next cycle, my pre-health advisor (who I believe is not the best at this point) advised me to take it in august and have been rescheduling since. she is constantly telling me I am out of time and I just felt rushed. i don't want to take it unless I am ready and scoring 505+ but she thinks I should just take it before I forget all the material. the truth is my content knowledge is terrible and I am completely ashamed.

Don’t be ashamed. Accept it as a starting point. You may need a good 6 mo or so of content prep if you are weak, it’s completely okay. You will have lows and you will have times where you want to throw the books away and not do any more practice, break down each wall and distract yourself with positive activities, yoga, workout, etc. Refocus and remember 1 hour of solid focused study is 1000% better than 4 hours of unfocused distracted work.

We all have a starting point. Take it as a challenge and know that you can beat it and score well.

 

[ynRNtoMD]

Was it a FL and made by who?
Kaplan FLs tend to give slightly deflated scores I hear.

Have you tried the online Khan Academy Videos? It's a great free resource with many subjects covered by video. It may keep your attention better than reading. Though that brings up the concern on how will you read and comprehend as a medical student if you are struggling to such a degree with the MCAT?

kaplan

 

[ynRNtoMD]

Honestly I disagree with what she’s saying. If you’re applying June 2019, you are not behind... technically if you took it now, you’d be ahead! Don’t be worried about forgetting the material. Honestly you’re going to have to do content review regardless and you’ll be practicing the material so much... forgetting info from your classes should be the least of your concern. That’s what the MCAT review books are for!

thank you, I made up my mind I will take it in September as a practice for the real thing and void the score that should ease the anxiety of what to expect. I am looking into leah4sci for additional guidance, but deff take up a prep course of some kind, I will schedule a new date in early April (since my official practice material expires at the end of march) I will take the spring off and complete genetics and cell bio in the fall but I will apply next year. I think I just got overwhelmed before I even started. thank you again

 

[ynRNtoMD]

Don’t be ashamed. Accept it as a starting point. You may need a good 6 mo or so of content prep if you are weak, it’s completely okay. You will have lows and you will have times where you want to throw the books away and not do any more practice, break down each wall and distract yourself with positive activities, yoga, workout, etc. Refocus and remember 1 hour of solid focused study is 1000% better than 4 hours of unfocused distracted work.

We all have a starting point. Take it as a challenge and know that you can beat it and score well.

yes, that is the plan now. i have made it this far I am not going to give up this easy. thank you!

 

[Itisnottoolate]

your username is nptodoc are you a nurse also? sorry to ask. I just don't know any other nurse that is transitioning.

Hi,
I am a nurse practitioner. I had planned on applying this cycle but was not ready to take the mcat. I keep pushing my date. I plan to take in September and apply next cycle. This is so nerve wrecking. The competition is so fierce. I am hoping my medical experience will be a plus.