Help with my study schedule!

[nickiboots]

Hello fam!

I have been trying to build a study schedule over the last little bit and I am hoping to get some feedback on it! My main resources/plan in general:

-Content review = Kaplan and KA, but I also have the full EK book set as well (and EK VR for cars)

-Practice q's = Uworld (I am one of the lucky ducks that signed up for the three month free trial and just didn't activate it), chapter questions for Kaplan (and chapter questions for EK set in areas I need extra practice), and EK 101 passages

-Full-lengths = TPR diagnostic, NS diagnostic, NS1, Princeton FL1, Kaplan FL1-3, all AAMC FLs, and then "custom" FLs/half-lengths using SB/qpacks


I have tried to do a decent spread of everything, but I am not sure if:

1. I have too much planned during each day of content review
   
   
2. if my FLs/HLs are spread out enough
   
   
3. do I have enough practice exams planned or should I do more? Are the third-parties I have chosen good enough or should I purchase different ones, like EK or NS??

If anyone has any tips/suggestions for my schedule, PLEASE let me know. My planned study start date is May 1st, so I have time to make adjustments and prepare! (the condensed version is the simplest to look at cause it is only two pages) I just want to make sure it is realistic before I start because I have no idea what I am doing

FULL SCHEDULE

Dropbox - MCAT Schedule Good Copy.docx

CONDENSED

Dropbox - CONDENSED MCAT SCHEDULE.docx

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[oncotraum]

I think it looks overall really good! My only recommendation would be to take some kind of notes or flashcards during content review, rather than just reading the books. I made this mistake and I ended up not retaining much from content review and had to redo a lot of it towards the end of my schedule. If you take regular notes and review these frequently its much more likely to stick!! Goodluck!

 

[nickiboots]

I think it looks overall really good! My only recommendation would be to take some kind of notes or flashcards during content review, rather than just reading the books. I made this mistake and I ended up not retaining much from content review and had to redo a lot of it towards the end of my schedule. If you take regular notes and review these frequently its much more likely to stick!! Goodluck!

That is really helpful advice. How would you suggest taking notes, what worked for you? I have been told mixed messages about the helpfulness of taking detailed notes, how did you approach it to make it worthwhile?

I am definitely a "note-taker" type student, and I don't prefer flashcards or anki (although the google sheets method seems promising). Maybe I can try that!

 

[oncotraum]

I agree that very detailed notes might not be the best use of your time because most of that will not show up on your test. The AAMC has a guide out there that gives a detailed list of every topic that could appear on the MCAT. I suggest having that list next to you while you read the content chapters, and write key facts that you either don't already have memorized or that you think you might forget. If that list has something that your content books don't address in enough detail for you to understand, search the internet for some better explanations! I was stuck on how electrochemical cells work for the longest time until I found a better resource that explained it in terms I could finally understand.

Also, make sure you know all of those topics in detail before trying to take on too much. My first time studying, I zoomed through content review but had nothing memorized so it was a big waste of time. Approach each chapter as something you want to master, rather than just another lesson to "get through."

 

[nickiboots]

I agree that very detailed notes might not be the best use of your time because most of that will not show up on your test. The AAMC has a guide out there that gives a detailed list of every topic that could appear on the MCAT. I suggest having that list next to you while you read the content chapters, and write key facts that you either don't already have memorized or that you think you might forget. If that list has something that your content books don't address in enough detail for you to understand, search the internet for some better explanations! I was stuck on how electrochemical cells work for the longest time until I found a better resource that explained it in terms I could finally understand.

Also, make sure you know all of those topics in detail before trying to take on too much. My first time studying, I zoomed through content review but had nothing memorized so it was a big waste of time. Approach each chapter as something you want to master, rather than just another lesson to "get through."

Thank you for the feedback, I will definitely incorporate that into my plan! If you don't mind me asking, how did you do on your MCAT? How long did you study for before you wrote?

 

[oncotraum]

I have a post about it in 509+ Study Habits if you want to take a look at my detailed summary! I studied for 6 months while working full-time and ended up getting a 522 . It was killer and I was definitely so done with the test by the end of it but it paid off! I tried studying full-time for 10 weeks a little over a year before but that kind of schedule didn't work for me because I needed much more practice on CARS. I liked studying for longer even though it was pretty brutal at times.