How I prepped for a 526

[otterxavier]

So, I took the new MCAT in April and got a 526 (proof). Since then, I've gotten lots of messages on SDN asking about study strategies. Rather than answer the same questions over and over in a thousand different places, I figured I'd compile all of my advice into one thread.

My goal in sharing this is not to say that this is the way to do well on the MCAT, nor do I think that the way that I studied is hugely innovative. Rather, I want to give people some hope that with commitment, discipline, and a solid head start, it is possible to do very well on the MCAT even if you:
- are not a hard sciences major
- are a nontrad balancing work and school
- have a limited budget for prep materials, and do not have the time or money for an MCAT course
- are not following an extremely detailed day-by-day schedule
- haven't finished your prereqs (although I don't recommend this!)


My background:

I've been out of college for three years. I double-majored in humanities/social studies in undergrad and took some chem and stats, but no bio, physics, psychology, or sociology. (When I took the MCAT, I still hadn't taken psych or soc, had just started biochem, and was 2/3 of the way through physics.) I started a postbac last summer knowing that a) I'd be taking the MCAT within a year and hopefully applying immediately afterward, and b) I wouldn't be able to take time off from school or work to prep full-time. So my goals were:
1. retain what I learned in my prereq courses so I didn't have to waste time relearning things
2. start studying ridiculously early and do a little bit every day (~2 hrs/day over 9 months rather than ~8 hrs/day over 2-3 months)

This is different from how a lot of people do the MCAT, so I'm not sure how well my experience will translate. However, the general principle holds for anyone: study early, slowly, and steadily. If you study 2 hours a day for a year, you've put in the same amount of time as someone who studies 8 hours a day for a single summer. But you'll probably have a more solid grasp on the material, and much lower stress levels.

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[Un Cupo de Cafe]

I can see using ANKI for subjects like biology/biochem, organic chemistry, and psychology, but what about the more quantitatively focused physics and general chemistry? My weakest subject is physics, and I've used ANKI successfully with some subjects but have trouble when using it with math-heavy subjects. :/

@Un Cupo de Cafe @otterxavier

I used Anki to store the physics equations that I did not remember, or understand, well.

For actual math practice in chemistry/physics, I found passages to be the best way to prepare. TBR was particularly good in this regard as their science passages tend to be very math-heavy.

 

[otterxavier]

I used Anki to store the physics equations that I did not remember, or understand, well.

For actual math practice in chemistry/physics, I found passages to be the best way to prepare. TBR was particularly good in this regard as their science passages tend to be very math-heavy.

^^^ This.

For classes I'd also make Anki cards with the steps for solving particular types of problems (e.g., balancing a redox reaction in basic solution, or using an ICE table to find the pH of a weak acid), but the MCAT doesn't have too many multi-step problems like that.

 

[Ssha]

For the CARS issue, at least: are you really reading the passages, or are you skimming them? If you're getting bogged down, I'd suggest making a conscious effort to really skim instead of reading. As you go through, focus on highlighting (a) key words like important terminology or attributed opinions ("according to so-and-so"), (b) words that indicate tone (strong adjectives/adverbs), and (c) words that indicate connections and transitions ("however," "additionally," "in spite of this," etc.). When you answer the questions, use your highlighting to refer quickly to the relevant parts of the passage -- you can then read those more closely if you need to.

The other thing that some people try is previewing the questions before they read the passage, so they know what to focus on -- I didn't personally find that helpful, but you may, so it's worth a try.

Yes! That's the problem most people have including myself, we tend to get so into the passage that time gets wasted. I'm going to try skimming more. Thank you so much for the advice.

 

[bearjew80]

Hi! Okay so first of all thank you for this awesome post! I am just starting to start studying for MCAT (planning on taking it in April) and I am very happy with the steps you provided because it gives me a route route to proceed. So I have two quick questions. In regards to using Anki for the MCAT, do you recommend using a deck for each topic? Or one deck for the MCAT with a subdeck for each topic? Second, how much sleep were you getting while prepping for the MCAT and taking courses? I know the second question may seem arbitrary but I am just trying to figure out how some people were able to balance school, studying for the MCAT, research, sleep etc. Thank you for all your help and congrats on your MCAT score and the schools you got into!

 

[otterxavier]

Hi! Okay so first of all thank you for this awesome post! I am just starting to start studying for MCAT (planning on taking it in April) and I am very happy with the steps you provided because it gives me a route route to proceed. So I have two quick questions. In regards to using Anki for the MCAT, do you recommend using a deck for each topic? Or one deck for the MCAT with a subdeck for each topic? Second, how much sleep were you getting while prepping for the MCAT and taking courses? I know the second question may seem arbitrary but I am just trying to figure out how some people were able to balance school, studying for the MCAT, research, sleep etc. Thank you for all your help and congrats on your MCAT score and the schools you got into!

I had a deck for each topic -- you could do it that way, or have one big deck with subdecks, or one big deck with tags. Doesn't really matter as long as you can easily filter cards from a single subject for review.

Sleep... maybe 5-7 hours, depending on my work and class schedule. A solid 8 hours on days when I didn't have to work or go to school.

Good luck!

 

[Chromium Surfer]

One thing that I've noticed is that while going through content making cards as well make its take twice as long for me to go through a chapter? Did this happen to you as well? If so is it worth to continue making the anki cards? I have begun content review and I will be taking the MCAT next april.

Thanks for your time!

 

[pointodr]

@otterxavier @Un Cupo de Cafe @Swagster

Did you guys create Anki notecards of certain problems / passages also? Perhaps particularly tricky ones or ones you got wrong? If so, how did you approach this?

Thanks

 

[otterxavier]

One thing that I've noticed is that while going through content making cards as well make its take twice as long for me to go through a chapter? Did this happen to you as well? If so is it worth to continue making the anki cards? I have begun content review and I will be taking the MCAT next april.

Thanks for your time!

It did take me longer to go through a chapter taking notes and making flashcards than it would have taken just to read the chapter. I think it's worth the extra time because making flashcards is active review -- it helps you to process, consolidate, and retain what you're reviewing.

 

[otterxavier]

@otterxavier @Un Cupo de Cafe @Swagster

Did you guys create Anki notecards of certain problems / passages also? Perhaps particularly tricky ones or ones you got wrong? If so, how did you approach this?

Thanks

If I got a question wrong because there was factual information that I was missing, then I made a flashcard for it. (Off the top of my head, this was true for a couple of psych terms.) If I got a question wrong because I knew all the background info but was struggling to apply it or had difficulty reasoning through the question, no... flashcards aren't particularly helpful for avoiding that kind of mistake.

I experimented with straight-up putting the questions that I got wrong onto flashcards, but quickly and predictably discovered that I was just memorizing the answers and it wasn't useful review.

 

[Alpha Centauri]

Sorry if I missed it, how long have you been preparing for the test? I saw you mentioned content review 9 months out from the test. Do most people spend 9 months studying for the MCAT? I am just visiting over from the dental forums and am curious so don't mind me! lol

 

[ksk11]

im taking my test in about a week and i really wanted to know if getting above a 504 is likely here! Ive been constantly reading that these practice tests are hard but i dont know how they would compare on the real test.

Princeton FL:
Demo Test: 497
Test 1: 498
Test 2: 497

EK:
EK 1: 46%
EK 2: 58%
EK 3: 60%
EK 4: 59%

 

[otterxavier]

Sorry if I missed it, how long have you been preparing for the test? I saw you mentioned content review 9 months out from the test. Do most people spend 9 months studying for the MCAT? I am just visiting over from the dental forums and am curious so don't mind me! lol

No worries! I studied for about 9 months, which is not typical. It seems like the conventional wisdom is to do a few months of full-time prep (or, at least, a few months where MCAT prep is your #1 priority). My goal in starting this thread was to demonstrate that:
a) it's possible to do very well on the MCAT even if you aren't able to dedicate an entire summer to studying or take an expensive prep course, and
b) studying "slowly but surely" is just as effective, if not more so, than a short period of intensive test prep.

 

[otterxavier]

im taking my test in about a week and i really wanted to know if getting above a 504 is likely here! Ive been constantly reading that these practice tests are hard but i dont know how they would compare on the real test.

Princeton FL:
Demo Test: 497
Test 1: 498
Test 2: 497

EK:
EK 1: 46%
EK 2: 58%
EK 3: 60%
EK 4: 59%

It's hard to say... anecdotally, my scores on the Princeton Review practice tests were ~10 points lower than my actual test score, but idk if that's generally true or was just a fluke. As a matter of principle I wouldn't bet on a huge score increase from practice tests to the real exam. How recently did you take these practice tests? Have you done any of the AAMC practice tests? Those are going to be the most reliable predictor of your actual exam score.

 

[Alpha Centauri]

No worries! I studied for about 9 months, which is not typical. It seems like the conventional wisdom is to do a few months of full-time prep (or, at least, a few months where MCAT prep is your #1 priority). My goal in starting this thread was to demonstrate that:
a) it's possible to do very well on the MCAT even if you aren't able to dedicate an entire summer to studying or take an expensive prep course, and
b) studying "slowly but surely" is just as effective, if not more so, than a short period of intensive test prep.

Haha for sure. Thanks for the response. No clue on why I'm lurking the Md forums when my DAT is tomorrow. I should be in the pool or something...

 

[otterxavier]

Haha for sure. Thanks for the response. No clue on why I'm lurking the Md forums when my DAT is tomorrow. I should be in the pool or something...

Maybe it's that great sense of schadenfreude from watching people stress out about a test that you don't have to take Good luck on the DAT tomorrow!

 

[ksk11]

It's hard to say... anecdotally, my scores on the Princeton Review practice tests were ~10 points lower than my actual test score, but idk if that's generally true or was just a fluke. As a matter of principle I wouldn't bet on a huge score increase from practice tests to the real exam. How recently did you take these practice tests? Have you done any of the AAMC practice tests? Those are going to be the most reliable predictor of your actual exam score.

This is what i got on my unscored AAMC Fl:
Chem: 53%
Cars: 79%
Bio: 66%
Psych: 64%

Scored AAMC Fl:
Chem: 56% 124
Cars: 58% 123
Bio: 69% 126
Psych: 75% 126

Total:499

What do you think i would get realistically? Was surprised that i dropped so much for cars.

 

[otterxavier]

This is what i got on my unscored AAMC Fl:
Chem: 53%
Cars: 79%
Bio: 66%
Psych: 64%

Scored AAMC Fl:
Chem: 56% 124
Cars: 58% 123
Bio: 69% 126
Psych: 75% 126

Total:499

What do you think i would get realistically? Was surprised that i dropped so much for cars.

I can't claim to give you a more realistic estimate than the AAMC practice exams... those numbers are coming from the people who write the test.

 

[Ssha]

UGH I am having trouble remembering the psych terms!

 

[otterxavier]

UGH I am having trouble remembering the psych terms!

A couple of tricks: see if you can break down the terms into their component words or roots to help you think through what they mean. (e.g., "fundamental attribution error": what's fundamental about it, what's being attributed, why is it an error?) If you're a visual learner, draw little cartoons/doodles related to each term and add them to your flashcards. If you're movement-oriented, come up with hand motions for the terms you have trouble with... it sounds absurd, but it helps to cue your memory.

Grats and thanks for taking the time to answer questions here.

In response to the CARS advice you gave: did you get an LSAT book?

Thanks, and no problem! I didn't get an LSAT book -- critical reading was one of my strengths (thanks, Classics degree) so I didn't do any formal prep for that section. But I've heard from other people who were successful on CARS that using LSAT materials really helped them.

 

[mena.a]

Hey otterxavier,
Which TPR exams did you do? Were they the TPR Complete ones or TPR Review test ones?
Thanks

 

[otterxavier]

Hey otterxavier,
Which TPR exams did you do? Were they the TPR Complete ones or TPR Review test ones?
Thanks

Whichever are the three free ones that you get access to when you buy a TPR review book.

 

[Patterned_illuminator]

Thank you so much for making this thread! It is immensely encouraging, as I am likely going to take my test in April 2017 but was feeling a bit frightened after seeing that most people seem to take many months off just to study. I also have some problems with anxiety, and I think giving myself more time - as long as I remain consistent - to review will be helpful. I'm going to definitely utilize Anki as a resource now!

Do you have any suggestions about how to avoid forgetting material - or did you find going through flashcards to be sufficient? That's my other concern of mine.

Thank you again!

 

[otterxavier]

Thank you so much for making this thread! It is immensely encouraging, as I am likely going to take my test in April 2017 but was feeling a bit frightened after seeing that most people seem to take many months off just to study. I also have some problems with anxiety, and I think giving myself more time - as long as I remain consistent - to review will be helpful. I'm going to definitely utilize Anki as a resource now!

Do you have any suggestions about how to avoid forgetting material - or did you find going through flashcards to be sufficient? That's my other concern of mine.

Thank you again!

Good luck! The MCAT seems terrifying, but it is totally manageable. I really think slow and steady is the way to do it -- don't even think about the exam at this point, just focus on reviewing what you need to review each day, and it'll come together. Here's hoping you feel confident and well-prepared by next April

For retaining material, I generally found that flashcards were enough, plus the reinforcement that came from doing practice passages. If something just wasn't sticking, a few strategies that I tried:
- rewriting the card(s) to make them more useful
- adding an image, hint, or mnemonic to the card
- rereading the section about that topic, or watching the Khan Academy video -- often when something wasn't sticking it was because I hadn't learned it properly in the first place, so was trying to memorize information that I didn't really understand

 

[ScreenName23]

Hi I know this is an older thread but I just wanted to be one more piece of evidence for this study method. I had to retake an old MCAT of 28 and needed a new study plan to completely turn things around. I found your study post and followed it as closely as I could...I didn't have as many months as you (only 5) but I had a whole month at the end just to study because my job ended the month before my test date.
I scored a 520 using your method, and I just can't thank you enough for outlining the planned in such a detailed way. I stuck to it as best I could and am so happy with the results. Thanks so much for sharing your approach!
@otterxavier

 

[otterxavier]

Hi I know this is an older thread but I just wanted to be one more piece of evidence for this study method. I had to retake an old MCAT of 28 and needed a new study plan to completely turn things around. I found your study post and followed it as closely as I could...I didn't have as many months as you (only 5) but I had a whole month at the end just to study because my job ended the month before my test date.
I scored a 520 using your method, and I just can't thank you enough for outlining the planned in such a detailed way. I stuck to it as best I could and am so happy with the results. Thanks so much for sharing your approach!
@otterxavier

So glad that it was helpful for you -- congrats, and good luck on your applications!

 

[MrFixIt]

Huge congrats on making such a difficult task work for you so very well. And obviously on the kickass score and acceptances. Where did you end up choosing?

This may have been addressed, but can you direct me towards some good resources for practice passages? Those are my weakest points.

Also, I heard the kidneys were a huge part too and that we better know them inside and out like the amino acids. True?

Lastly, did you find yourself answering questions by deducing more often than knowing the correct answer outright?

 

[pointodr]

@ScreenName23 congrats, that's a huge improvement!

Could you detail your study method a little more please? What materials did you use exactly? Did you use anki exactly as otterxavier suggested? Had you finished all of your courses before you started studying?

Thanks!

 

[ScreenName23]

@ScreenName23 congrats, that's a huge improvement!

Could you detail your study method a little more please? What materials did you use exactly? Did you use anki exactly as otterxavier suggested? Had you finished all of your courses before you started studying?

Thanks!

Hi!
I really did use the study method he suggested as exactly as possible. I was only working full time (not also taking classes like OP), so I finished about one chapter a day in TPR. I would pretty much get up before work and read the chapter and underline the parts of the chapter I wanted to make note cards on, then I would make Anki cards on the underlined sections. Then at my lunch break and after work I would review my Anki cards. At the end of the day once I finished my cards, I would do the chapter problems and make note cards about anything I had gotten wrong. When the chapters were longer, I sometimes had to spread them out over multiple days.

During this content review phase I was always reviewing the Anki cards I had already made and the news ones I was just making. Next I went through Khan Academy just like OP suggested and made more Anki cards on this and watched videos when needed.

During the last month when I was no longer working I did all the AAMC material, made note cards on this material, took TPR tests and finished all Khan Academy passages. I took the AAMC full length three weeks before my test day and scored a 518 (129/130/130/129) on it. So then I knew what I needed to improve. I studied more in those last three weeks and got those extra two points 520 (130/130/130/130).

One big piece missing from my study plan is verbal practice. I did virtually no verbal practice. My only verbal was Khan Academy passages and whenever I took a full length exam. This is because on my first test I got an 11 in verbal and pretty much felt like I should focus on the other sections.

At a certain point maybe 520+ idk... I think it can be hard to improve and depends more on if you know what happens to be on the test that day. On my test day I felt like I didn't know any of it and like I failed after every section...but I didn't. If you use the method OP outlined, you will know enough material when you get to the test to score well!

Also yes I was out of school already and had finished all of my courses... I never took a psych/soc class in college but I had a lot of biochemistry already. But I hadn't taken any classes for over a year when I started studying...

Let me know if you have any other specific questions, but really OP's method is pretty much dynamite. Following it as closely as possible will get you where you need to be!

 

[otterxavier]

This may have been addressed, but can you direct me towards some good resources for practice passages? Those are my weakest points.

I was studying before the new MCAT had come out, so I'd hope there are many more resources available now than there were in early 2015. That said -- the best practice passages you'll find are in the official AAMC practice materials. Ration those ones out carefully (you don't want to blow through them early on in your studying). Their question/passage/practice bank is worth the money.

Khan Academy is a fantastic resource for free practice passages. They are not always particularly close to the style of the MCAT, but they are useful for finding the holes in your knowledge, they're linked to specific review videos for every content area, and there are so many that you'll never run out -- so a great place to start. Closer to test time, I used a lot of free practice tests. Every test prep company has at least one, and they tend to be a good mimic of the actual style and format of the exam.

Also, I heard the kidneys were a huge part too and that we better know them inside and out like the amino acids. True?

I don't recall a disproportionately large emphasis on the kidneys, but they are important in general. You should definitely understand how blood is filtered in the kidneys, and what happens in the different segments of the nephron (including the osmotic gradients in the loop of Henle and their significance). You should also understand the relationship between the kidneys and the cardiovascular system, and how ADH, aldosterone, and the renin-angiotensin system will affect renal activity and regulate blood pressure.

Lastly, did you find yourself answering questions by deducing more often than knowing the correct answer outright?

Yes. Absolutely. Beyond the basics, the MCAT doesn't really care about how well you can memorize and regurgitate content. They're trying to test your ability to take in new information, synthesize it with what you already know, and reason your way to the best answer. If you walk away from a question thinking, "I never saw that in a prep book, but D has to be the best answer because none of the others make sense," then you're doing it right.

 

[pointodr]

I am starting a one year post bacc in June and want to give this a go, with some changes. Here's what I'm thinking:

- Start study in August
- August - January TPR content review / passages as per otterxavier, in conjunction with my classes. I would finish the material in TPR before I start Orgo 2, Bio 2, Biochem
- Feb - March go through TBR, focusing on passages and brushing up on content where needed (is 2 months long enough?). I imagine I wouldn't be adding too many anki cards at this point. Would be taking Orgo 2, Bio 2, Biochem at this time.
- March - April - passages in TPR science workbook and CARS workbook and Khan Academy
- May (full time as post bacc is over) - practice tests and fill in any final holes
- Take exam in June

How does this look? @otterxavier @Swagster @Un Cupo de Cafe @ScreenName23
Thanks!

 

[fldoctorgirl]

This post is incredible. I've been studying using the TPR book set and using the same method as you-- reading a chapter and then taking notes on it. The only difference is I've been answering the questions at the end of the chapter right after reading just to get a baseline for what I do/don't know without in depth studying. I am SO grateful for this post, however, because now I'm convinced flashcards are the best bet for me. I have been using flashcards to study for practically every course in undergrad (and I have a 3.8 GPA currently) so I knew it was an effective method for me, but I was undecided on whether or not I should utilize the same approach for the MCAT or whether it would be too time consuming. This post has convinced me to turn my notes into flashcards, so thank you for the advice! My test date is May 18th, so it's going to take putting in a lot of hours, but hopefully it'll help!! Thanks for being kind enough to share what worked for you

 

[DaAlienist]

Some other general thoughts about the exam:


I never took the old MCAT, but based on what I've seen, the new exam is less about content and more about critical thinking. For many questions, all of the information that you need to find the answer is there in the passage – it's just a matter of whether you can reason it out. Critical reading and thinking skills are essential on a passage-based exam and will affect your score on all sections, not just CARS. If that is a weak spot for you, I honestly think that once you have a solid grasp on the fundamental content for the MCAT (the things that will definitely be on the exam), it is higher yield to spend more time practicing critical reading, rather than memorizing more detailed content. Strong critical reading and thinking skills can save your ass on many passages where you are not familiar with the content. I don't have much advice about how to prepare for CARS and critical reading/thinking more generally... but there are many, many other threads about it here.


Lots of questions throughout the exam deal with experiments and experiment design – get comfortable reading primary literature about research in the sciences, particularly molecular and cell biology (e.g., look for short articles in journals like Science) and think through questions like:

• What is the hypothesis of this experiment, and what are the dependent and independent variables?
• How would you need to alter the experiment in order to test a different, related hypothesis?
• What conclusions are and aren't reasonable to draw from this set of data?
• Which aspects of the experiment design could limit the validity or generalizability of these findings?
• What directions for further research are suggested?
• What implications could this have for other physiological systems that I'm familiar with? Can I connect it to diseases that I know about, or possible treatments?

• 
  An MCAT prep journal club would be a fun way to do this (at least, my idea of fun ) If you are the kind of person who likes to skip over the figures, make sure to take a careful look at them, read the captions, and think about how they relate to the text (and whether they are saying the same thing as the text!)

I found that the course that was most helpful for the MCAT was Molecular Biology (which my premed advisor strongly urged me not to take!). Because of that course, I was already familiar with many of the experimental techniques described in passages, as well as the model systems that are used over and over (lac operon, cell differentiation in Drosophila embryos, etc.) You don't have to know these things going into the exam – it's explained in the passages where it's relevant – but it definitely helps to be familiar with it, it's less new info to synthesize on the fly (no pun intended).

Finally, remember this: succeeding on the MCAT is not about knowing everything. It's about staying calm and using reason to make good judgments in a situation where it's impossible to know everything. There will be passages on the exam where you have absolutely no clue what's going on. Expect that and be prepared to take a deep breath, make your best guess, and move on. The whole test is designed to get you to psych yourself out, panic, and descend into self-doubt. Don't fall into that trap.

Good luck!

Thank you so much! Do you mind If I collect these posts into a complete .pdf I can use. I will also post it on here or PM it to you if you like. Thanks again!

 

[otterxavier]

I am starting a one year post bacc in June and want to give this a go, with some changes. Here's what I'm thinking:

- Start study in August
- August - January TPR content review / passages as per otterxavier, in conjunction with my classes. I would finish the material in TPR before I start Orgo 2, Bio 2, Biochem
- Feb - March go through TBR, focusing on passages and brushing up on content where needed (is 2 months long enough?). I imagine I wouldn't be adding too many anki cards at this point. Would be taking Orgo 2, Bio 2, Biochem at this time.
- March - April - passages in TPR science workbook and CARS workbook and Khan Academy
- May (full time as post bacc is over) - practice tests and fill in any final holes
- Take exam in June

How does this look? @otterxavier @Swagster @Un Cupo de Cafe @ScreenName23
Thanks!

I think this looks like a great plan. You might find that learning the orgo 2 / bio 2 / biochem content from TPR on top of your fall semester coursework is a tall order. If that's not the case, awesome... but if it is, don't hesitate to shuffle your study schedule around a little so that the topics line up with your coursework -- you'll still have plenty of time to get through the material. Having that month of full-time studying at the end is going to be really helpful, and it gives you a buffer in case you need to change things around.

(Also -- if you're planning to apply immediately following your postbac, keep in mind that during the spring you'll be juggling classes, MCAT studying, and writing your AMCAS application. It's certainly doable, but you may also want to come up with a "strategic plan" for application-writing, especially if it's not built into your postbac.)

This post is incredible. I've been studying using the TPR book set and using the same method as you-- reading a chapter and then taking notes on it. The only difference is I've been answering the questions at the end of the chapter right after reading just to get a baseline for what I do/don't know without in depth studying. I am SO grateful for this post, however, because now I'm convinced flashcards are the best bet for me. I have been using flashcards to study for practically every course in undergrad (and I have a 3.8 GPA currently) so I knew it was an effective method for me, but I was undecided on whether or not I should utilize the same approach for the MCAT or whether it would be too time consuming. This post has convinced me to turn my notes into flashcards, so thank you for the advice! My test date is May 18th, so it's going to take putting in a lot of hours, but hopefully it'll help!! Thanks for being kind enough to share what worked for you

Hooray! I'm so glad it's been helpful for you. FWIW, I'm still using basically the same flashcard technique in med school and although making the cards is time-consuming, it really helps with retention, so I think it's worth the effort. Good luck in the home stretch before the MCAT -- soon it will all be behind you, which is a great feeling

Thank you so much! Do you mind If I collect these posts into a complete .pdf I can use. I will also post it on here or PM it to you if you like. Thanks again!

As long as it's attributed, feel free!

 

[fldoctorgirl]

Hooray! I'm so glad it's been helpful for you. FWIW, I'm still using basically the same flashcard technique in med school and although making the cards is time-consuming, it really helps with retention, so I think it's worth the effort. Good luck in the home stretch before the MCAT -- soon it will all be behind you, which is a great feeling

I have a quick question if you wouldn't mind. I'm new to Anki (I usually use Quizlet) and I was curious if you ever set up a custom study schedule or you just followed the automated schedule where it gives you x amount of new cards per day? I'm not sure if I should increase the amount of cards I am learning per day or not, and I'm just curious what other people do.

 

[futurefemaledoc_13]

This post is so helpful! Thank you for taking the time and effort to advise us I am currently in my 2nd year of post-bacc and will be applying next year. I am going to start studying for the MCAT this summer and probably take it in either January or March 2018. I'm very non-traditional in the sense that my undergrad GPA wasn't too hot; however, I currently have a 4.0 in my Masters program. Would you mind sharing your stats in terms of your GPA going in to your application cycle as well as extracurriculars/research experience? Congrats again on UMV!

 

[gallons]

Hello!

1) I finished school in December 2015. Currently working in a lab and a few contractor positions on the side. Basically, I did study during the school year.

2) I had covered most (maybe all?) of the material before I started reviewing. However, I was quite weak in physics and had to basically start from scratch. Yes, TBR material was sufficient for most everything assuming that you supplement your greatest weak spots with a YouTube video or two.

3) I read the chapter --> did all the passage --> made Anki flashcards--> read another chapter --> did all the passages there --> made more Anki cards ---------->

How do you memorize the tricks? Use Anki (or any spaced repetition learning system that you find convenient)!

4) I did hand write notes as I was reading the chapter. That made is easier to "import" them into Anki later on without having to flip through the thick TBR books.

I hope this helps!

I like to highlight things as I'm reading and scribble in comments as needed. Then when I go back for anki I know what to make vocab words or concepts out of. Bad part is harder to sell them later. PDF versions make this a moot point of course.

 

[gallons]

You're welcome.

I finished content review (including all TBR passages) about one-and-a-half months before the exam.

Then, I transitioned to official AAMC material and TPRH verbal.

I ended up with almost 600 Anki flashcards.

I hope this helps!

Wow so ~90% of time was content review and end of chapter passages. Mastery of content is key?

 

[gallons]

I think people say that you don't need it for the MCAT because the MCAT doesn't test on it per se, and will often explain molecular bio topics in passages as they're relevant. But molecular bio is so fundamental to so many of the passages that if you don't come in already familiar with those concepts, you end up having to learn and synthesize them during the exam.

But don't the updated prep materials from the likes of tbr, tpr, Kaplan etc. already cover all that is needed? Just wondering if it is worth reading 'Molecular Biology of The Cell' cover to cover. My uni essentially covers whole book between their molecular bio and cell bio classes.

 

[otterxavier]

But don't the updated prep materials from the likes of tbr, tpr, Kaplan etc. already cover all that is needed? Just wondering if it is worth reading 'Molecular Biology of The Cell' cover to cover. My uni essentially covers whole book between their molecular bio and cell bio classes.

I don't know what's in the current prep materials, but when I was studying in 2015, TPR's coverage of molecular bio was very superficial. The extra background that I got from taking an actual molecular bio course not only came in handy for the MCAT, but turned out to be indispensable when I started med school (and I'm now using it again as I start studying for Step 1...).

For the love of God, don't read MBoC cover to cover, unless you have dreams of teaching molecular bio someday. Likewise, I wouldn't postpone the MCAT to take a molecular bio course. But for folks who have are choosing upper-level bio courses to fill out their schedule, it's a good thing to take. It's not necessary in order to do well on the MCAT, but if you're aiming for the top, it will give your score a boost.

 

[DaAlienist]

I don't know what's in the current prep materials, but when I was studying in 2015, TPR's coverage of molecular bio was very superficial. The extra background that I got from taking an actual molecular bio course not only came in handy for the MCAT, but turned out to be indispensable when I started med school (and I'm now using it again as I start studying for Step 1...).

For the love of God, don't read MBoC cover to cover, unless you have dreams of teaching molecular bio someday. Likewise, I wouldn't postpone the MCAT to take a molecular bio course. But for folks who have are choosing upper-level bio courses to fill out their schedule, it's a good thing to take. It's not necessary in order to do well on the MCAT, but if you're aiming for the top, it will give your score a boost.

Books designed for medical school and upper level college courses are overkill for the MCAT. The cell bio and molec bio on the MCAT is pretty superficial, just like the biochem and pretty much every science topic they test. I have been told my many in medical school, the AAMC and advisors that those kinds of courses are not needed for the MCAT at all, and will not help. Will taking them make you worse off? No, but taking them for the MCAT is a waste of time.

 

[otterxavier]

Books designed for medical school and upper level college courses are overkill for the MCAT. The cell bio and molec bio on the MCAT is pretty superficial, just like the biochem and pretty much every science topic they test. I have been told my many in medical school, the AAMC and advisors that those kinds of courses are not needed for the MCAT at all, and will not help. Will taking them make you worse off? No, but taking them for the MCAT is a waste of time.

Like I said, reading something like MBoC to prep for the MCAT is completely unnecessary. I'm aware that the conventional wisdom is that molecular bio is not necessary for the MCAT (my premed advisors told me not to take it). That may have been true of the pre-2015 MCAT, but I think it's misguided advice now. I found molecular bio to be invaluable in parsing MCAT questions about, e.g., Southern blotting -- those little tidbits that you need to know in order to boost your score from good to fantastic. And a molecular bio background is pretty darn useful in medical school, which is the ultimate goal.

But your mileage may vary on this one. Let me know what you think once you've taken the MCAT and gotten your score.

 

[chillingpanda]

What approach did you use to organize your cards? So, how did you tag?

 

[otterxavier]

What approach did you use to organize your cards? So, how did you tag?

I had one big deck with five subdecks: biology, gen chem, organic chem and biochem, physics, and behavioral sciences. Within each deck, I tagged cards based on the source of the info (e.g., "CHEM102", "PR_Bio", "practicetest"). Not a very sophisticated scheme, obviously; if I were to do it again, I'd probably add tags for topics to make it easier to filter specific areas for review.

 

[JustinM88]

Non-trad here and I have been kicking trad students asses in my premed courses, often breaking 100% final averages! Non-trad's seem to have more common sense and discipline imo

 

[JustinM88]

@otterxavier:
It's too late for me to make Anki cards for my prereq classes. If I had heard about this strategy I would have done it in a heartbeat!

So give me an honest answer here. Do you think that having those Anki cards from prereq classes is essential in getting a high score such as a 526?

Maybe I should consider using BR for content review instead since they are known for being more detailed in their content (which could possibly make up for not having done Anki for pre-req courses all along...)

 

[otterxavier]

@otterxavier:
It's too late for me to make Anki cards for my prereq classes. If I had heard about this strategy I would have done it in a heartbeat!

So give me an honest answer here. Do you think that having those Anki cards from prereq classes is essential in getting a high score such as a 526?

Maybe I should consider using BR for content review instead since they are known for being more detailed in their content (which could possibly make up for not having done Anki for pre-req courses all along...)

Anki cards from prereqs are definitely not essential for a high score. But you do need some kind of strategy to make sure that you retain material as you're prepping for the exam. Creating Anki cards based on your content review is an easy way to get constant, systemic reinforcement (although you may find a different strategy that works better for you).

 

[bioboy23]

Im thinking about doing a very similar long study plan starting next summer. Do you think this would still be beneficial for kids who aren't non-trads?

 

[otterxavier]

Im thinking about doing a very similar long study plan starting next summer. Do you think this would still be beneficial for kids who aren't non-trads?

Yes!

 

[deleted446889]

Yes!

Hello! Do you still use Anki during medical school? Have you changed your method at all?

 

[bioboy23]

Yes!

Thanks! I'll let you know how it goes. I'm sure I'll have questions in the meantime, though!