How many hours are needed for a very competitive MCAT score (generally speaking)

[aurevoir0711]

Title says it all. How many hours should one put in for a very competitive MCAT score (old score 35, so around 517+)? It seems like most people study for 8 - 10 hrs per day with one day off a week (6 x 9 hrs = 54~55 hrs per week). 14 weeks in 100 days, so that will be roughly 55 hrs x 14 weeks = 770 hrs, so roughly 800 hours?

I know everybody starts from a different point for MCAT preparation, but I was just curious how many hours should one expect to put in for a very competitive score. I would sincerely appreciate your response and poll!

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[tj123]

I've read that there is a stronger positive correlation between hours spend doing practice problems and exam scores. Meaning that just "time studying" isn't that useful in predicting exam scores. Some people score very well and spend 300 hours studying. It all depends on your efficiency and active study habits. Based on other peoples experiences, practice FLs are key. That's what I've been doing so far. I take my exam in April and so far I've studied 200 hours. I guess short answer is it depends on how you're studying and how much you already know. Don't kill yourself.

 

[Domepiece]

To echo @tj123 and their great advice, the crux lies in the efficiency and quality of your study hours, not the quantity. Also, the notion that 'most people study 8-10 hrs per day' is ridiculous. Part of the battle is finding how you study and retain information the best.

Most people don't retain information from simply reading it through a zillion times. Use notecards, highlighting, writing out chapter summaries, etc. Whatever works for you. I would recommend emphasizing practical application (practice tests and practice questions) over content review, using these to guide your content review to remedial areas. Don't spend lots of time reviewing what you already know well to make yourself feel good.

Take all practice tests in test conditions (e.g. no phones, no extra breaks, no google/supplemental information, no extended time, etc.). Don't neglect training for the mental stamina the test requires.

Lastly, don't study for the sake of studying. If you are honest with yourself, you know when you are no longer retaining information. If it is 1 in the morning and you know you aren't retaining anything, then just go to bed. If you have been studying for 4 hours without a break and have been forcing yourself to continue for the latter half, then take a break and pick it up later. If you are burnt out after studying for 3/5/7 days in a row and from the moment you start in the morning it is an overbearing struggle (slight struggle is expected) then take a day off to refresh.

 

[TXMED_1695]

Studying 8-10 hours a day is basically on the lines of saying, "you're going to lose 100 pounds in a week." The people that have the brain power capacity to retain information over long duration's do not study like that anyway. Also, what works for me may not work for you. Stressful learning environments and burn out study sessions hardly ever work for anyone. I made a 522 on my MCAT, and I studied 2 hours a day, M-F (at my Universities Library, in the same spot) for 2 years. It took me 2 semesters during my UG to learn/understand my maximum retention methods.

 

[Youngm2194]

I personally thing 8-10hrs a day is too much. I did 3-5hours maybe 5 days a week. I used examkrackers, had the AAMC FL (only one when I took it), AAMC question packs, and the TPR practice exams that were free from buying a book. I studied from late May to my test Sept 11, but started studying a little longer the month before. I ended up with a 515 (128/128/131/128). I think if you take your prereqs relatively recently and did well there is no need to study 8-10 a day because you will definitely burn out and I think there is a way to study more effectively. I agree with the above though that practice problems are much more valuable. I did not do all of the questions packs in one sitting, I separated them out over a few weeks and I think that helps. That way you can also try doing them again at a later date (although not as effective)

Also as I type this I realized I never actually simulated a real full length which is probably dumb, but I took a practice test over the course of a day, basically doing one section, taking a break, going on to the next etc. I thought that test day I would be hyper/nervous/anxious etc. that I thought a 7hr test with those feelings would be hard to mimic, so I did the above method instead

 

[aurevoir0711]

I agree with all the comments. The point of the thread was not to guarantee a competitive score if you put in x amount of hours in, but to get different opinions of how many hours seems/was sufficient for a decent preparation.

Unfortunately, I am a non-trad applicant and it has been 9 years since I took physics II (at a good engineering school) and I never took physics I in college because of AP credit. However, my degree was mechanical engineering, so physics I is not a problem for me. I took Bio 1/2, Ochem1, and Genetics recently at a state school, but I am taking biochem concurrently with MCAT preparation. I have way less science background compared to traditional applicants, so even the content review is pretty rough.

I once tried to study for the MCAT without taking gen chem II, ochem, genetics, and even bio 1... That was the dumbest idea in my entire life (or at least very close). I never understood what is so difficult about pre-med curriculum until I actually took the classes.

 

[NeuroPA]

Depends on how well your foundations are of the subjects area, remember it covers about 9 semesters of materials.


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[andelJ94]

I would guess about 400 hours. The AAMC used to officially recommend ~ 350 hours of study for the old MCAT. With our exam, there is some new material (psych, soc, biochem) and some old material cut out (physics, orgo).

 

[mc1214]

It's all subjective. I scored a 513 with 100 hours, so definitely more than that if you're looking at a 517!


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[DaAlienist]

It's all subjective. I scored a 513 with 100 hours, so definitely more than that if you're looking at a 517!


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100 hours total? did you take class/course ? each practice exam is about 8 hours right. So taking 10 of them (what I aim to do) is 80 hours right there.

 

[mc1214]

100 hours total? did you take class/course ? each practice exam is about 8 hours right. So taking 10 of them (what I aim to do) is 80 hours right there.

I used Kaplan but didn't do the whole course. I skipped a lot of the videos, and I only took two full lengths.


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[Chunkybrewster14]

I used Kaplan but didn't do the whole course. I skipped a lot of the videos, and I only took two full lengths.


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What is a full length? Is that different from the practice tests?

 

[mc1214]

What is a full length? Is that different from the practice tests?

It's the same thing. It's anytime you sit down and take the test just like it will be on test day. Kaplan offers a "diagnostic" that is half length in time, and full lengths that are the same number of questions and same time as the real MCAT.


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[AnotherLawyer]

Title says it all. How many hours should one put in for a very competitive MCAT score (old score 35, so around 517+)? It seems like most people study for 8 - 10 hrs per day with one day off a week (6 x 9 hrs = 54~55 hrs per week). 14 weeks in 100 days, so that will be roughly 55 hrs x 14 weeks = 770 hrs, so roughly 800 hours?

I know everybody starts from a different point for MCAT preparation, but I was just curious how many hours should one expect to put in for a very competitive score. I would sincerely appreciate your response and poll!

I know this won't be a popular comment but it is the truth. A 517 is the 96th percentile. At most, 15% of MCAT test takers have a shot at a 517+. For the remaining 85%, it doesn't matter if they study four hours or four thousand hours. They're not getting a 517+.

The far better question to ask is how many hours you need to study to max out your potential, whatever that is.

 

[AnotherLawyer]

But we can deceive ourselves that we are the 15%

There's no harm in that if it makes you work harder. Everyone benefits from more prep.

 

[midamergirl]

150-170 hours content review then 200-220 hours taking tests and reviewing results from test to further studying. 7-10 fl tests in total


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[Altius Premier Tutor]

I didn't know students still believed this myth. There is not a maximum potential on the MCAT, no upper limit you cannot cross. The AAMC would like you to believe that their exam gives you some magic score that is "your score" and is highly unlikely to change. Not true. Scores change all the time, often dramatically, and bigger reason scores are hard to change is because student behavior is hard to change. Most students retake the MCAT after making very few SUBSTANTIVE changes to what they did to prepare for their first exam, so yes, they end up getting a similar score.

The only limits on your potential are your own behavior, your own willingness to sacrifice and do whatever it takes. You all need to relieve yourself of this ridiculous burden and allow yourself to believe the far more encouraging TRUTH...that *almost* any MCAT score is attainable if you are willing to invest the work necessary.

The reason only 5% of students score a 517+ is not because only 5% of students have the genetic potential to do so, it is because only 5% of students have reached the threshold of knowledge & skills necessary to earn that score. Nearly every other person among the 95% could cross that same threshold, given sufficient time and personal discipline/commitment.

One thing I love about the MCAT is that it is not actually curved in the way people think it is. If 100% of the students on a given test day earn the raw score associated with 525, everyone gets a 525, period. It's like being an Olympic high jumper but knowing that as long as you cross the bar at "x-height", you will receive the gold medal.

I have personally helped a student who did not know his times tables at our first meeting achieve a 90th-percentile score. I've helped several students achieve 20-point improvements. One of my good friends who is now an Altius tutor had taken the MCAT three times and sputtered out around 500, then he got a 523. There is no freaking limit based on some "genetic potential." Bull crap.

This idea seems closely related to the idea that the MCAT is an IQ or aptitude test, when it is neither. Multiple studies have shown that IQ does not predict MCAT score. In fact, personality is a better predictor of MCAT score than IQ. Even if the MCAT was somewhat like an aptitude test, which it isn't, many studies have shown that IQ can be improved through several different methods, such as additional study, mentoring, brain training, etc. A recent study showed that students could increase their IQ by a set number of points for each year of additional education. This myth needs to die. Don't let this silly test intimidate you. Anyone can kill the MCAT if they really want to.

 

[AnotherLawyer]

I didn't know students still believed this myth. There is not a maximum potential on the MCAT, no upper limit you cannot cross. The AAMC would like you to believe that their exam gives you some magic score that is "your score" and is highly unlikely to change. Not true. Scores change all the time, often dramatically, and bigger reason scores are hard to change is because student behavior is hard to change. Most students retake the MCAT after making very few SUBSTANTIVE changes to what they did to prepare for their first exam, so yes, they end up getting a similar score.

The only limits on your potential are your own behavior, your own willingness to sacrifice and do whatever it takes. You all need to relieve yourself of this ridiculous burden and allow yourself to believe the far more encouraging TRUTH...that *almost* any MCAT score is attainable if you are willing to invest the work necessary.

The reason only 5% of students score a 517+ is not because only 5% of students have the genetic potential to do so, it is because only 5% of students have reached the threshold of knowledge & skills necessary to earn that score. Nearly every other person among the 95% could cross that same threshold, given sufficient time and personal discipline/commitment.

One thing I love about the MCAT is that it is not actually curved in the way people think it is. If 100% of the students on a given test day earn the raw score associated with 525, everyone gets a 525, period. It's like being an Olympic high jumper but knowing that as long as you cross the bar at "x-height", you will receive the gold medal.

I have personally helped a student who did not know his times tables at our first meeting achieve a 90th-percentile score. I've helped several students achieve 20-point improvements. One of my good friends who is now an Altius tutor had taken the MCAT three times and sputtered out around 500, then he got a 523. There is no freaking limit based on some "genetic potential." Bull crap.

This idea seems closely related to the idea that the MCAT is an IQ or aptitude test, when it is neither. Multiple studies have shown that IQ does not predict MCAT score. In fact, personality is a better predictor of MCAT score than IQ. Even if the MCAT was somewhat like an aptitude test, which it isn't, many studies have shown that IQ can be improved through several different methods, such as additional study, mentoring, brain training, etc. A recent study showed that students could increase their IQ by a set number of points for each year of additional education. This myth needs to die. Don't let this silly test intimidate you. Anyone can kill the MCAT if they really want to.

Given that your reply has absolutely nothing to do with the OP, and that the only post in this thread relevant to your lengthy reply in mine, I can only assume this is directed at me. As usual, the data demonstrate you are wrong and your anecdote is almost certainly a lie. Of those who scored at the median, only 4% of retakers showed a 7+ point improvement. Your "friend's" improvement would be something like 15 points on the old scale. So congrats to your "friend"! He achieved a result that was nearly statistically impossible! I'm sure he has a perfect March Madness bracket too.

But keep killing the "myth." As long as everyone believes they can score in the 99th percentile like your "friend," people in your line of work will have a steady stream of customers who believe if only they pay an expensive tutor they too can achieve similar results.

 

[enchantediris]

I guess it depends on if you have time for dedicated prep (no job or classes) or not! When I was studying for the MCAT, I either had a full-time and part-time job or was in classes full-time with a part-time job, and I couldn't imagine only doing 3 months of prep -- well, I tried and ultimately decided to postpone because I definitely wasn't ready. What worked for me was making flashcards during content review (this took a couple months on and off), and constantly reviewing them with Anki. I also did practice FLs almost immediately, which is extremely painful when you haven't finished content review, but it is good to start building endurance and practice answering questions. I ultimately took the MCAT about a year after I started content review, but I definitely was not studying the entire time. I would say I averaged 10-15 hours a week for MCAT studying, broken down like this:

1. January - March: content review, making flashcards (and reviewing), about 4 FLs
2. April: some AAMC QPs and SBs
3. Huge break because I decided to postpone my MCAT and felt burned out, but I was doing Anki maybe 25-50% of the days (very on and off)
4. October-November: picked back up content review, watching Youtube videos of things I was confused about, EK 30 min quizzes
5. December: 3 FLs, I also had two weeks of full-time studying (basically burned out during this time)
6. January: 2 FLs, reviewed QPs and SBs, worked on weaknesses with EK 1001

So I guess that's a minimum of 320-480 hours? That's not counting sporadic review during my break. The morals of the story are to (1) be realistic about how much you can study without burning out -- I took off two weeks in January (before my MCAT!) because I could not bring myself to study anymore, (2) you don't have to have and maintain the perfect study schedule to score well, and (3) don't feel pressured to take the MCAT if you're not ready! I highly, highly recommend using Anki for flashcards. I honestly was not doing much at all between April and October except for Anki, and my practice tests jumped almost 7 points after that break.

I am extremely happy that I decided to postpone my MCAT last April (it meant taking a gap year for me). Back then, I found myself scoring around a 512-514 in AAMC material, which is by no means a bad score. The issue was that I found myself worrying that I would score 2 points lower than that (my goal was at least a 512), rather than 2 points above. I also secretly really wanted to score a 517. I literally gasped out loud when I finished my first scored AAMC FL in December and saw that I had scored a 518 (!), and I ended up scoring higher than I really dared to dream about on the real MCAT.

 

[Altius Premier Tutor]

I stated in my post that:

1. Scores are hard to change...
2. Most students...end up getting the same score.

You respond by telling me "the data demonstrate [I am] wrong" and support that claim by linking to an AAMC data table which shows that:

1. Scores are hard to change...
2. Most students...end up getting the same score.

Did you intend to make a point?

In your two most recent posts, you've impugned my motives and called me a liar. I'll give you the benefit of the doubt that you are an honest and well-intentioned individual. I won't make personal attacks.

STILL STANDING BY MY MESSAGE: With only the rarest exceptions, anyone can earn an amazing MCAT score with sufficient dedication; and yes, students improve dramatically on retakes. Most do not, but that is NOT because they cannot.

 

[DaAlienist]

The latest info from the AAMC says that the average score needed to get in is just over 508. What percentile is that? I thought this new exam was going to make it easier to get in even if you do not ace it.

 

[AnotherLawyer]

The latest info from the AAMC says that the average score needed to get in is just over 508. What percentile is that? I thought this new exam was going to make it easier to get in even if you do not ace it.

You can google "MCAT percentiles" and answer your first question pretty easily.

As to your second question, the AAMC certainly tried to push the notion that a 500 was sufficient as far as the MCAT goes and that those who score above 500 should then receive the holistic review. But schools haven't bought into that philosophy and I don't think they ever will.

 

[DaAlienist]

You can google "MCAT percentiles" and answer your first question pretty easily.

As to your second question, the AAMC certainly tried to push the notion that a 500 was sufficient as far as the MCAT goes and that those who score above 500 should then receive the holistic review. But schools haven't bought into that philosophy and I don't think they ever will.

Sorry, I figured this was the best place to get trustworthy MCAT info. I didn't want to have to sift through a google search.

So do you think the AAMC full of it and blowing smoke, or were they just naïve? I find it hard to believe they would be so dumb as to make such promises to us about scores without knowing if any actual ADCOMS were going to follow their direction.

 

[77deuce]

I used Kaplan but didn't do the whole course. I skipped a lot of the videos, and I only took two full lengths.


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Congrats on your MCAT score 🙂 Did you feel comfortable taking the MCAT with only 100 hours of studying because of high scores on your practice exams?

 

[DaAlienist]

You can google "MCAT percentiles" and answer your first question pretty easily.

As to your second question, the AAMC certainly tried to push the notion that a 500 was sufficient as far as the MCAT goes and that those who score above 500 should then receive the holistic review. But schools haven't bought into that philosophy and I don't think they ever will.

Looks like a 508.2 is ~ 78-79th percentile. How does this stack up with pre-2015 MCAT scores for those who actually got in? I tried to find it on the AAMC website but it looks like they took all pre-2015 MCAT data off the site.

 

[mc1214]

Congrats on your MCAT score 🙂 Did you feel comfortable taking the MCAT with only 100 hours of studying because of high scores on your practice exams?

I wouldn't say that's how it went down. I had signed up for the test and was determined to take it regardless of how much I studied, knowing I could retake it if needed. My practice exam scores weren't very high (highest was 504), so I went in with a lot of trust and hoped for the best! I knew Kaplan's practices were typically lower for students than their actual score, and I knew social facilitation often kicks in for people when taking the MCAT. Those things were what made me feel like it was acceptable to take it when I did, with as little studying as I did.


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[integratethis]

A bunch, that test is awful. IMO 504+ will get you in somewhere, provided your GPA is good. The MCAT tests your intelligence, so its kinda impossible to answer. If you are not intelligent, you will do poorly: Even with tons of practice. I'm reasonably intelligent, studied a ton, and managed a decent score. Nothing out of this world sub 510, greater than 504, and I received a few acceptances.

 

[DaAlienist]

A bunch, that test is awful. IMO 504+ will get you in somewhere, provided your GPA is good. The MCAT tests your intelligence, so its kinda impossible to answer. If you are not intelligent, you will do poorly: Even with tons of practice. I'm reasonably intelligent, studied a ton, and managed a decent score. Nothing out of this world sub 510, greater than 504, and I received a few acceptances.

The AAMC says the average matriculant gets a 508.2, but you got multiple acceptances with < 508?

Were your acceptances MD or DO? Is your GPA amazing, or do you go to a top school? Are you an underrepresented group member? My goal is to get 510+ but any stories where people can go MD with lower will help with confidence.