How much time did you people put into studying for the MCAT???

[laura_mideon]

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I was just wondering how much time you guys think is necessary to study for the MCAT to get a decent score? I just decided to take the MCAT this august and I will also be taking General Chemistry 2, and Organic Chemistry 1, and introductory statistics. My problem is that I am not sure with these other classes if I'll have the necessary time to study, or if I should drop the statistics class.

Any advice would be appreciated.

 

[LaDoctorFutura]

hi. i just took the april mcat. i took the kaplan prep course, which was six to nine hours of class time a week, and then i studied probably two hours a night, give or take a few nights. keep in mind that once mcat got near, i studied more and more. i used kaplan books and examkrackers, which dumbed it down for me, so it was a lot easier to understand and get the concepts, which is all that you need to understand really. with your load, hmmm...you may be overloaded. i was taking 17 hours and had to drop a course so i wouldn't be overstressed. you need to not be stressed during the entire process. but, there is probably never an ideal time to study adequately, so do your best and try your luck at it. don't underestimate studying. and remember... do not study what you already know. true, it may make you feel good when you study and realize that you know the stuff, but that means you should be spending that time on the stuff you don't know. concentrate on your problem areas, take plenty of practice tests, and don't become discouraged. GOOD LUCK!

 

[crazy_cavalier]

If you plan on taking all those courses in the summer, I would be worried if you are taking them all at the same time. I took Organic Chem 2 and Orgo Lab 2 over the summer last year... it wound up occupying about 7 straight hours of my day, from 8 am until 3 pm every day monday - friday. That was for two concurrent courses during July to mid-August (the same summer-class cycle phase... my school has a Session 1 and Session 2, analogues of the Fall and Spring terms)

Don't pack on too much course work in the same timeframe you are preparing for the MCAT. Consider your MCAT prep an additional 3 credit-hour class (maybe even 4 credit hours) when you think about it.

This last year, I took the Kaplan classes, so that was (6 hours / week x about 11 weeks) + (about 7 hours each practice test x 7 or 8 practic tests) + (my own prep time) = something like 200 hours preparation. During this time, I had initially signed up for 20 semester hours... but dropped to a more sensible 16 semester hours once I discovered how sucky Probability is (my prof stunk), and after I switched a 2 credit lab to a 1 credit lab that meets only once per two weeks.

 

[Slitherin]

about 20 hours on practice tests and another 20 studying. Just trying to cover the low end of the normal distribution.

 

[ky_at_hopkins]

I probably studied an average of fifteen hours a week for the three weeks leading up to the MCAT, just reading ExamKrackers books. I ended up with a 32, nothing to be ashamed of but nothing spectacular either.

 

[tank you]

u need to start studying early, like right now, especially if ur taking all those classes in the summer. maybe u should read the 30+ MCAT study habits thread

 

[laura_mideon]

Thanks for all your advice. I read that 30+ mcat thread and it was so helpful. I dropped my statistics class, so I am just going to take the two chems (and labs). At my school the summer semester goes from may 2nd to aug 13. Then the mcat is august 20, so I'll have a week to completely concentrate on the mcat.
Now I'm off to ebay and amazon to try and find some good mcat books. Looks like most of you use kaplan right? I used kaplan for the pcat and found it useful but the mcat one has some awful reviews on the net, but I think I'll try them.

Do you think it matters if I get books from 2004, or is it important that they're up to date?

 

[67192]

Do you think it matters if I get books from 2004, or is it important that they're up to date?[/QUOTE]


I would say it's pretty important if they are up to date, since they change the test every year and the newest book usually reflects that.

Also, you may need to study a bit more than most people if you have not yet completed Gen. Chem and Orgo. I agree with everyone else though, figure out your weaknesses and focus on them, and if you have not yet learned the material (aka. G.Chem and Orgo) these will probably be areas of weakness.

 

[medanthgirl]

Now I'm off to ebay and amazon to try and find some good mcat books. Looks like most of you use kaplan right? I used kaplan for the pcat and found it useful but the mcat one has some awful reviews on the net, but I think I'll try them.

Do you think it matters if I get books from 2004, or is it important that they're up to date?

Hi Laura,

I ended up getting both Kaplan and Princeton review on ebay, and then EK from amazon. Maybe it's a little overboard, but I like having alternate explanations for concepts/things i haven't looked at in a long time. Kaplan is very outline-y and has tons of good questions. Princeton I like b/c the books are very thorough, and read like a novel almost.

 

[laura_mideon]

Thanks, I decided to order the up to date comprehensive review from kaplan and I found a bunch of free practice tests from the internet (I don't know how useful those will be) and I got 6 or 7 books from the library, they are older, but I figure if I have at least one up to date one I'll be fine. What did you guys thing of the EK ones? Seems to be mixed reviews on it from what I can find.