How should I structure my MCAT self-study boot camp (11 weeks)?

[Rop]

I am taking the MCAT on April 11th with a goal score of 25+. My early assurance program requires a 25 and I feel 100% committed to the medical school 🙂. Therefore, a 25 is just fine with me and my accelerated pathway used up self 🙄.

Materials:
I am exclusively using TPR subject books for content review and TPR Hyperlearning Science and Verbal workbooks for passage/discrete question practice. I will take AAMC FLs throughout the 11 weeks.

Plan:
I will study 23 hrs/week for 11 weeks. One of those weeks will be Spring Break , which allows for 9 days of 8 hrs+/day if needed (grand total of 300 hrs +/-)
while also taking 18 hrs of classes. This is how I will do it:

To discourage burn out:
1. I was able to construct MCAT study slot increments (3-4 hrs sessions) during lengthy down time between classes (I live off campus), along with 4 hours of MCAT study each morning on the weekends (10am-2pm) (excluding practice test Sundays). Wednesday is my MCAT study break day where I will study for classes only.
2. With this schedule, I am in bed by 12am every night and up for classes by 9 every morning for school days.
3. In terms of studying for my classes: With this schedule, on weekends I have from 2pm-12am to study strictly for classes. On weekdays I have anywhere from 6pm-12am or 9pm-12am to study strictly for classes. I have also allotted my self two 1 hr "study hall" slots to study for classes during school days. I get in bed most nights at 1am anyway, so I may study further as I see fit.

Any input/advice/criticism on my above plan is welcomed.

Should I divide each TPR review book (Bio, Verbal, GChem etc) and subsequent passages and discretes by 2-week increments, focusing on one book at a time?

Should I mix and match review subjects and subsequent passages and discretes throughout the week?

Some other method?

I wanted to take a diagnostic to gauge where to start and go from there, but I was advised by my fellow SDNers not to do so.

Your help is appreciated

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[TheVitalReview]

you're definitely on the right track since you already pre-scheduled study time for yourself

in my experience, i think focusing on one subject per day (e.g., day 1: bio, day 2: genchem, day 3: physics, day 4: orgo, repeat) is the best strategy because it allows for spaced repetition. for example, if you study bio topics, then review them the next day, it'll be easier to remember them, but if you study certain topics, then come back to them in a couple of days, you can really test whether you've committed the knowledge to memory.

and you can do a few timed verbal passages per day as well to keep your verbal skills up.

also, try to get through content review as quickly as possible and spend the bulk of your time answering and thoroughly reviewing practice questions.

good luck

 

[Rop]

you're definitely on the right track since you already pre-scheduled study time for yourself

in my experience, i think focusing on one subject per day (e.g., day 1: bio, day 2: genchem, day 3: physics, day 4: orgo, repeat) is the best strategy because it allows for spaced repetition. for example, if you study bio topics, then review them the next day, it'll be easier to remember them, but if you study certain topics, then come back to them in a couple of days, you can really test whether you've committed the knowledge to memory.

and you can do a few timed verbal passages per day as well to keep your verbal skills up.

also, try to get through content review as quickly as possible and spend the bulk of your time answering and thoroughly reviewing practice questions.

good luck

Thanks for your advice! When you say content review, are you referring to reading all the subject books? Should I do passages from TPRH workbook while going through the subject books?

 

[TheVitalReview]

Thanks for your advice! When you say content review, are you referring to reading all the subject books? Should I do passages from TPRH workbook while going through the subject books?

yes you are correct, by content review i'm referring to reading through the subject books. i only have experience with the TPRH science workbook and verbal workbook, so i don't know if the subject review books have questions incorporated into the chapters or not. if there are questions incorporated in the subject prep book, then yes complete those questions as you read the books.

the goal is to complete a "first pass" of the material quickly so you have more time to tackle practice questions. after you've read the subject prep books once, you'll have a general idea of the useful diagrams and of where to look for certain topics, so it'll be easier to review practice questions.