How to Study for the MCAT as a Non-Traditional Applicant

[number5]

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Hey All you Non-Traditional Applicants,

Can anybody tell me how they studied for the MCAT, how long they studied for the MCAT, and materials they used as a non-traditional applicant. I am 26 years old, I work 40+ hr/week, a 3.2 GPA (so I need a rocking MCAT score), and I have taken the MCAT twice. I am having troubling buckling down and studying for the MCAT (a little due to fear of failure again). I find it hard to study 5 + hr/day while also having somewhat of a normal, balanced life. I say 5+ hr/day, because "they" say you should treat MCAT studying like a full time job. However, what do you do if you have a full time job. Any suggestions and/or advice would be helpful and appreciated!!!

 

[FrkyBgStok]

spread it out longer, multitask, and do not veer from the path. I got a 28 work 70 hours a week raising it from a 23. 28 also isnt a "great" score as you know either. you just need to keep up with a plan. repetition.

 

[aspiringdoc09]

I'm in the same predicatment too with similar stats (almost 26). I decided to make myself a schedule to incorporate at least 2-3 hours of mcat study; however, it is still difficult sometimes to keep up with the schedule. The best thing about the schedule is that you can include break/catch up days 2-3 times a week if you get behind. Also, a schedule helps you focus on what you need to study. Like the other poster said, extend when you want to take it (My target test date is March and maybe even by April the latest). I have gotten 2 days behind because I am an anatomy tech and our students had a lab practical, but because I have break days twice a week, (such as Saturday) I can study all day vs. my regular 2-3 hours to catch up.

So far I have an old kaplan 45 (which I will use the FL practice test out of later), Gold Standard (read through before, but don't like format so I will use the 3 FL tests and website resources), EK series w/ 1001 Chem, Phys, and Orgo as well as 16 Mini MCATs and 101 Verbal (just to get content down quickly w/ 1 FL), and I just purchased TPR hyperlearning package off Ebay brand new, which I will use to get a better grasp on weaker content areas such as orgo and physics. I heard TPRH is an excellent source to study with to do well but, again, it comes down to practicing using the tests to get comfortable with the format and how they ask questions. I thought about the princeton review class but I don't have $2000 and I will still end up doing the studying by myself either way.

I want to get through my content review (EK and TPRH) by January and then focus on practice test (i.e. both companies FLs and aamc's). Content alone want get you a good score...you have to master the format of the test by using intuition and answering questions accurately under timed conditions. You have experience, so you know. Definitely, practice more. Once you have a solid foundation for the content, take full lengths and try to score in your range. Others on this forum have good reasons for the advice they give, but they have experience, and most have 35+ MCAT scores, so they are the best to give the advice.

Physics is giving me the most trouble, but I know that it is my weakest area, so I am trying to get a strong foundation. This post was a little long but I hope you the best of luck and we are in the same predicament, so I will root for us both. Class of 2013 hopeful. 👍👍👍

 

[number5]

I'm in the same predicatment too with similar stats (almost 26). I decided to make myself a schedule to incorporate at least 2-3 hours of mcat study; however, it is still difficult sometimes to keep up with the schedule. The best thing about the schedule is that you can include break/catch up days 2-3 times a week if you get behind. Also, a schedule helps you focus on what you need to study. Like the other poster said, extend when you want to take it (My target test date is March and maybe even by April the latest). I have gotten 2 days behind because I am an anatomy tech and our students had a lab practical, but because I have break days twice a week, (such as Saturday) I can study all day vs. my regular 2-3 hours to catch up.

So far I have an old kaplan 45 (which I will use the FL practice test out of later), Gold Standard (read through before, but don't like format so I will use the 3 FL tests and website resources), EK series w/ 1001 Chem, Phys, and Orgo as well as 16 Mini MCATs and 101 Verbal (just to get content down quickly w/ 1 FL), and I just purchased TPR hyperlearning package off Ebay brand new, which I will use to get a better grasp on weaker content areas such as orgo and physics. I heard TPRH is an excellent source to study with to do well but, again, it comes down to practicing using the tests to get comfortable with the format and how they ask questions. I thought about the princeton review class but I don't have $2000 and I will still end up doing the studying by myself either way.

I want to get through my content review (EK and TPRH) by January and then focus on practice test (i.e. both companies FLs and aamc's). Content alone want get you a good score...you have to master the format of the test by using intuition and answering questions accurately under timed conditions. You have experience, so you know. Definitely, practice more. Once you have a solid foundation for the content, take full lengths and try to score in your range. Others on this forum have good reasons for the advice they give, but they have experience, and most have 35+ MCAT scores, so they are the best to give the advice.

Physics is giving me the most trouble, but I know that it is my weakest area, so I am trying to get a strong foundation. This post was a little long but I hope you the best of luck and we are in the same predicament, so I will root for us both. Class of 2013 hopeful. 👍👍👍

Do you study 2-3 hr a day or per week? Thank you for you taking the time to reply

 

[OBK]

i studied about 30 hours a week for a solid month and studied semi-sporadically before that. went to the library with lots o' coffee and took all the practice tests i could. i found that taking the exams uninterrupted and reviewing them after was the biggest help. good luck

 

[Reno]

I am in the same boat as you OP, took it back in 2005 and retaking in next week. Working FT at a somewhat demanding (ie cant study while working) job the last thing I want to do after work is study but rather unwind but you gotta do what you gotta do right?

Anyways, I would recommended starting as early as you can and don't try to do too much at one time, (1-2 hours a day working weekdays, more on weekends depending on your schedule). Personally, I underestimated how long it would take content review being out of college for 5 years. I think 3 months is not enough time unless you can average 5 hours a day or maybe your are a bit fresher with your content.

 

[furyhecla]

I am a non-traditional student. 38 yrs old (with Ph.D.), out of undergrad in 1996. work 40+ hrs a week plus lots of travel. I studied for about 5 months. Mainly on weekends, however also 1 - 3 hrs on weekday evenings. It was really difficult. For about 2 months I negotiated with my boss to work 20 hrs a week, so that I could study more (and also shadow physicians and volunteer). I don't think it would have been possible without this opportunity. I got a 32Q, which I think is pretty good given I hadn't studied the material for 18 years beforehand.

 

[chrissyxf]

this is exactly what i just went through. i'm also 26 and was working 50 hours/week and got a 31. I spent 6 months from start to finish.
Material: recommend only using one source- check out your options, spend a couple of days with each and see what fits your learning style best: EK was my choice. I had looked at kaplan and was overwhelmed by all the material- you really only need what EK tells you you need (just have a book to look up other concepts you've forgotton). I ran through the EK 10 week program twice total.
i took every FL test on AAMC (one a week on a Saturday) which I reviewed the following day while going over any weaknesses exposed.
Time: approx 2 hours/night Mon-thurs. Off friday night (to socialize🙂). approx 5-8 hrs on sat and sun each. The week before, I took 3 days off work, the first 2 to study and the last to do nothing but sit by the pool.
General: pick a test date early so that if you have to reschedule, you can still submit early. do NOT worry about your AMCAS app until after you take your test. you'll have a month of nothing to do but application stuff and will want to fill up that anxious time with something. make time to stay healthy- i slept 8 hours/night every night in the 2 weeks prior to the test, exercised 3x/week and didn't drink for a month. physical health= mental health= strength/endurance on test day. it's honestly a test of endurance.

good luck! it's been done before and you can do it too!

 

[Isoprop]

I highly suggest a classroom course. There's usually one that meets once a week over a long period of time. The other option is to do the intensive 2-3 week summer course and use your vacation time.

 

[aspiringdoc09]

Do you study 2-3 hr a day or per week? Thank you for you taking the time to reply

Per day. I usually look at 1 chapter or 2 chapters from different books (i.e., one lecture in Bio and Physics and complete problems and 30 min exams from EK series). In the end, it depends on your learning style and what works best for you. Like chrissyxf said, you may want to stick to one source. I like to look at different sources because everyone explains it differently, and one test prep company may do a better job at explaining a subject better than its counterparts. Again, that's just the way I see things.

 

[LUCPM]

As a non-trad who has been out of school for quite some time, I basically had to change my lifestyle prior to taking the MCAT. This included changing my diet, exercise, study habit, sleep time, etc.

What really helped me was taking the AAMC full-length exams under the most realistic conditions I could possibly simulate. I got up at the same time, ate the same food, started and ended the practice exam at exactly the same time. I literally treated this exam like a religion. By the time I went into taking the real test, I was psychologically prepared.

 

[augeremt]

I'm also 26 and have an even crappier GPA to offset with a good score. I haven't started studying yet, but here's my plan:

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=623898

It's a 3 or 4 month plan written by one of the guys here on SDN with a day-by-day breakdown. I think it calls for about 5 hours of studying a day with a day off a week, but clearly it depends on how fresh the material is for you. I know I'm going to have to put a lot of time into physics but not nearly as much into ochem, since I just finished taking that over the summer.

This is not a plug for any one way of approaching the MCAT, but I like having a definite plan, and it sounds like you would too.

Unfortunately I can't offer you any personal experience, but I expect my life to suck for the next 4 months.

 

[isoquin]

You put in as much time as you can, plain and simple. Don't go overboard throwing money away at every resource you've ever heard of. Don't be afraid to hit up your local library. You can use their question books without writing directly in them.

Lastly, I offer the following insight into the world of medicine. 40+ hours of work a week is more than average for people not in medicine. Once you enter med school, especially in many rotations during third year, 40 hours is a light week. It's time to up the game. If a resident can work 80 hours per week, you can do 60. 2 hours per day, scheduled, every day, is all you need. Monitor when you watch TV or browse the internet, and make a scheduled daily study plan.

Best of luck!

 

[blife]

I work 40-50 hours/week and second needing to get your diet and excercise on track as you start studying.

1) I used the Kaplan classroom on demand, and if you can afford it I recommend it. It's a set of books and flashcards with online lessons and the ability to ask questions about the stuff you don't understand via email. It helped me to have a checklist of things to study and the flexibility to study whenever I needed to.

2) Another big ticket for me - print out the outline of material covered on the MCAT from the AAMC website. Whatever program you use to study, every week or so compare the material against the outline to make sure you're covering everything. This helped me make the most of my limited time.

3) Keep track of how much time you study. I started my phone timer as I sat down to study, and stopped it when I needed a break. It helped me stay focused. You can do the opposite too - if you're having trouble focusing or getting started, set the timer for 30 minutes and just study. You'll get in the groove and keep going.

4) Flashcards everywhere. on the bus, at lunch, in a waiting room, getting your haircut EVERYWHERE

Optimal use of time should be your main concern. Tackle the stuff you hate/have problems with first. I hated o-chem, but all the time I spent on it paid off on test day.

Good luck!

 

[TXLa]

I recently graduated from college and am about to begin TPR in-class course. I am a little rusty on some of the subjects since some I had taken 2/3 yrs back. I know that's nothing compared to many. I would like to know if I should review before I start the course or if it would be fine to begin studying when the course starts. Do the prep courses prepare you enough in these 3 or so months if you haven't seen these subjects in a while? I honestly would like to give myself a break from studying for a while before I have to devote months.

 

[excitedtoapply]

So here is what I am trying-

EK- about 3 chapters a week, two subjects at a time. This works out to about 2 hours a night during the week.
Read the chapters Monday
Listen and take notes on Audio Osmosis on Tuesday
Read and make note cards while reading on Wednesday
Catch up on what I didn't finish on Thursday
Take lecture tests on Friday and review
Review and take practice verbal passages for 5 to 8 hours a day on Saturday and Sunday (at least one test out of 101 EK Verbal per weekend).

Generally I have to do my job at work but today I managed to get through 0.25 of Ochem lecture 2 on my Ipod for review! I figure every little bit counts, right?

I will start taking FLs once I have done the first time through on all of the topics as I have been out of school for 2 years and haven't taken most relevant classes in 3 or 4.

 

[DoctorDermis]

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[DoctorRock25]

Hey All you Non-Traditional Applicants,

Can anybody tell me how they studied for the MCAT, how long they studied for the MCAT, and materials they used as a non-traditional applicant. I am 26 years old, I work 40+ hr/week, a 3.2 GPA (so I need a rocking MCAT score), and I have taken the MCAT twice. I am having troubling buckling down and studying for the MCAT (a little due to fear of failure again). I find it hard to study 5 + hr/day while also having somewhat of a normal, balanced life. I say 5+ hr/day, because "they" say you should treat MCAT studying like a full time job. However, what do you do if you have a full time job. Any suggestions and/or advice would be helpful and appreciated!!!

I am like you, 25 years old, 3.3 GPA, MCAT in the 20's (took it twice), and I had a hard time buckling down myself considering I worked full-time. I was at the office most of the time and not at clinic, so I did sneak around the computer to study, shhhhh😉. It was challenging, but I did it. I didn't want to waste anymore time and money retaking the MCAT, especially if I scored worse and my MCAT was good enough! I aimed as high as I could. What really helped me was taking that Kaplan course and not veering away from the path of being a doctor. Either I do that, or stay at this job forever and I really do not want that at all.

Study as long and hard you can. I put in atleast 5 hours a day and did two test every weekend (one test in the day and one test at night) and that helped improved my score! Also, like someone said, don't go overboard. I would study the material you are having trouble with and then look at easy stuff. When you get into medical school, you wouldn't have to worry about working a job so much because of taking out loans ( I find it impossible and hard to try to go to medical school and work full time???? I rarely see it and my sister studies all day long.)

 

[alienwares]

This isn't non-trad specific per se, but it helped me a lot on MCAT day.

1) If you feel a little shaky about an area, review it repeatedly until it is an area you feel honestly confident about. The day before the MCAT, I originally planned to relax and avoid stressing myself out. However... I decided to do one final review of the topics I felt least confident in, and lo and behold on MCAT day there was a complete passage on electrochemistry. 🙂 I am pretty sure that my last-minute review got me 2 points on the PS section.

2) One-page summary outlines were also a lifesaver. Being able to review all of the information for difficult topics such as the endocrine system and E&M helped me a ton. It was much more efficient to look over a single-page outline than scan through review books, and I really regret not doing it sooner.

 

[excitedtoapply]

This isn't non-trad specific per se, but it helped me a lot on MCAT day.

2) One-page summary outlines were also a lifesaver. Being able to review all of the information for difficult topics such as the endocrine system and E&M helped me a ton. It was much more efficient to look over a single-page outline than scan through review books, and I really regret not doing it sooner.

I haven't taken it yet but my method of making note cards directly instead of taking notes from the book and then making note cards seems to be working well. It is similar to a single page outline in that it can be reviewed quickly. On top of that, it makes you focus on one thing at a time (which is important if you are feeling overwhelmed) and it still has details...doesn't work as well for physics but still works some!

 

[medceg]

I just haven't been able to motivate myself to study more than 0-2 hours on a work day. As a non-trad, there is so much crap to do when you get home from work.

The best thing I found was to do the practice tests or questions. They gave me the best knowledge return per unit time 😀. Once you find an area that you are lacking in, then go back and do content review for that section.

Now on the weekend, all bets are off. This is where you can play catch up on studying. In theory of course. I found myself reserving the weekend for attempting full length practice tests and then the week for questions and specific sections of content review.

This is the best way I have found to compress my time investment in studying, and still retain a majority of the effectiveness.

 

[stsa84]

I took a leave of absence from work for 2 months, studied 6-8 hours a day, 6-7 days a week. It took a few days to really get into the habit, but it soon became routine. I took the MCAT feeling I had learned everything I was going to learn, even if I had another 6 months to study. I walked away with a 36. If at all possible, I would take a break from work and focus full-time on studying, especially if you have a low GPA to overcome. I had a 3.25 GPA and just got accepted to an MD program.

 

[jdnontrad]

Advice from one who wrestled the MCAT twice! Firstly, quit or take a leave of absence from your day job if you have one, as one may find it difficult to mentally juggle multiple obligations (this accounted for my greatly improved score in my second try). Next tell yourself you have to study for a solid 6-8 weeks minimum.

PS - It helps if you already done graduate school 😉

 

[SisterDisco08]

I took notes on every page of all the Kaplan subject books, doing one chapter from each every day. except verbal, I used EK verbal. Only took practice exams after i was done with content review. then went over every wrong question on those. Studied for about two months.

 

[katiemaude]

I took the MCAT once with only community college classes under my belt and got a 30Q. I'm not thrilled but I'm not bummed either. If I don't get in this cycle I am definitely going to retake it in the spring.

Like you I'm a nontrad and had to work, volunteer, go to school and be a grownup - I'm a landlord, I have bills to pay, a house to maintain, etc. It's hard.

I took a Kaplan course. I'm on the fence about whether or not I'd recommend it. It was a heck of a lot of money.

I took the course two nights a week from Feb-April. It was basically the only "studying" I did, except for some half-hearted prereading of the chapters before class. It was too fast-paced to do while taking ochem and physics II, volunteering and working 15 hrs a week. I was lucky to get half the reading done before class. Between taking the diagnostic test and taking my last Kaplan full-length during the course, I raised my score... nada. (25 to 25, and verbal dropped!)

In May, I had finals and blew off the MCAT for three weeks. Then my sister got married. I was stressed and overwhelmed. I didn't really buckle down and study until early June, which is why I pushed back my MCAT til late July.

I studied 30-40 hrs a week through June and July, read every chapter of every Kaplan book, took all the quizzes and full lengths by Kaplan, and took about half of the available AAMC tests (I wanted to save some for a retake). Each time my score jumped a point or two. My last practice test was a 31.

Knowing what I know now, I'd say use your time to review material in your weakest subject areas, perhaps the classes you took the furthest back. Then plan to devote 6-8 weeks of "full-time" studying if you can. I was still working part-time, volunteering and still being a grown-up while I did it. Oh, and working out and eating well are key. The MCAT is a stamina test as well.

 

[excitedtoapply]

Mostly just a vent but...

I have my study schedule for the MCAT. I did great studying for 5 weeks then week 6 comes around and I am 4 hours short on studying by Saturday morning. I regroup Saturday, find that I really still do suck at ochem and even though I am an engineer looks like more physics brush up is in order and then Sunday hits. I get up early to study for 2.5 hours before I go on the motorcycle ride I promised with my hubby, expect to be gone 5 to 6 hours, get home 8.5 hours later and make the decision that if I go to bed early Sunday night I will be better off Monday night and will get more done.

Monday night, start studying 35mins later than planned after saying "sure I will look at one more picture from our trip this weekend but then I need to study" for the last time. I study for 10minutes and what happens? What is that I hear? Is that my work cell phone ringing? The one that has only rang after hours 3 times in the past year? Great! So now, 40minutes after my bed time I will start studying.

Just needed to share.

 

[Der Kaiser]

I took the MCAT once with only community college classes under my belt and got a 30Q. I'm not thrilled but I'm not bummed either. If I don't get in this cycle I am definitely going to retake it in the spring.

Don't get down on yourself for the 30Q. That means you are smarter than ~80% of other people taking the test. Sometimes the scores on SDN make one feel as if 30 is just barely passing.