If you could go back...

[shadyknick]

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For those of us who already took the MCAT exam and got below a 30 I just wanted to ask, if you were to go back and take that same exam again, what would you change/add/ect?

I think many people can learn from our mistakes.


Me: I would not just us EK for physics

 

[def1]

Study more than 2 hours a day.
Do a lot more practice problems.
Learn organic instead of trying to memorize it.

 

[Member 331305]

-don't take it until you're ready
-study for months (instead of weeks)
-do practice problems/passages (doing the AAMC full lengths is not enough practice)
-memorize less, understand more

 

[Anathema]

-Don't rely on retakes (kind of like the Dark Knight Rises when Bruce learns to succeed without the rope, the fear will find you)
-admit when you don't understand something and take time to understand it
-don't procrastinate getting to the testing center and arriving panicked and rushed

 

[shadyknick]

I agree, definitely learn the material and not just memorize it

 

[burntorange]

Get a good nights rest the night before and treat the exam like any other exam. The more pressure you put on yourself, the more prone you are to scoring below your average. Test-day adrenaline can only help so much; too much and it's detrimental to performance.

 

[AdmAckbar]

Thanks for the insight so far guys. I'm sticking around to hear what else people have to say.

 

[exquisitemelody]

What I did for the 3rd time I took the MCAT:

1. Actually studied. For reals. Dedicated studying from sun up to sun down for about a month straight.
2. Used Berkeley Review and did their practice problems - gold.
3. Focused on what I really don't know. Honestly, I spent most of the time studying physics and chemistry (my weaknesses) and probably only spent a week on bio (and ended up still scoring highest in bio and managed to finally raise my PS score, so it worked out).
4. Slept more. The first two times I took the MCAT, I probably had 3-4 hours of sleep. If you are a bad sleeper, sign up for a 1pm test if they still have those.