Is 6 months too early to start preparing?

[jdla]

Well I studied for the summer for like 3 months but I voided the exam. I want to start now to prepare for the MCAT. I think the more time the better for me. What do you think. How should I plan myself to be efficient?

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[jdla]

What your opinion?

 

[koopa_troopa]

I think 6 months is too much time. You can get through all the material in 2 months time, practice for a month, even with school.

 

[DrMT]

i think 6 months is a good amount... i studied for 3 and didnt feel like i had enough time to drill the practice tests..... i only had time to learn/relearn materials... take a few tests and that's it. the extra 3 months to drill and go over the stuff youre weak at would be good, IMO

 

[jochi1543]

I studied for 4 months, 4-6 hours a day, and found that I was lacking time for practice exams, so I ended up only taking 2 AAMC practices. Depends on where you start though - I had not finished half the pre-reqs when I started studying for it.

 

[Pausey]

I studied for three months, one subject at a time. This pushed all of my AAMC practice exams to the last couple of weeks, which sucked. If I did it again, I would go through all the subjects at the same time and spread my practice exams out more. I ended up with a 33Q, so I will not be retaking it, but I think I could have done better if I had used a different strategy. But by the time I realized that I had not used the best method before, it was too late to switch. At least if you start six months before, you can figure out if your study methods are not useful and switch to something else.

 

[Legato]

If you start 6 months in advance, try to understand concepts you never paid attention to in your classes/concepts you didn't understand for the sciences, and for verbal, if it is a problem, I'd start reading more and practicing critical reading skills + speed. When you start getting closer to the exam, focus more on mcat specifics and memorizing formulas(which shouldn't be a problem because you will hopefully conceptually understand each formula). Give yourself plenty of time for the practice tests and reviewing your mistakes.

Most important: be consistent

 

[iblunk]

i think 6 months in advance is about the right time to start if you plan on studying about 2-3 hours a day. i took a princeton review course and wasn't able to go through all the material and do all the practice in the 2 months, but i only studied ~2 hours a day outside of class. if you have more time to put into it than mcat prep than that then i would suggest starting studying more intensively later, like 2-3 months before the test so everything is still fresh.

 

[zizebrazi]

It's never to early to start preparing! Don't delay....start right now.

 

[DorianGray]

just make sure you don't burn out

 

[jdla]

Thanks everyone.

 

[plauto]

6 months is perfect. I started 5 months before the test for about 3hrs a day and while I did well I felt I could have used a couple more practice tests.

 

[jdla]

6 months is perfect. I started 5 months before the test for about 3hrs a day and while I did well I felt I could have used a couple more practice tests.

How did you do? VR PS BS

 

[mterp45]

Well I studied for the summer for like 3 months but I voided the exam. I want to start now to prepare for the MCAT. I think the more time the better for me. What do you think. How should I plan myself to be efficient?

Am not taking my test till April and I started studying in August about 12 hrs a week, spending at least 4 hrs per week on verbal. That will give me 8 months of studying. so just remember that you will be competing against people like me who work really hard, and people on SDN who are just natural geniuses so no I don't think 6 months is too early unless you are one of those geniuses.

 

[ChubbyChaser]

IMO 6 months is too long. You have a risk of suffering major burn out. try 3 months instead

 

[de_la_soul]

IMO 6 months is too long. You have a risk of suffering major burn out. try 3 months instead

but with 6 months, he can take a week or two off if he gets burned out. i studied about 4 and a half months before the test and took about 2 weeks off (at different times) because of burnout. i think expanding to 6 months is good if you can do it and sustain it, you might need breaks along the way like i did though. also be sure to read books or magazines like the new republic, smithsonian or even vanity fair during these 6 months. it'll help a great deal on the VR AND the other sections

 

[bigserve99]

yup 6 months sounds about right.

 

[majik1213]

ha 6 months isn't too early .. I spent a year in prep and got a 29T .. so yea the sooner the better

 

[tachyon34]

6 months isnt too early at all at least not for me. School comes up and u wont have 4-5 hours a day to study with research or volunteer. Start as early as possible, if only reviewing background info. This is important cause it gives you extra time at the end for more practice tests. And also lets u be more confident cause u dont have to be like O no i feel like i dont know anything. U can say start a few months early and review the essentials really quickly. I spent almost 10+ months studying, but at a relaxed pace until the last half, wherein I ramped it up. IMO u burn out faster if u cram too much at the end.

but then again I am a slacker so I probably need more time than most to prep. (still paid off with a 35R tho)

 

[deleted127837]

.