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Anyone please...
Is a month an half enough to do content review + practice tests/questions?
- Thread starter BestDoctorEver
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It really depends on your grasp of the material going in. Me? Nope.
I think everyone suggests to take as many fl's as possible (all the aamcs). You need to spread them out though, so you don't burn out. If you take one like 3-4 days, it will take at least a month. The problem is that if don't have the content review down during the start of that month, you won't understand the exams as well and they don't become as useful. Have you already signed up for a test date? I have 4 months to study during summer, but 2 of those will be with class, so it's more like 3. I am starting on content now.
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When I start FLs, I will probably do 1 every other day, and reviewing mistakes on in between days. All the while, I'll be reviewing topics I'm weak on. Hopefully I can get in 15-20 FLs.....I hope the pressure of test day will prevent burnout.
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Glutton for punishment, huh?
Do you think you'll get much of a benefit from doing them so packed together?
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I'm not sure. I'm assuming that taking a bunch of tests will give me a wide range of the material. That way I'll be able to review the different topics, get practice doing FLs, and do independent review on weak areas.
The other thing is...when I take exams, I typically devote myself completely for 48 hours before taking it. When I go into it, I feel that my intense exposure helps me to get into the groove more. Basically, I'm treating the MCAT in the same manner, except it's 4.5 months instead of 48 hours. I'm definitely not arguing that this is the best method.
What do you plan on doing? Any suggestions?
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Well I'm doing 3 FLs a week for 4 weeks until my test. I don't really think it's that bad. I have been doing 12 hour days as it is, so I think that if you work up to it, it is actually not that bad. Just make sure you have at least 1 break day a week. I've heard people say it gets you in the zone. Just don't be a hero like some people and try to do them all in 2 weeks leading up to the exam.
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I haven't taken the official test yet (i.e. this isn't a retest for me). I do agree with you that taking a bunch of tests will give you a wide range of the material, but I think that at the same time, taking a couple of the tests (i.e. 1 a week) will allow you to see the score breakdown and concentrate on studying the material that you're falling short on.
I don't think, personally, that a test every other day would work for me because:
-I am wiped out after an exam if I do it right. I spend the rest of my day reading a book or playing video games because there is no mental capacity left.
-I feel like it's a race, if I'm doing 2 races back to back, I'll hold myself back in the first one subconsciously so I have something left in the tank for the second one. If you have something left in the tank, then you're not going as hard as you can.
-I have friends who take 2 tests back to back to work on their 'mental toughness' or whatever. I mean, whatever works for you but I think that this might even be better since you can see clearly where your shortcomings are. I.e. you can see if you're making the same/similar mistakes between two exams. I think it's still excessive though. You don't need to be able to do 2 exams back to back to be able to do well on one.
The big thing is that you want to give your brain to synthesize the material you're trying to teach it. I think this process takes atleast a few days of looking at material, etc. So my recommendation would be to give yourself time to understand where you're going wrong instead of spending more time staring at it. I think you're not giving enough attention to how much you learn when you're not staring at the material.
You're devoting a lot of time to studying (8+hrs a day if I recall) which is great for reviewing stuff you already know, but might fall short when you're drilling down and trying to look at something you don't understand in new light.
It would really really really suck to burn out coming close to the exam though. Which would probably be my biggest fear. I'd start to look at each upcoming exam with annoyance instead of respect and that would not bode well for me when I was taking the real test. If you have controlled anxiety etc, I think that's better than being apathetic as you lose your 'edge' otherwise.
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Well that was longer than I expected it to be.
I guess that you two are just more hard headed than I am. Impressive 🙂
Good luck!
I guess that you two are just more hard headed than I am. Impressive 🙂
Good luck!
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I definitely appreciate and understand your advice. I will consider it while continuing my developing plan. Thanks!
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IMO if you really recall your basic science courses, and have time to spend 4-5 hours per day on just content review its possible. I would spend 2-3 weeks on content review, especially your weakest section. I would then spend the last 3-4 weeks doing a practice test every 3 days or so, making sure to review wrong (and right) answers in-between the FLs. Life would probably suck for the 1.5 months though.
