MCAT 2015 prep

[xsarabae]

Hello everyone. I am just finishing up my freshman year of college. I have recently pre ordered the 7 book set from Kaplan for the mcat 2015. When should i start studying, because my premed advisor was saying to look at the material over the summer, and that is not what i have heard. Also, is there a set study schedule that people follow, or do people make up their own. thanks guys.

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[edgerock24]

Hello everyone. I am just finishing up my freshman year of college. I have recently pre ordered the 7 book set from Kaplan for the mcat 2015. When should i start studying, because my premed advisor was saying to look at the material over the summer, and that is not what i have heard. Also, is there a set study schedule that people follow, or do people make up their own. thanks guys.

When do you plan on taking the exam? I'm guessing May/June of 2015. If so, I'm also guessing you haven't taken more than half of your prereqs yet. I'd say you can start studying 4+ months out from your test date or so. Studying a year in advance won't truly be helpful because you'd likely forget a lot of what you reviewed.

 

[Mel Belle]

When do you plan on taking the exam? I'm guessing May/June of 2015. If so, I'm also guessing you haven't taken more than half of your prereqs yet. I'd say you can start studying 4+ months out from your test date or so. Studying a year in advance won't truly be helpful because you'd likely forget a lot of what you reviewed.

I'm likely taking the MCAT in 2016 (maybe 2017, probably not). Next year I will be finishing up my prereqs with biochem 1 and 2 and calc physics. I also tutor MCAT prereq courses. Would using an MCAT review to brush up for tutoring and to keep the material somewhat fresh be a bad idea? Maybe I should find different books to use? I just noticed that the books are now available for the 2015 version.

 

[DrRobert86]

Getting started a little early with your review is not going to hurt anything. If anything you are just getting a look at materials and exams early. I agree with the above though, you don't want to do anything to taxing until you withing a year or so from your exam date. At that point you are in a prime opportunity to get serious about your preparations and have time to prepare adequately. Start exploring your options now for how you will prepare. I hope this helps.

 

[DrRobert86]

I'm likely taking the MCAT in 2016 (maybe 2017, probably not). Next year I will be finishing up my prereqs with biochem 1 and 2 and calc physics. I also tutor MCAT prereq courses. Would using an MCAT review to brush up for tutoring and to keep the material somewhat fresh be a bad idea? Maybe I should find different books to use? I just noticed that the books are now available for the 2015 version.

It sounds like you will be in a good position to start your preparations. I would recommend doing some sort of structured plan that offers tutoring as a part of it. As a current tutor I am sure you know the value of working with someone who can coach you. If you have tutor who has successfully conquered the MCAT it will be an asset to you in the long run. The additional structure will be helpful to as long as it is an interactive learning environment that you are participating in. You have your options Kaplan, Princeton Review, Altius Test Prep. Whatever you choose, be sure to look where your investment will be directed. My personal opinion is that lecture style is less effective, tutoring is more beneficial.

If you wanted to review and get a feel for the new exam you can always take the new practice exam from the AAMC or look at prep companies who have free practice exams. I know Altius has one, Kaplan may have one also.

 

[GreyF0X]

Hello everyone. I am just finishing up my freshman year of college. I have recently pre ordered the 7 book set from Kaplan for the mcat 2015. When should i start studying, because my premed advisor was saying to look at the material over the summer, and that is not what i have heard. Also, is there a set study schedule that people follow, or do people make up their own. thanks guys.

In my opinion, I feel that you are starting way too early. You also should not have ordered the books, many test prep companies will be changing their books or making some additions/exclusions from their books as they get more information about the new MCAT and get more practice material from the AAMC throughout the year. Khan Academy has a bunch of videos you can look at, they put the videos up in collaboration with the AAMC. If I were you, I would sell the books and wait until next year to get better practice material. I heard that TBR was going to release a new set of books sometime this fall. You also don't want to study too early, you will most likely forget unless you put into practice what you've learned, albeit it won't hurt to study ahead of time, just won't be too effective. Another thing I want to mention, some pre-med advisors are known for their ignorance about their knowledge on medical school admissions, kind of ironic but its true, so take what they say with a grain of salt.