MCAT DOs and DONTS

[Monsterlyfe]

Hello everyone, this is my first forum, and after years of looking at everyone else's post that weren't exactly answering my question,... I decided to ask my own finally.

1.) I am a Junior in Biology minor Nutrition Pre- professional. I am currently taking the MCAT in June on the 29th and have been studying since December with Exam Crackers and after reading other peoples forums on what to do and not to do. I wanted to know....

For people who have not done so well on the MCAT, why? What are some things WRONG that you wish you would have done or done better?

I'm going to try my best from here till June to at least take about 12 practice exams with weekly 20 hours of studying while taking my 12 hours of classes + ORGS (volunteering, RAing, social life, research)

What's to much? What's not enough? What should I add?

I really want to know overall.... I know the MCAT is hard AF, but if I do all this what are my chances of still doing poorly?

I keep reading horror stories of some people saying they have taken it 3-4 times and nothing seems to get them past teens on the old exam or 500 on the new one.

I'm also A first Generation black male student with a 3.1 and already freaking out! = DO/MD/POSTBACC all on my radar if possible


Thanks sorry if this is long

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[MedVIP]

MonsterLyfe: No specific number of hours or schedule guarantees success. There are various study plans that exist for different time frames, and they all kinda miss the most important point: The MCAT is a test. Just like any other test, it has sensitivity and specificity. It is (with the exception of P/S) specific for the type of student the AAMC wants: One who really understands the concepts and sees them as more than a set of equations. The best part about an MCAT content review is that it is a chance for a retrospective integrative review of your undergraduate curriculum, where the "walls" between the disciplines and courses you took should dissolve. It's all one thing, man. There is the occasional learning disability or true test-taking issues (rarer than claimed) that reduce the sensitivity, but those who do poorly and fail to improve usually fail in that, and it's also why people fail to do well on the USMLE after that - don't study, LEARN.

-MedVIP

http://youtube.com/medvipvideos

 

[KeepingitMoving]

DO NOT take the MCAT until you are scoring AT LEAST 500 on practice exams!!!!!!!! If I could put that on a blimp I would.

 

[Arkragon]

Aiming for at least 125 on every section is a good start.

Specifically about the MCAT itself:
- memorizing all the amino acids, their structures, and letter designations would help a lot
- practicing CARS and actually read the questions properly would've helped as well
- don't stress on test day. Big breakfast + coffee on test day didn't go too well with me