MCAT in 2.5 months

[hopeful555]

Hey guys
So I have been on here before but I'd appreciate some advice. I took a diagnostic in Jan and did really bad (490). However, I was determined to do better and study since I had time till my June 2nd test date. I studied since then, however due to my anxiety, depression, and school exams (that I had to pass), I kind of couldn't study for almost three weeks..I have promised to myself to never ever do that again though. But, my test is in 2.5 months and I feel horribly unprepared. I feel like I can't do this not now, not ever. My typical day is spent studying yet I feel like I'm not really studying? I am going through all content review now and I'm taking a FL tmrw yet I know im gonna bomb it and i and so scared. i feel like such a stupid idiot because I wasted two months due to time management, anxiety and depression. I am also in a early program and I need to get a 509 by august to stay in it. My GPA is good for now (3.91), but I feel like I have definitely worked hard for MD, however I can apply to DO if i have to. my thing is, do you guys think it can be done? Can I do this in 2.5 months? If i have to, I may even have to sacrifice my GPA and sleep and sanity to do this..

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[futuremedschoool]

Hey guys
So I have been on here before but I'd appreciate some advice. I took a diagnostic in Jan and did really bad (490). However, I was determined to do better and study since I had time till my June 2nd test date. I studied since then, however due to my anxiety, depression, and school exams (that I had to pass), I kind of couldn't study for almost three weeks..I have promised to myself to never ever do that again though. But, my test is in 2.5 months and I feel horribly unprepared. I feel like I can't do this not now, not ever. My typical day is spent studying yet I feel like I'm not really studying? I am going through all content review now and I'm taking a FL tmrw yet I know im gonna bomb it and i and so scared. i feel like such a stupid idiot because I wasted two months due to time management, anxiety and depression. I am also in a early program and I need to get a 509 by august to stay in it. My GPA is good for now (3.91), but I feel like I have definitely worked hard for MD, however I can apply to DO if i have to. my thing is, do you guys think it can be done? Can I do this in 2.5 months? If i have to, I may even have to sacrifice my GPA and sleep and sanity to do this..

Hey man, you can do this. A part of it is being confident and believing that you can. Apply DO too. That's a great GPA and maintain it. Create a study plan, and I highly recommend doing any and all practice material (especially the AAMC question packs). Do not waste time going over things you already know just because it feels reassuring. Take at least one practice test a week starting tomorrow.

 

[futuremedschoool]

I wasted so much time doubting myself before applying and later realized the process was "over hyped". It is so doable, and a part of it is creating a reasonable list of schools to apply to.

 

[Saifa]

Yes, you can most definitely study for the MCAT in 2.5 months.

No, you should not compromise your mental health to do so if that's going to be the case.

Take this from someone who studied for the MCAT for four weeks while writing primaries and secondaries and spent the following semester in and out of therapy/psychiatry.

Take care of yourself, your self-worth is not dictated by this exam.

 

[Welshman]

if you have nothing else going on I actually wouldn't recommend studying for more than two months. MCAT burnout is real, I studied for 2.5 months 8 hours a day and the week before my exam I pretty much felt like I couldn't study anymore.
As an added peice of advice, DONT take a FL until you've reviewed a majority of the content on the exam, you'll do poorly just waste your time. Get at least 50-60% of your content review in and then take one so you know where to focus the rest of your efforts. then take as many as you can until test day, I'd say at least 7 and ALL of the AAMC FLs and material (save them for the very end though)

 

[hopeful555]

Hey man, you can do this. A part of it is being confident and believing that you can. Apply DO too. That's a great GPA and maintain it. Create a study plan, and I highly recommend doing any and all practice material (especially the AAMC question packs). Do not waste time going over things you already know just because it feels reassuring. Take at least one practice test a week starting tomorrow.

Thank you so much for your kind words..I definitely think a lot of practice is the right way to go. I took a practice test today and got a 502, but idk if I just got lucky bc i did not at all feel ready for it

 

[hopeful555]

Yes, you can most definitely study for the MCAT in 2.5 months.

No, you should not compromise your mental health to do so if that's going to be the case.

Take this from someone who studied for the MCAT for four weeks while writing primaries and secondaries and spent the following semester in and out of therapy/psychiatry.

Take care of yourself, your self-worth is not dictated by this exam.

I needed to hear this. I try to remind myself this easy day..thank you so much

 

[hopeful555]

if you have nothing else going on I actually wouldn't recommend studying for more than two months. MCAT burnout is real, I studied for 2.5 months 8 hours a day and the week before my exam I pretty much felt like I couldn't study anymore.
As an added peice of advice, DONT take a FL until you've reviewed a majority of the content on the exam, you'll do poorly just waste your time. Get at least 50-60% of your content review in and then take one so you know where to focus the rest of your efforts. then take as many as you can until test day, I'd say at least 7 and ALL of the AAMC FLs and material (save them for the very end though)

Thank you! I took a kaplan FL today, and I got a 502..Initially i was happy but idk if i just got it by luck, because I did not feel like i reviewed content enough..a lot of the questions are topics that i have recently studied in school so idk if it was just luck, or I really am on track or improving ?

 

[futuremedschoool]

Thank you so much for your kind words..I definitely think a lot of practice is the right way to go. I took a practice test today and got a 502, but idk if I just got lucky bc i did not at all feel ready for it

Sweet, 502 is a great place to start. It's not luck, the results for the MCAT are not luck, you really get out of it what you put into it

 

[futuremedschoool]

Sweet, 502 is a great place to start. It's not luck, the results for the MCAT are not luck, you really get out of it what you put into it

I recommend spending tomorrow reviewing the questions, and understanding what you missed and reviewing corresponding content

 

[Welshman]

Thank you! I took a kaplan FL today, and I got a 502..Initially i was happy but idk if i just got it by luck, because I did not feel like i reviewed content enough..a lot of the questions are topics that i have recently studied in school so idk if it was just luck, or I really am on track or improving ?

Just keep reviewing content and understand that you’re progress is good but you still have a long way to go. FYI that’s what I scored in my first FL too, never got above 512 on a Kaplan FL and got up to 522 on the AAMC FLs

 

[hopeful555]

Thanks so much!!

I recommend spending tomorrow reviewing the questions, and understanding what you missed and reviewing corresponding content

Thank you so much! I will definitely do that!

 

[hopeful555]

Just keep reviewing content and understand that you’re progress is good but you still have a long way to go. FYI that’s what I scored in my first FL too, never got above 512 on a Kaplan FL and got up to 522 on the AAMC FLs

Thanks! Do you think its possible to get it to a 510 by June 2nd?

 

[futuremedschoool]

Thanks! Do you think its possible to get it to a 510 by June 2nd?

Oh yea for sure, more than doable, keep doing at least one timed FL a week, you'll see your score rise

 

[Mr. Babe]

When it comes to Kaplan, FL's always seem to be scored really low. It doesn't make sense to me, but I scored almost 10 points higher on the MCAT compared to the 3 Kaplan FL's that I took. I agree to take as many FL's are you can. Practice as many question banks as you can and you'll get better and understand the test better. It kinda sounds like you need to take a short break to get your head back in the game. The MCAT can kill even the best students because of how important it is. If you want to be a doctor......then go get it! Being a pre-med sucks. You'll make it through

 

[thegreengreatdragon]

OP, I really wouldn't worry about it. Studying in 2.5 months is very much doable. I studied for roughly that long. I also got similar scores to you on my initial practice exams (like low 500s), but I ended up getting in the top 10% of scores when I took the real deal.
I second everything that's been told to you. Review content as much as possible, then take practice exams and fill in the gaps closer to test day. But most of all, don't stress out. A GPA as high as yours indicates that you are intelligent and driven, so I have trouble believing you'll do poorly on the MCAT. Remember, confidence is key

 

[MDPedigree]

Just keep reviewing content and understand that you’re progress is good but you still have a long way to go. FYI that’s what I scored in my first FL too, never got above 512 on a Kaplan FL and got up to 522 on the AAMC FLs

You had 522 on AAMC and then only 515 on the real deal? What do you think went wrong?

 

[Welshman]

Thanks! Do you think its possible to get it to a 510 by June 2nd?

Make a study schedule and stick to it, planning is everything. At first you’ll need a week to review FLs, but you should be able to take a day or so off that after each one. By 6-7 it should only take a day or two to review your mistakes. Plan it like that and if you complete 8+ FLs and review them you’ll do well

 

[Welshman]

You had 522 on AAMC and then only 515 on the real deal? What do you think went wrong?

I got lucky on that one lol, but I’m general the “score predictors” said I would do a couple points higher than a 515. Just goes to show you never know how the test day can pan out

 

[Piglet2020]

TBH I studied <2 months for the MCAT (basically cramming over summer break after my finals). I did reasonably well on the real test (511), but I never scored past 508 on those Kaplan FLs. I took around ~5-6 FLs, mostly Kaplan and AAMC. I say 2.5 months is plenty of time if you make the MCAT your #1 priority. The score predictors out there are pretty accurate too. It said my range would be between 509-513 after I put in all of my FL scores. Good luck!