MCAT Problems

[MsBrain]

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Hey everyone! I plan to take the last old MCAT exam offered on January 23rd. I'm really worried about my preparation for this exam because I only have about 4 weeks left to prepare. I have been using my Exam Krakers MCAT prep materials for the last week or so and I'm not sure what the best approach would be in mastering all this material in such a short amount of time. I know 2 to 3 months is usually advised, but this is the only time window I have to study for this exam. Any study tips would be awesome.

 

[texan2414]

Have you finished content review?

 

[StayCoolIceCube]

Hey everyone! I plan to take the last old MCAT exam offered on January 23rd. I'm really worried about my preparation for this exam because I only have about 4 weeks left to prepare. I have been using my Exam Krakers MCAT prep materials for the last week or so and I'm not sure what the best approach would be in mastering all this material in such a short amount of time. I know 2 to 3 months is usually advised, but this is the only time window I have to study for this exam. Any study tips would be awesome.

The MCAT is a hurdle you need to pass in order to get into medical school. If you can't set aside the required time to allow yourself the proper amount of studying, maybe you should reconsider whether or not medicine is the right path for you at this time. A limited number of truly stellar students don't need the full 3 months prep time, but you need to be honest with yourself. If that's what you need to do your best on this exam, then only you can make it your priority.

 

[MsBrain]

The MCAT is a hurdle you need to pass in order to get into medical school. If you can't set aside the required time to allow yourself the proper amount of studying, maybe you should reconsider whether or not medicine is the right path for you at this time. A limited number of truly stellar students don't need the full 3 months prep time, but you need to be honest with yourself. If that's what you need to do your best on this exam, then only you can make it your priority.

I really want to take to this last old exam because I feel like I have a better chance at scoring well on that version than the 2015 version. Studying for the MCAT while taking classes this past semester did not work out so I postponed studying until winter break so I could have full and undivided attention.

 

[MsBrain]

Have you finished content review?

No. I'm about half way there. I'm following the Exam Krakers 10 weeek study schedule, but I double up my work load. I do two weeks of assignments in one week, which will have me ready in 5 weeks.

 

[taina]

i used exam krackers and studied for 5 weeks.
the books prepped me pretty well. especially when i went through the chapter then did the practice in the back.
i followed a schedule and skipped over things i was confident in. i tried to be done with material a week before the test and just do practice from there on out.
i remember i was super worried about half way through the content too, but it was totally fine! relax!

 

[Dr Van Helsing]

When you take a AAMC practice test, it will tell you how well you will score on the MCAT +- 1 point.
Do not go in hoping for a miracle.. Be realistic and good luck.

 

[barca4ever]

First of all, did you schedule your exam? If you only "plan" to take the test, I don't think you will find any seats because everyone is trying to sign up for this last MCAT. If you are already signed up, then you should really buckle down and study for at least 10 hours each day. I would say you can study for the MCAT with 1 month if you are really smart. Save 2 weeks to do content review, 2 weeks to do practice. It's really hard to judge how long you need for the MCAT but the key to this test is PRACTICE, PRACTICE, and PRACTICE. No matter how well you know the content, getting used to solve the problems under time constrain is much more important. Good luck with whatever you decided to do.

 

[josephpx]

Base everything off of practice test results.

 

[z_maverica]

I agree with barca4ever but Im doing the pharmacology MD/PhD. I took one month to study for the MCAT and did really well and now Im taking the break to study for GRE. Could be what made a difference for me is that I normally study 10 hours a day anyway so all the preparation was really just review. The nervous energy is what costs you so if you can workout everyday doing something you like that will help.

 

[WedgeDawg]

When you take a AAMC practice test, it will tell you how well you will score on the MCAT +- 1 point.
Do not go in hoping for a miracle.. Be realistic and good luck.

I would correct this to say when you take all 8 AAMC practice tests, it is more likely than not that your score will be inside or very close to this range.

 

[Gauss44]

Strategies (what I did that worked well for me):

1. Watch Chad videos on coursesaver, then read the same topic in EK, then watch Chad teach the next topic, then read EK (Every now and then just go through the words in bold and pictures and make sure you still know what they mean.)
2. Hire a tutor to zip through anything you are still struggling with. My favorite tutoring company is WyzAnt because you can pick you who tutors you and for how long.
3. Don't underestimate the amount of wonderful test prep material online for free, on youtube, etc. Just make sure not to spend too much time looking for stuff online or by getting distracted by something more interesting that the MCAT.

Good luck!