MCAT Study Plan Help

[WhiteCoatSyndrome]

I am a sophomore entering my second semester and will have all my MCAT prereqs done at the end of second semester. I am a little bit confused on when to begin studying for the MCAT. I am planning on taking it in the spring of my junior year. I have researched it pretty thoroughly and know a lot about the MCAT, but haven't started formally studying for it yet. When should be a good time to start that would give me enough time to practice the test enough to "learn" how to take the MCAT as well as review material as needed. I know this is somewhat subjective considering everyone is different, but just answer as best you can.

Thanks!

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[upchurch]

I am a sophomore entering my second semester and will have all my MCAT prereqs done at the end of second semester. I am a little bit confused on when to begin studying for the MCAT. I am planning on taking it in the spring of my junior year. I have researched it pretty thoroughly and know a lot about the MCAT, but haven't started formally studying for it yet. When should be a good time to start that would give me enough time to practice the test enough to "learn" how to take the MCAT as well as review material as needed. I know this is somewhat subjective considering everyone is different, but just answer as best you can.

Thanks!

I would definitely recommend this coming summer if you are not doing anything else. It's a pain to have to study during the semester. I did it during the fall and have been spending all my time during winter break studying. Not really fun. I had pretty busy summers but if I could go back, I would probably dedicate a summer to MCAT. There is a lot of material and you want to do it right. Summer is the best time for that. If you are applying after your junior year, summer after sophomore year would be best.

 

[WhiteCoatSyndrome]

So would you suggest to start studying during the summer and then during the school year closer to the test date do things such as AAMC practice exams and things of that nature? I would probably take a Kaplan course during the school year as well. There is only so much you can do during a summer, but it would be a solid 3 months of a start. Opinions?

 

[upchurch]

So would you suggest to start studying during the summer and then during the school year closer to the test date do things such as AAMC practice exams and things of that nature? I would probably take a Kaplan course during the school year as well. There is only so much you can do during a summer, but it would be a solid 3 months of a start. Opinions?

I think 3 months is great for MCAT studying, especially if all your prereqs are recent. SN2ed schedule (http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=623898) is pretty awesome and thorough. I would avoid taking a prep course, though. Last year, I signed up for a Kaplan prep course. I attended the lectures but didn't have time to do work assigned. It ended up being pretty useless without me doing any of the work. I ended up postponing the MCAT. So, I think if you have the dedication to study, you can do it on your own in 3 months.

If I was in your shoes, I would study the entire summer and take the exam in late August or early September before school starts. Good luck!

 

[Inkoate]

I'd begin just reading review books now. Maybe even use your review books to supplement your studies at college. This way when you are done with sophomore year, you can start doing passages (BR books, EK 1001 bio book, TPR workbook, Kaplan quiz bank). If you are a really good test taker, focus more on the review material, but if not, do the passages because understanding the test is more important to your success on MCAT.

I'm currently studying for a retake, and I noticed that I need to focus more on passages and strategy. Just doing loads of passages and reviewing material i miss. I'm doing passages b4 review though because i remember a lot of material from studying for the past mcat.

 

[Mazdave]

I would definitely recommend this coming summer if you are not doing anything else. It's a pain to have to study during the semester. I did it during the fall and have been spending all my time during winter break studying. Not really fun. I had pretty busy summers but if I could go back, I would probably dedicate a summer to MCAT. There is a lot of material and you want to do it right. Summer is the best time for that. If you are applying after your junior year, summer after sophomore year would be best.

^^This^^

The idea that you should take your MCAT spring of junior year really needs to get out of the collective pre-med consciousness. Especially since you're going to have your pre-reqs all done, why wait?

 

[tttgo]

I'm in a similar situation. I'm taking the MCAT on September 10th. I've taken all my prereqs except bio. My last final ends on 5/13, so I will start intense studying right after. My bio class/lab (17 hours/week) is from 6/20-8/12. I plan to base my studying off of sn2ed's plan. Form 5/14-6/19, I will put in 50 hours/week. When my bio class starts, I will reduce the hours to around 15/week and make sure to get in tons of passages and 1fl/week. After the class ends, I will have a full month to devote to studying (there might be an overlap-fall semester starts Aug 25, but shouldn't be a problem since it'll still be early). Basically, I'm following his 3-month plan, except spending 2x the time on the second month. In addition to his plan's materials, I plan to finish Nova Physics, TPRH Science workbook, EK1001 series and 7 BR FL's. I might also get the GS FL's, but there probably won't be time. I won't be working during the summer (work study this semester to save up), but will spend several a week volunteering. The only problem I foresee is getting stuck on bio before my class starts. This is why I am starting content review now. I plan to webcast the entire bio course and attend the study group in order to self learn the material ahead of time. At the end of summer, all my prereqs will be fresh and I should be good to go. I am basically throwing my summer away, but I am motivated enough and have my reasons. I'm going to do everything possible (sleep at 10 everyday, no video games, study during free time) to make sure I don't fail.

 

[enTropeeeeeeeee]

I'm in a similar situation. I'm taking the MCAT on September 10th. I've taken all my prereqs except bio. My last final ends on 5/13, so I will start intense studying right after. My bio class/lab (17 hours/week) is from 6/20-8/12. I plan to base my studying off of sn2ed's plan. Form 5/14-6/19, I will put in 50 hours/week. When my bio class starts, I will reduce the hours to around 15/week and make sure to get in tons of passages and 1fl/week. After the class ends, I will have a full month to devote to studying (there might be an overlap-fall semester starts Aug 25, but shouldn't be a problem since it'll still be early). Basically, I'm following his 3-month plan, except spending 2x the time on the second month. In addition to his plan's materials, I plan to finish Nova Physics, TPRH Science workbook, EK1001 series and 7 BR FL's. I might also get the GS FL's, but there probably won't be time. I won't be working during the summer (work study this semester to save up), but will spend several a week volunteering. The only problem I foresee is getting stuck on bio before my class starts. This is why I am starting content review now. I plan to webcast the entire bio course and attend the study group in order to self learn the material ahead of time. At the end of summer, all my prereqs will be fresh and I should be good to go. I am basically throwing my summer away, but I am motivated enough and have my reasons. I'm going to do everything possible (sleep at 10 everyday, no video games, study during free time) to make sure I don't fail.

. You are already on your way to success. Trust me, it's the attitude that hinders most people, myself included. This is not to say you won't have a day where you give up (like me ). Keep it up!

 

[InshallahGSug2b]

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