MCAT Study Plans, Study Strategies and Ask Me Anything (AMA) Threads

[Lawpy]

Here is a collection of MCAT study guides, tips and advice provided by helpful members on SDN forums. Some of the threads may be old but they apply well for MCAT 2015 (especially verbal/CARS strategies and tips of maintaining focus and confidence on test day). This directory will be regularly updated with new resources.

General Strategies

Good scores can be achieved inexpensively by using excellent self-study plans. StudySchedule is an SDN supported resource that provides a customized daily MCAT schedule quickly for free. The following are additional study plans provided by SDN members.

MCAT 2015 Strategies

Thanks to @mcatjelly @_Nymeria_ @MeVamp @Next Step Tutor @BerkReviewTeach @smtrinidad @littlebear92 @jballantine @KoalaT @Pakora @aldol16 @MemeLord @otterxavier @hubbsbubbs @mcatmatt @GoodLuckDolphin @BryanBeid @Kpw101 @INMYZONA @capenn16 @FutureDrOcean @samosamosa @dagnydominque2012 @Cornfed101

• 509+ MCAT Study Habits
• mcatjelly's MCAT Study Schedule
• Nymeria's MCAT 2015 Study Plan Adapted from SN2ed and mcatjelly Plans
• MeVamp Protocol: Low-Stress Organizational MCAT Study Schedule
• NextStep Test Prep's 100 Days to MCAT 2015 Success
• BerkReviewTeach's 120-Day Study Schedule
• smtrinidad's Six Steps to MCAT Study Success (and 12 Week MCAT 2015 Study Plan)
• littlebear92's 101-Day MCAT 2015 Study Schedule
• jballantine's Study Schedule
• KoalaT's All-in-One MCAT Guide
• Pakora's Six Week Study Approach to 526
• aldol16's Study Guide
• MemeLord's Study Guide
• otterxavier's Study Guide
• hubbsbubbs' Study Guide
• mcatmatt's Study Guide
• GoodLuckDolphin's Study Guide
• BryanBeid's Study Guide
• Kpw101's Study Guide
• INMYZONA's Study Guide
• capenn16's Study Guide
• FutureDrOcean's Study Guide
• samosamosa's Study Guide
• dagnydominque2012's Study Guide
• Cornfed101's Study Guide

Pre-2015 (Old) MCAT Strategies

Thanks to @SN2ed @Spinach Dip @BerkReviewTeach @LostInStudy @Jepstein30 @fergusonian

• 30+ MCAT Study Habits
• SN2ed's 3 Month MCAT Study Schedule
• Spinach Dip's Method of Significantly Raising MCAT Score in 2 Months
• BerkReviewTeach's Self-Study Schedule (and Adaptations of SN2ed Study Plan)
• LostInStudy's (LIS) Official Advice Thread
• Jepstein30's How to Get Started on the MCAT
• fergusonian's MCAT Study Insights

Specific Strategies

These strategies are tailored towards specific sections on the MCAT.

Verbal Strategies

Thanks to @SN2ed @TestingSolutions @KoalaT @begoood95 @curvesetter @MikeS 78 @QofQuimica @BloodySurgeon @Vihsadas @PanRoasted @Eddie Chahar @theyellowking @Icebird

• SN2ed's Collection of Verbal Reasoning Tips and Strategies
• TestingSolution's 30 Day Guide to MCAT CARS Success
• KoalaT's Golden Rule to Improve on Verbal
• begoood95's CARS Tips and Strategy
• curvesetter's CARS Strategy
• MikeS 78's Guide to Deconstruct the MCAT Verbal
• QofQuimica's MCAT Verbal Reasoning Explanations Thread
• BloodySurgeon's Verbal Guide for Those Who Can't Read Good
• Vihsadas' Verbal Strategy
• PanRoasted's Verbal Strategy
• Eddie Chahar's Verbal Strategy
• theyellowking's Verbal Strategy
• Icebird's CARS Strategy

Science Strategies

Thanks to @QofQuimica @Shrike @BerkReviewTeach @curvesetter @theonlytycrane

• Shrike's Physics FAQs and Topic Writeups
• QofQuimica's General Chemistry Topics with Explanations
• QofQuimica's Organic Chemistry Topics with Explanations
• QofQuimica's Biochemistry, Cell Biology and Genetics Explanations Thread
• QofQuimica's Organismal Biology Topics with Explanations Thread
• BerkReviewTeach's Arithmetic Tricks for the Sciences
• BerkReviewTeach's Unique Approach to Sciences
• curvesetter's MCAT Physics Tips
• theonlytycrane's Tips to Remember the Electromagnetic Spectrum
• Electron Transport Chain Video

Other Strategies

Additional strategies not mentioned elsewhere are provided below. Thanks to @MCAT-MVP @sbook2 @mcatmatt @SN2ed @Singerpremed

• Kaplan MCAT Quicksheets
• MCAT Mnemonics and Memory Aids
• MCAT High Yield Cheat Sheet
• MCAT-MVP's MCAT Formula Sheet
• sbook2's MCAT 2015 Timing Strategy
• mcatmatt's MCAT 2015 Timing Strategy
• Official "Should I Retake?" Thread
• SN2ed's General Strategies and Tips for Retaking the MCAT
• Singerpremed’s Score Improvement Strategy

Additional Resources

This section consists of free outside resources that can be valuable for MCAT preparation. A highly recommended resource is Khan Academy, which has numerous videos and practice passages for all MCAT 2015 sections (also see: Khan Academy Passages Organized by AAMC Content Category and Khan Academy Passages in AAMC Format) Some more resources are categorized as follows.

Ask Me Anything (AMA) Threads

Below is a list of MCAT Ask Me Anything (AMA) threads sorted by start date.

• Sep 15, 2017: Ask me anything about how to prep for the MCAT (Gold Standard MCAT)
• Sep 12, 2017: Ask me anything about the MCAT (inGenius Prep)
• Sep 12, 2017: Ask me anything about MCAT or UWORLD (UWORLD MCAT)
• Sep 12, 2017: Ask us anything you like about preparing for the MCAT (AdaptPrep MCAT)
• Sep 11, 2017: Ask Me Anything About the MCAT (MCAT Self Prep)
• Aug 9, 2016: Went from 56% to 88% Percentile on MCAT Ask me anytime!

SDN Articles

The following articles published on SDN offer some useful strategies and tips that can be helpful when studying for the exam.

• King Henry What?? | MCAT Tips and Tricks • Student Doctor Network
• Quickly Calculate Logarithms Without a Calculator | MCAT Tips and Tricks
• Using Approximation To Tackle Complex Calculations | MCAT Tips & Tricks
• Unit Conversions In Eight Easy Steps | MCAT Tips and Tricks • SDN
• The One About Trigonometry | MCAT Tips and Tricks • SDN

Daily MCAT Practice

Here are some resources for quick daily MCAT practice.

• MPrep Daily Question
• Kaplan Daily Question
• Jack Westin's Daily CARS Practice

Gold Standard Resources

Thanks to @mcat prep for the free resources.

• MCAT Practice Test Advice
• MCAT 2017: Everything you need to know about the MCAT exam
• Everything you need to know about MCAT Scores
• MCAT General Chemistry Review Summary by Gold Standard
• MCAT Organic Chemistry Mechanisms Summary by Gold Standard
• MCAT Physics Equations Sheet by Gold Standard
• MCAT Biochemistry Review Summary by Gold Standard
• Free MCAT Sample Questions
• Gold Standard Biochemistry Flashcards (App Store) (also available on Google Play)

I hope you find this useful! I will continue updating this thread with more MCAT strategies and resources.

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[Lawpy]

Saving this post just in case. I'll also include threads on timing and retake strategies.

 

[Lawpy]

August Update: Added several links to the first post. Also note that some of the strategies may contradict others. There is no one right way to approach the exam since MCAT studying is a personalized approach. Use these guides and resources as general references to help you with your studying.

 

[KoalaT]

Just saying! This ones the best! KoalaT's All-in-One MCAT Guide
How has it never been stickied? The world will never know

 

[agakhan]

Wao ! thank you

 

[Zone05]

Thanks for the post! Really helps

 

[PlsLetMeIn21]

Just saying! This ones the best! KoalaT's All-in-One MCAT Guide
How has it never been stickied? The world will never know

Yours was super helpful! Thank you for taking the time to post it.

 

[Dhooy7]

What approach did you use for each section (CP, CARs, BB, and PS) and find most helpful?

 

[ASpecificPacific]

Is there an updated list for 2020? Will these study guides cover all the material still?

 

[Lawpy]

Is there an updated list for 2020? Will these study guides cover all the material still?

They should generally be good for 2020

 

[Laradd]

This is the place that I have been looking for so long.