Hello everyone, I have a few questions to ask you. I am new to this website but I think this is the correct place to write to you. I am an undergraduate freshman pre-med student. I am trying to study for the MCAT early because I am really worried about the test. I know that the MCAT requires a lot of memory but also the integration of your knowledge to answers questions. I am confident in the memory part, however, when it comes to the integration part I am struggling. I tried to solve a few problems out of the MCAT online but struggled to because of all the information(graphs, names, etc). Could you please give me a few tips that helped you get such a high score on the MCAT? How can I study for these types of problems that encompass the majority of the exam? I would greatly appreciate your help, thank you.
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I don't think it's wise to start studying for the MCAT as a freshman. You'd be much better off spending your time studying for your current college courses. Most people study for the MCAT after they have all the prerequisites completed for about 12-15 weeks before the test date. After you take all the prereqs and start studying you'll have a much easier time integrating the material as that'll be your second or third time going over the material.
When I was a junior in undergrad, I took a half-length practice MCAT sponsored by my school's pre-med club. Several freshmen and sophomores showed up trying to be proactive, but they got psyched out because they hadn't taken any of the pre-reqs and therefore didn't have the background knowledge they needed for the exam to be a realistic practice. It's good that you're thinking ahead, but studying now will just cause you anxiety and discouragement. Work hard to establish a solid science foundation during your first two years of undergrad. Try to retain as much as you can in your biology/chemistry/physics courses. There will come a time to stress about the MCAT, but now is not that time. Hope this helps!
You sure are looking to be miserable early on....
Do well in your classes and you'll do well on the mcat.
Do well in your classes and you'll do well on the mcat.
Depending on what classes you have, I assume you are taking at least General Chemistry and maybe Physics.. I would buy the review MCAT books for those subjects only, and start working problems. Just make sure you only focus on things you went over in class 🙂 You shouldn't have to study science on your own.
