MCAT studying issues

[acej]

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For the past two months I've been studying for the MCATs with no real improvement in my score. I purchased a study package from an unknown prep test company which included online lectures, workbook for the lectures (supposedly covering high-yield material), kaplan premier book including a 12-week study schedule. When I first started, I took a the test in the Kaplan premier book and scored a total of a 13 with BS/PS being my weakest areas. Today, I just finished taking the AAMC practice test 3 and scored a total of a 16 with BS/PS slightly improving.

I'm on my 6th week of the program going onto my 7th now but I feel completely unprepared to take the test in June. I don't have a full understanding of the material, I'm getting tripped up on calculation problems because I haven't practice them and I can't figure out how to approach some of the passages / questions. My weekly schedule consists of watching 4-5 hours of lectures and taking notes then spending each day reading the assigned chapters specific to the category I'm covering that week (Physics, Bio, etc) and taking notes.

-I'm a non-trad student who scored A's in most of the pre-requisite science classes
-I work 50+ hours a week (security) but have as much time as I want to study (I only took this job for the purpose of studying)
-I study for a total of 20-40 hours a week since the beginning (logged via phone)
-The study schedule I was provided only covers online lectures and reading, no practice problems of any kind
-I only made an improvement of 3 points over a period of 2 months which is frustrating
-I'm a type of person that learns from repeating and practicing problems and learning where I made the mistake and continually practicing them until I get the full understanding, but this guide has none of that

So at this point I'm trying to figure out what I should do next? Any suggestions?

 

[valkener]

The difference of 20 and 40 hours per week is a lot. Is it 20 or 40? Try to be consistent and use the AAMC tests to show you your weaknesses. Some materials are better than others, like EK and TBR - follow SN2ed's schedule if you like, it has proven to be successful. Practice is one of the essential components..

50 hours of work is going to take a toll on your studying, unless you really are able to concentrate and grind away. I really recommend Examkrackers as they are very concise.. So to answer in short, keep on practicing and grinding away. Keep flash cards of concepts and subjects you're not getting. Ideally your stack of flash cards will get smaller and smaller as you discard the ones that you understand. The learning curve for the MCAT is not always linear, I started to really pick up late in the game. However, at this point you should be able to tell what is helping you and what isn't

Good luck!

 

[acej]

Thanks. The hours varied in the beginning of studying, but the past two weeks have been a consistent 40 hours a week. The work schedule actually keeps me on schedule for studying since I do most of my studying at work. But you might be right, I might have to transition over to the SN2ed schedule and start from scratch.