Mcats.. I know its not the mcat forum but

[Docta Rod]

I know this is not the mcat forum but how did you guys personalize your studying routine ? Did you guys focus on the content or the full length ?

I think the kaplan full lengths are a waste of time and they are an inaacurate indicator of your progress.

what materials did you guys use ?

What are your weak subjects and how did you make them your strength ?

how long did it take until you saw improvements ?

How long did you study per day ?

What are your studying skills ?

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[turkeyjerky]

I took a 6 month kaplan course and did the reading along with that. Then for the month before the exam I took as many full-lenght practice tests as I could (both Kaplan and aamc, which were more accurate imo). I saw steady improvement from my diagnostic of 31 to my actual test score of 41 (got as high as 44 on a practice test).

 

[redlight]

bump. im just begining the process myself. more feedback would be appreciated, but honestly the 30+ mcat thread and the forum in general has been a big help.

 

[Amadelphous]

Most people use a similar formula with different time lines.

1. Content Review (general; 2-3 months before test)
2. Intermittent Practice tests
3. Content Review (focused/specific on problem areas)
4. Practice Practice Practice (1 month min before test)
-review all test answers for understanding
-make notes/ add to content review
-notice the trend in topics so lastly...
5. Brush up on foggy topics/reassure yourself
6. Use your judgement to decide how close to the test you want to practice, some people take a week off, some a day, some practice the day before
7. SLEEEEP!
-this is so hugely underrated. Sleep is crucial to moving quickly and thinking clearly-->very useful for difficult passages and verbal as a whole
8. Take the test. DON'T VOID
-even if you have to guess on some, don't finish everything, have a sucky proctor, etc.
9. Celebrate! Take a break while you wait a month.
-this is a good time to complete medical school apps even if you have no idea how you'll do make sure you get verified and everything is ready to go

Try to follow the regular timeline of applying to schools as early as possible. You don't need to wait on scores to begin applying. Processing takes 4-6 WEEKS in the heat of the application cycle. Early primary app submission can speed processing up to <1 week. You can always add schools to your application if your score comes out higher/lower than expected and you can be working on secondaries in your time off.

Hope this helps!

 

[TaylorMDhopeful]

I know this is not the mcat forum but how did you guys personalize your studying routine ? Did you guys focus on the content or the full length ?

Focused specifically on the content

I think the kaplan full lengths are a waste of time and they are an inaacurate indicator of your progress.

what materials did you guys use ?

I used a mix of the Kaplan Premier Book and the ExamKrackers subject books, looking at both for each subject tested

What are your weak subjects and how did you make them your strength ?

Verbal was my weakness, as shown by my mdapp, bad test day for verbal, felt a little rushed. I used the ExamKrackers Verbal Book to try to strengthen my verbal reasoning skills.

how long did it take until you saw improvements ?

Took about 3 weeks before I started to feel more comfortable with the material. Went from practice test scores of 20 to about 30-33 before the test after about 2 months of practice with the books I mentioned above.

How long did you study per day ?

Studied 4hrs on weekdays during the summer and 5hrs on the weekend for june and july

What are your studying skills ?

Went through 1-2 full subjects per day. Wrote notes from Examkrackers and Kaplan. Highlighted what I thought was key at night. Took practice tests in Examkrackers books. Did this for about 2 months until I was finished with content for MCAT. After I was finished, I just took AAMC practice tests 3-9, took exam X one day, next day went through to score, day after I looked over what I got wrong and reviewed. Took 2 days off and did it again. Then relaxed for about 2 days before the real exam.