Most Efficient way to study for the MCAT?

[hitchhiker13]

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For the most part, I study for all my classes by taking notes on lectures and reading material. It's tedious and often feels like a waste of time, but I have a lot of trouble (more than most it seems), retaining information over long periods of time. Some people are telling me that instead of taking notes, I should just read the material and focus my time on practice problems. I already do the practice problems in the EK workbooks and at the end of each section in TBR and I take weekly practice tests. I am weak with PS and BS but my verbal is top notch.

My question is this: Do you think I should forget about note taking and just read the lectures thoroughly or should I stick with note taking? Are there other, more efficient ways of retaining information (Like memorizing physics and chemistry equations, understanding concepts so that they stick etc.)? What worked best for you and why?

 

[Newlanders]

Find out if you're a visual learner. I personally found watching vids from khan...chad... Etc was better than reading pages and pages of text. I would watch a video on the chapter, skim the chapter in the text, and do problems.

 

[CCrown]

One thing that really helped me for studying was reading each chapter of the review books, highlighting, and then doing the associated practice problems. Just an FYI, this thread should probably be under the MCAT Discussions section. If you haven't seen it yet, there is a wealth of information to be found there on every detail of the exam.

 

[stlrams22]

Studying in a way that works best for you is the most efficient. I don't get much from just reading. I learn best when i hear and see someone else teach. I'm not sure why, but topics stick much better. I wish i could learn well from just reading.

 

[knv2u]

There is way too much to summarize here; there is a whole forum dedicated to this stuff that is more thorough than anything I could ever reasonably write without making your eyes glaze over.

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/forums/mcat-discussions.31/

 

[gobigorgohome22]

Practice tests

 

[StoneReynolds]

My friend has the exact same problem. I don't think reading over and over again will help you out much either. I think you should take notes once, do the practice sections for those notes, and then get a friend to explain to you the stuff you got wrong. Then more practice questions + friend explaining.

If you are having trouble retaining information, something in your current mindset is not working. So for the first couple study sessions, relying on only yourself to learn from videos, notes, or whatever probably won't work.

 

[Willy38]

How are you taking notes ? Are you just rewriting the material in your prep books ? For effective notes you should read a paragraph or section and then summarize in your own words what it means or how that system works WITHOUT referring back to the prep book. At the end of each section you read you should be able to explain to someone what you learned. If you can teach it then you know it. Hope this helps, best of luck!

 

[compstomper]

Passages passages passages. And when you're tired, do more passages.

 

[mehc012]

Anki + passages.

 

[Spinach Dip]

Step 1: Practice problems

Step 2: Review practice problems. Understand why you missed the questions you did.

Step 3: More practice problems.

 

[Psai]

Red a few topics a day in Examkrackers. Did relevant questions in the subject. Took a Kaplan practice test or two on weekends and went over topics I wasn't sure about and that I was weak on. Spent a little over 3 months in the summer doing this and did very well.