Need Motivation to study for MCAT

[good_faith]

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Tell me how to motivate myself when I study for MCAT. I have all study material I need, but not motivate to start. Any suggestion please?

 

[KHep]

just picture that big fat 45T. No, seriously, make it as if it is another class. Make yourself an agenda and do your best to stick to it. We have four months to attain the best scores that we can and we need to make the most of them...try to enjoy it, at some point we may wish we were studying for this rather than boards, right?😀

 

[redgrover]

You don't need motivation for standardized tests. You just need a routine. Go to the library with nothing but a sotpwatch, your review material, and a pen or what not. Stay there until X-hour.

No big deal. You don't need to be motivated to do this, again. Just persistent.

 

[SteveUTexas]

How about the fact that if you do not do well on the test it will impair your chances for getting into medical school. That was motivation enough for me.

 

[kiahs]

I feel the same way! So know you're not alone. Just look at it, you worked so hard to get here. All those classes and stuff...it's just a little more and you'll get what you've always wanted. Now's the time to put in double the effort of before because now it's going to pay off really well hopefully. Good luck and try to stay focused you can do it!

 

[Cerberus]

I am annoyed that I have to see physics again😡

 

[MeowMix]

Originally posted by good_faith
Tell me how to motivate myself when I study for MCAT. I have all study material I need, but not motivate to start. Any suggestion please?

Here's a suggestion for how you can think about it.

First, the score matters. (No flames please, and I don't want to get into debates about how "I am not my MCAT score" or "my MCAT score doesn't say anything about how great a person I am.") A lot, if you can really do well. When you have an excellent MCAT score, you automatically have opportunities that you would be lucky to get with a low MCAT score. No matter what your GPA or where it is from or what you have done in your life, a high MCAT score (with any kind of reasonable background) demands that you be taken seriously. It is much easier to distinguish yourself from other applicants than if you are one of the vast herd with mediocre MCAT scores. I have observed this personally in my application process. There are a few potential problem areas with my application, and it is difficult to compare me directly with other applicants for a number of reasons; the MCAT score is the standard by which my interviewers and other faculty compare me with other applicants. I had not expected that it would make such a difference.

Now, how are you going to motivate yourself to study hard? First, remember that for a good score, you have to do much better than the average student. But here, you are in luck. The *average* student in MCAT prep classes approaches the MCAT like an undergrad course final. They miss classes, they don't review the material before or after class, they skip practice tests, they don't bother to review their answers, and they optimistically think that although they are scoring 20s on practice tests two weeks before the MCAT, they are going to pull off a 30 on the real thing. They are used to being at the top of the class, and they think they are invincible. Many of these students do not do well on the real MCAT. OK, so you have to beat this average. Not too hard, right?

The average student needs to start preparing at least 10 weeks before the MCAT. Take a real vacation over Christmas and rest up and have fun - do no MCAT work. Then set a start date and start your studying. Make a schedule and stick to it if you need to. Take a day off per week so you can rest (I recommend Fridays since that will be your rest day before the real MCAT; or Sundays since that will be the day after your practice tests). You will need the stamina for the long term. The amount of time you put in is less important than what you do with it. Be efficient and productive. The average student might try to study for 8 hours, and actually manage an hour or two between phone calls, web surfing, TV, games, etc.. Again, you have to do better than average.

Next, the students who score high on the MCAT are either very smart, very good test-takers, or they have worked very hard and are very well prepared. If you are not one of the first two, make yourself the third. Practice, review, practice, review. Identify your strengths and weaknesses. Dissect and analyze your performance. Know exactly when you are most likely to make mistakes, and what kinds of mistakes you make (reading circuit diagrams? calculations with exponents? get bored on VR before lunch? run out of time?). Get help if you need it. Again, the average student does not bother to do this.

Take a full-length practice test to get a baseline score (AAMC III is free online at e-mcat.com). Print it out and do it as a real timed test. Schedule yourself for more full-length tests in the month approaching the MCAT, always on Saturdays, starting the test at about 9 a.m.. Knowing that you have more full-lengths coming up should help motivate you to work on your problem areas. BE SURE TO DO ALL THE AAMC PRACTICE TESTS III-VI, even if you have to do them instead of your prep company tests. Try to take full-length tests from several different sources (AAMC, Examkrackers, Kaplan, TPR, Berkeley Review, Columbia Review, whatever). You need to see exams written by different testwriters. The average student doesn't do enough practice tests, or does only the full-lengths provided by their test prep company. Again, do better than average.

Motivate yourself with money. It is difficult, time-consuming, and expensive to take the MCAT more than once. It is
very time-consuming and expensive and demoralizing to apply to med school for a second year because your MCAT score was too low the first time. You do not want to waste your money and your life in this way (if you do, just send me the $$).

Finally, remember that you want to go to med school and become a doctor. The MCAT is going to help you get there. Studying for the MCAT is going to help you on your way. Think of it positively. Envision your success (the 45T mentioned above). Imagine how great you will feel sending in your applications. Visualize yourself in interviews being asked, "Wow, how did you get such a fantastic MCAT score?" See your study time as a positive step toward your goal, instead of an inconvenient distraction from fun.

Good luck.

 

[gdk]

to get motivated... take a practice test this weekend. timed. the whole thing (with writing sample). any low scores should get you moving

 

[good_faith]

I have the entire plan a head of me; first week of January will start studying seriously.
Thanks guys for the motivational idea. I will use all the suggestion mentioned when I get unenthusiastic. Keep sharing your motivational strategy.

Good_Faith

 

[OnMyWayThere]

Originally posted by MeowMix
Here's a suggestion for how you can think about it.

First, the score matters. (No flames please, and I don't want to get into debates about how "I am not my MCAT score" or "my MCAT score doesn't say anything about how great a person I am.") A lot, if you can really do well. When you have an excellent MCAT score, you automatically have opportunities that you would be lucky to get with a low MCAT score. No matter what your GPA or where it is from or what you have done in your life, a high MCAT score (with any kind of reasonable background) demands that you be taken seriously. It is much easier to distinguish yourself from other applicants than if you are one of the vast herd with mediocre MCAT scores. I have observed this personally in my application process. There are a few potential problem areas with my application, and it is difficult to compare me directly with other applicants for a number of reasons; the MCAT score is the standard by which my interviewers and other faculty compare me with other applicants. I had not expected that it would make such a difference.

Now, how are you going to motivate yourself to study hard? First, remember that for a good score, you have to do much better than the average student. But here, you are in luck. The *average* student in MCAT prep classes approaches the MCAT like an undergrad course final. They miss classes, they don't review the material before or after class, they skip practice tests, they don't bother to review their answers, and they optimistically think that although they are scoring 20s on practice tests two weeks before the MCAT, they are going to pull off a 30 on the real thing. They are used to being at the top of the class, and they think they are invincible. Many of these students do not do well on the real MCAT. OK, so you have to beat this average. Not too hard, right?

The average student needs to start preparing at least 10 weeks before the MCAT. Take a real vacation over Christmas and rest up and have fun - do no MCAT work. Then set a start date and start your studying. Make a schedule and stick to it if you need to. Take a day off per week so you can rest (I recommend Fridays since that will be your rest day before the real MCAT; or Sundays since that will be the day after your practice tests). You will need the stamina for the long term. The amount of time you put in is less important than what you do with it. Be efficient and productive. The average student might try to study for 8 hours, and actually manage an hour or two between phone calls, web surfing, TV, games, etc.. Again, you have to do better than average.

Next, the students who score high on the MCAT are either very smart, very good test-takers, or they have worked very hard and are very well prepared. If you are not one of the first two, make yourself the third. Practice, review, practice, review. Identify your strengths and weaknesses. Dissect and analyze your performance. Know exactly when you are most likely to make mistakes, and what kinds of mistakes you make (reading circuit diagrams? calculations with exponents? get bored on VR before lunch? run out of time?). Get help if you need it. Again, the average student does not bother to do this.

Take a full-length practice test to get a baseline score (AAMC III is free online at e-mcat.com). Print it out and do it as a real timed test. Schedule yourself for more full-length tests in the month approaching the MCAT, always on Saturdays, starting the test at about 9 a.m.. Knowing that you have more full-lengths coming up should help motivate you to work on your problem areas. BE SURE TO DO ALL THE AAMC PRACTICE TESTS III-VI, even if you have to do them instead of your prep company tests. Try to take full-length tests from several different sources (AAMC, Examkrackers, Kaplan, TPR, Berkeley Review, Columbia Review, whatever). You need to see exams written by different testwriters. The average student doesn't do enough practice tests, or does only the full-lengths provided by their test prep company. Again, do better than average.

Motivate yourself with money. It is difficult, time-consuming, and expensive to take the MCAT more than once. It is
very time-consuming and expensive and demoralizing to apply to med school for a second year because your MCAT score was too low the first time. You do not want to waste your money and your life in this way (if you do, just send me the $$).

Finally, remember that you want to go to med school and become a doctor. The MCAT is going to help you get there. Studying for the MCAT is going to help you on your way. Think of it positively. Envision your success (the 45T mentioned above). Imagine how great you will feel sending in your applications. Visualize yourself in interviews being asked, "Wow, how did you get such a fantastic MCAT score?" See your study time as a positive step toward your goal, instead of an inconvenient distraction from fun.

Good luck.

Great post. TY.

 

[::Seabass::]

Originally posted by gdk
to get motivated... take a practice test this weekend. timed. the whole thing (with writing sample). any low scores should get you moving

my advice exactly, you're probably not going to score as well as you think you will.