Non-trad MCAT study plan -

[doccochran]

Hi all. I'm a wrinkly, old non-trad - five years out from undergrad. Content is a bit weak despite strong undergrad grades, so I need to focus on refreshing/relearning. Thoughts and input are appreciated on the materials and timeframes. If my test taking paradigm seems off - let me know!

Foundation (~2 month)
-Official Guide
-TPR Subject Books
-Khan Academy (as needed)

The biggest personal challenge will be content review. From reviewed threads, a dedicated two months to studying will hopefully be enough time. The Official Guide is used for reference and overview, TPR for the broad strokes, and Khan for followups. Khan seems particularly helpful for Psychology?

Reinforcement (~1 month)
-AAMC Section Bank (SB)
-AAMC Question Pack (QP)

Making sure I've understood everything is the next step. While proof of understanding will be going on during the Foundation phase, this dedicated time will ensure it has "stuck." Review of high-worth (HW) and weak (W) subjects will take priority.

Refinement (~1 month)
-3x TPR FLs
-4x NextStep FLs
-2x AAMC FLs

The MCAT seems grueling. As a grandpa my stamina might be lacking - even if the Foundation and Reinforcement stages go OK I'd hate to fall asleep during the test. TPR seems the least reliable test, NextStep seems good, and AAMC are the best - ergo this is the order I will use them. Focus will be spent on timing and pattern recognition. Each test will comprise of a day, and I anticipate two days to fully review.

So that is my plan? Does it sound good?

As to costs and where to get the materials:
Complete Official MCAT package (Official guide, AAMC FLS, QPs and SPs)- $238
TPR MCAT Subject Review - $118
Khan Academy - FREE
Next Step FLs - $100, or on these forums to share for less (is this legal?)

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[doccochran]

I've just read through online samples of Kaplan, TPR, TBR, and EK. Thoughts on each:
EK - didn't like much
Kaplan - Best overall in organization and clarity, but lacking in reinforcement and depth. Adding definitions and summaries at end of chapter was an appreciated touch.
TPR - The organization and clarity were similar to Kaplan. More in depth
TBR - If EK were a picture book, and Kaplan and TPR were CliffNotes, TBR is a Chinese-buffet-turned-book. I don't know how to feel about it. I really liked reading it, but I read it last and they talked about stuff completely neglected by the other books. Do I really want to fill my belly with anything other than the crab legs and spicy green beans? The organization wasn't apparent to me, but I still somehow liked it.

I don't know the depth of knowledge needed on each topic, and I don't know how many passages I will need to enforce that level of understanding.

Ideally I would know what information I will need for medical school and the necessary depth. I'd rather make my decision based on what would prepare me best for medical school, rather than what will be best for a test.

 

[theonlytycrane]

You'll probably want TBR if you need more in-depth review. And you need more time to do practice tests.

The Official Guide has practice questions, but do you mean following the content list? For KA just do the psych / soc and verbal questions. The bio questions are okay, not that great and avoid the chem / phys questions (they are bad).

 

[doccochran]

Hi all.

I thought I would post my experiences with the MCAT.

My sciences were weak, as I had been working in IT for the previous six years - no recent science classes. I took a biochemistry and microbiology class, volunteered at a nursing home, and managed my commune's budget while studying for the MCAT. I scored a 518, balanced, using the following study procedure - so there is hope for anyone!

I primarily used the Berkeley Review materials for subject review. I took the two months using them. The materials were good for general knowledge, but I thought areas could be expanded for self study - primarily genetics and biochemistry. I found my biochemistry textbook covered both topics in a much better fashion - and these were heavily tested areas.

The subject review, reinforcement, and refinement schedule worked for me. The Berkeley Review materials were excellent for this due to their abundance of passages. I felt they were similar to the actual test materials. The answer descriptions were possibly more helpful than the subject passages.

Overall, I think TPR would have been sufficient for people with more recent knowledge of these materials, but TBR materials were superior for self learners or high scorers.

 

[GONNA%FINISH]

Hi all.

I thought I would post my experiences with the MCAT.

My sciences were weak, as I had been working in IT for the previous six years - no recent science classes. I took a biochemistry and microbiology class, volunteered at a nursing home, and managed my commune's budget while studying for the MCAT. I scored a 518, balanced, using the following study procedure - so there is hope for anyone!

I primarily used the Berkeley Review materials for subject review. I took the two months using them. The materials were good for general knowledge, but I thought areas could be expanded for self study - primarily genetics and biochemistry. I found my biochemistry textbook covered both topics in a much better fashion - and these were heavily tested areas.

The subject review, reinforcement, and refinement schedule worked for me. The Berkeley Review materials were excellent for this due to their abundance of passages. I felt they were similar to the actual test materials. The answer descriptions were possibly more helpful than the subject passages.

Overall, I think TPR would have been sufficient for people with more recent knowledge of these materials, but TBR materials were superior for self learners or high scorers.

Hi
So how long did you study for and what materials did you use other than TBR to refresh your sciences

 

[pretty_positron]

Hey don't feel bad about being out of school. I just turned 30 last week.

I cannot recommend TBR enough. Many will say that it is overkill. But not if you use it correctly. The passage-based questions are priceless. If I were you, I would tackle the passage-based questions and flip back through the chapter to skim through the things you need to review on to answer the questions. Depending on how well you do in the passages, you will be able to have an idea for how much of the content you have to read.

I'll give you an example using my own experience.

I was a Physics major, so I didn't need much refreshing in this subject. So I just went at the passages first, and learned from my mistakes (the explanations are really incredible), and read up on all of the biological applications. For instance, fluid dynamics in relation to the circulatory system. This didn't take much time for me to do.

What I really needed help on was the metabolic components and pathways in the Bio book. You know glycolysis, kreb's cycle, ETC, oxidative phosphorylation, fatty acid metabolism, pentose phosphate pathway, urea cycle, etc. I went at the passages first, but I could not answer any of them. So I dug in and read the chapter while taking notes. I still couldn't answer many of the passage questions. So I went to the Orgo book and reviewed the same topics (glycolysis, etc.) explained in a different way. I spent and am still spending considerable time reviewing these biochem concepts and principles in depth because this is perhaps the largest part of the MCAT itself. So I'm reading about biomolecules and all the chapters on lipids, carbohydrates, nitrogen compounds, etc.

I never took Psych before, so I took my time with the book on that. But again, I tackled the passages first and went from there.

TBR is my main resource. I don't have an exact schedule or plan. I just go based on what I need to know and I find that in all of the books, primarily their "biological applications" parts. I also learn a great deal from the passages themselves, which I add to my notes.

I also have all of the AAMC materials, but I will only use them if I have the time considering my exam is on June 2nd. My plan is once I finish TBR (I'm not going to do everything in these books, but just what I need to do as determined by me), I will do the TBR CBT's (there are 4), see what my weak areas are from those CBT's and either do questions on them from the AAMC material or just go straight to the AAMC CBT's (there are 3).

I doubt I will have any time to do anything more than that. Any other FL's that is. The TBR material has more than enough practice passages honestly. I am not bothering with any other company's materials, except for FL's if I have the time.

 

[frosted2]

Hey don't feel bad about being out of school. I just turned 30 last week.

I cannot recommend TBR enough. Many will say that it is overkill. But not if you use it correctly. The passage-based questions are priceless. If I were you, I would tackle the passage-based questions and flip back through the chapter to skim through the things you need to review on to answer the questions. Depending on how well you do in the passages, you will be able to have an idea for how much of the content you have to read.

I'll give you an example using my own experience.

I was a Physics major, so I didn't need much refreshing in this subject. So I just went at the passages first, and learned from my mistakes (the explanations are really incredible), and read up on all of the biological applications. For instance, fluid dynamics in relation to the circulatory system. This didn't take much time for me to do.

What I really needed help on was the metabolic components and pathways in the Bio book. You know glycolysis, kreb's cycle, ETC, oxidative phosphorylation, fatty acid metabolism, pentose phosphate pathway, urea cycle, etc. I went at the passages first, but I could not answer any of them. So I dug in and read the chapter while taking notes. I still couldn't answer many of the passage questions. So I went to the Orgo book and reviewed the same topics (glycolysis, etc.) explained in a different way. I spent and am still spending considerable time reviewing these biochem concepts and principles in depth because this is perhaps the largest part of the MCAT itself. So I'm reading about biomolecules and all the chapters on lipids, carbohydrates, nitrogen compounds, etc.

I never took Psych before, so I took my time with the book on that. But again, I tackled the passages first and went from there.

TBR is my main resource. I don't have an exact schedule or plan. I just go based on what I need to know and I find that in all of the books, primarily their "biological applications" parts. I also learn a great deal from the passages themselves, which I add to my notes.

I also have all of the AAMC materials, but I will only use them if I have the time considering my exam is on June 2nd. My plan is once I finish TBR (I'm not going to do everything in these books, but just what I need to do as determined by me), I will do the TBR CBT's (there are 4), see what my weak areas are from those CBT's and either do questions on them from the AAMC material or just go straight to the AAMC CBT's (there are 3).

I doubt I will have any time to do anything more than that. Any other FL's that is. The TBR material has more than enough practice passages honestly. I am not bothering with any other company's materials, except for FL's if I have the time.

Make time for the AAMC materials. THEY ARE THE ONES THAT WRITE THE EXAM, NOT TBR. That would be a HUGE mistake on your part to dismiss those materials. Despite how good TBR may be, there is nothing like knowing how the AAMC asks questions.

 

[pretty_positron]

Make time for the AAMC materials. THEY ARE THE ONES THAT WRITE THE EXAM, NOT TBR. That would be a HUGE mistake on your part to dismiss those materials. Despite how good TBR may be, there is nothing like knowing how the AAMC asks questions.

Alright, these are what I have. Which would you say are the highest priority? Other than the practice exams and sample test which I'm going to do anyway.

 

[shlee9]

You'll probably want TBR if you need more in-depth review. And you need more time to do practice tests.

The Official Guide has practice questions, but do you mean following the content list? For KA just do the psych / soc and verbal questions. The bio questions are okay, not that great and avoid the chem / phys questions (they are bad).

I agree with this. And make sure you have enough time to review AAMC section bank and AAMC FLs several times. I personally thought they were extremely helpful in preparing for the actual exam. Khan is really helpful for psych/soc.

 

[frosted2]

Alright, these are what I have. Which would you say are the highest priority? Other than the practice exams and sample test which I'm going to do anyway.
View attachment 232492

Have you started any of TBR books?

 

[pretty_positron]

Have you started any of TBR books?

Of course. I talked about it just a few posts above.

 

[frosted2]

Most people say you should start AAMC materials 3-4 weeks out. I started too late and I really regret it.

 

[pretty_positron]

Most people say you should start AAMC materials 3-4 weeks out. I started too late and I really regret it.

Of course. I had originally planned to finish content review and start FL's by the 20th of this month. That isn't happening. I'm spending an inordinate amount of time on Metabolism and topics pertaining to Biochemistry.

I still want to know which AAMC materials to focus on, other than the FL's. There's so much there. Maybe the Section Bank? I'll probably do Bio as that's my weakest subject.

 

[frosted2]

Section banks were the most valuable AAMC tool for myself. I used them after the Official Guide questions.