study during winter break

[tank you]

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how much are u gonna do every day.
im thinking im gonna do 2 hr physics, 1 hr bio, 1 hr orgo every day.
ek 101 verbal every other weekend.
u?

 

[N1DERL&]

I was thinking about 2 hours gen chem since it's been so long and 1 orgo. Then the next day maybe to 1 hr bio, 1hr physics, and 1 hr of verbal. Definitely just using EK. Now I just have to figure out how to stick with the schedule and not run out of steam... Christmas is coming soon!! 😀

 

[UseUrHeadFred]

Studying over winter break is crazy. This is your last chance for a break before the cascading waterfall of application season.

Don't start studying until the 15th of January. You WILL burn out before the MCAT - probably RIGHT BEFORE the MCAT - if you start too early. Apathy before the MCAT is normal, but only to a certain extent.

Trust me, enjoy your last remaining stress-free break. From the end of January until the end of the year you will have a lot of stress.

Mid January - April: MCAT preparation while taking classes.

April - June: The MCAT, then finals, then the stress of waiting for your score.

June - August: Completing your primary, getting your MCAT score after forty years of waiting, getting your LORs sent, start of Fall semester, preparing to retake the MCAT if you didn't do well.

August - October: Possibly retaking the MCAT, completing secondaries, doing Fall coursework, maybe even getting interviews.

October - ???: Interviewing, completing Fall coursework, and whatever else is left over.

 

[Daichi Katase]

how much are u gonna do every day.
im thinking im gonna do 2 hr physics, 1 hr bio, 1 hr orgo every day.
ek 101 verbal every other weekend.
u?

I am taking the kaplan course and i have fallen a little behind because of fall classes. So i will also be spending about 4 hours every day. 🙂

 

[Chuck's Right Foot]

I am taking the kaplan course and i have fallen a little behind because of fall classes. So i will also be spending about 4 hours every day. 🙂

I think some discussion about burn out is warrented. I think everyone has their own threshold and anxiety level. Remember to take care of yourself. I'm ramping up from 5+ hours a week (already getting around a 30 on practice) to more as April approaches. Get your studying done so you aren't anxious and have some hobbies so you don't burn out!

Good luck everyone!

 

[EpointH]

I'd like to encourage everyone to remember to take care of yourselves. Spending lots of time studying every day is good (though take it easy over winter break!) but make sure you don't overdo it. Not only will you burn yourself out, but you also run a much higher risk of getting sick. I took the MCAT in April 2003 and started studying that January, which was plenty of time. However, like everyone else I hit it really hard in the 2 weeks leading up to the MCAT and BAM, what do you know, 3 days before the test I get sick. It was ok -- I started on antibiotics as soon as I started to feel sick (for all those who are going to warn me about the rampant use of antibiotics, I get sinus infections a lot and so I knew what it was...) and though I was a little doped-up for the test, I did fine. But please please just take care of yourself - get sleep!!! You're not going to learn THAT much in that extra hour in the middle of the night, so instead get some sleep and your brain will be better able to learn in the morning.

Good luck to everyone! 🙂

 

[Bap2qwrq7]

Just to add my two cents, I think it's in your best interest to start studying winter break. For me, it is always hardest just to start studying for something, espcially for the MCATs which is so far away. During winter break you have the comfort of starting slow and getting into a good groove by the time school starts. Just take time to jerk around during winter break doing whatever and you'll be fine.

 

[docintheory]

the sooner the better! Thats just my opinion 🙂 I am in the same club, I've been studying since the end of November. I find studying right now really takes the pressure off of everything thats going to build come April. Besides, I find myself more relaxed and really able to absorb all the material better. But thats just the material... and its good to get that out of the way so you can set aside even more time for practice tests and questions. In any case, good luck!!! 🙂

 

[stoleyerscrubz]

I have finals in Biology and Organic chem now so I'll just say that I'm starting my MCAT studying now and will continue from here. It's hard for me to get started on studying so now that I am in a study groove I'm going to stay in it even if it is just 1 hour on some days. I try to actively listen to Audio Osmosis 45min/day now.

 

[swifteagle43]

I was thinking about 2 hours gen chem since it's been so long and 1 orgo. Then the next day maybe to 1 hr bio, 1hr physics, and 1 hr of verbal. Definitely just using EK. Now I just have to figure out how to stick with the schedule and not run out of steam... Christmas is coming soon!! 😀

MUSIC!!! That is the trick to gluing ure ass to the seat.....Find good smooth tracks u like to listen to. Just put em on and do ure work. Thats all I do all day.

 

[rtmcad2319]

I started today. I plan on studying 9 hours per day until Jan 1. At which point I will go on a ski trip. Then Jan seventh I will resume at 9 hours a day until the MCAT.

Oh yeah:screw the angle of yaw!!!!!

 

[GiftLuv]

I agree that you can benefit from studying slightly early. I started studying last week. During the break you can review some topics and terms that you are not really good with. For instance, with me I have been reviewing my Physics formulas since I really didn't have a good foundation in Physics. 😎 I have also been reviewing different concepts and themes for Biology, Organic and General Chem. Around mid Jaunuary I will take more practice tests before I officialy begin intensive studying along with my Kaplan course that begins Jan 22. 😱 Hopefully, I will get the score I want the second time around for April 2005.

 

[N1DERL&]

MUSIC!!! That is the trick to gluing ure ass to the seat.....Find good smooth tracks u like to listen to. Just put em on and do ure work. Thats all I do all day.

👍 Excellent idea!! everytime I see that hippo, it cracks me up!!

 

[nicholonious]

be an early bird, the more time, the more prepared (with the exception that everyone reaches their saturation point and can't cram anything else in).

Come winter break I'll be doing 5-6 hours: going over chapters on a given subject, few practice tests (short= 1-3 passages, not full length), memorizing key concepts, etc.

To anyone taking the April, try not to do a full length it will ruin your christmas spirit.

 

[45408]

It's great that some of you guys are so dedicated, but honestly, more than three hours a day this far in advance seems like a great recipe for disaster. Hold the horses a bit.

 

[tik-tik-clock]

It's great that some of you guys are so dedicated, but honestly, more than three hours a day this far in advance seems like a great recipe for disaster. Hold the horses a bit.

i would like to know how would it be a recipe to disaster? Not backquestioning you, just that I'd not want a disaster to happen..

 

[tik-tik-clock]

I started today. I plan on studying 9 hours per day until Jan 1. At which point I will go on a ski trip. Then Jan seventh I will resume at 9 hours a day until the MCAT.

Oh yeah:screw the angle of yaw!!!!!

are you taking classes in winter/spring ?

 

[LauraMac]

man, you guys are crazy. i didn't start studying til like a month before the mcat, and even then i didn't study for more than maybe 2-3 hours a day until the last two weeks. but as long as you don't burn out, you should be good to go! i'm a sucker for peer pressure, so anytime something fun was going on i decided to do that instead. but i'm glad you guys have your **** together better than i did. however, this is your last time to not have your **** together and have it not matter at all... don't forget that as you decide whether to study the hell out of yourselves or go get drunk with your friends.

sorry this is probably incoherent. i am tired, and i think it's already like 6a.m. or something.

 

[musiclink213]

in theory, i am studying during winter break. but in theory only. i want to, but it's hard for me to feel the pressure when i'm at home, no one is around studying, and there is nowhere to study in our apartment without a distraction. the library doesn't open until around 3 and by then, it's just hard to get psyched up to go, because you're tired from everything else you've been doing.

starting tomorrow, i will study maybe 3 hours every other day. as the test gets closer, i plan on studying more. also, during the semester, i'll be studying at work, since there's nothing else to do. on top of EK, i am praying that i'll be ok. but i do listen to audio osmosis on the way to my skate lessons, whihc is an hour and a hlaf train/bus ride. that counts for something, no?

 

[gujuDoc]

I disagree with the person who said not to study in winter break.

When spring semester starts up again most people are going to have classes to study for as well, not just MCAT. So if you review all the concepts as much as you can during break, that would be a good idea, so you can just focus your time briefly rereviewing what you went over the break, and spend the rest of your time on passages/practice tests.

I think if you review it once or twice in the break it will come easier to you and you won't be soooooo severly stressed in the spring when you got to start studying for classes again.

I know for me the lack of pressure right now during the break has made it easier for me to think more clearly than when I am stressed.

In the past 2 weeks I have gotten through most of the gen chem concepts and have had the proper time to understand all the relationships between concepts from different chapters. This is a far improvement from summer when I was rushing to get everything in that nothing really sank in because of the stress of trying to learn it all too quickly that it became more memorization.

I think you'll find if you start now you will be able to go at a slower pace so you can digest everything more easily.

 

[gujuDoc]

man, you guys are crazy. i didn't start studying til like a month before the mcat, and even then i didn't study for more than maybe 2-3 hours a day until the last two weeks. but as long as you don't burn out, you should be good to go! i'm a sucker for peer pressure, so anytime something fun was going on i decided to do that instead. but i'm glad you guys have your **** together better than i did. however, this is your last time to not have your **** together and have it not matter at all... don't forget that as you decide whether to study the hell out of yourselves or go get drunk with your friends.

sorry this is probably incoherent. i am tired, and i think it's already like 6a.m. or something.

I think one month is not enough for the avg person because their is such a bulk of material to go over and then there are practice tests to do and verbal also takes time to get used to.

However, I see that you did pretty well doing that. Nonetheless, the majority of people need at least 3-4 months to study including people with like 4.0 gpas.

 

[rtmcad2319]

are you taking classes in winter/spring ?

12 credits in the spring and none in Winter.

You....

oh yeah and screw solution chemistry!!!

 

[James Bond 007]

I am not taking the MCAT in April, but rather in August. However, I still do believe it is a very good idea for individuals taking it in April to stud y over the break just to see where you stand on the material.

 

[gujuDoc]

I've noticed that none of the people here who are pro-studying over winter break have actually taken the MCAT before. Just a thought. Ya'll don't know what you're getting yourselves into. I'm not saying it will never work and you're screwed, but I do know that this is absolutely not necessary. It is even probably detrimental to your mental health.

Here is my experience from the April 2004 MCAT. *Disclaimers: I have always been fairly good at standardized tests and crammed and procrastinated my way through college and still had a 3.9.*

Background: I was out of college for a year and had taken two years off during college, so it had been seven years since gen. chem. I did not remember dick from that class, and it had been more than a year since all other classes of interest for me. I was a bio major. I had never attempted the MCAT before.

Plan: I made a detailed study schedule for myself and said I'd study at least an hour a night starting in January.

What actually happened: I jacked around until about April 1st and did not study at all. Panic set in and I crammed big time with the ExamKrackers books and AudioOsmosis and the AAMC practice exams for the last two weeks before the exam (I still worked 40 hours/week, though.) I did take two afternoons off of work on the week of the MCAT.

Score: 36 (11PS, 12VR, 13BS) Writing Sample O. I didn't practice the writing sample at all.

My point is that the MCAT is not worth getting sooooo freaked out over. Relax. Study everything that will be covered, take some practice exams, and go over your weak points until you've mastered them. This should not take more than a month or two. Maybe three if you're only doing a small amount per day. I don't recommend my two week panic approach either, but cramming nine hours a day starting in December is an excellent way to burn out, I think. You can flush your spring finals and your MCAT down the toilet this way when your brain shuts down! I've seen it happen. Maybe it won't happen to you, but why put yourself through unnecessary hell?

On the contrary I suggest you get your facts straight. I FOR ONE TOOK THE MCAT in AUGUST 2004 THIS PAST SUMMER.

I didn't do as well as I wanted to because I was soooooooo stressed over the summer trying to cram everything in that in effect it backfired because it got to the point that I started memorizing rather than trying to slowly analyze the material and see how everything relates together.

Studying now over the break with a little less stress, I have been able to better allow things to sink in and have understood the relationships better.

As a result when I go through passages things that I didn't see before have been easier to get. I never said that a person should over stress themselves out.

However, a person should go through the material or at least part of it once throughout the christmas break because it will allow them to feel a little less pressure and stress during the semester when classes are going on because they will already have had seen the material once.

 

[gujuDoc]

Littleroo,

I accept the apology and thanks for clarifying. Sorry I just hate when people make assumptions.

I don't think it is a good idea to do heavy studying just to review a little so you can go at a slower pace rather than cramming everything.

 

[gujuDoc]

I agree with you there. I never said my method was advisable either.

*Edit* I did take five practice exams. Those are the best prep, in my opinion.

Hey I edited what I said above. Sorry I didn't hit submit before you saw my edited message.

Once again, I'm sorry, I just hate when people come off making assumptions, and tend to get a little defensive. Thanks for clarifying.

 

[QofQuimica]

I've noticed that none of the people here who are pro-studying over winter break have actually taken the MCAT before. Just a thought. Ya'll don't know what you're getting yourselves into. I'm not saying it will never work and you're screwed, but I do know that this is absolutely not necessary. It is even probably detrimental to your mental health.

What actually happened: I jacked around until about April 1st and did not study at all. Panic set in and I crammed big time with the ExamKrackers books and AudioOsmosis and the AAMC practice exams for the last two weeks before the exam (I still worked 40 hours/week, though.) I did take two afternoons off of work on the week of the MCAT.

Score: 36 (11PS, 12VR, 13BS) Writing Sample O. I didn't practice the writing sample at all.

I've taken the MCAT (twice) and I teach MCAT prep classes. I do agree with studying over winter break like guju and some of the others suggested. That being said, 3 hours per day is probably overkill in December. Half an hour to one hour per day max would be reasonable at this point.

Your experience is pretty unusual. Most people cannot score a 36 on the test regardless, and particularly without studying extensively. So it is really not a good idea to procrastinate studying until the last two weeks before the exam. I do not in any way say this to disparage you, merely to point out to you that most people would not do well on the exam if they followed your example. It's great that it worked out so well for you, but you ought not assume that others can easily do the same.

 

[MizzouDrWannabe]

I TOLD myself I would study hard this break. What have I done so far? Read harry potter, cut pieces for a new quilt, shopped, and played video games.

Yeah, so much for that!

 

[freesolo]

ive tried its been 30 min here 30 min there, nothing getting done really.

 

[N1DERL&]

Abe, way better than me... I'm zip, zilch, nada! I've been Christmas shopping and following my mom doing errands... Oh wells! I guess I need some pressure to get my rear in motion! 😀

 

[QofQuimica]

I think it's just the time of the year. I should be working on my paper. Or sleeping. Or just about anything besides spending hours in front of the computer screen looking at pre-med stuff. 😀

 

[tank you]

yea, im sure after this weekend, everyone will be out of the x-mas spirit, and get back to normal.

 

[pepperman]

Does anyone know what the best prep course is?

 

[Samus Aran]

roo you are amazing, girl 😍

anyway, that's not going to happen to me. i plan to start after new year's day. i haven't figured out how many hours i should dedicate to it yet but i think i'll have a better idea of that when i actually open a book. until then, i'm not even going to think about the mcat b/c as i see it, there's no reason to stress out over the holidays.

 

[James Bond 007]

I disagree with those people who suggest not studying hard over the break. If you are a science or liberal arts major, I would agree that you may have a considerable amount of time to study during the duration of the semester. Therefore it is not necessary for you to put yourself in too much mental stress at this point. Unfortunately for any engineers like myself you should spend a considerable amount of time studying during the break. Once school starts you can barely find enough time to get all your engineering and science work done. If there are any engineers out there taking the MCAT, I would strongly suggest that you study pretty hard over the break unless you have decided to lighten the load a little bit.

 

[Bhavesh]

What works for some people doesn't necessarily work for other people.

I'm doing ~50 pages of Kaplan/day. It works for me.

 

[Daichi Katase]

how is everybody's studying going?

 

[cfdavid]

how is everybody's studying going?

Not bad, you? I've found that taking practice exams is a good motivator.

 

[StartingLine3]

I finished the ExamKracker Biology book today, I want to spend the rest of my winter break going over Physics.

Each day I did one biology lecture.

Wake up at 11:30
Study lecture from 12:00-5:00 (with dedicated study group of four others)
Relax til about 8:00 (eat dinner and watch television)
8:00 til 10:00 (review previously covered material by reading and audioosmosis)
11 - 2 AM Hang out with roommate at apartment or hang out with friends.

If i have to work in the research lab i go in the mornings and dont go out at night

I start kaplan on Jan 13th

I havent found things to stressful, i have a good study group and am able to spend time with friends.

 

[nicholonious]

how is everybody's studying going?

Daily: 4-6 hours review/passages from any given practice test. Not sure if its paying off, but my mind is stuffed with tons and tons of knowledge that'll probably leak out over time. 🙁