Study plan help

[deleted626322]

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I'm trying to make myself a study plan for the next few months.

I am planning to take the last 2014 MCAT (in Jan 2015).

I have free time now so I would like to start studying but am unsure what to do. In the semester (which starts in early august, ends early december for me), I will only be taking 12 hrs to have more time for MCAT studying.

I can buy whatever books necessary. I like EK style but TBR seems nice that it has passages to do while you study.

How can I make myself a plan for the next 6 months? During the school year I won't have time to study more than 5-6 hrs a week for the MCAT. Then a full month after.

TL;DR: Help me make a study plan

• 1 month before school starts (can study as much as needed)
  
  
• 4 months of school (only have time to study maybe 6 hrs a week)
  
  
• 1 month Christmas Break before MCAT in January (full time FLs?)
  

I can get whatever materials, but I definitely need to brush up on pre-reqs... Seem to have forgot alot.

 

[MelloTangelo]

Have you taken all your pre-reqs, then? Just double checking. Six months is definitely a lot of time to study, but if you can pull off some sort of extended SN2ed schedule, I can see it working in your favor.

 

[Alucard6]

6 hours a week during the school year is not going to be enough. That is less than an hour a day and it will not amount to much - with 12 credits you will have to invest a lot more time.

The 1 month before you want to try and aim for 6+ hours if you can daily and get a lot of your content for at least a subject or two out the door. Use all your information and really hone in on it.

During your 4 months, spend the first two going through content review as well. Focus on the topics you are uncomfortable with and the subject areas you need help in. For the last 2 months during the school year, start to add in practice problems/passages. Perhaps do a bunch of passages one day, then the next day go over your mistakes and go back and do content review on what you missed.

For the last month, practice exams will be your best bet. If you have 8 exams to take, you can spread it over 24 days by having the 1st day as exam, 2nd day as review and 3rd day as rest.

 

[deleted626322]

Yes I have taken all my pre-reqs other than ochem2 which Im taking this semester, so o-chem should be pretty good on the MCAT considering Ill be immersed in it all day every day at school (o-chem is notoriously difficult at my school, even in comparison to others... My ochem1 only 20% passed, I got a C, so Im going ham this semester to get an A.

Anywho, so it seems like it would be smart for me to spend this month of the summer just going deep into content review then do more tests/passages as I get closer to the exam over the school year as Alucard6 suggested. I'm just not sure how to work SN2d into this schedule like I would like to...

I have all of TPRH (2009), all of TBR (2013), and buying whatever EK stuff I think I need... I like EK style though since its so succinct.

Any ideas on how to do SN2ed over several months? I can't spend 6 hours in a day like alot of people do for sn2. I can probably manage 2 hrs a day during the school year I suppose.

 

[Alucard6]

You do not have to worry about using the SN2ed plan. It works for some, not for others. It is meant for those that have a free schedule. Use the study schedule that has worked well for you during the semester and stick with it. You want to study daily and nail the concepts down since you will be taking the test quite some time after studying.

So do not worry about fitting your schedule around the SN2, just focus on going through your books/videos as best as you can and applying passages or extra tools as you see fit.

 

[deleted626322]

Thanks Alucard, I just wish I could give myself a "you need to have this done by this day" because I do well with a bit more structure. I will probably just see how much I get done this month and make a schedule based around what I need to work on.

Do you know how to use the pre-assessment? I've seen some people use it just as study material and others do it before content review to see what to study, others do it after content review, etc... I am planning on completing it after I feel my content review is mostly done to identify week areas. Is that smart?

 

[Alucard6]

If structure works for you, then try to make a structured plan. Again, you want to do what works for YOU, and from your years in college hopefully you have a feel for what works!

Pre-assessment you want to use after content review, there is solid practice in there that you do not want to waste before reviewing. Your idea is perfect.

 

[Ironale]

I'm in the exact same boat. My strategy is similar, content review then full lengths until fall quarter starts - do what I can during the quarter - probably ~18hrs a week. Then 1 month of focused full lengths and post analysis prior to the test. I think the key for content is to not try and learn everything as in depth as class demanded - but to focus on identifying main concepts and fill in any gaps.

 

[mcdb1212]

I'm in the same situation. I'm starting a prep course next week, and as I glance over the material, I worry that the January test is too far away. I've taken all the necessary pre-req courses, but I'm debating on taking the test in November instead of January. Thoughts?

I also worry that if I take the Jan test and I'm not satisfied with my score, I will have to take the 2015 version. However, if I take the Nov test and I am not satisfied, I can take the Jan test, but will those 7 weeks really make a difference if I were to study more? Any advice would be appreciated! Thanks in advance!

 

[Avalon University]

i don't think so your strategy is wrong...you should just follow your plan and execute it !

 

[Dr. Jan Itor]

I'm in a similar situation. I'm doing content review now since it's been several years since I've taken prereqs, then I'll have to switch to part-time studying in the fall since I have a FT job and will be going to school PT. Then I'll have a full month to study over winter break. I'm hoping to have content review done by then so I can just focus on FL exams and brushing up on concepts that I miss.

I know a lot of people say not to spread out MCAT studying, but there's no way to take a couple months off over the fall and if I wait until next summer, I'll have to teach myself Psych and Sociology for the 2015.

 

[deleted626322]

I think your making the right choice Dr. Jan Itor. I honestly think 1 month is enough time to do FLs and refresh all the stuff you learned now, AS LONG AS you really get stuff down now. But then again, what do I know I haven't finished my content review yet.