Studying during the semester after postponing summer MCAT

[doctor_may]

Hi everyone,

I postponed my MCAT date from August to January, and am beginning to study again. I spent about 2.5 months preparing for the Aug. 5 MCAT using the MCATJelly schedule and EK books mainly.

I was studying 5-6 hours a day over the summer and did 6 NS practice exams. My average on those was 506 and on the Scored I got a 506. I did not want to risk it so I postponed.
I am aiming for a 511 (previously it was a 508 but then I realized this wouldn't be high enough based on other factors).

Now I'm back at school and planning on doing 1 -2 hrs/day for 5-6 days a week and then doing practice exams during winter break. I have a pretty light semester overall.

I am treating this as an extension of my summer studying.
I am thinking each day I'll cover:
1/2 a content chapter (if I can -- I want to make sure I'm thorough)
1 CARS Khan passage
1 Khan psych video
1 B/B, C/P, or P/S practice passage on Khan (and rotate through).

Should I address weaknesses first, or just all content review in order a second time?
I'm trying to focus on really understanding certain concepts but also doing continual practice, especially with Khan available (which I didn't really utilize much before).
How does this sound/any suggestions? Thanks!

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[deleted778326]

Should I address weaknesses first

This. If you know you are weak at something, address this now rather than doing a complete content review. YMMV and I am sure there are others out there that disagree but repeating content review, in my opinion, is a giant waste of time. Address what you're weak at and just do as many practice passages as you can. School has started and while it might not be a full course load, it's inevitably going to take up some of your time, and I would appropriate what you can now on the spots that you need the most help on before you burn yourself out.

Best of luck to you. I was in a similar situation as you last year so I wish you well.

 

[doctor_may]

This. If you know you are weak at something, address this now rather than doing a complete content review. YMMV and I am sure there are others out there that disagree but repeating content review, in my opinion, is a giant waste of time. Address what you're weak at and just do as many practice passages as you can. School has started and while it might not be a full course load, it's inevitably going to take up some of your time, and I would appropriate what you can now on the spots that you need the most help on before you burn yourself out.

Best of luck to you. I was in a similar situation as you last year so I wish you well.

Thank you for your wishes and advice.
My gut was telling me to address those weaknesses. And I will indeed utilize as many Khan passages as possible.
Can I ask you what your experience postponing was like, and if you ended up achieving your goal?

I also see you're in med school now; I wish you all the best!

 

[deleted778326]

Thank you for your wishes and advice.
My gut was telling me to address those weaknesses. And I will indeed utilize as many Khan passages as possible.
Can I ask you what your experience postponing was like, and if you ended up achieving your goal?

I also see you're in med school now; I wish you all the best!

Postponing was not really that big of a deal to me. I assume you're still in undergraduate and just think long term here; this is one test you do not want to take until you're absolutely ready so you never have to deal with it again. In my case, I was working full-time and studied part time up until about 3 weeks before the MCAT where I took all the vacation I had, as well as a brief LOA to study for the test. A week before the test I knew I was not ready and decided to wait another year. I was pretty upset at first and it was unfortunate but I really did not feel comfortable. I was at 5o7 on my practice tests and just did not think I was going to hit above that on the real thing. So, I waited, took it in January - 512. Applied that year, and was accepted multiple places. People are often in a rush to do things and I had to mentally keep telling myself to slow down. 29/3o years old, what was the difference at this point? I was already behind. Would rather not put myself FURTHER behind by screwing it up! Just hang in there. Focus on what you can, do not stress out about it too much and you will know when you're ready to take it. Wish you well!

 

[doctor_may]

Postponing was not really that big of a deal to me. I assume you're still in undergraduate and just think long term here; this is one test you do not want to take until you're absolutely ready so you never have to deal with it again. In my case, I was working full-time and studied part time up until about 3 weeks before the MCAT where I took all the vacation I had, as well as a brief LOA to study for the test. A week before the test I knew I was not ready and decided to wait another year. I was pretty upset at first and it was unfortunate but I really did not feel comfortable. I was at 5o7 on my practice tests and just did not think I was going to hit above that on the real thing. So, I waited, took it in January - 512. Applied that year, and was accepted multiple places. People are often in a rush to do things and I had to mentally keep telling myself to slow down. 29/3o years old, what was the difference at this point? I was already behind. Would rather not put myself FURTHER behind by screwing it up! Just hang in there. Focus on what you can, do not stress out about it too much and you will know when you're ready to take it. Wish you well!

Ah thank you! I'm very glad it worked out for you. It's definitely a tough call in the moment and in those few days/weeks leading up to the test when you're so ready to get it over with. But yes, in the end it will - hopefully - save you the cost of piling application fees that would likely end with rejections. Congratulations on that 512!
How did you map out your studying, and were you still working full-time at this point? And if you don't mind, which books did you use & what was a typical study day like during this time?

 

[_NM_]

I took the MCAT when I wasn't ready for it because I had spent the whole summer (May-August) studying for it, and I didn't want that to be "wasted." I ended up not doing as well in my verbal so I'm actually retaking it now anyway. I knew I wasn't ready when I took it and I wish I had just waited, so you're really smart for recognizing that about yourself and postponing it. I'll actually be working part time and studying for the MCAT (I'm aiming for 2 hrs/weekday and 5 hours on weekends). But like the other people said, you've studied all summer and if you just focus on your weak areas/constantly test yourself, I'm sure you'll be fine.

Also, I don't know if you're a flashcard person, but I've been making cards with Anki and I downloaded the app on my phone so that I can study when I'm in line at the grocery store/on the bus/etc, and it's been really helpful. I highly recommend it!

 

[doctor_may]

I took the MCAT when I wasn't ready for it because I had spent the whole summer (May-August) studying for it, and I didn't want that to be "wasted." I ended up not doing as well in my verbal so I'm actually retaking it now anyway. I knew I wasn't ready when I took it and I wish I had just waited, so you're really smart for recognizing that about yourself and postponing it. I'll actually be working part time and studying for the MCAT (I'm aiming for 2 hrs/weekday and 5 hours on weekends). But like the other people said, you've studied all summer and if you just focus on your weak areas/constantly test yourself, I'm sure you'll be fine.

Also, I don't know if you're a flashcard person, but I've been making cards with Anki and I downloaded the app on my phone so that I can study when I'm in line at the grocery store/on the bus/etc, and it's been really helpful. I highly recommend it!

Thank you for the advice. Anki sounds like a great idea.
I wish you the best on your exam!!

 

[CJhooper123]

This. If you know you are weak at something, address this now rather than doing a complete content review. YMMV and I am sure there are others out there that disagree but repeating content review, in my opinion, is a giant waste of time. Address what you're weak at and just do as many practice passages as you can. School has started and while it might not be a full course load, it's inevitably going to take up some of your time, and I would appropriate what you can now on the spots that you need the most help on before you burn yourself out.

Best of luck to you. I was in a similar situation as you last year so I wish you well.

Kind of in a comparable situation... keep scoring in the mid-500's and will be postponing until January.

I am having an issue identifying where I am weak... I feel like I have "general understanding" for everything.... but I could be wrong. What is the best way to identify weaknesses?

 

[doctor_may]

Kind of in a comparable situation... keep scoring in the mid-500's and will be postponing until January.

I am having an issue identifying where I am weak... I feel like I have "general understanding" for everything.... but I could be wrong. What is the best way to identify weaknesses?

I'm going through my EK books and marking chapters that I know I rushed through because of time constraints. Just using a lot of post-its. I also have the Kaplan books this time, so for the EK chapters that just didn't make sense to me I'll be trying to do the Kaplan chapter instead or using Khan videos. Hopefully that helps a bit!
You could also go through wrong answers on old practice exams, and tally how many you got wrong per concept.

 

[doctor_may]

I'm in the same boat since I was way too busy with my Summer internship (not that I regret it!). Trying to address my weaknesses first as well, which is definitely the P/S section. Also trying to practice CARS every day!

Good luck with your semesters and studying! My semester just started and it's been very hard to balance 18 credits of classes (2 classes being upper-division biology) courses as well as MCAT prep, not solely because of the difficulty of the studying, but in general because once your done studying for your classes, you still have MCAT left. It's like an endless torrent of studying that doesn't let up.

I CAN't wait to take this test and never have to think about it again (provided that I score well on it...RIP)

Good luck to you too! Yes, 1 CARS/day seems to be a good move.

I feel you on trying to balance it all. I had to drop a class I really wanted to take but it has made a tremendous difference. Highly recommend lightening your load. Is it possible to drop a class for you?

 

[jamaicandoctor]

I really did consider it! But my GPA during my freshman/sophomore years was absolutely terrible (was trying to get my **** together). It's been a super upward trend until tend, but the damage has been done. Long story short, I really wanted to but at this point I kind of need all the GPA boost I can get, so I have a full-load of classes!

Worst case scenario, I'll have to push my MCAT to Feburary or later in Spring next year provided my studying doesn't go well until then! 🙄

Hi everyone,

I postponed my MCAT date from August to January, and am beginning to study again. I spent about 2.5 months preparing for the Aug. 5 MCAT using the MCATJelly schedule and EK books mainly.

I was studying 5-6 hours a day over the summer and did 6 NS practice exams. My average on those was 506 and on the Scored I got a 506. I did not want to risk it so I postponed.
I am aiming for a 511 (previously it was a 508 but then I realized this wouldn't be high enough based on other factors).

Now I'm back at school and planning on doing 1 -2 hrs/day for 5-6 days a week and then doing practice exams during winter break. I have a pretty light semester overall.

I am treating this as an extension of my summer studying.
I am thinking each day I'll cover:
1/2 a content chapter (if I can -- I want to make sure I'm thorough)
1 CARS Khan passage
1 Khan psych video
1 B/B, C/P, or P/S practice passage on Khan (and rotate through).

Should I address weaknesses first, or just all content review in order a second time?
I'm trying to focus on really understanding certain concepts but also doing continual practice, especially with Khan available (which I didn't really utilize much before).
How does this sound/any suggestions? Thanks!

Im in the same boat here, I took the Aug 25 one knowing that I wasn't ready, now I'm doing the EK 10 week study plan for the Jan 21 date, I'll practice FL tests and sections test once the 10 weeks are completed.