Taking MCAT January 2018, lots of questions about studying

[AdenineThomasPhosphate]

I graduated with my Biology Degree in 2016. I studied incredibly hard in college so I'd say my knowledge base WAS deep, however it's been over a year since I was in school. So that's 2-3 years since some of the beginning subjects (I changed majors to Biology in the Spring of 2014). I picked up the most current TBR, Kaplan, and EK.

I plan on using TBR for most of the content review, as I understand it has the most in depth content review of all of the sets and I like the sound of that. I'd use it and EK and TBR for questions, EK for practice tests, as well as whatever the AAMC has out in the test department. And Kaplan and EK to fill in the content blanks.

My main concern is how long I've been out of school. Flipping through the books the concepts come back to me fairly easily, but I still want to dedicate 120 days to studying. I am incredibly excited to begin studying for this behemoth of a test and take the next step in my medical career. I work as a Per Diem PCA (have to work 1 shift per month to keep my job), and have some weekly volunteering obligations, but not really too much to get in the way of studying.

My main questions are:

1) Should I take 120 days to study? I want to do this because I've been out of school for a bit, but am absolutely open to suggestions.

2) Could someone give me a brief explanation of their 120 day schedule? Studying what, when, and for how long.

3) Should I use certain books for certain subjects?

Anyway, as stated above, I can't wait to start studying and become a Doctor (after working 2.5 years as a PCA) and appreciate any feedback I can get!

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[Coltuna]

1. Yes if you have the time
2. There are some great study plans stickied to this thread that many people have success with.
3. You could. TBR is usually considered best for chem/phys. Bio, Biochem you can really use any book. Psych/Soc use the 100 page khan academy document. CARS use EK-->TPR-->CARS Q Packs assuming you're doing passages every day and will need a lot.

 

[workaholic181]

I graduated with my Biology Degree in 2016. I studied incredibly hard in college so I'd say my knowledge base WAS deep, however it's been over a year since I was in school. So that's 2-3 years since some of the beginning subjects (I changed majors to Biology in the Spring of 2014). I picked up the most current TBR, Kaplan, and EK.

I plan on using TBR for most of the content review, as I understand it has the most in depth content review of all of the sets and I like the sound of that. I'd use it and EK and TBR for questions, EK for practice tests, as well as whatever the AAMC has out in the test department. And Kaplan and EK to fill in the content blanks.

My main concern is how long I've been out of school. Flipping through the books the concepts come back to me fairly easily, but I still want to dedicate 120 days to studying. I am incredibly excited to begin studying for this behemoth of a test and take the next step in my medical career. I work as a Per Diem PCA (have to work 1 shift per month to keep my job), and have some weekly volunteering obligations, but not really too much to get in the way of studying.

My main questions are:

1) Should I take 120 days to study? I want to do this because I've been out of school for a bit, but am absolutely open to suggestions.

2) Could someone give me a brief explanation of their 120 day schedule? Studying what, when, and for how long.

3) Should I use certain books for certain subjects?

Anyway, as stated above, I can't wait to start studying and become a Doctor (after working 2.5 years as a PCA) and appreciate any feedback I can get!

1) 120 days is a perfectly fine amount of time to study but be sure you are reviewing content you started with so that it is all fresh in your mind on test day. 120 days is a lot of time and easy to forget things in this period.

2) I did general content review for 5 weeks then studied that material for roughly 6. I made tons of flashcards, and then reviewed two subject areas a day. I took an FL every weekend (6 total). After reviewing my flashcards several times, I began highliting info I wasn't retaining. Towards exam day, I focused on my weak areas (C/P)

3) I had TPR for everything except bio, which I had Kaplan for. Honestly I wouldn't recommend Kaplan for any of the subjects. They are just straight up rote memorization which isn't really what this test is about. TPR was excellent especially for Ochem and Gen chem. If I could go back in time I probably wouldn't have bought their psych/soc book and as the other user said, just used Khan academy for that. They really do an excellent job covering that content.

Best advice I could give is to keep your head up and embrace this process, even during the hard times. You can do this!

 

[AdenineThomasPhosphate]

1) 120 days is a perfectly fine amount of time to study but be sure you are reviewing content you started with so that it is all fresh in your mind on test day. 120 days is a lot of time and easy to forget things in this period.

2) I did general content review for 5 weeks then studied that material for roughly 6. I made tons of flashcards, and then reviewed two subject areas a day. I took an FL every weekend (6 total). After reviewing my flashcards several times, I began highliting info I wasn't retaining. Towards exam day, I focused on my weak areas (C/P)

3) I had TPR for everything except bio, which I had Kaplan for. Honestly I wouldn't recommend Kaplan for any of the subjects. They are just straight up rote memorization which isn't really what this test is about. TPR was excellent especially for Ochem and Gen chem. If I could go back in time I probably wouldn't have bought their psych/soc book and as the other user said, just used Khan academy for that. They really do an excellent job covering that content.

Best advice I could give is to keep your head up and embrace this process, even during the hard times. You can do this!

Thanks for the reply. I've been seeing good things about Khan Academy, and I've heard they offer great videos on certain subjects, have you had any experience with them?

 

[AdenineThomasPhosphate]

1. Yes if you have the time
2. There are some great study plans stickied to this thread that many people have success with.
3. You could. TBR is usually considered best for chem/phys. Bio, Biochem you can really use any book. Psych/Soc use the 100 page khan academy document. CARS use EK-->TPR-->CARS Q Packs assuming you're doing passages every day and will need a lot.

Excellent, thank you for the feedback and I will absolutely look at those study plans!

 

[workaholic181]

Thanks for the reply. I've been seeing good things about Khan Academy, and I've heard they offer great videos on certain subjects, have you had any experience with them?

I would use them for topics in all the subjects I didn't fully understand. Off the top of my head, I found their enzyme kinetics and all psych videos really helpful.

I personally feel as though my TPR psych book left out a ton of content which I ran into on each official AAMC exam and on the real MCAT. This is why I strongly suggest using khan academy at least to augment that reading material. All of their psych/soc videos are really good.

 

[Zenabi90]

I'm in a sort of similar boat. I graduated in 2012 with a BS Microbio and took the MCAT back then. 27Q (503 today accd to Efle's post here: Efle's MCAT 2015 to Old MCAT Percentile Comparison/Conversion Tables). Truthfully I had a lot of motivation problems and personal issues.

Fast forward 5 years and I've decided I needed to put myself first for once. I'm about to start prep for the MCAT for a Jan 2018 test date. With the long time period between my prereqs and now, I've decided I need to do a lot of content review. SN2ed and KoalaT (I think his name is rather clever) have posted two great threads that I've gone through pretty thoroughly. The MeVamp Protocol was really interesting as well. Searching for all 3 threads and reading through them, along with the other threads that they link to, would be where I would start.

Here's my plan/summary: (incoming wall of text)
Materials
-If prereqs aren't fresh, you absolutely need TBR. Buy the complete set, even the verbal and psych. You have the time for the added materials. Add EK1001 (not the bio, just everything else) or whatever extra discrete/QBanks you like.
-Psych/Soc: Augment with Khan Academy videos + materials (I read something about a 100page doc) and TPR.
-Verbal/CARS: EK Verbal 101, TBR, TPR. If you need more, consider LSAT materials.
-Buy the AAMC bundle pack (reserve for last month of dedicated study).
-AAMC now only offers 2 FLs. I will be adding NextStep and Altius to offset. Maybe TBR's CBTs if there's time. Don't even look in the general direction of TPR/Kaplan FLs.
-Absolutely look up the Golden Rule (wrong is wrong, least wrong is best answer; it applies to ALL questions, not just verbal) and S2Ned's Hat trick. Too many good things written to ignore them.

Timing considerations
-A January test-date means we're 5+ months out. I wouldn't go rigorous right off the bat, you need to get the rust off and build up stamina, especially going into the material cold
-We have time, but we also need to understand there's no way to maintain retention of all this material for longer than 3-4 months. After that, things start to overflow and disappear
-I'll be doing cold-reads every day from now until Sept 16. Today I familiarized myself with the book layouts, making notes of where EK/TPRH/TBR align. Then tomorrow til Sept 16, I'll just be reading through the material. Get used to the terms and wording. I won't even be looking at the practice questions or looking at retention. Just stress-free exposure. Will probably do this in the S2Ned order (subject rotation by chapter).
-I'm going to adapt SN2ed's 120-day protocol starting Sept 18. Sept 18 to Jan 15 is 17 weeks, 119 days and I'll use Sundays as my break days. The test date will probably be a little later, so it's 120+ days overall. Do 1-3 verbal every day, toss in a Psych/Soc day every rotation. He posted an excel spreadsheet back for the old MCAT, I'd make my own to fit my life.
-Christmas Eve/Day is a Sun/Mon so it won't mess with the schedule too much. If Thanksgiving is a big day in your family, the one day off won't kill you. I think just some CARS practice in the morning will do nicely, so you don't lose your rhythm but you can still be with family later in the day.

Personal Considerations
-Make a list of the people who make demands on your time. S/O, work colleagues, friends, roommates, family. Let them know what you're about to do, and explain ahead of time the demands and importance of the MCAT. Some will get it, some won't, but it will be clear and you don't have to worry later about missing minor commitments (birthday parties, movie nights, random gatherings, etc). The 120-day schedule allows you to attend anything major (weddings, funerals, court dates) without killing your timing.
-I KNOW it is going to be stressful because there's the mentality that "I covered this, I should know this, why don't I remember any of this, this is so frustrating." That's why I'm not looking for understanding or retention, just looking to ease into it at first. The first month will also help set the routine. Wake up at 7, start material at 8, take 10 min meditation breaks every 2 hours, lunch break, exercise break, and dinner break, finish at 8, personal time til 9:30, in bed with eyes closed by 10.
-Make a list of all your distractors and turn them off. Lock your phone in a drawer, deactivate your FB/SC/IG/Twitter/social media, turn off the internet router. No more SDN once you start your dedicated study period.
-DO make time every day for exercise or physical activity. Now isn't the time to go for PR's in the gym or on your runs though. Think maintenance. Healthy body, healthy mind. Cut out all alcohol and caffeine. If you're a coffee fiend, the first month will help you detox. Take it a step further with meal prep on your break days.
-Study with earplugs in and headphones without sound/music. Get used to them. You'll use them on the test, so use them now.
-I started to listen to 1-2 podcasts from NPR's Hidden Brain every day. Lots of sociology concepts presented, and the stories help make them memorable.

Test Considerations
-You WILL feel like crap in the 2-3 weeks leading up to the test. That's normal. You're going to want to cancel. That's normal. Don't do it. Take your FLs, and if the AAMC FLs are scoring in your preferred range (505-510+ for most, 515+ for me since I have a gap-half-decade), push through. If they're abnormally low (<500), try to figure out why. You can always do another 90-day study cycle and test in April, but unless you really didn't follow your sched the first time around, the second cycle won't do you any good.
-1 week before the exam, locate the test center. Go physically into the building. Drive there in the mornings as if you're going to the actual exam so you know the traffic and area and where to park.
-Do NOTHING test related the day before the exam. You did your work. Several months of it. You need to decompress before the exam. Go watch a movie, relax, get a good night's sleep. No caffeine the day before.
-After your test, absolutely do NOT void unless you significantly screwed up. No matter how horrible you feel, do NOT VOID.

Sorry for the wall of text, but I hope at least some of it will be of use to you or anyone else lurking, too afraid to post. I'm open to questions or PMs if needed, at least until September 18.

 

[AdenineThomasPhosphate]

I'm in a sort of similar boat. I graduated in 2012 with a BS Microbio and took the MCAT back then. 27Q (503 today accd to Efle's post here: Efle's MCAT 2015 to Old MCAT Percentile Comparison/Conversion Tables). Truthfully I had a lot of motivation problems and personal issues.

Fast forward 5 years and I've decided I needed to put myself first for once. I'm about to start prep for the MCAT for a Jan 2018 test date. With the long time period between my prereqs and now, I've decided I need to do a lot of content review. SN2ed and KoalaT (I think his name is rather clever) have posted two great threads that I've gone through pretty thoroughly. The MeVamp Protocol was really interesting as well. Searching for all 3 threads and reading through them, along with the other threads that they link to, would be where I would start.

Here's my plan/summary: (incoming wall of text)
Materials
-If prereqs aren't fresh, you absolutely need TBR. Buy the complete set, even the verbal and psych. You have the time for the added materials. Add EK1001 (not the bio, just everything else) or whatever extra discrete/QBanks you like.
-Psych/Soc: Augment with Khan Academy videos + materials (I read something about a 100page doc) and TPR.
-Verbal/CARS: EK Verbal 101, TBR, TPR. If you need more, consider LSAT materials.
-Buy the AAMC bundle pack (reserve for last month of dedicated study).
-AAMC now only offers 2 FLs. I will be adding NextStep and Altius to offset. Maybe TBR's CBTs if there's time. Don't even look in the general direction of TPR/Kaplan FLs.
-Absolutely look up the Golden Rule (wrong is wrong, least wrong is best answer; it applies to ALL questions, not just verbal) and S2Ned's Hat trick. Too many good things written to ignore them.

Timing considerations
-A January test-date means we're 5+ months out. I wouldn't go rigorous right off the bat, you need to get the rust off and build up stamina, especially going into the material cold
-We have time, but we also need to understand there's no way to maintain retention of all this material for longer than 3-4 months. After that, things start to overflow and disappear
-I'll be doing cold-reads every day from now until Sept 16. Today I familiarized myself with the book layouts, making notes of where EK/TPRH/TBR align. Then tomorrow til Sept 16, I'll just be reading through the material. Get used to the terms and wording. I won't even be looking at the practice questions or looking at retention. Just stress-free exposure. Will probably do this in the S2Ned order (subject rotation by chapter).
-I'm going to adapt SN2ed's 120-day protocol starting Sept 18. Sept 18 to Jan 15 is 17 weeks, 119 days and I'll use Sundays as my break days. The test date will probably be a little later, so it's 120+ days overall. Do 1-3 verbal every day, toss in a Psych/Soc day every rotation. He posted an excel spreadsheet back for the old MCAT, I'd make my own to fit my life.
-Christmas Eve/Day is a Sun/Mon so it won't mess with the schedule too much. If Thanksgiving is a big day in your family, the one day off won't kill you. I think just some CARS practice in the morning will do nicely, so you don't lose your rhythm but you can still be with family later in the day.

Personal Considerations
-Make a list of the people who make demands on your time. S/O, work colleagues, friends, roommates, family. Let them know what you're about to do, and explain ahead of time the demands and importance of the MCAT. Some will get it, some won't, but it will be clear and you don't have to worry later about missing minor commitments (birthday parties, movie nights, random gatherings, etc). The 120-day schedule allows you to attend anything major (weddings, funerals, court dates) without killing your timing.
-I KNOW it is going to be stressful because there's the mentality that "I covered this, I should know this, why don't I remember any of this, this is so frustrating." That's why I'm not looking for understanding or retention, just looking to ease into it at first. The first month will also help set the routine. Wake up at 7, start material at 8, take 10 min meditation breaks every 2 hours, lunch break, exercise break, and dinner break, finish at 8, personal time til 9:30, in bed with eyes closed by 10.
-Make a list of all your distractors and turn them off. Lock your phone in a drawer, deactivate your FB/SC/IG/Twitter/social media, turn off the internet router. No more SDN once you start your dedicated study period.
-DO make time every day for exercise or physical activity. Now isn't the time to go for PR's in the gym or on your runs though. Think maintenance. Healthy body, healthy mind. Cut out all alcohol and caffeine. If you're a coffee fiend, the first month will help you detox. Take it a step further with meal prep on your break days.
-Study with earplugs in and headphones without sound/music. Get used to them. You'll use them on the test, so use them now.
-I started to listen to 1-2 podcasts from NPR's Hidden Brain every day. Lots of sociology concepts presented, and the stories help make them memorable.

Test Considerations
-You WILL feel like crap in the 2-3 weeks leading up to the test. That's normal. You're going to want to cancel. That's normal. Don't do it. Take your FLs, and if the AAMC FLs are scoring in your preferred range (505-510+ for most, 515+ for me since I have a gap-half-decade), push through. If they're abnormally low (<500), try to figure out why. You can always do another 90-day study cycle and test in April, but unless you really didn't follow your sched the first time around, the second cycle won't do you any good.
-1 week before the exam, locate the test center. Go physically into the building. Drive there in the mornings as if you're going to the actual exam so you know the traffic and area and where to park.
-Do NOTHING test related the day before the exam. You did your work. Several months of it. You need to decompress before the exam. Go watch a movie, relax, get a good night's sleep. No caffeine the day before.
-After your test, absolutely do NOT void unless you significantly screwed up. No matter how horrible you feel, do NOT VOID.

Sorry for the wall of text, but I hope at least some of it will be of use to you or anyone else lurking, too afraid to post. I'm open to questions or PMs if needed, at least until September 18.

Wow! Thank your for the reply. Since I posted this thread I did dig deep into SN2ed and KoalaT, and I think KoalaT's plan sounded almost perfect to me. I will check out MeVamp's protocol as well.

I do have to say I disagree with what you say about coffee. I don't understand the benefit of not drinking it while studying. I'm open to the idea of it being eliminated, but why in partiular do you think it should be removed from one's "study schedule"?

 

[Zenabi90]

Coffee is always a divider. I don't like to call it coffee though because people love their coffee. So I'll talk about caffeine.

Here's the thing about caffeine. It's a stimulant, and it is great when it works. The benefits are well-stated both in physical and mental performance. There's nothing wrong with caffeine.

The problem is many people become dependent. Sometimes so dependent that they cannot function without a "hit" in the morning. Sometimes a hit in the afternoon. I once had a teacher who had all but replaced water with coffee. Once you're dependent, it is no longer "performance-enhancing" but rather it brings you back to your baseline, back to normal. I forget where I saw it, but there were PET scans of brains and caffeine, and daily caffeine users had the same scans after a cup of coffee as non-caffeine users without caffeine. Habitual caffeine users may find that to regain their increased performance, they need to increase their dosage, up until they're drinking coffee the whole day. (BTW the venti and grande at Starbucks both have two shots in them. You're just paying for extra milk.)

So to "regain" the positive effects of caffeine, I would suggest a caffeine cleanse for habitual caffeine users. Cut out all caffeine for a month. Coffee, tea, energy drinks, energy shots, etc. If you're highly dependent on the stimulant drug, you'll actually go through withdrawal symptoms. But on the other side, you may notice you feel like you don't need caffeine. You may even find that the new caffeine-less you performs better in the mornings than the old you. Then, you can use caffeine as needed! And you'll actually get the performance boost you're looking for if you use it judiciously in the weeks leading up to the exam. For example, you can add in green tea or black tea on your "bad" days. On FL days, have a cup of coffee to boost your test performance.

It's a strategy I employed for my first MCAT. I was doing a double shot every morning "just to get going." 6am research meetings will do that to you. After 2 years of the coffee habit, I was tired of spending money on coffee so I cut the habit and it was terrible. After the first few weeks, I found I was actually sleeping better, needing to sleep less to get the same amount of rest, and performing to a higher level early in the morning. On my test day, I brought a small thermos of coffee to the testing center and when I hit a wall halfway through, I took a 5 min break and hit the coffee and powered through the rest of the test with ease. Personally, I doubt I could have experienced the same performance enhancing effect if I hadn't already sensitized myself with the detox.

You don't have to cut out the coffee. If you're one of those "dose as I need it" types, that's fine. You have a healthy relationship with caffeine. If you have a sign on your forehead every morning that says "Don't talk to me until I've had a cup" then you may be in need of a detox. Just a suggestion.

 

[AdenineThomasPhosphate]

Coffee is always a divider. I don't like to call it coffee though because people love their coffee. So I'll talk about caffeine.

Here's the thing about caffeine. It's a stimulant, and it is great when it works. The benefits are well-stated both in physical and mental performance. There's nothing wrong with caffeine.

The problem is many people become dependent. Sometimes so dependent that they cannot function without a "hit" in the morning. Sometimes a hit in the afternoon. I once had a teacher who had all but replaced water with coffee. Once you're dependent, it is no longer "performance-enhancing" but rather it brings you back to your baseline, back to normal. I forget where I saw it, but there were PET scans of brains and caffeine, and daily caffeine users had the same scans after a cup of coffee as non-caffeine users without caffeine. Habitual caffeine users may find that to regain their increased performance, they need to increase their dosage, up until they're drinking coffee the whole day. (BTW the venti and grande at Starbucks both have two shots in them. You're just paying for extra milk.)

So to "regain" the positive effects of caffeine, I would suggest a caffeine cleanse for habitual caffeine users. Cut out all caffeine for a month. Coffee, tea, energy drinks, energy shots, etc. If you're highly dependent on the stimulant drug, you'll actually go through withdrawal symptoms. But on the other side, you may notice you feel like you don't need caffeine. You may even find that the new caffeine-less you performs better in the mornings than the old you. Then, you can use caffeine as needed! And you'll actually get the performance boost you're looking for if you use it judiciously in the weeks leading up to the exam. For example, you can add in green tea or black tea on your "bad" days. On FL days, have a cup of coffee to boost your test performance.

It's a strategy I employed for my first MCAT. I was doing a double shot every morning "just to get going." 6am research meetings will do that to you. After 2 years of the coffee habit, I was tired of spending money on coffee so I cut the habit and it was terrible. After the first few weeks, I found I was actually sleeping better, needing to sleep less to get the same amount of rest, and performing to a higher level early in the morning. On my test day, I brought a small thermos of coffee to the testing center and when I hit a wall halfway through, I took a 5 min break and hit the coffee and powered through the rest of the test with ease. Personally, I doubt I could have experienced the same performance enhancing effect if I hadn't already sensitized myself with the detox.

You don't have to cut out the coffee. If you're one of those "dose as I need it" types, that's fine. You have a healthy relationship with caffeine. If you have a sign on your forehead every morning that says "Don't talk to me until I've had a cup" then you may be in need of a detox. Just a suggestion.

Great response. I am a caffeine addict, however I can function without it. I think I'll employ your idea and start detoxing now.

Thank you for your input. Truly.

 

[Zenabi90]

Great response. I am a caffeine addict, however I can function without it. I think I'll employ your idea and start detoxing now.

Thank you for your input. Truly.

No problem, you're welcome. We're all on this road together. Best of luck, and keep us posted on your progress.