Tip on MCAT studying

[CavsFan2016]

As someone who just completed the application process and will be starting medical school in a few months, I've been taking a look at some of the guidelines on preparing for the NEXT standardized test as a medical student - Step 1.

I felt compelled to tell those who are still studying for the MCAT that basically the same guidelines and strategies that people recommend when studying for Step 1 are EXACTLY what I did while studying for the MCAT. Namely:

• Do TONS of question banks - for the MCAT, the best resources are AAMC Question Pack Bundles, AAMC Section Banks, and the three official AAMC Full-length exams that are offered. Repeat every question in every passage 3-4 times until you know why each answer choice is wrong or right. You guys may think I'm getting but I'm not. Going through a passage once or twice is not enough.
• Studying lecture notes from your old classes is also not enough - for the MCAT, don't spend time reviewing your old physics or general chemistry notes from 2-3 years ago - this is WAY more than you need to know for the MCAT. Buy a review guidebook (exam crackers, princeton review both work) and use that to brush up on any subjects you feel need the most work.
• DO NOT CRAM - for the MCAT, give yourself AT LEAST 4-6 months to study for this exam. Trying to cram the last month will only result in a bad score and a wasted month of your life (no matter how much time you put in during that one-month span). Cramming inevitably leads to memorization which leads to little/no ability to apply that knowledge on the MCAT. Don't do it.

These tips are what allowed to me do well on the MCAT - I'm sure they will work for you as well. Plus, if you adopt these tips, you will be even more ready for when you have to prepare for Step 1 in a few short years.

Hope this helps you guys out there.

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[5words]

So, where did you get in?

 

[CavsFan2016]

Wright state


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[nikoooooo]

how did you study for things like biology? like did you go over the chapters in the books, took extnesive notes, condensed notes, explained them to yourself out loud, or just skim and not bothered to waste time writing down stuff?

 

[CavsFan2016]

how did you study for things like biology? like did you go over the chapters in the books, took extnesive notes, condensed notes, explained them to yourself out loud, or just skim and not bothered to waste time writing down stuff?

I read through the Exam Crackers Bio 1/Bio 2 review books multiple times, outlined each chapter on a word document, then reviewed that multiple times until I understood everything. I then went over the AAMC Biology Question Pack Bundles and Section Banks to make sure I was comfortable with everything.

 

[bluelupie]

Wright state


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Thanks for this, go Cavs!