Urgent MCAT study plan while abroad

[happypremed023]

Hi all, I am currently a junior at a T30 school with a good GPA (3.8 - 3.9). I originally planned to apply after my senior year (2021 cycle) to matriculate in the fall of 2022. As a result, I originally planned to take the MCAT next fall and to study for it the entire next summer.

However, due to personal reasons, I have just been informed that I may only apply this coming cycle (June 2020) to matriculate in the fall of 2021. This is completely unexpected in my MCAT scheduling as I will be studying abroad this coming spring from January - End of May. Lucky thing is I just finished all my premedical prerequisites this past semester, only lacking a semester of sociology and that I see that there are international administrations of the MCAT near where I am staying in late April and mid May.

Still, I will have full on school abroad which will interfere with my studying and only a month Spring break from mid-March to mid-April. Is it possible to still get a good score (aiming for 515+, ideally 518+) with less than three continuous months of studying, even though I have never had contact with the MCAT?

I am planning to start studying next week and buy the entire AAMC bundle. What other supplementary materials should I buy/use? Looking at past threads, I've heard Kaplan is generally good for content review along with TBR, UWorld, and NextStep for questions/third party FLs as well as the 300 page reddit doc for P/S? If I plan to start now, how should I begin? Also, what are some other books that would suit someone like me who will be abroad and does not have a lot of time to study? I likely cannot buy actual textbooks to ship abroad so electronic would be ideal. Thank You!

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[Blueprint Med School]

Yes, it will be possible. You'll have to find time to study for the MCAT during your semester, and then during your free month, really crank down on practice. You could possible get by with just one set of review books (some students don't even use the books, and exclusively use Khan Academy, but I'd recommend at least the Kaplan books). Go through them all, do all the practice questions, and during your last month, try and get as much practice as you can done. The most important practice you can do are the AAMC FL exams, which there are 5 of (4 official ones, one unofficial).

Your study plan will vary depending on how you study and what your strengths are. You can use one of the premade study schedules on SDN as a guide, but you should tweak it based on your needs.

Kevin W, MCAT Tutor
Med School Tutors

 

[KnightDoc]

Hi all, I am currently a junior at a T30 school with a good GPA (3.8 - 3.9). I originally planned to apply after my senior year (2021 cycle) to matriculate in the fall of 2022. As a result, I originally planned to take the MCAT next fall and to study for it the entire next summer.

However, due to personal reasons, I have just been informed that I may only apply this coming cycle (June 2020) to matriculate in the fall of 2021. This is completely unexpected in my MCAT scheduling as I will be studying abroad this coming spring from January - End of May. Lucky thing is I just finished all my premedical prerequisites this past semester, only lacking a semester of sociology and that I see that there are international administrations of the MCAT near where I am staying in late April and mid May.

Still, I will have full on school abroad which will interfere with my studying and only a month Spring break from mid-March to mid-April. Is it possible to still get a good score (aiming for 515+, ideally 518+) with less than three continuous months of studying, even though I have never had contact with the MCAT?

I am planning to start studying next week and buy the entire AAMC bundle. What other supplementary materials should I buy/use? Looking at past threads, I've heard Kaplan is generally good for content review along with TBR, UWorld, and NextStep for questions/third party FLs as well as the 300 page reddit doc for P/S? If I plan to start now, how should I begin? Also, what are some other books that would suit someone like me who will be abroad and does not have a lot of time to study? I likely cannot buy actual textbooks to ship abroad so electronic would be ideal. Thank You!

Forgive me for prying, but what exactly does "may only apply this coming cycle" mean? You should realize 60% of applicants strike out, and 60% of matriculants have at least one gap year. While your GPA is certainly more than fine, you don't yet have an MCAT and we have no way to know based on your post what your traditional (no gap years) application will look like (ECs, etc.), so what is your plan if you are unsuccessful in your first rushed cycle, which without knowing anything more about you, is more likely than not?

Can you REALLY only apply in 2020 and never again? If so, that's a ton of pressure. Good luck!!