When should I be complete with content review?

[up40loves]

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I am planning to take the late May or June 18th MCAT, so I was wondering when should I be finished with content review and just doing practice tests? Also would you recommend that I take a couple weeks break before the exam?

Thanks!

 

[SN2ed]

You should start taking practice tests every other day or every three days, around a month before your test date. I don't think a full 2 week break is a good idea. I think a periodic 1-2 day break is good. Place one every month and a half. Then, take the day before your test date off. How soon you finish your content review depends on the amount of practice material you bought. If you have enough, drown yourself in problems for the 1-2 months before the month of practice tests.

Very rough outline schedule:

Feb: Content review + practice problems
March: Finishing up content review + even more practice problems
April: Drown in a vast sea of practice problems
May/June: Practice tests

Make sure you time all of your practice.

 

[futuredoctor10]

Yep great advice from SN2. I'd say complete content review minimally 3 weeks before your test, and ideally 1-1.5 months before your test.

If you have time, during the practice test phase, take 1 day off each week and do nothing MCAT-related.

 

[up40loves]

Thanks everyone for your advice! So should I take all my practice exams after finishing content review? Or should I do a few a few while content reviewing?

Once again, thanks!

 

[futuredoctor10]

I would say majority of practice tests should be done after content review is complete. Maybe do 1 or 2 practice tests during (for example, 1 practice test about 2/3 or 3/4 through studying).

You can still do timed practice problems during the "content review" phase in the prep books and/or online materials you may have. That way, you still get practice doing MCAT-style discretes and passage questions.