How to Study for the MCAT

I have received a couple of messages from summer test takers. I published a post a while back and will post it below. I hope you find it helpful, good luck, you will be in my prayers! If you have any additional questions feel free to message me!

http://dikaios18woman.blogspot.com/2014/02/best-mcat-prep-material.html

 

 

Best MCAT Prep Material

The MCAT is unlike any exam you will ever take in your life. It requires a great deal of focus, mental clarity, sharp critical thinking skills, endurance, and most importantly, confidence. The exam is 5 hours long. It is broken up into 3 sections:

Physical Science: 52 questions/70 minutes (composed of chemistry and physics)
Verbal Reasoning: 40 questions/60 minutes
Biological Science. 52 questions/70 minutes (composed of biology and organic chemistry)

Scoring is based on the number you get correct. You are not penalized for getting any questions wrong, you just don't earn any points. The highest you can score in each section is a 15. To be considered competitive you want to get a 10 in each section; the magic number= 30!!!

Everyone has a different MCAT study schedule based on many different factors; work schedule, school schedule, extracurricular activities, etc. However, you want to allot at "least" 5 months towards studying. You should also try to incorporate MCAT passages during your pre-med courses. This way you will have a better grasp and understanding.

The main thing you want to avoid is bombarding yourself with MCAT prep material. There are numerous companies out there but PLEASE stick to just one or 2 companies or you will confuse yourself. Below is what I found to be best; it is not be emulated but simply used as a guide.

Official AAMC Self Assessment: You can buy each subject individually or get the entire package for $104. I received them free through the Kaplan Prep Course. These were very helpful, it consists of MCAT style passages!



Kaplan Flashcards: I didn't care to much for their books but the flashcards serve a great quick refresher

Examkrackers: These books are great for those who have a strong foundation on the material already. If not, I would recommend TPR or Berkley.

Official AAMC Practice Exams: There are 8 of them, $30 each. I recieved them free through the Kaplan Prep Course. These are GOLD. If you can afford them, buy all of them.

 



Examkrackers 1001 Questions: they go along with the EK books; after each lecture use this book to do questions!

 

 

This is what worked best for me. There are many other great resources out there such as Berkley, Kaplan, and The Princeton Review. I've tried all of them...but stick to 1 or 2 companies, you don't want to feel overwhelmed. Pack a water bottle, your favorite "healthy" snack, music (if that's your preference), find a quiet spot and just dive into it! Remember: leave that cell phone in the car, get off Instagram, lose track of time....immerse yourself completely in the material. Make if fun; bring highlighters, colorful pens, make drawings/diagrams. Don't stress yourself out. Over time it gets easier, don't give up!