Compilation 509+ MCAT Study Habits

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supremus

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Use the template below:

1) Your individual scores and composite score
2) The study method used for each section
3) What materials you used for each section(Kaplan, TPR, Examkrackers, AAMC, TBR, etc)
4) Which practice tests did you use? (Optional: include scores)
5) What was your undergraduate major?
6) Any other tips you may have for those of us who still have this test lurking over us?
7) How long did you study for the MCAT?

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Solution
Use the template below:

1) Scores:
  • C/P: 128
  • CARS: 131
  • Bio: 132
  • Psych: 127
  • Total: 518
2) The study method used for each section
  • Overall: I read every page of the review books and took notes for chem and psych, as they were my weakest sections. For any section that I had never gone over in school, I read and took notes (such as the metabolism sections). I would go back and forth with the Kaplan online videos/lessons, their practice problems, and the book in order to really memorize the info
  • Chem/Phys: this was easily my weakest section to begin with, so I went back to the basics (for chem)
  • CARS: the Kaplan tips on how to work with the CARS section were invaluable. Their hour-long MCAT channel...
MCAT Score: 509

Study Methods: 8-10 hours a day, using TPR self paced prep course videos, books, practice problems, and exams. Last 2 weeks before exam I did nearly all AAMC materials.
I would wake up around 6:30am, go to the gym, and during my workout I would listen to the Khan Academy Biomolecules section.
During my 8-10 hour days I first focused on reading all of the books (except the CARS book which I did not finish as the strategies were harmful to my scores due to timing issues)
I then did the self-paced prep course for each section, watching all videos and doing all practice questions
At the end of each week (Friday) I would take a practice exam.
I read the P/S book twice, and created ~700 notecards for the terms. I don't suggest doing this unless you have a large time frame before your exam, because I barely used them.
I took the Sample test right before starting the AAMC prep materials, then AAMC Exam 1 after the first week, 2 after the second. Section Bank was very helpful.

Study Materials:
C/P: TPR materials, had access to the Self-Paced course (so lots of videos and practice problems), Exam Crackers MCAT Audio Osmosis CDs multiple times - VERY helpful.
CARS: TPR practice problems, practice exams, and AAMC CARS question packs (I have always done poorly on this section)
B/BC: Khan Academy Biomolecules section, TPR materials, Exam Crackers MCAT Audio Osmosis CDs multiple times - VERY helpful.
P/S: TPR materials (I felt well prepared during the exam, even though 129 isn't amazing)

Practice Exams: TPR & AAMC
TPR Course Test 1: 502
TPR Course Test 2: 501
TPR Course Test 3: 504
TPR Course Test 4: 506
TPR Course Test 5: 504
AAMC Sample Test: (81%, 84%, 85%, 76%)
AAMC Practice Test 1: 510 (130, 123, 131, 126)
AAMC Practice Test 2: 511 (131, 122, 131, 127)

Major: Health Sciences (Physiologic Science Track)
Minor: Medical Sciences

Sugestions/Tips: Start practicing for CARS super early. Months in advance. For me it was shocking how difficult it was, but I was tutored for a reading disability at a very young age. Practice your timing extensively. Make sure every practice passage you do, you are timing it. Especially for CARS, if you do not time them then you tend to develop poor habits. Honestly, read all of the prep books first and then focus on practice problems and practice exams. If you are stumped on something then go back to the books to review it or watch videos. If you have enough time, I suggest reading all the books and doing a couple practice exams and problems for a few weeks, and then reading them all once more. I read the P/S book about 4 days before my exam and it helped tremendously to pinpoint things I was iffy on.

Time Studying: 8 weeks straight for 8-10 hours/day (this however is not ideal and if given the option I would have started studying or doing practice problems during my Junior year spring semester)
 
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MCAT Score: 509 (128, 124, 128, 129)

Study Methods: 8-10 hours a day, using TPR self paced prep course videos, books, practice problems, and exams. Last 2 weeks before exam I did nearly all AAMC materials.
I would wake up around 6:30am, go to the gym, and during my workout I would listen to the Khan Academy Biomolecules section.
During my 8-10 hour days I first focused on reading all of the books (except the CARS book which I did not finish as the strategies were harmful to my scores due to timing issues)
I then did the self-paced prep course for each section, watching all videos and doing all practice questions
At the end of each week (Friday) I would take a practice exam.
I read the P/S book twice, and created ~700 notecards for the terms. I don't suggest doing this unless you have a large time frame before your exam, because I barely used them.
I took the Sample test right before starting the AAMC prep materials, then AAMC Exam 1 after the first week, 2 after the second. Section Bank was very helpful.

Study Materials:
C/P: Strictly TPR materials, had access to the Self-Paced course (so lots of videos and practice problems)
CARS: TPR practice problems, practice exams, and AAMC CARS question packs (I have always done poorly on this section)
B/BC: Khan Academy Biomolecules section, TPR materials
P/S: TPR materials (I felt well prepared during the exam, even though 129 isn't amazing)

Practice Exams: TPR & AAMC
TPR Course Test 1: 502
TPR Course Test 2: 501
TPR Course Test 3: 504
TPR Course Test 4: 506
TPR Course Test 5: 504
AAMC Sample Test: (81%, 84%, 85%, 76%)
AAMC Practice Test 1: 510 (130, 123, 131, 126)
AAMC Practice Test 2: 511 (131, 122, 131, 127)

Major: Health Sciences (Physiologic Science Track)
Minor: Medical Sciences

Sugestions/Tips: Start practicing for CARS super early. Months in advance. For me it was shocking how difficult it was, but I was tutored for a reading disability at a very young age. Practice your timing extensively. Make sure every practice passage you do, you are timing it. Especially for CARS, if you do not time them then you tend to develop poor habits. Honestly, read all of the prep books first and then focus on practice problems and practice exams. If you are stumped on something then go back to the books to review it or watch videos. If you have enough time, I suggest reading all the books and doing a couple practice exams and problems for a few weeks, and then reading them all once more. I read the P/S book about 4 days before my exam and it helped tremendously to pinpoint things I was iffy on.

Time Studying: 8 weeks straight for 8-10 hours/day (this however is not ideal and if given the option I would have started studying or doing practice problems during my Junior year spring semester)

I was wondering how you got the Khan Academy videos to play on your phone. Did you download them?. I have been trying to do that but I cant figure it out. I drive 2h a day from and to work and I can use this time to listen to the videos. I appreciate your help.
 
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I was wondering how you got the Khan Academy Videos to play on your phone. Did you download them?. I have been trying to do that but I cant figure it out. I drive 2h a day from and to work and I can use this time to listen to the videos. I appreciate your help.
I downloaded the Khan Academy app from the app store, I have an iPhone 6. Never had any issues with playing the videos. Hopefully you have unlimited data! Also I forgot to add this into my post... I purchased the Exam Crackers Audio Osmosis CDs and listened to them in the car. Physics was tough to listen to so I scratched that. But I listened to B/BC extensively and the Chem tracks like 4x over. The B/BC tracks were EXTREMELY informative. Highly recommend. They are from 2002 i think, but the core science is the same. I found that it correlated almost perfectly with my TPR Biology book. Hope this helps!! Good luck.
 
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I downloaded the Khan Academy app from the app store, I have an iPhone 6. Never had any issues with playing the videos. Hopefully you have unlimited data! Also I forgot to add this into my post... I purchased the Exam Crackers Audio Osmosis CDs and listened to them in the car. Physics was tough to listen to so I scratched that. But I listened to B/BC extensively and the Chem tracks like 4x over. The B/BC tracks were EXTREMELY informative. Highly recommend. They are from 2002 i think, but the core science is the same. I found that it correlated almost perfectly with my TPR Biology book. Hope this helps!! Good luck.
Yes I looked into EK CDs but I was discouraged because they were too old and I didn't want to confuse myself. Thank you! that was very helpful :)
 
Yes I looked into EK CDs but I was discouraged because they were too old and I didn't want to confuse myself. Thank you! that was very helpful :)

I did the same with the Khan academy app and then listened to some class podcasts from UCSD, which actually helped a lot. You can stream through the website. I had a hard time figuring out how to download them, but you may have better luck.


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile
 
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Does anyone have any tips when it comes to studying for the MCAT and how much time I should take while being a full time student? Im planning on taking it in March and start studying for it mid-December after 1st semester. The only difficult class I would say during my 2nd semester would be OChem 2nd Sem. Any tips or suggestions? I was planning on buying the Kaplan books and the barons flash cards.
 
My score: 518 (126/132/130/130)

Resources: Took an in-person Kaplan course, used SBs, FLs, and all of their other resources. Also used AAMC SBs and FLs. I took a full length every single saturday leading up to the test. Went to the library and sat down and did whole thing as if it were real. Number one piece of advice is to do this. I saved the AAMC full lengths for the last two saturdays before my exam.

Kaplan Diagnostic: 498 (with 13th percentile on C/P, but 80th percentile on CARS)

I don't remember my scores for every Kaplan FL but they ranged from 502 to 508. Got 502 on one, 508 on another and pretty much the rest were right at 505 (there was maybe one 506). I did all 14 available.

AAMC FL1: 508
AAMC FL2: 509

My goal score was 512, and I was so down on myself about my ability to achieve that score. Was in shock when I saw my real one.

Study Strategy: I worked a full time so I had limited time during the week. I studied from the first week of November until my test day on 4/22/17. I tried to get 15 hours a week of studying every week, including the full lengths and the Kaplan classes. In the beginning was doing much less than 15, in the end was doing much more. I was solid on CARS to begin with, so I really didn't study it except for doing the full length sections obviously. I needed to brush up on a ton of bio, and my C/P was horrendous, so I really just focused on content. I LOVED kaplans live video lessons, and I would recommend watching them live not recorded.

Major/Minor: Biology/Mathematics

Happy to give anyone advice on studying with a job, Kaplan, CARS (I know a lot of people struggle with it) and anything else. Good luck to everyone! Work your booties off!! :bookworm::bookworm::bookworm::bookworm:
 
My score: 518 (126/132/130/130)

Resources: Took an in-person Kaplan course, used SBs, FLs, and all of their other resources. Also used AAMC SBs and FLs. I took a full length every single saturday leading up to the test. Went to the library and sat down and did whole thing as if it were real. Number one piece of advice is to do this. I saved the AAMC full lengths for the last two saturdays before my exam.

Kaplan Diagnostic: 498 (with 13th percentile on C/P, but 80th percentile on CARS)

I don't remember my scores for every Kaplan FL but they ranged from 502 to 508. Got 502 on one, 508 on another and pretty much the rest were right at 505 (there was maybe one 506). I did all 14 available.

AAMC FL1: 508
AAMC FL2: 509

My goal score was 512, and I was so down on myself about my ability to achieve that score. Was in shock when I saw my real one.

Study Strategy: I worked a full time so I had limited time during the week. I studied from the first week of November until my test day on 4/22/17. I tried to get 15 hours a week of studying every week, including the full lengths and the Kaplan classes. In the beginning was doing much less than 15, in the end was doing much more. I was solid on CARS to begin with, so I really didn't study it except for doing the full length sections obviously. I needed to brush up on a ton of bio, and my C/P was horrendous, so I really just focused on content. I LOVED kaplans live video lessons, and I would recommend watching them live not recorded.

Major/Minor: Biology/Mathematics

Happy to give anyone advice on studying with a job, Kaplan, CARS (I know a lot of people struggle with it) and anything else. Good luck to everyone! Work your booties off!! :bookworm::bookworm::bookworm::bookworm:

Do you mind sharing a sample of your study schedule (per week maybe)?
I work full-time too but I have plenty of time to study at work lol. I am looking to retake the MCAT next year in March (first scored 489 :sick:). I appreciate your advice.
 
Do you mind sharing a sample of your study schedule (per week maybe)?
I work full-time too but I have plenty of time to study at work lol. I am looking to retake the MCAT next year in March (first scored 489 :sick:). I appreciate your advice.

Happy to. First I would suggest since you are working, to also stretch out studying like I did. It made it do-able.

Anyway, at the beginning I was lazy. From Nov to about Jan I studied about an hour a night after I came home from work. I tried to get some chunks of studying done on weekends, and had my Kaplan class on Sundays. I took my first Kaplan FL first week in Feb I believe. I started to get more serious here. I took a Fl every single saturday, never missed one. On Sundays I would go to my kaplan class and then I would spend the rest of the day going over my FL. As I went over I made flashcards for every single question I missed because of content. I also noted down topics I felt I was struggling with. During the week I did three hours of studying a day wherever I could fit them in. I often could get studying done at work, but otherwise from when I got home at 6 I went to library until 9 or 10 and studied. When it came to the final month I started just crushing SBs. Did a ton of questions and also started really limiting my flashcards to formulas for C/P and high yield terms. I loved Kaplan and it really helped me plan out my time and review content effectively. I would say though mix in some AAMC P/S questions early on because I found they tested very different terms and topics than Kaplan. Otherwise Kaplan was a great example of the real deal.
 
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Happy to. First I would suggest since you are working, to also stretch out studying like I did. It made it do-able.

Anyway, at the beginning I was lazy. From Nov to about Jan I studied about an hour a night after I came home from work. I tried to get some chunks of studying done on weekends, and had my Kaplan class on Sundays. I took my first Kaplan FL first week in Feb I believe. I started to get more serious here. I took a Fl every single saturday, never missed one. On Sundays I would go to my kaplan class and then I would spend the rest of the day going over my FL. As I went over I made flashcards for every single question I missed because of content. I also noted down topics I felt I was struggling with. During the week I did three hours of studying a day wherever I could fit them in. I often could get studying done at work, but otherwise from when I got home at 6 I went to library until 9 or 10 and studied. When it came to the final month I started just crushing SBs. Did a ton of questions and also started really limiting my flashcards to formulas for C/P and high yield terms. I loved Kaplan and it really helped me plan out my time and review content effectively. I would say though mix in some AAMC P/S questions early on because I found they tested very different terms and topics than Kaplan. Otherwise Kaplan was a great example of the real deal.
That's so helpful. Thank you so much :) and good luck applying
 
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Hey guys I have aamc official unused practice tests and q banks lmk if you want them
 
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Oh how I've wanted to post in this thread for so long....so happy that I finally get to do so! :soexcited:

1) Your composite score: 511
2) The study method used for each section
  • For C/P, B/B, and P/S, I made sure to print out the official AAMC content outline and check every single bullet point off on the list as I learned it. If a topic ever appeared that wasn't on the outline, I ignored it.
  • P/S - Probably the section I spent the most time studying due to my non-existent background with the material. I watched KA videos and took notes while watching them. I followed this up with highlighting the relevant material on the 86-page KA document.
  • If you're struggling to create a study schedule, I highly recommend checking out StudySchedule.org.
3) What materials you used for each section(Kaplan, TPR, Examkrackers, AAMC, TBR, etc)
  • C/P and B/B: TBR is hands down the best prep for these two sections. If you work through their books thoroughly, you'll be well prepared for the actual exam.
  • P/S: I watched every single video on KA (as I don't believe most 3rd parties have figured out this section yet) and I used the 86-page summary for the KA videos
  • CARS: I adapted the EK method and practiced using the NS 108 CARS passages book.
  • For my final month of studying, I only used the AAMC materials.
4) Which practice tests did you use?

In order taken:
Kaplan Diagnostic (494)
NS Diagnostic (498)
Kaplan "Practice" (492)
NS 1 (510)
NS 6 (504)
NS 2 (510)
NS 5 (507)
AAMC Official Guide (20/25/24/23)
NS 3 (505)
AAMC Sample (76/74/81/85)
NS 4 (505)
Section Banks (73/xx/85/76)
AAMC 1 (506)
AAMC 2 (508)


5) What was your undergraduate major?
  • Engineering
6) Any other tips you may have for those of us who still have this test lurking over us?
  • Learn to use and make the most out of ANKI- especially for P/S
  • I highly recommend NS practice exams 1-6
  • Turn off your phone and all distractions while studying
  • KA is a great (and free!) resource for MCAT studying. Use it before spending hundreds on resources from 3rd parties
  • Don't ignore CARS. Practice at least 1 timed passage every time you sit down to study. Switch to AAMC CARS materials for your last month of exam prep.
7) How long did you study for the MCAT?
  • About 400 hours of effective studying over 9 months due to me working full-time, taking a full course load of classes, and volunteering while prepping for the exam.
 
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First of all just want to thank all the amazing posters here, you all really helped me out

1) Your individual scores and composite score
Composite: 518 (97th)
C/P: 130
CARS: 128
B/B: 130
P/S: 130

2) The study method used for each section


Overall I copied and combined MCAT Jelly (My MCAT 2015 Study Schedule) and the chapter X.1, X.2, X.3 guide for going through Content Chapters from Next Step (Breaking Down the MCAT 2015: 100 Days to MCAT Success). I then made some Adjustments for a 98 Day schedule (I'm not the smartest so I needed more time than Jelly, you can beat this test just need to put the time in!)

Basically: day one (X.1) I would skim the chapter and learn any terms I didn't know
Day two - the next day (X.2) I would read the chapter thoroughly and answer the questions and do assosciated TBR passages (these take a while).
Day Three - One week after day two (X.3) I would retry any questions I got wrong and add to flashcards.

Keep in mind every day can have multiple days, so on one day I could be doing EC Chem chapter 4 day one, Biomolecules Ch 3 day two, and Physics Ch 3 day three all on one day. These are listed more visible on the spreadsheet attached



Notes on my Study plan:
  • If you are confused by something please check out MCAT jelly's guide and the .1/.2/.3 strategy from next step as without reading those first it is pretty hard to understand my schedule
  • I didn't get to each TBR passage every time, sometimes they take A LONG time, but they are very valuable. Whenever I didn't finish one I would try and come back to it to a later day, ESPECIALLY if it was a topic I was shaky on. A key note is to focus on the hardest section for you, I loved doing physics sections and hated orgo, so I forced myself to complete all the Orgo sections and occasionally would only do half a physics section.
  • I really like flashcards. So every time I did the .2 part I would make a flashcard for anything I was even slightly shaky on.
    • Over time I had three piles of flashcards, that I would continuously go through as it got closer to test day: One: don't know. Two: Kinda know. Three: know down cold (only if I get it right three times in a row).
  • Khan academy is a great resource, anything I didn't understand I would instantly khan academy. "10KA passages" means 10 khan academy passages looking for topics like what I was studying.
  • "flash/amino" means flash cards and memorize amino acids (more on how to do that later)
  • Please PERSONALIZE this schedule, as you can see I have my birthday in there, and a trip I made to Miami. Someone said this better earlier but don't let this test take over your life. Maintain consistent focused study habits, and consistent breaks or you will either burn out or not absorb the content as well.
  • Really focus on AAMC materials this is repeated multiple times throughout here, but they are so important. The section banks and three full length tests are gold, treat them as such.
  • When I say "write down unknown content" I would take a piece of paper and literally do bullet points of everything I didn't know to go over the next day, and maybe make some new flashcards, i.e. "2+2=4", then a flash card the next day, after I understand it, of "2+2 =?"
  • Extra: If I finished the targeted goals of the day I would either: go over flash cards, do a full CARS section, or review something from a previous day
C/P: Just went through study plan, filling in @ khan academy when necessary

CARS:
This was tough for me, I started off with a good score and kind of dropped, then went up, then dropped. I don't have any good techniques, when I tried to add techniques (like reading twice, whispering, other random bullS) my score went down... just practice, practice, practice

B/B:
Biochem is so key here. Don't fully memorize all the pathways just get a general idea. And FFS know the amino acids by heart, structure, three letter, one letter, charge, full name. I used this youtube video (), and used the 10 min tutorial to draw EVERY amino acid out at the beginning of every one of my practice tests and of course the real test. It helped me breeze through at least 4 questions, probably more.

P/S:
terms terms terms, that's mainly it, it is slightly CARSy, but really you can improve your score in the shortest amount of time here by just learning and understanding new terms/theories.

3) What materials you used for each section(Kaplan, TPR, Examkrackers, AAMC, TBR, etc)

Covered above and in schedule

4) Which practice tests did you use? (Optional: include scores)

In order of date taken

[Test] (Score) [C/P] / [CARS] / [B/B] / [P/S]
NS 1/2 diag (500) 123/127/125/125
AAMC Sample 71%/77%/73%/75%
AAMC Bio Qpack 1: (83%) |AAMC CARS Qpack 1: (81%) |AAMC CARS Qpack 2: (85%) |AAMC Phys Qpack: (86%) |AAMC Chem Qpack: (87%)
EC 1: (64%) 50%/77%/67%/65%
NS 1: (511) 128/127/128/128
AAMC Sec Bank Chem (61%) |AAMC Sec Bank Bio (72%)| AAMC Sec Bank P/S (69%)
EC FL #2 (72%) 66%/68%/70%/83%
AAMC 1: (510) 129/127/127/127
NS 2: (512) 128/128/128/128
EC 3: (72%) 73%/72%/68%/71%
AAMC 2: (513) 131/126/129/127
EC 4 (73%) 76%/57%/73%/85%

5) What was your undergraduate major?

Biomedical Engineer

6) Any other tips you may have for those of us who still have this test lurking over us?
  • Practice > Content
  • Figure out what works for you and have a plan before delving in, I personally need to have a strategy when studying to keep me in check
  • Give yourself more time if you need it, don't be afraid to delay applications a year if you need to, MCAT is one of the most important tests you will ever take if you want to become a doctor.
  • Focus on the content that you struggle with!
  • Tell your friends what you are doing, if they are good friends they will support you and give you an outlet when you need a break.
  • Make sure to replicate test day to a tee, that means: no phone, no human interaction during the test (that's cheating!), time your breaks and lunch breaks, wear the clothes you will wear test day, pretend this exam will be scored.
  • I had a goal score of 512 and thought I would score around there, hard work WILL pay off, put the time in and you will get the score you want.
7) How long did you study for the MCAT?

3 months over the summer with interspersed breaks, Probably studied about 6-8+ hours a day, so 7*~90=630 hours
 

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First of all just want to thank all the amazing posters here, you all really helped me out

1) Your individual scores and composite score
Composite: 518 (97th)
C/P: 130
CARS: 128
B/B: 130
P/S: 130

2) The study method used for each section


Overall I copied and combined MCAT Jelly (My MCAT 2015 Study Schedule) and the chapter X.1, X.2, X.3 guide for going through Content Chapters from Next Step (Breaking Down the MCAT 2015: 100 Days to MCAT Success). I then made some Adjustments for a 98 Day schedule (I'm not the smartest so I needed more time than Jelly, you can beat this test just need to put the time in!)



Notes on my Study plan:
  • If you are confused by something please check out MCAT jelly's guide and the .1/.2/.3 strategy from next step as without reading those first it is pretty hard to understand my schedule
  • I didn't get to each TBR passage every time, sometimes they take A LONG time, but they are very valuable. Whenever I didn't finish one I would try and come back to it to a later day, ESPECIALLY if it was a topic I was shaky on. A key note is to focus on the hardest section for you, I loved doing physics sections and hated orgo, so I forced myself to complete all the Orgo sections and occasionally would only do half a physics section.
  • I really like flashcards. So every time I did the .2 part I would make a flashcard for anything I was even slightly shaky on.
    • Over time I had three piles of flashcards, that I would continuously go through as it got closer to test day: One: don't know. Two: Kinda know. Three: know down cold (only if I get it right three times in a row).
  • Khan academy is a great resource, anything I didn't understand I would instantly khan academy. "10KA passages" means 10 khan academy passages looking for topics like what I was studying.
  • "flash/amino" means flash cards and memorize amino acids (more on how to do that later)
  • Please PERSONALIZE this schedule, as you can see I have my birthday in there, and a trip I made to Miami. Someone said this better earlier but don't let this test take over your life. Maintain consistent focused study habits, and consistent breaks or you will either burn out or not absorb the content as well.
  • Really focus on AAMC materials this is repeated multiple times throughout here, but they are so important. The section banks and three full length tests are gold, treat them as such.
  • When I say "write down unknown content" I would take a piece of paper and literally do bullet points of everything I didn't know to go over the next day, and maybe make some new flashcards, i.e. "2+2=4", then a flash card the next day, after I understand it, of "2+2 =?"
  • Extra: If I finished the targeted goals of the day I would either: go over flash cards, do a full CARS section, or review something from a previous day
C/P: Just went through study plan, filling in @ khan academy when necessary

CARS:
This was tough for me, I started off with a good score and kind of dropped, then went up, then dropped. I don't have any good techniques, when I tried to add techniques (like reading twice, whispering, other random bullS) my score went down... just practice, practice, practice

B/B:
Biochem is so key here. Don't fully memorize all the pathways just get a general idea. And FFS know the amino acids by heart, structure, three letter, one letter, charge, full name. I used this youtube video (), and used the 10 min tutorial to draw EVERY amino acid out at the beginning of every one of my practice tests and of course the real test. It helped me breeze through at least 4 questions, probably more.

P/S:
terms terms terms, that's mainly it, it is slightly CARSy, but really you can improve your score in the shortest amount of time here by just learning and understanding new terms/theories.

3) What materials you used for each section(Kaplan, TPR, Examkrackers, AAMC, TBR, etc)

Covered above and in schedule

4) Which practice tests did you use? (Optional: include scores)

In order of date taken

[Test] (Score) [C/P] / [CARS] / [B/B] / [P/S]
NS 1/2 diag (500) 123/127/125/125
AAMC Sample 71%/77%/73%/75%
AAMC Bio Qpack 1: (83%) |AAMC CARS Qpack 1: (81%) |AAMC CARS Qpack 2: (85%) |AAMC Phys Qpack: (86%) |AAMC Chem Qpack: (87%)
EC 1: (64%) 50%/77%/67%/65%
NS 1: (511) 128/127/128/128
AAMC Sec Bank Chem (61%) |AAMC Sec Bank Bio (72%)| AAMC Sec Bank P/S (69%)
EC FL #2 (72%) 66%/68%/70%/83%
AAMC 1: (510) 129/127/127/127
NS 2: (512) 128/128/128/128
EC 3: (72%) 73%/72%/68%/71%
AAMC 2: (513) 131/126/129/127
EC 4 (73%) 76%/57%/73%/85%

5) What was your undergraduate major?

Biomedical Engineer

6) Any other tips you may have for those of us who still have this test lurking over us?
  • Practice > Content
  • Figure out what works for you and have a plan before delving in, I personally need to have a strategy when studying to keep me in check
  • Give yourself more time if you need it, don't be afraid to delay applications a year if you need to, MCAT is one of the most important tests you will ever take if you want to become a doctor.
  • Focus on the content that you struggle with!
  • Tell your friends what you are doing, if they are good friends they will support you and give you an outlet when you need a break.
  • Make sure to replicate test day to a tee, that means: no phone, no human interaction during the test (that's cheating!), time your breaks and lunch breaks, wear the clothes you will wear test day, pretend this exam will be scored.
  • I had a goal score of 512 and thought I would score around there, hard work WILL pay off, put the time in and you will get the score you want.
7) How long did you study for the MCAT?

3 months over the summer with interspersed breaks, Probably studied about 6-8+ hours a day, so 7*~90=630 hours


Haha love your exam day message, i had mine as "EXAM DAY: GET HYPED!" need to have those motivational messages to ourselves lol. I took mine september 2nd so hopefully i can post my own score here october 2nd once i hear back
 
First of all just want to thank all the amazing posters here, you all really helped me out

1) Your individual scores and composite score
Composite: 518 (97th)
C/P: 130
CARS: 128
B/B: 130
P/S: 130

2) The study method used for each section


Overall I copied and combined MCAT Jelly (My MCAT 2015 Study Schedule) and the chapter X.1, X.2, X.3 guide for going through Content Chapters from Next Step (Breaking Down the MCAT 2015: 100 Days to MCAT Success). I then made some Adjustments for a 98 Day schedule (I'm not the smartest so I needed more time than Jelly, you can beat this test just need to put the time in!)



Notes on my Study plan:
  • If you are confused by something please check out MCAT jelly's guide and the .1/.2/.3 strategy from next step as without reading those first it is pretty hard to understand my schedule
  • I didn't get to each TBR passage every time, sometimes they take A LONG time, but they are very valuable. Whenever I didn't finish one I would try and come back to it to a later day, ESPECIALLY if it was a topic I was shaky on. A key note is to focus on the hardest section for you, I loved doing physics sections and hated orgo, so I forced myself to complete all the Orgo sections and occasionally would only do half a physics section.
  • I really like flashcards. So every time I did the .2 part I would make a flashcard for anything I was even slightly shaky on.
    • Over time I had three piles of flashcards, that I would continuously go through as it got closer to test day: One: don't know. Two: Kinda know. Three: know down cold (only if I get it right three times in a row).
  • Khan academy is a great resource, anything I didn't understand I would instantly khan academy. "10KA passages" means 10 khan academy passages looking for topics like what I was studying.
  • "flash/amino" means flash cards and memorize amino acids (more on how to do that later)
  • Please PERSONALIZE this schedule, as you can see I have my birthday in there, and a trip I made to Miami. Someone said this better earlier but don't let this test take over your life. Maintain consistent focused study habits, and consistent breaks or you will either burn out or not absorb the content as well.
  • Really focus on AAMC materials this is repeated multiple times throughout here, but they are so important. The section banks and three full length tests are gold, treat them as such.
  • When I say "write down unknown content" I would take a piece of paper and literally do bullet points of everything I didn't know to go over the next day, and maybe make some new flashcards, i.e. "2+2=4", then a flash card the next day, after I understand it, of "2+2 =?"
  • Extra: If I finished the targeted goals of the day I would either: go over flash cards, do a full CARS section, or review something from a previous day
C/P: Just went through study plan, filling in @ khan academy when necessary

CARS:
This was tough for me, I started off with a good score and kind of dropped, then went up, then dropped. I don't have any good techniques, when I tried to add techniques (like reading twice, whispering, other random bullS) my score went down... just practice, practice, practice

B/B:
Biochem is so key here. Don't fully memorize all the pathways just get a general idea. And FFS know the amino acids by heart, structure, three letter, one letter, charge, full name. I used this youtube video (), and used the 10 min tutorial to draw EVERY amino acid out at the beginning of every one of my practice tests and of course the real test. It helped me breeze through at least 4 questions, probably more.

P/S:
terms terms terms, that's mainly it, it is slightly CARSy, but really you can improve your score in the shortest amount of time here by just learning and understanding new terms/theories.

3) What materials you used for each section(Kaplan, TPR, Examkrackers, AAMC, TBR, etc)

Covered above and in schedule

4) Which practice tests did you use? (Optional: include scores)

In order of date taken

[Test] (Score) [C/P] / [CARS] / [B/B] / [P/S]
NS 1/2 diag (500) 123/127/125/125
AAMC Sample 71%/77%/73%/75%
AAMC Bio Qpack 1: (83%) |AAMC CARS Qpack 1: (81%) |AAMC CARS Qpack 2: (85%) |AAMC Phys Qpack: (86%) |AAMC Chem Qpack: (87%)
EC 1: (64%) 50%/77%/67%/65%
NS 1: (511) 128/127/128/128
AAMC Sec Bank Chem (61%) |AAMC Sec Bank Bio (72%)| AAMC Sec Bank P/S (69%)
EC FL #2 (72%) 66%/68%/70%/83%
AAMC 1: (510) 129/127/127/127
NS 2: (512) 128/128/128/128
EC 3: (72%) 73%/72%/68%/71%
AAMC 2: (513) 131/126/129/127
EC 4 (73%) 76%/57%/73%/85%

5) What was your undergraduate major?

Biomedical Engineer

6) Any other tips you may have for those of us who still have this test lurking over us?
  • Practice > Content
  • Figure out what works for you and have a plan before delving in, I personally need to have a strategy when studying to keep me in check
  • Give yourself more time if you need it, don't be afraid to delay applications a year if you need to, MCAT is one of the most important tests you will ever take if you want to become a doctor.
  • Focus on the content that you struggle with!
  • Tell your friends what you are doing, if they are good friends they will support you and give you an outlet when you need a break.
  • Make sure to replicate test day to a tee, that means: no phone, no human interaction during the test (that's cheating!), time your breaks and lunch breaks, wear the clothes you will wear test day, pretend this exam will be scored.
  • I had a goal score of 512 and thought I would score around there, hard work WILL pay off, put the time in and you will get the score you want.
7) How long did you study for the MCAT?

3 months over the summer with interspersed breaks, Probably studied about 6-8+ hours a day, so 7*~90=630 hours


Quick question
Did you make a LL document? and if so what did it contain (notes, questions, equations)? How did you organiz it?
 
Last edited:
Quick question
Did you make a LL document? and if so what did it contain (notes, questions, equations)? How did you organiz it?

Not really,

the only thing I took for the NS guide was what to do with each piece of content i.e. X.1, X.2, X.3.

I may have kinda used it because after every practice test or AAMC content, when reviewing it the next day, I would write down topics/content that I was unsure on as bullet points on a piece of paper, then the day after that I would make sure I learned and knew those topics and made flash cards for the stuff I was still unsure on.
 
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I sincerely believe this forum to be absolutely instrumental in my success this go around, so let me add what I can. If it can be of help to a single person, then it will be worth the time and effort to post. I will be slightly re-ordering the questions because it seems to make more sense to me this way.

5) What was your undergraduate major?

  • Microbiology (3.1 from Univ Calif NorCal)

7) How long did you study for the MCAT?

  • Sept 2017 - 4 weeks dedicated (everyday except Sundays, from 8am-9pm). Factor in 30 min lunch break, 60 min exercise break, 30 min dinner break and that's 11 hours of studying daily
  • May 2012 - 5 months, poor work ethic, concurrent classes

1) Your individual scores and composite score

  • Sept 2017 - 517 (95%) : 129 (92%) / 129 (95%) / 130 (97%) / 129 (91%)
  • May 2012 - 27Q (61%): 8 (55%) / 10 (84%) / Q (86%) / 9 (56%)
3) What materials you used for each section(Kaplan, TPR, Examkrackers, AAMC, TBR, etc)

  • 2012 exam: Kaplan and TPR. What an utter failure I was, but the material didn't help at all. Second go-around I settled on TBR because I thought I needed (and could handle) the depth. It was worth it. Whatever I needed to read twice or more in Kaplan/TPR was clear and concise in one reading of TBR so it actually SAVED time.

  • C/P - TBR. So many people will state that it is just the best. I have actually used Kaplan, TPR and TBR and I can say that TBR is the best at C/P for me. By a long long margin.
  • CARS - None - GOLDEN RULE plus being a broad reader
    • Read 10-20 books every year since I was in middle school.
    • 10 year Time subscriber
    • More research journals than I can count
    • Free Sunday newspapers for last 6 years
    • it's not about the amount you read, but HOW you read
  • B/B - TBR
  • P/S - TPR P/S + TBR Psych

2) The study method used for each section


  • Just went through the books thoroughly. Had a composition notebook for each content book, plus one for error logs. Anything that seemed like it was high yield or important went into the comp book.
  • I think one thing I did right was to go through the practice problem without looking at the solution or process. Just bang at it until I got it right, and then look at what TBR did. TBR did it a better way almost every time, but banging at it cemented how much better TBR's methods were and I was more likely to remember to do it TBR's way when it was better.
  • C - Went through book thoroughly.
  • P - Went through book thoroughly. Memorized all the formulas, and all the special kg/m/s unit conversions (like for N is kg*m/s^2 etc) for unit analysis
  • CARS - None. Considered it my only strength from 2012. My sample exam proved it to me.
    • Key here isn't the amount I read, but HOW I read.
    • Immerse yourself, pretend you are the author. What main idea are you trying to get across? How are you supporting it? Is it a strong position or weak? How would you go about strengthening your position or attacking it?
    • Argue against the author, argue for the author.
    • If it's a creative work, how would YOU have changed or written it and would it make it better or worse?
    • Quick example of personal opinion: Harry Potter lost a lot of people and went through a lot but never had to make a conflicted choice. His choices were easy and clear cut, and thus made his character rather boring towards the end. I was 8 when HP came out, and 17 when I read the last one. As a reader, I matured in that time. When I finished HP, that's what I was thinking afterwards.
    • You should challenge yourself to read ACTIVELY and CRITICALLY
    • Use the Golden Rule - oh I said that already? I'll say it again because it is the single best useful test-taking strategy I've come across for CARS. None of that rank the passages, rank the questions fluff that just waste your precious time without giving you a concrete strategy for every question.
      • Wrong is wrong, least wrong is right 100% of the time.
      • Note it isn't "most right answer is the best answer" that has been taught for decades in primary and high school. We don't live in the land of "choose the best answer." We live in the land of "choose the least bad answer."
      • Remember that when a passage and questions are submitted, there has to be 100% clear reasons why answer choices are wrong or right. There aren't grey areas that are open to interpretation. Use this to your advantage.
      • If any part, and I mean ANY part of the answer choice is wrong, RIGHT CLICK TO STRIKETHROUGH and read the next choice. Don't even finish reading the answer choice once you read something wrong. Even if its 100 words and its 99% correct, that 1% wrong makes the choice 100% wrong, not 99% right.
  • B/B - Memorized the cycles by literally drawing them out DAILY forwards and backwards. Substrates first, then added enzymes, then added inputs/outputs like ATP and H2O, etc. Also memorized the amino acids using my own made up table template by writing it out daily.
  • P/S - I actually mapped out which TPR chapters go with which TBR chapters and combined my readings. Please memorize Piaget and developmental milestones. Nearly no one cares about Freud anymore as he's mostly fallen out of favor.
4) Which practice tests did you use? (Optional: include scores)

  • I only made time for 1 at the start pf my review. My low GPA means I need a stellar MCAT (515+) for any solid hope at MD/DO, especially considering this could potentially be seen as a "retake"
  • AAMC Sample Exam (unscored)
    • 94.75% : 78% / 96% / 85% / 80%
    • 517: 129 / 131 / 128 / 128 via Reddit-source calculator
    • It really looks like I didn't improve at all :(
    • Realize that the general consensus is that the Sample Exam is 5-10 pts easier/inflated, so a "517" could easily be a 510 or 505, especially if you've somehow seen the content before
    • I interpret this as: In 4 weeks, I managed a 5-10 point improvement.
    • I would also compare my percentiles to my 2012 exam, and I am not ashamed to state how proud I am to have moved up from 56-61%ile to 92-97%ile


6) Any other tips you may have for those of us who still have this test lurking over us?

General prep tips:
  • Clean yourself up. If you take care of your body, your mind will thank you for it.
    • I went on a strict meal-prep diet for the four weeks I prepared, with only Sundays as cheat days
    • I cut out coffee completely and while the withdrawal sucked, after 2 weeks I was functioning better without coffee than I was with the coffee. Controversial yes. I will always advocate for it. You can slowly add it back in towards the end, but only to jump start your morning
    • Daily exercise: 15 minutes light aerobics and stretches in the morning, 60 minutes in the afternoon.
  • Pretend every day is exam day: Wake up at 6, start your studying at 8. Wear your earplugs whenever studying and toss the phone in a drawer. Better, deactivate your social media. You grew up without it, you'll get by without it.
  • Get your optimal sleep (for me, it's 7.2-7.5 hours) every single night. So I was off my phone by 10, in bed with lights out and eyes closed by 10:30
General Materials Tips
  • Use Amazon. Buy all the different companies books but NOT as a box set. Individually. Then COMPARE. Whichever you like, keep. The rest, return to Amazon and get all your money back. You used to just be able to compare books in an actual bookstore. Amazon killed them all, so take advantage of them.
  • TBR books sell on SDN generally for 70-90% of their original value, even older editions. EK1001 books will eventually be worth their weight in gold. Probably. You'll recoup most of your investment if you want to, just don't mark up your books and don't mess them up.
  • Keep Error Logs. Any time you do discretes or practice problems or practice tests, fill in your error log. Question, answers, what you answered, the correct answer, why you think you got it wrong (gut reaction), why you think you got it wrong (24 hr later reaction), subject and concept tested (like Physics - Optics - TIR or CARS - best supports author's arguement). Every few weeks, search for patterns.
Study Tips
  • Don't be wasteful with your time. A strat or book isn't working for you? DITCH IT. Get a fresh perspective immediately. If you've read it twice or thrice and the concept still doesn't make sense, the explanation sucks. It's not that you're stupid or tired. You wouldn't be prepping for an MCAT if you were stupid (only if you're masochistic). So assuming the basic premise that you aren't an idiot and read it carefully, if it doesn't work the first 2-3 times, stop. Remember "Einstein's" quote on insanity. Use YouTube, use Coursera, use your friends or former professors. That's why we have networking and Wifi networks, FaceTime and screen-sharing.
  • The foundations for success are made with careful planning, but don't stress if your plans go awry. Be flexible. If you fall behind or race ahead, adjust accordingly and get back to work. Life happens. Family happens. Bad days happen. Roll with the punches
  • Read SN2ed's collection of threads, KoalaT, and MCATjelly. And I mean every single word. I printed out the threads and highlighted important things coalesced them all together to make the ultimate study plan. I'm 99% sure it would wreck if I still had to use it. But their reasoning and rationale for things answer so many of the questions I see get posted on this forum.
Exam day tips
  • Visit the testing center before test day. Talk to the staff about their procedure, temperature of testing area, etc so you can be prepared.
  • Bring coffee, don't drink it. You don't need it for the first section, your sympathetic system will be all you can handle. Save it for your lunch break to combat the post-prandial coma.
  • Green bananas constipate you. I ate green bananas the day before and the day of. One small 5 in green banana every break. Guaranteed I didn't poop until the day after the exam. This is of particular help to those with short GIT transit times or IBS. I am both. Cured the constipation the next day with very ripe bananas.
  • Don't take risks with your food. You should know your body by now. Keep up the clean eating.
  • My personal approach is to treat it like a marathon or long hike. Solid high protein breakfast (2 scrambled eggs, 2 strips bacon, one sausage link, and a french toast triangle from my hotel's continental breakfast). I had 4 Clif bars, 3 small green bananas, 1 large Gatorade, and 2 bottles of water. I don't trust prometric water coolers because when was the last time they were cleaned? I don't know. Mine had ants crawling on it. A clif bar and banana on each break, ate an extra cliff bar during lunch break. Works well for me; energy dense and low residue.
  • Some takers think they ought to conserve energy during breaks. I argue that sound body = sound mind. Refresh your body with sprints, body weight exercises, and stretches. I did jumping jacks in the hallway and full stretch routines to fill my time during breaks. I also exercised my eyes by focusing on very far away objects in the window and closed them for short periods to alleviate the eye strain.
  • LAYER. I wore basketball shorts, warm up pants, T-shirt, light sweater. I was sweating on the way to the test center because Glendale was 85F at 7:30 am, and I was the perfect temperature inside the exam room. The exam rooms are often colder than the waiting rooms.
  • Bring extra earplugs. Pee every break time. Twice during the long lunch break. I regretted not taking the second pee halfway through my bio section.
  • DON'T VOID. Trust me, don't. I'll post my personal anecdote but I'm so glad I didn't void. Only void if you can say with absolute certainty you will score below a 500 (usually because you didn't finish a section).
  • YOU CAN WRITE DURING THE TUTORIAL PERIOD. I used that time to write down my cycles and amino acid table (muscle memory) and physics formulas onto the provided scratch paper. Also included the list of strong acids/bases, and NMR/IR wavelengths and patterns (thank you TBR for patterns). It saved so much time later on in the exam since it was like having a cheat sheet right there.
I reserve the right to edit this post later :)
 
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Personal anecdote:

I was going to take the test in January. I was determined that this wasn't going to be a repeat of 2012, I was going to do it right. I had all the right books that appealed to me, I had EK1001 and TPRH. I had all the AAMC materials/banks/FLs. I had my life scheduled down to the hour from August to February 2018. At the start of my prep, my parents (God bless their souls, I don't know how they put up with me and continue to support my sorry butt) insisted I take a practice exam to "see where I'm at" because maybe, somehow, someway I'd be ready now. I fought with them over it for 2 days but I always lose (for good reason, I'd make a terrible parent). Not wanting to "waste" FL1 or FL2, I took the Sample Exam and then looked for a calculator. Calculator said 517, I checked on other calculators. I couldn't believe how much I retained somehow. Told my parents 505 because I wanted to try to ensure I would take my MCAT in January. Of course, I was steamrolled into checking for availability. There was a last second slot open on Sept 2 in San Jose and in Glendale and now I had no way to say no. Signed up, booked flights and hotel rooms, and proceeded to cram my butt off for 4 long arduous weeks.

Walked into my MCAT with the mindset of "I can always void, this is just for practice." I used all 15 minutes of the tutorial time without making a single click. I was writing out my cycles, amino acid table, IR/NMR info, and physics formulas from muscle memory. I had made the huge mistake of a small cup of coffee with my breakfast. Coupled with the storm my sympathetic system was unleashing, my hands were literally shaking and my brain was rattling in my own skull for the first 15 minutes of C/P. Coupled with that ridiculous chemistry passage early on (I was completely befuddled, I don't know if anyone else was), my confidence was shot and my timing was gone. I was a full passage behind on my timings, but it worked out because when I set up my timings, I always act as if there is one extra passage. I finished the last question on C/P and got to look at the review screen for 5 seconds before I timed out the section. I had marked what felt like a dozen questions for review, and outright guessed on a few because of time constraints. I went into my first break terrified I was screwed. I wanted to walk out right there and then. I was one of the last to arrive, so I was one of the last to start and one of the last to go on first break. It felt like everyone had gone out and come back in during my C/P which killed me inside.

I grabbed my banana, Clif bar, gatorade and water and sat down. I choked it all down, took a few gulps of gatorade and water, and took my bathroom stroll. I decided to literally shake it all out and do jumping jacks. I made the conscious decision to pretend like C/P never happened, start from scratch, new slate. Sat down for CARS and nailed my timings, only had a few 50/50s. It went so much better. Took my lunch break no problem, did long and deep stretches to relax my joints. Forgot to take my bathroom trip. Sat down for B/B and after about 15 minutes, my bladder started screaming at me. Loudly. The last time I had felt pressure like this was the eight hour drive to LA. My concentration was shattered, I had no idea what was going on, I just starting blasting through passages and questions like no one's business because I was afraid I'd wet myself. Finished 20 minutes early, got through screening, and sprinted to the bathroom. What a dumdum I was.

Last section was P/S. I went through the section in a daze. Tired, and so ready for it to be over. I couldn't seem to remember anything, and I hadn't written Piaget on my scratch paper. Another slip up. I was starting to have to read and reread passages and questions just to make sense of things. I finished the section with 3 minutes left. I spent those three minutes debating whether or not to void. There were so many reasons to do it. Bad C/P, bad B/B, poor performance in P/S. CARS was about the only thing I felt remotely positive about.

But I had nothing to lose by not-voiding. This was technically a retake (granted there was a 5 year gap and it was a completely different exam). I had sat through it, and if I don't score it, I'll never know how I actually did. And even if I voided, it would still count as an attempt. So I chose to score it.

Then the next 4 weeks was spent agonizing on whether I clicked void by accident.

And then score release announcement on Twitter. I checked, and I was so bewildered by my score, I closed the windows and reloaded them. And was I glad I scored my exam.

That exam went about as badly as it could have gone, short of not actually finishing a section or getting sick. And because I chose to score, I am now blessed. So really, don't void unless you have a legitimate concrete reason to.
 
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1) Your individual scores and composite score:
511 - 127/125/130/129 (85th Percentile)

2) Creating a Study Plan
I started my study process right here on this thread - reading story after story about how people succeeded on this masterful AAMC test. Keep in mind while preparing and gathering knowledge for this test, that there is such a diverse range of learners and capabilities - so it is imperative to take each piece of advice with a grain of salt, and first and foremost understand your own capabilities. Are you the student that can barely study in entry level chem/bio/physics and still pull off 90's? Or do you need to grind your way through classes and put in the nitty gritty hours? Spend your time doing your research, and build together a comprehensive study plan that is tailored to what fits YOU as a learner.

On to myself... I am a non traditional student, who finished pre-req's 5+ years ago. Despite always scoring high in my classes, its safe to say I would cram for exams - then forget the content immediately. When I started studying for this test..I actually forgot the three subatomic particles of the atom...(im serious.) Don't let this confuse you, the whole time I felt very capable of being able to log the hours and kill this test. Anyways..I spent hours upon hours doing forum research and building a plan.

The overall outline of my test, came out like this:
1.5 Months of Content Review
0.5 Months of introducing myself to MCAT style questions (30min EK exams)
1.5 Months of strictly AAMC material and Full Length Exams.
(3.5-4 months total)

3) What materials you used for each section(Kaplan, TPR, Examkrackers, AAMC, TBR, etc):
Kaplan 7 book set for content review (minus CARS book, didnt use). I felt because I was sooo long gone on the pre-req's that I would use the more detailed kaplan set. I read a lot of comments about Kaplan being too long and detailed.. which I in part agree with... BUT if you can cross reference with the AAMC syllabus - you can understand which Chapters are high yield, and which chapters are just supplemental information. The Discrete q's at the end of chapters are ok for ensuring you are keeping up with the content - but don't stress them too much, as they are very different from actual mcat style questions. (Didnt do any of the Kaplan passages, saved that for EK and AAMC passages)

Additionally, I got my hands on the EK 9th Edition Set - and I found after my Kaplan content review, that the EK 30 Minute Exams were complete GOLD in terms of getting me used to answering critical thinking style questions, and interpreting complicated graphs. The EK books are right to the point, condensed, and easy to study.. but be weary that if you are weak in a subject - you may not be able to connect all the dots, and may need to seek supplemental information..(e.g. Khan Videos).

Khan Videos: absolute gold resource. Tons of vids - watched probably 80 percent of the videos.
AAMC Material: Don't need to say much here..this is the most valuable content. SB's, OG, FL's, cars q packs, etc.etc.. do it all, study and review mistakes, the usual.

ANKI/flashcards: I did a lot of research on this, and you will find mixed reviews. I made cards during content review... took a lot of time, didnt use them that much. However, towards the end I used ANKI a lot for psyc/soc as this is a subject where it can be very beneficial to drive home some of the terms. You can even find previous mcat'ers Psyc decks and download them off anki.. then hammer away the terms.

4) Which practice tests did you use? (Optional: include scores)
AAMC Sample as diagnostic after content review: scored approx 500 (score converted)
Kaplan: 496, 502, 503 (approx 1.5 months out)
EK exams 1-3: ~60%.
AAMC Material: Started with q packs, then Section Banks (60-70%), FL#1 501, Fl#2 507.
There is a great spreadsheet you can find that has a compilation of students scores on everything, and you can use this compare your scores and make a calculated projection for testday. (hit me up if you can't find it)

5) What was your undergraduate major?
Education - Phys Ed.
6) Any other tips you may have for those of us who still have this test lurking over us?
CARS: Okay so I studied my nuts off for cars bc I knew it would be my weakness. I used the EK book to learn the strategy (would recommend), and then EK 101 passages. And I did 1-2 passages a day. Now, you can definitely get your timing dialed in, and hone the strategies..and you need to do this... BUT, be aware that CARS IMO has a bit of cognitive cap. By that, I feel like you can only do so much with how well you can read, and cognitively grasp and understand the passage. Unlike other subjects, where you can go back to the content and grind away to build understanding - I found that with reading comprehension, what you can control so much. So control what you can, don't get frustrated, get into a zen on exam day and lay it all out there.

7) How long did you study for the MCAT?
4 months, 500-600 hours.

If this is your dream, put in the hours, respect the process, keep a balance bw enjoying life and studying, baby your hippocampus (I quit cannabis and alcohol for the last month of studying), smash this test - and get on with your life.
 
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1) Your individual scores and composite score:
  • 510 (126/125/129/130)
  • Side note: It's been 5 years since I've done any first year undergraduate courses in physics, chemistry or biology so a lot of the MCAT material was essentially "new" to me. I did poorly in my science courses and so I had never really learned the MCAT material well the first time around (especially for C/P). The material itself is 100% doable. It's using what you know and applying it to questions/passages that counts. The first time I wrote the MCAT I voided, because I wasn't prepared at all (2014). 2 years later, I got a 501 (2016). I tried again this summer (2017) and increased my score by 9 points. If I can do it, you can too!
2) The study method used for each section
  • My general schedule each day during my content review phase (~2 months) = Do 1 chapter a day and rotate through the subjects. I would read the chapter, make Anki cards on points I wanted to remember and then moved onto the end-of-chapter questions. If i had extra time, I did more questions from other resources. I ended the day by doing CARS passages. I usually studied from 9-5 and treated it like a full-time job. When I was finished studying for the day, I tried my best not to think about the test and just relax in preparation for the next day. This was GRUELLING. I was 110% burnt out near the end. It was very demoralizing and difficult to do the same thing day after day. It worked at first because i slowly got into the habit of doing the same thing day after day and time really started to fly. It was a lot easier doing it this way, because it took a lot less effort to get myself to my desk. However, eventually it got to me and I was a burnt out pile of mush by the end. I would probably shorten my study period to 2-2.5 months if I did this again to prevent burn-out.
  • C/P (126): I read through TPR and Kaplan for each topic, and did the end of chapter questions in the books
    • I did content as quickly as I could and then I moved onto to doing practice questions and solidifying the material that way
    • I used Anki to get all of the background information down so that I had that knowledge down pat when I started answering questions
    • Use anki for rules, laws, trends
    • I wish I had done more practice questions for this section and practiced doing them faster. I think that would have helped me get at least a point or 2 higher on test day.
    • My goal for this section was to practice practice practice. I should have practiced more and pushed myself but I didn't and I think thats why I received a 126 come test day and not a 127-128
  • CARS (125): I started off doing 1-2 practice passages a day for the first 2 weeks. Then I did 3 passages a day leading up to the last month. During the last month I upped it to 4-6 passages a day
    • I always did my passages timed
    • I would do all of them at once, and then mark and review them
    • I tried to examine the way i was thinking when I answered questions. I did a thoughtful review and tried to be active while reviewing my mistakes so that I didn't make them again
    • My score was at a 125-126 in the first 2 months and then in the last 1.5 months it shot up. I received a 129 and 130 on my AAMC FL #1 and #2, and I think I got a little too concerned with time on test day and thought about the answers I was choosing a lot less. I sort of just clicked through and went with my gut choice, thinking that if I got a 129/130 on the AAMC FLs that I knew what I was doing and I'd be rock solid. That was a mistake and unfortunately cost me quite a few points on test day.
  • B/B (129): First and foremost, I learned all of the material in the Kaplan and TPR books. Content review is a must here. If you don't know what they are talking about in the passage, you're going to have a harder time following along, answering the questions and you'll waste precious time. On test day, the passages "flowed" really well for me.
    • After I got the material down, I started doing practice exams and a lot of my review and learning came from there
    • I also did anki from the start and I think thats what really helped solidify the knowledge. Combining anki and lots of practice helped me out a lot
    • Keeping calm and having a strategy to piece apart tables and complicated looking experimental results is going to help you a ton on test day. Practice doing that and you'll be golden.
    • I haven't done a bio/biochem course in at least 3 years when I wrote the MCAT and I have 0 research experience. You don't need to be reading scientific articles for a year in advance to do well in this section.
    • The section bank was golden for this section. Take the section bank seriously and don't back down when you see the experimental heavy passages. You can do it. Find a strategy that works for you and follow it. I was very intimidated by this section when I started out.
  • P/S (130): I majored in psychology and I love the subject. However, I was a year out from most of my psychology courses, so I had to re-teach myself a lot of information. I used Khan Academy for this section and credit his videos for my score.
    • I think half of psych/soc is knowing the material and the other half is being able to interpret experimental data and follow an experimental design from start to finish.
    • Again, I learned a lot from doing practice tests
    • I kept everything fresh by doing Anki every day.
    • I crammed a lot of psych/soc into the last 2 weeks on purpose. I knew I would remember it better this way. This is what works for me, but may not work for you
    • I started out by doing all of the topics I felt really uncomfortable with first and worked on those in advance with Anki so that I had lots of time to memorize and understand them. At the end, only the things I was more comfortable with were left
3) What materials you used for each section
- Content review =
Kaplan + supplemented with TPR and Khan Academy if I needed more information
- CARS: EK 101, TPR Verbal workbook

4) Which practice tests did you use?
KAPLAN FL #1 (502) —> 125 / 126 / 127 / 124
EK #4 → (503) → 125 / 124 / 125 / 127
EK #3 → (507) → 125 / 126 / 128 / 128
NS #1 → (507) → 126 / 126 / 127 / 128
NS #2 → (510) → 126 / 128 / 128 / 128
NS#3 → (506): 126/126/126/128
NS#4 → (506): 127/125/126/128
AAMC FL#1 → (514): 127/129/128/130
AAMC FL#2 → (515): 127/130/128/130

5) What was your undergraduate major?
- Psychology

6) Any other tips you may have for those of us who still have this test lurking over us?
- This may not work for you, but I found it VERY useful to isolate myself as much as possible during my MCAT study marathon. I only talked to my family and close friends on a daily basis and that was it. I would study alone and I preferred it that way, because I felt like I was in the "zone" and giving this test my all.
- If you can, I would put your work and volunteering responsibilities on hold. I continued to volunteer here and there throughout my summer just to get out of the house and stay involved, but it was very very minimal (a couple hours on a friday once a month type of thing).
- Try to limit your responsibilities, either to other people or to places you work/volunteer. I think its important to have a clear mind that isn't cluttered by what you have to do a hour/day/week from now.
- On test day I only focused on myself and I tried not to let the testing environment "get" to me. There was a lot of nervous energy (myself included) but I tried to stay positive and optimistic.
- The first 2 times I wrote the MCAT, I would psyche myself out. I would think things like "this is the biggest test of your life!!!!" "You've worked hard for 3 months, you can't mess up now" I thought that would get me in the right mind set, but it did the exact opposite. This time around I just focused on my breathing and tried to think of how awesome it was going to feel to finally be done. I tried to pretend that this was like any other day in my room doing a practice FL and no different. I didn't psyche myself out and I stayed much calmer throughout the whole thing.
- I took the exam very seriously. I have a lower GPA so I don't have a lot of room for error in my application. If you're not ready to take the exam seriously and give yourself enough time to adequately prepare, wait. I've made the mistake of studying and taking the MCAT when I wasn't ready and it was a complete waste of time. Don't do that to yourself.

7) How long did you study for the MCAT?
(2 months for content review) + (1.5 month for practice + FLs) = 3.5 months
- I did 8 hours a day 6 days a week for that time period
- During the last 2 weeks I was 100% burning out and I could barely bring myself to sit for 2 hours straight.

I will likely be re-taking the exam. I'm Canadian and that 125 in CARS and 126 in C/P is doing me no favours. :( To all future test-takers, good luck! I'm happy I can finally make a post in this thread. :) I've had this test hanging over me for the past 3 years... I've had times where I've literally cried for half an hour straight stressed out of my mind. This time around I made sure to stay positive and take a break when I felt like I needed it. Going to the gym was a huge part of my routine, and it was a great way to take a break. Be nice to yourself, you're doing all that you can! :nod:
 
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1) Your individual scores and composite score
130|128|128|128 (514 Composite)

2) The study method used for each section

First 4 weeks were spent on reading/content review and doing Anki flashcards for Biochem, Biology, and Psych/Sociology because those three/4 subjects comprise 73% of the PS/BS/BehS sections. Definitely memorize Amino Acids and chromatography/blotting types, trust me.

Week 5 was spent reviewing physics, general chem, and organic chem (more recent and less complex for me personally - see PS score).

Weeks 6-11 were spent doing practice problems/tests/section banks and reviewing those and all problems/topics that I missed and adding them to my Anki decks.

For PS I studied biochem mostly. I had taken Biochem in the spring, so I read the Khan academy book and my textbook on the topics we did not read in class. I also didn't really do much studying for general or organic chem because I was strong in those classes. I would just review topics as I missed them on practice sets and tests.

For CARS I started doing passages about 8 weeks or so out. Would do a couple passages a day, spent lots of time on them at first, then picked up my speed after the first couple weeks. Adopted a T-Chart strategy with a short sentence for every paragraph and/or new topic brought up in the passage and marked the paragraph it appeared in, writing it in either the left column (topic) or right column (opinion). When I adopted this strategy, I went from getting 50-60% correct to 75-85% correct.

For BS I read all of the chapters in the Kaplan books for Biochem and Biology and then reviewed missed topics after doing practice sets.

After taking practice questions/tests, I kept a log of every single one and the percent of questions I got correct. I usually did them in 20 question sets, and the practice tests I usually took all at one time.


3) What materials you used for each section(Kaplan, TPR, Examkrackers, AAMC, TBR, etc)

I used the Kaplan full 7 book series. I also bought the entire AAMC MCAT Bundle


4) Which practice tests did you use?

In the order I took them
AAMC Official Guide Diagnostic: (58%)
NEXT STEP Free full Length: (70%)
Kaplan 1: 499
Kaplan 2: 508
Kaplan 3: 505
AAMC Sample Test: (80%)
AAMC Section Bank
Physical Sciences: 61.5%
Biological Science: 59%
Behavioral Sciences: 74%
AAMC Full Length: 510 (79%)


5) What was your undergraduate major?

Bioengineering


6) Any other tips you may have for those of us who still have this test lurking over us?

Make a plan for every day of the 3 months (or however long you are studying for) of what you are going to study/what questions/test you are going to take each day.
Take all full length practice tests in a testing scenario and start at 8:00 a.m.
Definitely do the Section Banks and do them over again at least once!
Set a goal of getting 80+% right on all sections of any practice tests/sets that you do.

7) How long did you study for the MCAT?
11-12 weeks with 1-2 days off per week

Here is a document describing my exact studying process, that I found very helpful.
Any chance you have the excel sheet on you currently? Can I see it please
 
1) MCAT Score - 510 (129, 126, 130, 125)

Mostly due to the fact that I found this thread so helpful, I felt compelled to write an at-length post describing how I prepared for this test. I worked extremely hard for this score and remain optimistic that it will earn me an MD/DO acceptance. I apologize for the length of this post, but I really think it contains some substance. If I can help one or two fellow pre-med students, I consider this post a success. Of note, the above score was my second attempt. I scored a 504 (w/ 122 in CARS) on the first attempt.

In total, I spent 2,230 hours (~84.5 days) studying for this test. I took over 30+ practice exams and used test prep materials from every company (Kaplan, TPR, NS, Altius, EK, Gold Standard, AAMC, Jack Westin).

2) The study method used for each section

Chemical/Physical Foundations: Although I only scored 129, I considered CP to be “my strongest section” as a chemistry major. I used the Kaplan textbooks for my original content review and made a quizlet flashcard for every bolded term in the book. For practice questions, I completed all the questions in the Kaplan books as well as every CP passage on Khan academy. Also completed all of the AAMC material. If there was a specific CP subject that I did not perform well on, I utilized KA videos to “walk me through” the topic. After completing the first MCAT, I wanted to get an additional edge for this section. I purchased the EK general chemistry text and TBR Physics I and II texts. I did all of the practice questions in these books

CARS: LOL. This section almost killed me. I literally… for my life… could not figure out why I was so bad at CARS. This section kept me up at night. When I first started studying for the MCAT, I assumed that CARS was something that I would eventually “get the hang of”. It never happened. Prior to my first MCAT attempt, I realized that I had some serious issues w/ this section and decided to reschedule (was consistently scoring 122/123 on practice exams). I started doing 1-2 practice passages per day and did not see much improvement. Feeling lost, I signed up for Jack Westin’s course w/ hopes of improving. Jack taught a rigid CARS method. Some students saw benefit from it, others did not (unfortunately I was one of them who did not benefit). Overall Jack was very nice and helpful; his method just didn’t work w/ me. And rightfully so, you can’t expect one CARS technique to work for everyone. Regardless, getting a false sense of improvement, I proceeded to take the MCAT on 1/2017 and scored a 122 for the section. I was very disappointed. Nevertheless, I knew that CARS wasn’t going to prevent me from accomplishing my dreams. I worked so hard on this section. I purchased AAMC Q-packs, NS 108, the new EK CARS book, the old EK CARS book, and Testing Solutions CARS practice. I went through the NS108 and two EK books 3 TIMES EACH. I went through the AAMC passages like 5 times each. That’s like 1,000+ passages. B/w my first MCAT attempt and my second MCAT attempt, there were weeks in which I was working full time and taking CARS tests daily (9 passages). All-in-all, I probably averaged about 6-7 passages/day x 4+ months leading up to my second MCAT attempt. This was grueling and I don’t recommend it to anyone. But when you're a sicko w/ too much work ethic, CARS isn’t going to beat you. It never will. Fortunately for my second attempt, I raised my CARS score to a 126. I realize this still isn’t great, but I nearly cried when I saw my score. I couldn’t get above a 123 if my life depended on it for any of my practice exams. If you have any other questions regarding what I did w/ this section, let me know… I have other techniques that I mastered while preparing (question tracking, reviewing passages, timing, etc). I tried every method (read fast/slow, skip passages, etc) and found the one that worked best for me. Everyone is unique. Most of us read differently.

Biological Foundations: Similar to CP, I was pretty confident in my ability to perform well in the BS section. For MCAT attempt #1, I used Kaplan biology for content review. Similar to CP, I made a Quizlet flashcard for every bolded term in the Kaplan bio book. I completed all the questions in the Kaplan book, on the Khan academy website, and on the AAMC website (Q-pack, section bank). For my second attempt, I purchased the TBR biology and biochemistry text books. I read through all of the chapters and completed all the practice questions.

Psychological/Sociological Foundations: Prior to taking the MCAT, my background in sociology and psychology was very limited. I did not know all the topics that the MCAT was testing. For content review, I primarily utilized Kaplan PS and Khan academy. This was more than enough. Like all the other sections above, I made a quizlet deck for every chapter in the Kaplan PS book. However, unlike the other sections, I reviewed these flashcards far more frequently (once a week). Also, I made an effort to watch most of, if not all of the KA videos. If there was a section that KA benefited me the most in, it was definitely PS. My methods worked out for me on my first attempt (129). For the second take, I purchased the TPR sociology textbook. I read most of the book, took notes, and completed the questions. I did not perform as well the second time I took the MCAT on the PS section (125). I think this was poor luck. I was averaging ~127 for all of my practice exams.

3) What materials you used for each section (Kaplan, TPR, Examkrackers, AAMC, TBR, etc)

CP: Kaplan 7 book series, EK Chemistry, TBR Physics I/II, *
CARS: Kaplan 7 book series, NS108, EK Verbal, EK 101 CARS, Testing Solutions, Jack Westin Course, *
BS: Kaplan 7 book series, TBR Biology I/II, TBR Biochemistry, *
PS: Kaplan 7 book series, TPR Psychology/Sociology, *
*All AAMC material and Khan Academy

4) Practice tests (AAMC, Kaplan, TPR, EK, NS, Altius)

Practice Test: Score (Average=501.88)
Kaplan FL 1: 488
Kaplan FL 2: 499
Princeton 1: 499
Princeton 2: 494
Princeton 3: 496
ExamKrackers FL 4: 502 (used reddit conversion chart)
Princeton 4: 496
Kaplan FL 3: 500
Next step 1: 504
Next step 2: 503
AAMC Sample: 507 (attempt #1 - used reddit conversion chart)
Next Step Diagnostic 1/2: 507
Princeton 5: 496
Princeton 6: 502
Next step 3: 501
Princeton 7: 499
Altius Diagnostic 1/2: 507
AAMC Practice Exam 1: 507
Princeton 8: 499
AAMC Sample Test: 511 (attempt #2 - used reddit conversion chart)
AAMC Practice Exam 2: 506
MCAT #1: 504
Kaplan 1/3 Exam: 499
Next Step 5: 504
ExamKrackers FL 4: 499
Next Step 6: 505
AAMC Practice Exam 2: 511 (attempt #2)
AAMC Practice Exam 1: 513 (attempt #2)
Altius 1: 501
Altius 2: 504
Altius 4: 506
Altius 5: 504
MCAT #2: 510

5) Undergraduate major?
Chemistry

6) Any other tips you may have for those of us who still have this test lurking over us?

Throughout my studies, I used many tactics that were extremely helpful. Below are some of them...

Rule #1: Do not take the test if you are not ready: Basically as the title says. If you aren’t ready… don’t take it. No one cares how many times you voided. No one cares if it took you 3 months versus 1 year to study for. All that matters is the score you want. If you take it multiple times, that score looks slightly worse. Med schools care about this. Don’t try to be an MCAT hero. Use your best judgement 1-2 weeks out from the test and commit to a decision. Your career depends on this test.

Get organized and design a study schedule: Once you have a “tentative test date”, determine how many “practice MCAT tests” you are going to take. Create a schedule for the practice tests and allow for adequate review time (usually 1 test = 1 day of review). I took 1 test per week, usually on every Sunday and reviewed on Monday. In addition, try to develop a schedule for day-to-day practice… Make sure you hit your weakness more frequently. Below is the schedule I used… (note: CARS was my weak subject)
Sunday - Practice Exam
Monday - Review Practice Exam + CARS
Tuesday - Chemistry/Physics + CARS
Wednesday - Biology + CARS
Thursday - Biochemistry + CARS
Friday - Psychology/Sociology + CARS
Saturday - Review Question Mistakes + CARS

Simulate test conditions
: When taking practice exams, try to simulate actual exam conditions to the best of your ability. This means adhering to break times, not eating/drinking while doing the questions, and no cell phone use. Try to take practice exams in a quiet setting in which you can focus. Also - highly recommend taking at-least 1 practice test in a “somewhat noisy” area. I took one test in a public library w/ mild commotion going on. After doing this, I felt more prepared to deal w/ nuisance noises on test day (e.g. people coughing, tapping, moving chairs, opening doors).

Timing matters! Always time yourself w/ your practice passages. By timing yourself, you will help establish an “internal pace”. Don’t let yourself linger on practice passages; treat them like actual test questions. Below are the timing standards that I tried to follow...
Science passages
4 questions: 6.5 minutes
5 questions: 8 minutes
6 questions: 9.5 minutes
CARS passages
5 questions: 8.5 minutes
6 questions: 10 minutes
7 questions: 11.5 minutes

Keep track of your journey: Prior to studying, I purchased a notebook and decided to log every single MCAT activity I did. Below is an example post I made...

01/10/17:
  • Reviewed Kaplan MCAT General Chemistry Notes, Chapter 7 (45 minutes)
  • Reviewed Kaplan MCAT Organic Chemistry Notes, Chapter 2 (30 minutes)
  • Practice Questions:
    • AAMC General Chemistry Q-pack: 38/42 (91%)
    • AAMC Physics Q-pack: 15/18 (83%)
    • Khan Academy CP: 18/20 (90%)
  • CARS Practice
    • NS 108: 16/26 (62%)
  • Review Kaplan Biochemistry Flashcards (Chapter 10)
Keep track of your stats: Once I started practice passages/exams, I wanted to make sure that I was progressing in the right direction. I did so by keeping track of how many questions I got right/wrong each day I did questions. Below is one of the graphs I kept for “daily practice questions”. I also broke this down into CP, BS, CARS, and PS graphs.

GOVM9MLrS9Z-3wfAUTGlcMeGG5jWxJ4Uge6eySMyilG8bIUa1wE2jbM_cXHEUjHRhtxOgGeUTwJr_3M-Vu4uMdXrbgsTiu9Dx9SEg1nopgsJcPp0rTBzrVa12Bs_l-XJXnjdMPQB


kB4E9KK-M0xi1NYtzUcCiDIh18SM0qg2Re6P-tLElTjbsD_E43pvXbmOFB6sZ2c59I29vLuWElvns-RW96OF4s6lr-LTL8PdybRqGDwWxvL76qxJzYc33KGCI9AiWH3tek3MMhJs




Keep track of mistakes: Other than the “don’t take unless you’re ready rule”, this is probably the second most important. During my studies I created a google docs page for “wrong answers”. Every time I got a question wrong, I wrote down an explanation for why I got the question wrong. By the end of my studies, this page reached ~40 pages long. I reviewed this once a week (usually Friday). Thanks to this, I really didn’t make any “repeat mistakes”.

Don’t miss a topic: Keep track of everything you are going to be tested for on the MCAT. On the AAMC website, there is a printout for every subject the MCAT tests. Go through this list at the conclusion of your studying and make sure you can at least, educate a non-MCATer on each of these topics.

7) How long did you study for the MCAT?

MCAT #1: 3-4 months
MCAT #2: 6 months

Total: 2,230 hours (~84.5 days)
 
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Yeah but it’s now buried in this folder, so it’s visibility is much less now.

SDN staff was informed by some users that having a large number of stickies in various forums causes issues on some mobile devices as it takes way to long to get down to the main threads. So moderators were asked to try to reduce the number of stickies for each forum to 3 to improve functionality. This lead to some consolidation of stickies.
 
Hey there,

I went through all of your posts and I am bit confused. Did you actually study for 4 weeks (both content review and practice) or you for 3 months following SNDs schedule . thanks
 
Did you actually study for 4 weeks or strictly followed SND 3 months schedule ?
I sincerely believe this forum to be absolutely instrumental in my success this go around, so let me add what I can. If it can be of help to a single person, then it will be worth the time and effort to post. I will be slightly re-ordering the questions because it seems to make more sense to me this way.

5) What was your undergraduate major?

  • Microbiology (3.1 from Univ Calif NorCal)

7) How long did you study for the MCAT?

  • Sept 2017 - 4 weeks dedicated (everyday except Sundays, from 8am-9pm). Factor in 30 min lunch break, 60 min exercise break, 30 min dinner break and that's 11 hours of studying daily
  • May 2012 - 5 months, poor work ethic, concurrent classes

1) Your individual scores and composite score

  • Sept 2017 - 517 (95%) : 129 (92%) / 129 (95%) / 130 (97%) / 129 (91%)
  • May 2012 - 27Q (61%): 8 (55%) / 10 (84%) / Q (86%) / 9 (56%)
3) What materials you used for each section(Kaplan, TPR, Examkrackers, AAMC, TBR, etc)

  • 2012 exam: Kaplan and TPR. What an utter failure I was, but the material didn't help at all. Second go-around I settled on TBR because I thought I needed (and could handle) the depth. It was worth it. Whatever I needed to read twice or more in Kaplan/TPR was clear and concise in one reading of TBR so it actually SAVED time.

  • C/P - TBR. So many people will state that it is just the best. I have actually used Kaplan, TPR and TBR and I can say that TBR is the best at C/P for me. By a long long margin.
  • CARS - None - GOLDEN RULE plus being a broad reader
    • Read 10-20 books every year since I was in middle school.
    • 10 year Time subscriber
    • More research journals than I can count
    • Free Sunday newspapers for last 6 years
    • it's not about the amount you read, but HOW you read
  • B/B - TBR
  • P/S - TPR P/S + TBR Psych

2) The study method used for each section


  • Just went through the books thoroughly. Had a composition notebook for each content book, plus one for error logs. Anything that seemed like it was high yield or important went into the comp book.
  • I think one thing I did right was to go through the practice problem without looking at the solution or process. Just bang at it until I got it right, and then look at what TBR did. TBR did it a better way almost every time, but banging at it cemented how much better TBR's methods were and I was more likely to remember to do it TBR's way when it was better.
  • C - Went through book thoroughly.
  • P - Went through book thoroughly. Memorized all the formulas, and all the special kg/m/s unit conversions (like for N is kg*m/s^2 etc) for unit analysis
  • CARS - None. Considered it my only strength from 2012. My sample exam proved it to me.
    • Key here isn't the amount I read, but HOW I read.
    • Immerse yourself, pretend you are the author. What main idea are you trying to get across? How are you supporting it? Is it a strong position or weak? How would you go about strengthening your position or attacking it?
    • Argue against the author, argue for the author.
    • If it's a creative work, how would YOU have changed or written it and would it make it better or worse?
    • Quick example of personal opinion: Harry Potter lost a lot of people and went through a lot but never had to make a conflicted choice. His choices were easy and clear cut, and thus made his character rather boring towards the end. I was 8 when HP came out, and 17 when I read the last one. As a reader, I matured in that time. When I finished HP, that's what I was thinking afterwards.
    • You should challenge yourself to read ACTIVELY and CRITICALLY
    • Use the Golden Rule - oh I said that already? I'll say it again because it is the single best useful test-taking strategy I've come across for CARS. None of that rank the passages, rank the questions fluff that just waste your precious time without giving you a concrete strategy for every question.
      • Wrong is wrong, least wrong is right 100% of the time.
      • Note it isn't "most right answer is the best answer" that has been taught for decades in primary and high school. We don't live in the land of "choose the best answer." We live in the land of "choose the least bad answer."
      • Remember that when a passage and questions are submitted, there has to be 100% clear reasons why answer choices are wrong or right. There aren't grey areas that are open to interpretation. Use this to your advantage.
      • If any part, and I mean ANY part of the answer choice is wrong, RIGHT CLICK TO STRIKETHROUGH and read the next choice. Don't even finish reading the answer choice once you read something wrong. Even if its 100 words and its 99% correct, that 1% wrong makes the choice 100% wrong, not 99% right.
  • B/B - Memorized the cycles by literally drawing them out DAILY forwards and backwards. Substrates first, then added enzymes, then added inputs/outputs like ATP and H2O, etc. Also memorized the amino acids using my own made up table template by writing it out daily.
  • P/S - I actually mapped out which TPR chapters go with which TBR chapters and combined my readings. Please memorize Piaget and developmental milestones. Nearly no one cares about Freud anymore as he's mostly fallen out of favor.
4) Which practice tests did you use? (Optional: include scores)

  • I only made time for 1 at the start pf my review. My low GPA means I need a stellar MCAT (515+) for any solid hope at MD/DO, especially considering this could potentially be seen as a "retake"
  • AAMC Sample Exam (unscored)
    • 94.75% : 78% / 96% / 85% / 80%
    • 517: 129 / 131 / 128 / 128 via Reddit-source calculator
    • It really looks like I didn't improve at all :(
    • Realize that the general consensus is that the Sample Exam is 5-10 pts easier/inflated, so a "517" could easily be a 510 or 505, especially if you've somehow seen the content before
    • I interpret this as: In 4 weeks, I managed a 5-10 point improvement.
    • I would also compare my percentiles to my 2012 exam, and I am not ashamed to state how proud I am to have moved up from 56-61%ile to 92-97%ile


6) Any other tips you may have for those of us who still have this test lurking over us?

General prep tips:
  • Clean yourself up. If you take care of your body, your mind will thank you for it.
    • I went on a strict meal-prep diet for the four weeks I prepared, with only Sundays as cheat days
    • I cut out coffee completely and while the withdrawal sucked, after 2 weeks I was functioning better without coffee than I was with the coffee. Controversial yes. I will always advocate for it. You can slowly add it back in towards the end, but only to jump start your morning
    • Daily exercise: 15 minutes light aerobics and stretches in the morning, 60 minutes in the afternoon.
  • Pretend every day is exam day: Wake up at 6, start your studying at 8. Wear your earplugs whenever studying and toss the phone in a drawer. Better, deactivate your social media. You grew up without it, you'll get by without it.
  • Get your optimal sleep (for me, it's 7.2-7.5 hours) every single night. So I was off my phone by 10, in bed with lights out and eyes closed by 10:30
General Materials Tips
  • Use Amazon. Buy all the different companies books but NOT as a box set. Individually. Then COMPARE. Whichever you like, keep. The rest, return to Amazon and get all your money back. You used to just be able to compare books in an actual bookstore. Amazon killed them all, so take advantage of them.
  • TBR books sell on SDN generally for 70-90% of their original value, even older editions. EK1001 books will eventually be worth their weight in gold. Probably. You'll recoup most of your investment if you want to, just don't mark up your books and don't mess them up.
  • Keep Error Logs. Any time you do discretes or practice problems or practice tests, fill in your error log. Question, answers, what you answered, the correct answer, why you think you got it wrong (gut reaction), why you think you got it wrong (24 hr later reaction), subject and concept tested (like Physics - Optics - TIR or CARS - best supports author's arguement). Every few weeks, search for patterns.
Study Tips
  • Don't be wasteful with your time. A strat or book isn't working for you? DITCH IT. Get a fresh perspective immediately. If you've read it twice or thrice and the concept still doesn't make sense, the explanation sucks. It's not that you're stupid or tired. You wouldn't be prepping for an MCAT if you were stupid (only if you're masochistic). So assuming the basic premise that you aren't an idiot and read it carefully, if it doesn't work the first 2-3 times, stop. Remember "Einstein's" quote on insanity. Use YouTube, use Coursera, use your friends or former professors. That's why we have networking and Wifi networks, FaceTime and screen-sharing.
  • The foundations for success are made with careful planning, but don't stress if your plans go awry. Be flexible. If you fall behind or race ahead, adjust accordingly and get back to work. Life happens. Family happens. Bad days happen. Roll with the punches
  • Read SN2ed's collection of threads, KoalaT, and MCATjelly. And I mean every single word. I printed out the threads and highlighted important things coalesced them all together to make the ultimate study plan. I'm 99% sure it would wreck if I still had to use it. But their reasoning and rationale for things answer so many of the questions I see get posted on this forum.
Exam day tips
  • Visit the testing center before test day. Talk to the staff about their procedure, temperature of testing area, etc so you can be prepared.
  • Bring coffee, don't drink it. You don't need it for the first section, your sympathetic system will be all you can handle. Save it for your lunch break to combat the post-prandial coma.
  • Green bananas constipate you. I ate green bananas the day before and the day of. One small 5 in green banana every break. Guaranteed I didn't poop until the day after the exam. This is of particular help to those with short GIT transit times or IBS. I am both. Cured the constipation the next day with very ripe bananas.
  • Don't take risks with your food. You should know your body by now. Keep up the clean eating.
  • My personal approach is to treat it like a marathon or long hike. Solid high protein breakfast (2 scrambled eggs, 2 strips bacon, one sausage link, and a french toast triangle from my hotel's continental breakfast). I had 4 Clif bars, 3 small green bananas, 1 large Gatorade, and 2 bottles of water. I don't trust prometric water coolers because when was the last time they were cleaned? I don't know. Mine had ants crawling on it. A clif bar and banana on each break, ate an extra cliff bar during lunch break. Works well for me; energy dense and low residue.
  • Some takers think they ought to conserve energy during breaks. I argue that sound body = sound mind. Refresh your body with sprints, body weight exercises, and stretches. I did jumping jacks in the hallway and full stretch routines to fill my time during breaks. I also exercised my eyes by focusing on very far away objects in the window and closed them for short periods to alleviate the eye strain.
  • LAYER. I wore basketball shorts, warm up pants, T-shirt, light sweater. I was sweating on the way to the test center because Glendale was 85F at 7:30 am, and I was the perfect temperature inside the exam room. The exam rooms are often colder than the waiting rooms.
  • Bring extra earplugs. Pee every break time. Twice during the long lunch break. I regretted not taking the second pee halfway through my bio section.
  • DON'T VOID. Trust me, don't. I'll post my personal anecdote but I'm so glad I didn't void. Only void if you can say with absolute certainty you will score below a 500 (usually because you didn't finish a section).
  • YOU CAN WRITE DURING THE TUTORIAL PERIOD. I used that time to write down my cycles and amino acid table (muscle memory) and physics formulas onto the provided scratch paper. Also included the list of strong acids/bases, and NMR/IR wavelengths and patterns (thank you TBR for patterns). It saved so much time later on in the exam since it was like having a cheat sheet right there.
I reserve the right to edit this post later :)
 
Did you actually study for 4 weeks or strictly followed SND 3 months schedule ?

4 weeks, ~12 hours a day of highly disciplined and extremely rigorous studying and daily living habits. Think of it as a highly condensed version of the traditional 3 month schedule.

That approach will not work for everyone. In fact, I would say it will not work for most people. Arbitrarily, I would guess that for 9 out of 10 students, this schedule is impossible for one reason or another.

I am still a strong advocate of the three month plan. Any longer, you suffer from burnout and retention problems. If I had the time, I would have done the 3 month plan.
 
Zenabi ,
I went though all of your posts, so I am trying to use your schedule, blocking all social media, eat clean ...my plan is to take mcat on january 25th.
My question is: throughout those vigorous 4 weeks, how did you manage to to take practice tests? Like you mentioned you studied with Berkeley Review and substituted with princeton and kaplan but how did you manage to add practice exams? I ask because one chapter of berkeley takes a few hours to complete and there is only so much time ... Please explain. thank you so much.
 
1) Your individual scores and composite score
523: 131/132/130/130
This is a retake; previously 516.

2) The study method used for each section
C/P: Made a massive study guide by using the Kaplan set to fill out the AAMC content outline. Supplemented with Khan and a physics textbook. Practiced using TPR workbook, Section Bank+Question Packs.
CARS: Was a strength so I never practiced outside of full-lengths.
B/B: Made a massive study guide by using the Kaplan set to fill out the AAMC content outline. Supplemented with Khan and Lippincott's Illustrated Reviews for biochem (GOLD). Practiced using the Section Bank and Question Packs.
P/S: Read through Kaplan's book once. Was relatively fresh off Psych 101. Practiced using the Section Bank.

3) What materials you used for each section(Kaplan, TPR, Examkrackers, AAMC, TBR, etc)
Content review: Kaplan review set, Khan videos, a physics textbook, Lippincott's Illustrated Reviews for biochem
Practice material: all the released AAMC stuff except for the CARS question packs, TPR science workbook

4) Which practice tests did you use? (Optional: include scores)
The 2 AAMC ones. The first one was for my first take and I think the breakdown was something like 78/91/73/89. The scored one was one week before my retake and I got 516.
2 TPR ones. Course Test 1 was for my first take, I got 507. The second one (one of the free ones you get with the books) was for my retake, 510.
The Section Bank is hands-down the best approximation of the real deal, though it is significantly harder. Nothing else gets close. The TPR workbook was great for C/P; the full-lengths were okay but not great.

5) What was your undergraduate major?
Biology

6) Any other tips you may have for those of us who still have this test lurking over us?
It's against the hivemind, but don't be afraid to prioritize content review. It's really important to know your basics. A lot of you are probably good at standardized testing anyway so mimicking testing conditions with practice will be less important.

7) How long did you study for the MCAT?
2-2.5 dedicated months for my first sitting in which I scored 516. Took several months off, then studied ~1 dedicated month for my retake. The first time, I didn't actually finish my content review outline and had very little practice. The second time, I finished the outline and did most of the aforementioned practice.

Thank you for sharing your tips!
I was wondering if you could share the AAMC outline that you had filled out.
I just want to get a basic idea of how it looks and has helped you to get an amazing score!
I have thought about doing the same thing, but reading this post has hindered me from doing so since not many people with high scores do such.
If you could share it, it would help a lot!

Thanks!
 
Zenabi ,
I went though all of your posts, so I am trying to use your schedule, blocking all social media, eat clean ...my plan is to take mcat on january 25th.
My question is: throughout those vigorous 4 weeks, how did you manage to to take practice tests? Like you mentioned you studied with Berkeley Review and substituted with princeton and kaplan but how did you manage to add practice exams? I ask because one chapter of berkeley takes a few hours to complete and there is only so much time ... Please explain. thank you so much.

If you read my original post, I only took 1 practice tests. The AAMC Sample Exam at the beginning of my review. In retrospect I should have added at least one AAMC FL two days before my exam.
My schedule is only feasible for those who dedicate themselves fully to the MCAT during the four weeks. Do not use it lightly.
 
@Zenabi90

Were you still working full-time during those 4 intense weeks of study? Did you use PTO or did you quit working?

Talked to my boss, I was able to take the one month off, unpaid, while they hired a temp for that period of time. It's impossible to study for 12 hours, work for 8, and have any amount of useful sleep.

This approach is not for everyone. But sometimes you need to figure out a way while you still have the will necessary to achieve a dream.
 
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@Zenabi90

Seriously thank you so much for your words of advice, you sound so experienced and have inspired me. I've recently began my MCAT studying, and won't stop until I succeed. Best of luck to you in your future endeavors!
 
@Zenabi90

Seriously thank you so much for your words of advice, you sound so experienced and have inspired me. I've recently began my MCAT studying, and won't stop until I succeed. Best of luck to you in your future endeavors!

Thank you for the kind words! I sincerely hope you attain your goals as well. Best of luck to you as well.
 
Always wanted to post here, and so glad to be able to give a little insight here since I read these like crazy.
I went from 50%tile on the Princeton review diagnostic ( i know its not very representative) to a 519 in about 3 months while working 20-30 hours a week in a lab over the summer. Self confidence is a huge part of succeeding as well as constant active learning which I'll describe below. Also don't forget to exercise! I ran/ went to the gym a couple times a week up until the day before my exam which helped me clear and reset my mind.

1) Your individual scores and composite score
Total: 519. C/P: 130 CARS: 128 B/B: 130 P/S: 131

2) The study method used for each section
For the first half of summer I did content review and one test every Saturday beginning at 8am, imitating testing conditions. I did EK 101 CARS passages every day. My schedule was Monday chem, Tuesday physics, Wednesday bio, Thursday biochem, Friday psych/sociology. Sunday I would look over all the problems and learn the material for Chem and Physics since usually that took the longest. For problems that I got wrong on the practice test, I would find the subject in the book and learn about it, and if I needed additional clarification I would always look online (Khan academy). If I couldn't finish going over all the problems that weekend, which was most of the weekends, I would study the problems I missed with the assigned day, for example if I had problems that I had missed from Bio that I didn't finish, I'd look over it on Wednesday rather than Monday.
Second half of summer I amped it up after finishing content review and did all the AAMC materials, and then the last 2 weeks I did 2 tests a week finishing all my practice tests.

I made anki cards for each section for every concept that I thought that I was lacking in. Also made anki cards for every card that I got wrong on the practice tests. A great strategy to make a good card is to also add "because" to the end of it.
Example: Aldosterone {{blank}} blood volume because..
I never made flashcards before the MCAT but this scheduled repetition really worked for me, and still works for me in the classes I take. I made a total of 2,600 cards which was a lot and spent almost 2 hours each morning reviewing them before I started looking over my practice tests to make more flashcards, but it really did pay off in the end. I would recommend watching medschoolinsiders video on youtube about anki as well as the pomodoro technique.

C/P: My least proficient section when I started. Read through the Kaplan books and did like 10 practice tests. Each C/P section I would take at least a day or 2 to review, always asking why I got the problem wrong and working through them again while referencing my Kaplan books. Super useful to memorize units in this case, some problems I didn't know how to do on the actual exam but I just plugged in based on the units. The real test was a lot easier than all the kaplan, next step tests that I took.

CARS: One of the biggest insights I made while doing CARs over the summer was to just focus on the main point, not on understanding everything which was too confusing. I did Jack Westin's reading every morning. Did all the EK 101 passages as well in the first month. Throughout the summer I practiced honing my concentration by reading long articles that I ran into online as well as meditating every day. Also made sure not to do anything that would hurt my concentration like drinking within the month of the test :D. Make sure you get lots of sleep during the night before the test, I couldn't sleep at all which may have hurt my score.

B/B: Probably my strongest subject since I had just finished taking biochem. Knowing how to read papers helped a lot here, and a big part of it is just analyzing charts and tables. Remembering everything in the book is not too helpful here, but is just an added bonus for the low yield questions.

P/S: Pretty much memorized everything in TPR p/s as i heard that kaplan's wasn't that great. The material overall was good, wouldn't spend a lot of time memorizing terms that were too obscure. Though TPR does lack on a lot of sociological concepts that may appear on the MCAT which I would suggest finding a suitable supplementation if you have time during your study.


3) What materials you used for each section(Kaplan, TPR, Examkrackers, AAMC, TBR, etc)
Kaplan 7 subject
TPR: P/S
All AAMC material
EK 101 reading passages
All the question of the days + Jack Westin

4) Which practice tests did you use? (Optional: include scores)
TPR diagnostic: 500
Kaplan 1: 501
Kap 2: 506
Kap 3: 501
NS 1: lost somewhere
NS 2: 510 (woo improvement after the 5th week)
NS3: 511
NS4: 510
NS5: 512
NS6: 509
AAMC practice test 1: 514 C/P:130 CARS: 128 B/B:128 P/S:128 (note: most accurate one, except P/S a little low)
AAMC 2: 510 C/P: 128 CARS: 127 B/B: 128 P/S: 127
AAMC sample: C/P: 73%, CARS: 91%, B/B 90% , P/S: 86%

5) What was your undergraduate major?
Molecular Biology
6) Any other tips you may have for those of us who still have this test lurking over us?
Healthy habits that don't include studying are very important. Having a healthy social life, healthy diet, exercise and good sleep will make this process 100x easier than if you did not.
7) How long did you study for the MCAT?
2-3 months

Wish you guys all the best of luck. The MCAT drains you out mentally like crazy, but with good habits it can definitely be conquered. Feel free to ask me any questions or DM me.
 
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Bumping for visibility. For some weird reason admins decided to bury this very important thread in some obscure post.
 
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it's almost my one year anniversary of crying at work over my MCAT score...
(happy tears!)
 
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1) 514 (128/125/130/131)

2 & 3) I'll briefly mention my day to day schedule here. For the first 3 months, I'd get up at like 5am, and watch some TV (I love TV and this was a huge stress relief during breaks). I usually started my CARS passages anywhere from 7-7:30, then would go over the passages I did the previous day. Then I'd get started with the new content review of the day, take a quick break around 10-10:30, and do more work til like 12:30 or 1 depending on how I felt. My lunch break was usually about 2 hours, during which I started taking a 20-30 minute power nap the last month of my study schedule. I cannot suggest taking a nap enough. After this, I'd finish the rest of the content and passages of the day, usually around 4-5. Practice exams: give a day to do them and another to review. Also, I started teaching myself to play the banjo during my breaks during like the last month of studying and that was a huge stress reliever. I tried to exercise, but was usually too tired.

C/P: TBR. I used the SN2ed schedule basically to a tee. There were two physics chapters in TBR that I didn't think were great (Electrostatics & Magnetism and Light & Radiation), and I supplemented those with some Khan Academy videos. TBR's passages are amazing in quantity and quality. I took physics like 6 years ago and was super nervous that it was going to be on the MCAT, but i feel that TBR definitely prepared me for it. And naturally I used all the AAMC material at the end. If I could go back I'd give more time to the section banks, which are very hard.

One weird thing about the new TBR (2017) General Chemistry and Physics books is their exams in the back of the book. I think those are really for following the TBR schedule. For my 1/3 question day (SN2ed schedule) I did passages 1 of both phases 1 and 2, then (for example) there were 6 exams in the General chemistry books, I'd look over exams 1.1 and 1.4 and do the passages that apply to the content I did that day. on 2/3 question day I'd do the same with exams 1.2 and 1.5. That's just the way I did it, and I think it worked.

CARS: My worst section. I did usually 3 passages a day, first thing in the morning. I read the TBR and EK strategies, and the EK strategy is definitely better for me. I used a little of the EK 101 verbal passages, all of the TPR 2016 CARS workbook, all of Khan Academy, and obviously ended with all of the AAMC CARS packs. I really liked the TPR workbook, so if you can get your hands on it it's a great place to start CARS training. I will highly recommend TBR for everything EXCEPT CARS. That's my opinion; I tried their passages and they were way too long, boring, and the question style/feel doesn't match the AAMC.

B/B: TBR. They pack a lot of information into their Bio books in particular. I personally like this. Most of it felt like review from my college Bio electives. I would not suggest taking incredibly detailed notes of their Bio books (that could take forever), but I think they're great to read. The passages are TOUGH. I was getting like 60% in the first few chapters, but then I got used to thinking the way I needed to and my practice scores increased. They force you to think the way the MCAT requires. If you go with a different source for actual Bio content, I'd at least suggest TBR Bio passages, because they'll prepare you quite well. Obviously, finish up with AAMC material

P/S: TBR, TPR, EK. I used all the TBR material. They don't really have a designated Sociology section, so I used the last 2 chapters of the TPR book to cover Sociology. I took Sociology 7 years ago, so I didn't remember any of it. To boost my confidence, I did all of the 30 minute EK exams in their P/S book. I thought they were great. When I was fine tuning with the AAMC material at the end If I didn't know a term, I'd put it on a list of stuff to memorize. This section requires the most rote memorization, but there's of course a critical thinking component to it as well.

4) I started with NS. They're incredibly hard and dense. I actually liked this, it made the AAMC FL's feel a lot easier by comparison. Overall I liked NS, they're especially good for timing and learning how to not freak out when you have a hard passage/question. I don't feel that their CARS captured the AAMC feel very well, that's just my opinion.
NS FL 1: 509 (129/125/127/128)
NS FL 2: 511 (128/127/128/128)
NS FL 3: 509 (128/125/128/128)

Naturally I finished with AAMC. Each test I continued to focus on remaining calm throughout the test and trusting my gut. I continued this right up until I took the last FL, the AAMC sample.
AAMC FL 1: 513 (130/128/128/127)
AAMC FL 2: 512 (129/126/130/127)
AAMC FL 3: 511 (130/125/130/126)
AAMC Sample: (81%/87%/86%/85%)

5) Major: Biology

6) A couple take away things that I'm not the first person to point out:
  • Focus on your weaknesses, and try to improve. Don't just rely on your strengths to carry you through.
  • Give yourself plenty of time on the section banks, I only gave myself a day for each, and ended up only doing half of each... whoops. The end of the B/B section on my actual MCAT felt very "section-banksy", so I wish I'd spent more time on the Bio section bank.
  • Know how to push yourself, but even more importantly know when to take a break. I originally had another NS FL scheduled right after Christmas. I started it, got about 30 minutes in and gave myself the rest of that day and the all of the next day off. Know when you need a break. I do not regret giving myself that extra time off whatsoever. The popular saying is: "It's a marathon, not a sprint." If you need a day off, take it.
  • Do what you know/think will work for you. I looked at a lot of template schedules and pretty much knew as soon as I read the SN2ed schedule that it was the one for me. However, I tried the Hat Trick and saw it as a waste of time. However, what works for me, might not work for you. Some people swear by the Hat Trick. Do what feels right.
  • Focus on staying calm during the practice exams so you can do the same during the real MCAT. There will be hard passages, just calm down and try your best. It sounds easy, but I was practicing staying calm right up into test day.
  • I'd personally suggest putting aside the time for this test. I'm a Per Diem PCA at the local hospital. I usually work full time hours, but I worked out a deal with my boss and only worked once a month during studying. I really suggest making this your only/main focus during study time. I know some people work full time during studying, I just personally can't imagine doing that. On the same token, tell the people in your life how important this test is and to not be offended by how little time you'll have while studying, this test is more than a full time job. Hopefully they'll understand.
  • YOU CAN DO IT. For real, this test is a pain the butt, butt it's totally doable. Don't give up, keep your eyes on the prize! I'm just some dude, and I did pretty well!
  • DO NOT VOID! I felt terrible after taking the MCAT, I was banking on like a 508 or so. That month before finding out my score was awful, but you most likely did better than you felt.

7)
9/15/2017 - 1/19/2018, a little over 4 months because I just came off of a gap year and wanted to ensure I was ready.

I attached my SN2ed schedule below for anyone who's interested. I didn't put any information about myself in it to keep my anonymity.

Any questions? Keep 'em to yourself.

Kidding, feel free to ask away.
 

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Hello friends! I always wanted to be able to post here and since it helped me so much, I want to pay it forward.

Score: 516 (127/130/127/132)!

Study Method by Section:
C/P
: I had last taken gen chem about five years ago so I was rusty on that. I took physics the summer before I tested (in Jan) so that was pretty fresh. First I read the Kaplan Gen Chem book and took notes on what I didn't remember at all, and I mostly skimmed the Kaplan Physics book for concepts that tripped me up. If I had had more time I would have gone through each of the Kaplan books twice while taking careful notes, but as it was I mostly did practice problems and then studied any concepts I missed with a combination of Kaplan reading and KA videos, depending on my mood. It's as much about learning how the AAMC asks questions as it is about learning the material itself. I didn't take orgo II and I don't plan to, and I don't think it's necessary for this exam.

CARS: I'm going to be honest, I didn't do anything for this except for practice AAMC passages every day. I've always been a fast reader and my school has a lot of general requirements, so I've been reading and analyzing heavy texts fairly regularly for the past few years. I also just... read for fun. I recommend reading in preparation for this, but also learning how to get yourself invested in each passage and interrogating the arguments they make.

B/B: I didn't take biochem and I kind of wish I had but it worked out okay. I studied for this about the same way I studied for C/P, practice problems and then reviewing weak spots with Kaplan/KA. Memorize the amino acids!!! That's the highest yield I can think of.

P/S: I'm a psych major so this was kind of second nature to me. P/S is definitely turning into CARS 2.0 so get used to reading psych studies. I had the best prep for this from psych seminars I've taken (not giant lectures!) so try to do that if you can. I was unfamiliar with some of the sociology stuff so I just watched the entire KA set and did some of the Kaplan reading. I didn't expect to score so high on this section and I'm not sure what was different on test day for me. I was definitely more in the zone because it was the real thing, as in the past I tended to rush towards the end of P/S because I just wanted to get my score but on test day I knew there would be no score at the end so I calmed down a little, I guess?

Materials: I was on a budget and you can be too! I got the Kaplan 7 book set from a friend of a friend for free but forgot to take the CARS book so I can't speak to that. I used those and KA videos for content. I only purchased the AAMC prep set, which I think is almost a requirement at this point. AAMC materials are king! Make sure you do the section banks at least two weeks before the real thing, I think they helped me the most. And they were rough, I got maybe 50-60% on them? But it paid off in my scores.

Practice Tests:
12/12/17 NS Diagnostic - 504 (123/129/123/129)
12/24/17 Altius Diagnostic - 506 (124/129/126/127)
12/27/17 TPR FL - 502 (122/127/124/129)
12/29/17 AAMC FL 3 - 510 (125/130/126/129)
1/3/18 NS FL 1 - 505 (127/127/124/127)
1/9/18 AAMC Sample - 58%/92%/63%/88%
1/12/18 AAMC FL 1 - 509 (127/130/125/127)
1/14/18 AAMC FL 2 - 514 (129/130/127/128)
1/19/18 MCAT! - 516 (127/130/127/132)

Note that I spent the day between FL1 and FL2 doing the section banks and look at that 5 point jump. All of these were either part of the AAMC pack or free. The only one I wouldn't recommend is TPR, it's deflated and you can't review the exam questions. Only take it if you're trying to work out your full length timing.

Undergrad Major: Psychology

Other Tips: Make sure you are really dedicated to the goal. Another poster mentioned shadowing while you're studying and that definitely made a difference in my overall attitude. Also, don't feel bad about taking a day off now and then! If you can manage it, try to play KA videos in the background while you're doing something fun, but if you need to step away from the material completely do that. Don't do anything the day before your MCAT. Make sure you sleep that night!!! I wish I had just popped a Benadryl at 8 pm* or something, getting to sleep was a real struggle the night before. If you're going to do caffeine, make sure you practice with caffeine and in an amount you can standardize. I went so far as to wear the same clothes and eat the same foods at the same times for my practice FL days, and that's up to you, but it helped a lot with keeping nerves down on Test Day.

Study Length: One very intense month. 10 hrs/day for 30 days = 300ish hours, although any time in a premed class is kind of studying.

*I'm not a doctor (yet!) and I'm not telling you to take Benadryl for purposes other than treating allergies, but my psychiatrist has told me it is okay as a very short term measure. Talk to your doctor before taking this or any other medication.
 
Starting score 495.
Final score 519.

I studied for four months, for the first two I studied with a Kaplan course, that was basically garbage. My teacher knew nothing and was constantly making mistakes. I o lg improved five points.
Then I studied in my own using khan academy stuff for a month, that was really difficult and I only improved like two points.
Then my friend from medical school introduced me to his friend who got a 521 and she privately tutored me for super cheap for a little over a month and it improved my score by like 14 points or something. I definitely recommend her. Message me for more info.

I used Kaplan books and full lengths, AAMC full lengths, a book of 100 verbal passages and some NSTP full lengths.

I studied about 2-3 hours a day, sometimes more on the weekend.



Look- it's great that you had success on the MCAT. But this is a guide for study habits not "Let me sell you tutoring services that helped me achieve success" You did the same thing on the Reddit MCAT site constantly mentioning "strategies that significantly increased my CARS scores" but then unwilling to be helpful when people asked about them.

Edit: After doing a little research on your post history, it appears that you yourself are the tutor you claim to have used. I think this is certainly disingenuous behavior.
 
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Look- it's great that you had success on the MCAT. But this is a guide for study habits not "Let me sell you tutoring services that helped me achieve success" You did the same thing on the Reddit MCAT site constantly mentioning "strategies that significantly increased my CARS scores" but then unwilling to be helpful when people asked about them.

Edit: After doing a little research on your post history, it appears that you yourself are the tutor you claim to have used. I think this is certainly disingenuous behavior.
Hey, it sounds like he didn't charge himself much, at least!

Does appear to be a scumbag thing to do though- subversive advertising.
 
I did not find the Kaplan books all that helpful, and their questions at the end of the section were pointless. I used an older version of The Berkeley Review, but I would get the new version in a heartbeat. Just skip the verbal book. The new set is worth the extra cost and their passages and practice questions are very similar to the real exam. That will give you a lot of practice and some great content review. The ordering system seems to be a pain, but maybe call them up and see if you can order over the phone?

Also, shout out to Berkeley because of their inclusion of some "low yield" material in their sections. I found their bio sections perhaps a little too short -BUT - they covered a few things that were on the exam and many people complained about them being "low yield" topics. They seem to know what is really important and what is less so.

Thanks for the shout out. That is really great to read, because we have always believed that the whole notion of "high yield" and "low yield" is a myth propagated by people basing it on their one MCAT. The writers do a great job spreading the topics out.

Congrats are your score, especially the 131 C/P and 132 B/B. It's an honor that you used our science materials.
 
I sincerely believe this forum to be absolutely instrumental in my success this go around, so let me add what I can. If it can be of help to a single person, then it will be worth the time and effort to post. I will be slightly re-ordering the questions because it seems to make more sense to me this way.

5) What was your undergraduate major?

  • Microbiology (3.1 from Univ Calif NorCal)

7) How long did you study for the MCAT?

  • Sept 2017 - 4 weeks dedicated (everyday except Sundays, from 8am-9pm). Factor in 30 min lunch break, 60 min exercise break, 30 min dinner break and that's 11 hours of studying daily
  • May 2012 - 5 months, poor work ethic, concurrent classes

1) Your individual scores and composite score

  • Sept 2017 - 517 (95%) : 129 (92%) / 129 (95%) / 130 (97%) / 129 (91%)
  • May 2012 - 27Q (61%): 8 (55%) / 10 (84%) / Q (86%) / 9 (56%)
3) What materials you used for each section(Kaplan, TPR, Examkrackers, AAMC, TBR, etc)

  • 2012 exam: Kaplan and TPR. What an utter failure I was, but the material didn't help at all. Second go-around I settled on TBR because I thought I needed (and could handle) the depth. It was worth it. Whatever I needed to read twice or more in Kaplan/TPR was clear and concise in one reading of TBR so it actually SAVED time.

  • C/P - TBR. So many people will state that it is just the best. I have actually used Kaplan, TPR and TBR and I can say that TBR is the best at C/P for me. By a long long margin.
  • CARS - None - GOLDEN RULE plus being a broad reader
    • Read 10-20 books every year since I was in middle school.
    • 10 year Time subscriber
    • More research journals than I can count
    • Free Sunday newspapers for last 6 years
    • it's not about the amount you read, but HOW you read
  • B/B - TBR
  • P/S - TPR P/S + TBR Psych

2) The study method used for each section


  • Just went through the books thoroughly. Had a composition notebook for each content book, plus one for error logs. Anything that seemed like it was high yield or important went into the comp book.
  • I think one thing I did right was to go through the practice problem without looking at the solution or process. Just bang at it until I got it right, and then look at what TBR did. TBR did it a better way almost every time, but banging at it cemented how much better TBR's methods were and I was more likely to remember to do it TBR's way when it was better.
  • C - Went through book thoroughly.
  • P - Went through book thoroughly. Memorized all the formulas, and all the special kg/m/s unit conversions (like for N is kg*m/s^2 etc) for unit analysis
  • CARS - None. Considered it my only strength from 2012. My sample exam proved it to me.
    • Key here isn't the amount I read, but HOW I read.
    • Immerse yourself, pretend you are the author. What main idea are you trying to get across? How are you supporting it? Is it a strong position or weak? How would you go about strengthening your position or attacking it?
    • Argue against the author, argue for the author.
    • If it's a creative work, how would YOU have changed or written it and would it make it better or worse?
    • Quick example of personal opinion: Harry Potter lost a lot of people and went through a lot but never had to make a conflicted choice. His choices were easy and clear cut, and thus made his character rather boring towards the end. I was 8 when HP came out, and 17 when I read the last one. As a reader, I matured in that time. When I finished HP, that's what I was thinking afterwards.
    • You should challenge yourself to read ACTIVELY and CRITICALLY
    • Use the Golden Rule - oh I said that already? I'll say it again because it is the single best useful test-taking strategy I've come across for CARS. None of that rank the passages, rank the questions fluff that just waste your precious time without giving you a concrete strategy for every question.
      • Wrong is wrong, least wrong is right 100% of the time.
      • Note it isn't "most right answer is the best answer" that has been taught for decades in primary and high school. We don't live in the land of "choose the best answer." We live in the land of "choose the least bad answer."
      • Remember that when a passage and questions are submitted, there has to be 100% clear reasons why answer choices are wrong or right. There aren't grey areas that are open to interpretation. Use this to your advantage.
      • If any part, and I mean ANY part of the answer choice is wrong, RIGHT CLICK TO STRIKETHROUGH and read the next choice. Don't even finish reading the answer choice once you read something wrong. Even if its 100 words and its 99% correct, that 1% wrong makes the choice 100% wrong, not 99% right.
  • B/B - Memorized the cycles by literally drawing them out DAILY forwards and backwards. Substrates first, then added enzymes, then added inputs/outputs like ATP and H2O, etc. Also memorized the amino acids using my own made up table template by writing it out daily.
  • P/S - I actually mapped out which TPR chapters go with which TBR chapters and combined my readings. Please memorize Piaget and developmental milestones. Nearly no one cares about Freud anymore as he's mostly fallen out of favor.
4) Which practice tests did you use? (Optional: include scores)

  • I only made time for 1 at the start pf my review. My low GPA means I need a stellar MCAT (515+) for any solid hope at MD/DO, especially considering this could potentially be seen as a "retake"
  • AAMC Sample Exam (unscored)
    • 94.75% : 78% / 96% / 85% / 80%
    • 517: 129 / 131 / 128 / 128 via Reddit-source calculator
    • It really looks like I didn't improve at all :(
    • Realize that the general consensus is that the Sample Exam is 5-10 pts easier/inflated, so a "517" could easily be a 510 or 505, especially if you've somehow seen the content before
    • I interpret this as: In 4 weeks, I managed a 5-10 point improvement.
    • I would also compare my percentiles to my 2012 exam, and I am not ashamed to state how proud I am to have moved up from 56-61%ile to 92-97%ile


6) Any other tips you may have for those of us who still have this test lurking over us?

General prep tips:
  • Clean yourself up. If you take care of your body, your mind will thank you for it.
    • I went on a strict meal-prep diet for the four weeks I prepared, with only Sundays as cheat days
    • I cut out coffee completely and while the withdrawal sucked, after 2 weeks I was functioning better without coffee than I was with the coffee. Controversial yes. I will always advocate for it. You can slowly add it back in towards the end, but only to jump start your morning
    • Daily exercise: 15 minutes light aerobics and stretches in the morning, 60 minutes in the afternoon.
  • Pretend every day is exam day: Wake up at 6, start your studying at 8. Wear your earplugs whenever studying and toss the phone in a drawer. Better, deactivate your social media. You grew up without it, you'll get by without it.
  • Get your optimal sleep (for me, it's 7.2-7.5 hours) every single night. So I was off my phone by 10, in bed with lights out and eyes closed by 10:30
General Materials Tips
  • Use Amazon. Buy all the different companies books but NOT as a box set. Individually. Then COMPARE. Whichever you like, keep. The rest, return to Amazon and get all your money back. You used to just be able to compare books in an actual bookstore. Amazon killed them all, so take advantage of them.
  • TBR books sell on SDN generally for 70-90% of their original value, even older editions. EK1001 books will eventually be worth their weight in gold. Probably. You'll recoup most of your investment if you want to, just don't mark up your books and don't mess them up.
  • Keep Error Logs. Any time you do discretes or practice problems or practice tests, fill in your error log. Question, answers, what you answered, the correct answer, why you think you got it wrong (gut reaction), why you think you got it wrong (24 hr later reaction), subject and concept tested (like Physics - Optics - TIR or CARS - best supports author's arguement). Every few weeks, search for patterns.
Study Tips
  • Don't be wasteful with your time. A strat or book isn't working for you? DITCH IT. Get a fresh perspective immediately. If you've read it twice or thrice and the concept still doesn't make sense, the explanation sucks. It's not that you're stupid or tired. You wouldn't be prepping for an MCAT if you were stupid (only if you're masochistic). So assuming the basic premise that you aren't an idiot and read it carefully, if it doesn't work the first 2-3 times, stop. Remember "Einstein's" quote on insanity. Use YouTube, use Coursera, use your friends or former professors. That's why we have networking and Wifi networks, FaceTime and screen-sharing.
  • The foundations for success are made with careful planning, but don't stress if your plans go awry. Be flexible. If you fall behind or race ahead, adjust accordingly and get back to work. Life happens. Family happens. Bad days happen. Roll with the punches
  • Read SN2ed's collection of threads, KoalaT, and MCATjelly. And I mean every single word. I printed out the threads and highlighted important things coalesced them all together to make the ultimate study plan. I'm 99% sure it would wreck if I still had to use it. But their reasoning and rationale for things answer so many of the questions I see get posted on this forum.
Exam day tips
  • Visit the testing center before test day. Talk to the staff about their procedure, temperature of testing area, etc so you can be prepared.
  • Bring coffee, don't drink it. You don't need it for the first section, your sympathetic system will be all you can handle. Save it for your lunch break to combat the post-prandial coma.
  • Green bananas constipate you. I ate green bananas the day before and the day of. One small 5 in green banana every break. Guaranteed I didn't poop until the day after the exam. This is of particular help to those with short GIT transit times or IBS. I am both. Cured the constipation the next day with very ripe bananas.
  • Don't take risks with your food. You should know your body by now. Keep up the clean eating.
  • My personal approach is to treat it like a marathon or long hike. Solid high protein breakfast (2 scrambled eggs, 2 strips bacon, one sausage link, and a french toast triangle from my hotel's continental breakfast). I had 4 Clif bars, 3 small green bananas, 1 large Gatorade, and 2 bottles of water. I don't trust prometric water coolers because when was the last time they were cleaned? I don't know. Mine had ants crawling on it. A clif bar and banana on each break, ate an extra cliff bar during lunch break. Works well for me; energy dense and low residue.
  • Some takers think they ought to conserve energy during breaks. I argue that sound body = sound mind. Refresh your body with sprints, body weight exercises, and stretches. I did jumping jacks in the hallway and full stretch routines to fill my time during breaks. I also exercised my eyes by focusing on very far away objects in the window and closed them for short periods to alleviate the eye strain.
  • LAYER. I wore basketball shorts, warm up pants, T-shirt, light sweater. I was sweating on the way to the test center because Glendale was 85F at 7:30 am, and I was the perfect temperature inside the exam room. The exam rooms are often colder than the waiting rooms.
  • Bring extra earplugs. Pee every break time. Twice during the long lunch break. I regretted not taking the second pee halfway through my bio section.
  • DON'T VOID. Trust me, don't. I'll post my personal anecdote but I'm so glad I didn't void. Only void if you can say with absolute certainty you will score below a 500 (usually because you didn't finish a section).
  • YOU CAN WRITE DURING THE TUTORIAL PERIOD. I used that time to write down my cycles and amino acid table (muscle memory) and physics formulas onto the provided scratch paper. Also included the list of strong acids/bases, and NMR/IR wavelengths and patterns (thank you TBR for patterns). It saved so much time later on in the exam since it was like having a cheat sheet right there.
I reserve the right to edit this post later :)

Your post is so insightful. I wish individual posts could be stickied for everyone to see.
 
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