MCAT Plateau

[cp40]

Hi! Anyone out there know how to combat a score plateau? I've scored about a 510 on the last four exams I have taken. I plan to take the MCAT in August, however I am aiming for a 518. My score distribution is 130/125/127/128. My most problematic section is CARS. But I work full time and have been studying since January and I'm wondering if it more so has to do with the fact that I can only get about 3-4 hours of studying in per day. I appreciate any help or anyone who can speak to this issue!

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[Dream of the Endless]

You're me from about 2 months ago. Just keep learning from your material. They usually test different concepts, so what you learn from one exam conceptually likely won't carry over. When you transition over to AAMC, you'll likely see a score jump. I also spent about 6 months studying due to having work/school responsibilities. And, word to the wise. CARS for AAMC is very different from most 3rd party CARS. So your score could turn out very different when you see their stuff.

 

[PlsLetMeIn21]

"CARS for AAMC is very different from most 3rd party CARS."

No truer words have ever been written at SDN.

 

[cp40]

You're me from about 2 months ago. Just keep learning from your material. They usually test different concepts, so what you learn from one exam conceptually likely won't carry over. When you transition over to AAMC, you'll likely see a score jump. I also spent about 6 months studying due to having work/school responsibilities. And, word to the wise. CARS for AAMC is very different from most 3rd party CARS. So your score could turn out very different when you see their stuff.

Thank you!!!! How did you go about structuring your studying?

 

[Dream of the Endless]

Thank you!!!! How did you go about structuring your studying?

Typical week: (Besides variations for exams. I was part time and never attended lecture.)
Mon-Fri
4:30-5 am. UP/Breakfast
5-7: CARS/Anki
7-3: Ready/Leave/Work - Anki when I had free time at work
4- Home
5-8 - MCAT Study
9 - Gym
10:30 In bed

Saturday: Full Length (Ended up taking 17, including all of AAMC stuff)
Sunday: Volunteering/FL review

Every car ride: Khan Academy (P/S) or AK lectures for B/B C/P on Bluetooth in car (30 mins one way turns into 30ish hours a month of audio time)

I did this for about 4 months after starting/completing content review in December after classes ended. Last month before my MCAT, after finals, I took off from work and just grinded out AAMC material. Sat for my exam this past weekend.

Edit: If you meant overall study structure, I didn't really have one. One month of content review, because this isn't a content exam. Most of my time was spent studying my FLs from Altius/NS (I also took Kaplan/TPR,felt they were less representative) ANKI for forgotten content and doing practice passages. You also get content review while you're reviewing your exams/passages. I made sure to spend significantly more time on my weaker areas which was mostly C/P. I think this is key. People like to spend more time on what they're good at, but it's easier to raise your score by strengthening weaknesses. Make sure you're comfortable with all the material in AAMC guideline.

Best advice I could give is to take many practice exams. At least 8 (4 AAMC + 4 Other), and thoroughly review them. Also, learn AAMC logic. Third party CARS are, typically, completely different from AAMC. Best of luck

 

[907914]

Hi! Anyone out there know how to combat a score plateau? I've scored about a 510 on the last four exams I have taken. I plan to take the MCAT in August, however I am aiming for a 518. My score distribution is 130/125/127/128. My most problematic section is CARS. But I work full time and have been studying since January and I'm wondering if it more so has to do with the fact that I can only get about 3-4 hours of studying in per day. I appreciate any help or anyone who can speak to this issue!

If it helps, my Full lengths were over the course of about 3 months that went 510, 519, 516, 518 then 521 real deal. I had a plateau for 3 months basically, but the real deal popped up through consistency.