Hello Guys! I'm new to sdn and am applying to med school this cycle. Having recently taken the MCAT and improved 17 points from my first practice test, I just wanted to make a thread in case anyone had any study questions about it 
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MCAT Questions
- Thread starter Blitzman
- Start date
My first practice test score was a 506 and I improved to a 523. So just some information that might help:
Total: 523 PS: 130 CARS: 131 BS: 132 Psych: 130
The study method used for each section:
PS: I used TPR for heavy content review and took detailed notes on each section. I also used their practice sections apart from practicing on the full length tests. Making an equation sheet as I went was really helpful so that I could look over it every other night just to ultimately memorize them.
CARS: The only way to really improve on this section is to do a whole bunch of practice passages. I didn't like TPR method and instead used it as a starting point. Though it sounds counterintuitive, I decided to go about it by not reading the whole passage and rather skimming. My score took a hit when I first started but quickly improved once I had it down. I was consistently getting 126 on CARS sections and then improved to regularly getting 130 once I changed my strategy. I used the Exam Krackers practice sections for this along with the AAMC question backs (though I didn't find them as helpful oddly).
BS: Honestly, researching helped a lot with this. And if you don't research, any lab course where you can do some bench work would really help on this section. I used TPR for review with this and also just the notes I had from my pre-req classes.
Psych: A lot of people said that psych was going to be the easiest section and I guess it was easier but I had a hard time improving just because there were always words I didn't know. So, I borrowed all different company test prep psych books from my friends and would spend a day or two just looking through the glossaries. It really helped to learn words across different companies to get as much exposure to the section as possible.
What materials I used for each section(Kaplan, TPR, Examkrackers, AAMC, TBR, etc):
PS: TPR and class notes
CARS: EK, AAMC material, and a little TPR though TPR was a bit lengthy and not as representative
BS: TPR and NextStep
Psych: TPR, NS, Kaplan, EK, and AAMC stuff
Which practice tests I used:
AAMC FL1, 2, and 3: 506, 517, 523
TPR1 and TPR2: Scored 506 on all of these even though I took them before studying and after. They really depress your score
NS 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9: 512, 514, 511, 511, 511, 509, 510, 512, 511
AAMC Question Packs:
Official MCAT Biology Question Pack 1
Official MCAT Chemistry Question Pack
Official MCAT Physics Question Pack
Official MCAT Biology Question Pack 2
Official MCAT Critical Analysis and Reasoning Question Pack Volume 1
MCAT AAMC Official Guide Questions
Undergraduate major:
Chemical and Biological Engineering with a minor in Biomedical Engineering
Random Tips:
I suggest not breaking your time into studying content review and then practice tests. Interweaving the two from the get-go as you study really acquaints you with the testing format. That doesn't mean you need to take a full length every weekend, but I would study a few chapters from the books and then do like a bio section. This way, by the time I finished content review, I also understood the format of the test and could jump straight into the full lengths to gauge score. Also, I only took three practice tests where I sat down and took it in one go. I liked taking one practice test a week interspersed. It helped with not completely being exhausted and hating the MCAT by the end.
Timingwise, I timed everything shorter than the actual MCAT. Though it sucked always running out of time in the beginning, the actual MCAT was a lot more comfortable.
I took detailed notes when I read through TPR books and then never referred to the books again. Three weeks before the test, I would go through all my notes on every section once every few days and then every day as I approached the final week.
I think that practice is more important than review, Unfortunately there will always be stuff you don't know on the MCAT and I've found that knowing how to get through really helps with attaining a high score. I took many many many practice tests and still saw a bunch of stuff on the MCAT I hadn't seen before.
Time I studied:
4 months. I took TPR bootcamp during my winter break and studied from Jan to April on top of 14 credits worth of hard engineering courses. I also volunteered, researched, and was part of clubs on top of a serious family medical emergency. It's pretty safe to say I had no life.
Side Note:
There are a lot of downers in this world and a lot of people that will say you can't do it. The number of times that people told me I couldn't handle what I was doing was insane. Just gotta block the haters out and do your own thing. I think anyone can do well on the MCAT and am totally open to answering questions about study schedule or anything else if needed!
Total: 523 PS: 130 CARS: 131 BS: 132 Psych: 130
The study method used for each section:
PS: I used TPR for heavy content review and took detailed notes on each section. I also used their practice sections apart from practicing on the full length tests. Making an equation sheet as I went was really helpful so that I could look over it every other night just to ultimately memorize them.
CARS: The only way to really improve on this section is to do a whole bunch of practice passages. I didn't like TPR method and instead used it as a starting point. Though it sounds counterintuitive, I decided to go about it by not reading the whole passage and rather skimming. My score took a hit when I first started but quickly improved once I had it down. I was consistently getting 126 on CARS sections and then improved to regularly getting 130 once I changed my strategy. I used the Exam Krackers practice sections for this along with the AAMC question backs (though I didn't find them as helpful oddly).
BS: Honestly, researching helped a lot with this. And if you don't research, any lab course where you can do some bench work would really help on this section. I used TPR for review with this and also just the notes I had from my pre-req classes.
Psych: A lot of people said that psych was going to be the easiest section and I guess it was easier but I had a hard time improving just because there were always words I didn't know. So, I borrowed all different company test prep psych books from my friends and would spend a day or two just looking through the glossaries. It really helped to learn words across different companies to get as much exposure to the section as possible.
What materials I used for each section(Kaplan, TPR, Examkrackers, AAMC, TBR, etc):
PS: TPR and class notes
CARS: EK, AAMC material, and a little TPR though TPR was a bit lengthy and not as representative
BS: TPR and NextStep
Psych: TPR, NS, Kaplan, EK, and AAMC stuff
Which practice tests I used:
AAMC FL1, 2, and 3: 506, 517, 523
TPR1 and TPR2: Scored 506 on all of these even though I took them before studying and after. They really depress your score
NS 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9: 512, 514, 511, 511, 511, 509, 510, 512, 511
AAMC Question Packs:
Official MCAT Biology Question Pack 1
Official MCAT Chemistry Question Pack
Official MCAT Physics Question Pack
Official MCAT Biology Question Pack 2
Official MCAT Critical Analysis and Reasoning Question Pack Volume 1
MCAT AAMC Official Guide Questions
Undergraduate major:
Chemical and Biological Engineering with a minor in Biomedical Engineering
Random Tips:
I suggest not breaking your time into studying content review and then practice tests. Interweaving the two from the get-go as you study really acquaints you with the testing format. That doesn't mean you need to take a full length every weekend, but I would study a few chapters from the books and then do like a bio section. This way, by the time I finished content review, I also understood the format of the test and could jump straight into the full lengths to gauge score. Also, I only took three practice tests where I sat down and took it in one go. I liked taking one practice test a week interspersed. It helped with not completely being exhausted and hating the MCAT by the end.
Timingwise, I timed everything shorter than the actual MCAT. Though it sucked always running out of time in the beginning, the actual MCAT was a lot more comfortable.
I took detailed notes when I read through TPR books and then never referred to the books again. Three weeks before the test, I would go through all my notes on every section once every few days and then every day as I approached the final week.
I think that practice is more important than review, Unfortunately there will always be stuff you don't know on the MCAT and I've found that knowing how to get through really helps with attaining a high score. I took many many many practice tests and still saw a bunch of stuff on the MCAT I hadn't seen before.
Time I studied:
4 months. I took TPR bootcamp during my winter break and studied from Jan to April on top of 14 credits worth of hard engineering courses. I also volunteered, researched, and was part of clubs on top of a serious family medical emergency. It's pretty safe to say I had no life.
Side Note:
There are a lot of downers in this world and a lot of people that will say you can't do it. The number of times that people told me I couldn't handle what I was doing was insane. Just gotta block the haters out and do your own thing. I think anyone can do well on the MCAT and am totally open to answering questions about study schedule or anything else if needed!