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How did you guys study for the MCATs? Did you guys take a prep course, such as Kaplan or Princeton Review? Or did you guys rely on the SDN Forum MCAT Discussion forum? Also, how long did you study for?
Did anyone use The Gold Standard MCAT by Dr. Ferdinand to study? I was wondering what was the study guide of choice for many pre-pods was since I'm having a hard time deciding between The Gold Standard, Kaplans, and Examkrackers.
5 weeks prior to the exam, started taking 1 practice test every Saturday at 1:00PM because my real test was on a Sat at 1PM.
You actually can put a price on prepared...we're still talking about pod school right? Even a 19 on the MCAT will get you into the mighty DMU. So the question becomes do I need to spend almost 2 grand preparing for an exam that I don't even need to get a 50% on? The answer is prob no. Now, a better score may get you some more scholarship money and that is something to think about but you should know what you're capable of (ie how smart are you?) and can base your decision off of that.
Any prep course will do. Just pick the one that's the cheapest, and follow the advice janv gave you in terms of how to prepare.
may i ask what you or anyone else got on your first practice test, the AAMC #3? i just took it last weekend with zero studying and i felt that my score was inaccurate. i'm guessing i'm correct in saying that the #3 test is a lot easier than the actual MCAT?Set up a schedule and stick with it... also check out the MCAT forum on SDN, see how your competition is studying for the test, you WILL be amazed and hopefully inspired to do the same
Everyone studies differently, but here's what I did.
I set aside two months prior to my exam date. Studied no less than 8 hours per day everyday till the exam day. The materials I used were the Examkrackers set and the 1001 questions. First day of studying, took the Official MCAT practice test online thru aamc's website, Practice test #3 is free. Got my score to see where I was at to start. Went through the content review in a couple weeks. Spent the rest of the time drilling through the 1001 questions. 5 weeks prior to the exam, started taking 1 practice test every Saturday at 1:00PM because my real test was on a Sat at 1PM. After each test, saw where I needed improvements and continued on with the 1001 with more emphasis on my weaker subjects. 1 week before the test, started taking a practice test every other day.
On the Practice tests, I averaged a 37 (excluding my first practice test #3) On the real MCAT I got a 34Q.
may i ask what you or anyone else got on your first practice test, the AAMC #3? i just took it last weekend with zero studying and i felt that my score was inaccurate. i'm guessing i'm correct in saying that the #3 test is a lot easier than the actual MCAT?
alright thanks for the info! i got a 26 on the AAMC 3 with a 8b8p10v and that was a lot higher than i was expecting for a pre-test so thats why i asked. time to bunker down and study! i registered for the sept 11th test
Sorry, but I think that the practice tests (previously administered tests) are fairly accurate. I actually did about 5 points better on the real test than on the practice ones.
I also have to start studying for the MCAT soon and am planning on using the 1001 ExamKrackers. There are older editions for sale that are really cheap compared to the new edition. Has anyone used the older versions (around 2001 edition) to study? I was wondering if the questions are fairly similar or is it better to just purchase the current editions? I will also be using the AAMC mcat practice exams.
Thanks in advance!
Amazon.com currently has the newest version on sale for $110.22 with free shipping.I also have to start studying for the MCAT soon and am planning on using the 1001 ExamKrackers. There are older editions for sale that are really cheap compared to the new edition. Has anyone used the older versions (around 2001 edition) to study? I was wondering if the questions are fairly similar or is it better to just purchase the current editions? I will also be using the AAMC mcat practice exams.
Thanks in advance!