Studying for mcat with limited time?

[kreedz]

So I was planning to write the mcat late this summer, but I am going to be working 9-5 five days a week for the whole summer, plus quite a commute to and from the job. This would only leave me a few hours to study at night, and I guess i will spend the whole weekends studying as well. Its my first time taking the mcat and i know its content heavy but does anyone know if this will be possible? I'm pretty nervous because studying usually takes me a lot of time.

Thanks a lot.

[JohnGrisham]

Still enough time. You don't really need 2-3 months of full-time study like some premeds do.  You need effective study habits, good baseline and focus on practice questions/active learning over passive content review. 

People overblow the content aspects of the MCAT, much of it is using basic content knowledge, coupled with critical thinking and the information they present to you in the passage. Very few questions rely solely on discrete factual knowledge. 

[obiwankenobi]

39 minutes ago, JohnGrisham said:

Still enough time. You don't really need 2-3 months of full-time study like some premeds do.  You need effective study habits, good baseline and focus on practice questions/active learning over passive content review. 

People overblow the content aspects of the MCAT, much of it is using basic content knowledge, coupled with critical thinking and the information they present to you in the passage. Very few questions rely solely on discrete factual knowledge. 

Although few questions rely directly on discrete factual knowledge, I think that you really need to know the ins and outs of the content before you can apply critical thinking. Depending on your current level of knowledge, learning the content to this level can take time. So I suggest you take a practice exam to assess your base level.

And I agree; active learning is much more effective than passive content review. 

[kreedz]

6 minutes ago, obiwankenobi said:

Although few questions rely directly on discrete factual knowledge, I think that you really need to know the ins and outs of the content before you can apply critical thinking. Depending on your current level of knowledge, learning the content to this level can take time. So I suggest you take a practice exam to assess your base level.

And I agree; active learning is much more effective than passive content review. 

I've taken university courses on every topic on the mcat except for organic chemistry, so I am hoping most of it will be review. Good idea with the practice exam

[JohnGrisham]

After you do hundreds of passages, you'll pick up the key points they like to test on and fill in knowledge gaps by reading around passages you had trouble with. Rinse repeat. I'm a big proponent of not sitting passively for weeks on weeks just reading prep books.   Working on passages, and spending even more time dissecting why you got questions right/wrong was what worked for me and others. 

[schpurp88]

5 hours ago, JohnGrisham said:

After you do hundreds of passages, you'll pick up the key points they like to test on and fill in knowledge gaps by reading around passages you had trouble with. Rinse repeat. I'm a big proponent of not sitting passively for weeks on weeks just reading prep books.   Working on passages, and spending even more time dissecting why you got questions right/wrong was what worked for me and others. 

but do you mean by active learning, just practicing passages?

[LloydRedStan]

7 hours ago, schpurp88 said:

but do you mean by active learning, just practicing passages?

just do practice. especially if you have already been exposed to the material. you will see where you are weak and plan accordingly. getting a feel for how the MCAT tests is MUCH more useful than prepping for the whole summer and only doing 1-2 weeks of practice. 

[scrubbed0ut]

Do you know if just doing TPR full lengths and any questions in textbooks are most helpful for studying? Do you suggest the AAMC section bank?

[Mansi@30]

The earlier you sit for the MCAT, the better off you'll be. The field of applicants grows more crowded as the admissions season advances. Even if you complete everything else for your application early, the vast majority of medical schools will not closely consider your candidacy until they have a copy of your MCAT scores.

[kreedz]

On 3/12/2019 at 7:45 AM, Mansi@30 said:

The earlier you sit for the MCAT, the better off you'll be. The field of applicants grows more crowded as the admissions season advances. Even if you complete everything else for your application early, the vast majority of medical schools will not closely consider your candidacy until they have a copy of your MCAT scores.

When do you recommend writing it?

[Anaik]

On 3/12/2019 at 8:45 AM, Mansi@30 said:

The earlier you sit for the MCAT, the better off you'll be. The field of applicants grows more crowded as the admissions season advances. Even if you complete everything else for your application early, the vast majority of medical schools will not closely consider your candidacy until they have a copy of your MCAT scores.

I'm not sure if this applies to Canadian schools. It's more black and white here: write before the deadline you're good, write after and you're screwed.

[xiphoid]

On 3/12/2019 at 7:45 AM, Mansi@30 said:

The earlier you sit for the MCAT, the better off you'll be. The field of applicants grows more crowded as the admissions season advances. Even if you complete everything else for your application early, the vast majority of medical schools will not closely consider your candidacy until they have a copy of your MCAT scores.

Not applicable in Canada. 

@kreedz as long as you write it before the deadline, you're fine. Canada does not do rolling admissions, unlike the US.