Cerena Posted March 12, 2011 Report Share Posted March 12, 2011 Hey everyone, So I have been getting a lot of PMs from forum members about writing the MCAT and I thought I'd put in my two cents about different aspects of the MCAT. Where should I begin studying? I found that it was very effective to start writing an AAMC practice exam before I even picked up a review book. It helped me identify what areas of the test I was inherently good at, and what portions I really needed to study. Also, make sure you sit down and look at the official MCAT syllabus. This can be found on the MCAT website and should help guide your studying. I focused on material that I had problems with (e.g. Genetics, solution chemistry, waves) and this helped. When should I write the MCAT? This depends on you. I would recommend taking courses relevant to the MCAT (intro English, ochem, physics, classic chemistry, and genetics) before the exam. I did not have physics before writing the MCAT and spent a significant amount of time studying this. More than I would have liked. What books should I use? There are some great threads on this site which discuss various books:http://www.premed101.com/forums/showthread.php?t=49468http://www.premed101.com/forums/showthread.php?t=49176http://www.premed101.com/forums/showthread.php?t=49534&highlight=MCAT+bookshttp://www.premed101.com/forums/showthread.php?t=48475&highlight=MCAT+books There are several other threads that can be found using the search function. Should I take a review course? If you are significantly lacking in several portions of the test, or don't have a strong science background this could be a good option for you. Keep in mind that courses can be quite expensive and are not offered everywhere. Should I hire a tutor? Again, tutors can be expensive but if you learn best one on one this can be a great option for you. Hire a tutor who is a specialized MCAT tutor and knows the test, otherwise I'd you are lacking in a certain area (like I was with physics) than you can hire a tutor who will help you with that specific material. I'm doing horrible in my MCAT practice - should I be concerned? Yes! And I'm not just saying this to freak you out. You need to identify, at this point, what you are struggling with and try to improve on this area. For instance, several weeks before the MCAT I was failing the VR section. However, I used all of the resources I had available and adjusted my studying. By the time the real thing came I was not stressed about about VR - rather, I was excited, and did well on this section. How should I study? Strategically and with lots of practice. Review books are great, but I found that AAMC practice tests were far superior. You have a limited number of them, so use them sparingly and to your advantage. I focused on these in my last month of studying for the exam and took them at the same time my exam was scheduled for in order to get me used to the real thing. You need a lot of endurance foe the MCAT and you want your energy levels to stay consistent throughout. I really hope this helps! It's hard to write a generalized formula since everyone is so different, but these are some things that helped me get a good score (no I will not be rewriting ). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thehumanmacbook Posted March 12, 2011 Report Share Posted March 12, 2011 Hey everyone, So I have been getting a lot of PMs from forum members about writing the MCAT and I thought I'd put in my two cents about different aspects of the MCAT. Where should I begin studying? I found that it was very effective to start writing an AAMC practice exam before I even picked up a review book. It helped me identify what areas of the test I was inherently good at, and what portions I really needed to study. Also, make sure you sit down and look at the official MCAT syllabus. This can be found on the MCAT website and should help guide your studying. I focused on material that I had problems with (e.g. Genetics, solution chemistry, waves) and this helped. When should I write the MCAT? This depends on you. I would recommend taking courses relevant to the MCAT (intro English, ochem, physics, classic chemistry, and genetics) before the exam. I did not have physics before writing the MCAT and spent a significant amount of time studying this. More than I would have liked. What books should I use? There are some great threads on this site which discuss various books:http://www.premed101.com/forums/showthread.php?t=49468http://www.premed101.com/forums/showthread.php?t=49176http://www.premed101.com/forums/showthread.php?t=49534&highlight=MCAT+bookshttp://www.premed101.com/forums/showthread.php?t=48475&highlight=MCAT+books There are several other threads that can be found using the search function. Should I take a review course? If you are significantly lacking in several portions of the test, or don't have a strong science background this could be a good option for you. Keep in mind that courses can be quite expensive and are not offered everywhere. Should I hire a tutor? Again, tutors can be expensive but if you learn best one on one this can be a great option for you. Hire a tutor who is a specialized MCAT tutor and knows the test, otherwise I'd you are lacking in a certain area (like I was with physics) than you can hire a tutor who will help you with that specific material. I'm doing horrible in my MCAT practice - should I be concerned? Yes! And I'm not just saying this to freak you out. You need to identify, at this point, what you are struggling with and try to improve on this area. For instance, several weeks before the MCAT I was failing the VR section. However, I used all of the resources I had available and adjusted my studying. By the time the real thing came I was not stressed about about VR - rather, I was excited, and did well on this section. How should I study? Strategically and with lots of practice. Review books are great, but I found that AAMC practice tests were far superior. You have a limited number of them, so use them sparingly and to your advantage. I focused on these in my last month of studying for the exam and took them at the same time my exam was scheduled for in order to get me used to the real thing. You need a lot of endurance foe the MCAT and you want your energy levels to stay consistent throughout. I really hope this helps! It's hard to write a generalized formula since everyone is so different, but these are some things that helped me get a good score (no I will not be rewriting ). Cerena, you're the best Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
obi Posted March 13, 2011 Report Share Posted March 13, 2011 It helped me identify what areas of the test I was inherently good at, and what portions I really needed to study. This. If you are killing certain topics on the practise, don't waste your time going over them. Its all about effective time management when you're studying for the MCAT. Mediocrity in everything will give you a much higher score than being a genius in one topic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
md-equation Posted March 13, 2011 Report Share Posted March 13, 2011 Just curious, how did you prepare for the VR? I been trying to get my hands on everything i can read, and try to understand it with a purpose. Although im not writing the MCAT for a while, just wondering what can i do before hand? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cerena Posted March 13, 2011 Author Report Share Posted March 13, 2011 Just curious, how did you prepare for the VR? I been trying to get my hands on everything i can read, and try to understand it with a purpose. Although im not writing the MCAT for a while, just wondering what can i do before hand? I relied on the strategies in examkrackers. I found some strategies on SDN that might be helpful for you: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=223930 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
naspec Posted March 13, 2011 Report Share Posted March 13, 2011 I relied on the strategies in examkrackers. I found some strategies on SDN that might be helpful for you: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=223930 Examkrackers +1. It's all I used, and it was enough to make UWO's VR cutoff, so I'm pretty happy about that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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