Study Schedule/prep Book Help?

[UWOPremedie]

Hey, I'm entering my 2nd year UG at Western's BMSc. I'm planning on writing my MCAT next summer (after 2nd year). 

 

1. I was planning on "lowkey" studying this school year, basically reading through a set of prep books while studying for classes, finding connections with the material I'm learning. I was also planning on going through the Khan Academy videos over the course of the school year. Then I was planning on using a separate set of books + doing a prep course for the summer. How does this sound? 

 

2. Re: the 1st question. I was thinking of going with Kaplan & EK but am willing to take other recommendations. I was planning on buying one set of this year's edition to use for the school year, and then buying the other company's new set for next summer. 

So either this year's Kaplan, next year's EK or vice-versa. Would you recommend one over the other? 

 

Thanks so much for your help! 

[freewheeler]

Don't buy the books now, wait until they are actually updated (most of the books out right now were created about a year before the new MCAT even came out and Kaplan's 2nd edition for the 2015 MCAT is apparently the exact same with different pictures from what I have read). 

 

The Khan videos are great for brushing up on concepts in bio/biochem/chem/phys and the psych/sosc videos are great review. You'll get more value out of really understanding the material in the courses you take than you will in "low-key studying."

 

I chose not to do a prep course because I realized I would be wasting at least 3 hours a day just commuting if not more and figured I could better use that time by self-studying. There's nothing magical that they tell you in a prep course, they just walk you through the same book.

 

I'd wait until the new EK books come in. Kaplan isn't bad either. No set of books is perfect. 

[DoctorAM]

I'm also going into my second year at Western BMSc. Though it would be wise to cross-reference your studying with what you may find in Kaplan/Princeton/EK (or whatever you choose to use) prep-books, keep in mind that second year Medical Sciences is very difficult with courses being very content-heavy, as well as the countless labs and tutorials (of course you're aware of all this). I suspect you'll be devoting most of your time to these classes in particular, and will find little time to sitting with prep-books and working through those. 

 

I myself have already purchased the 2nd Edition Kaplan MCAT prep books. I did so to do exactly what you plan to, cross reference lecture material with what seems to be important as suggested by the Kaplan books.

 

I personally plan on "studying" for the MCAT through my course work during this upcoming year, and then doing MCAT specific work in the summer, and will finally end off the summer by sitting for the test my first time

 

So yeah, definitely try and link course content with what you see in any prep books you may acquire. But I recommend not going all out with the studying until you get a feel for the years courses and how much time you need to devote studying for them