I’m hoping not to create a panic with this post, just save my fellow opmer’s some time and money that I wasted taking the exam when I wasn’t ready.
I had a student I was tutoring for the MCAT that was CLEARLY NOT ready for it. Her exam is scheduled for mid-May and she’s hasn’t completed review for ANY of the subjects so far. And given that she goes to school full-time, works part-time, and will be enrolled in a summer session that begins in May, I suggested she postpone her exam until later this summer.
So for those who have done well on the exam, can you share what made you know you were ready to take it?
Yikes! Thank you for this post. I’ll be looking out for any advice I can glean from this posts. I plan to take the exam in January 2014 and possibly again in April. I plan to do reviews. reviews, reviews, test, tests, and more tests!
I don’t want to create a panic, either, but I do also want to pass on some things I think will be useful. I will say, having taken yesterday’s MCAT, that one is never fully prepared for the thing. However, I knew I was “ready” after I took a good 12 FL’s (all AAMCs except the retired one-6. Plus, 4 Kaplan). This was after a good 3 months of content review. I have been in school full time also (full science course load) and have numerous obligations. That is a lot to take on and I would have been better off solely studying for the MCAT but this was my choice. I wanted to do it this way for several reasons I won’t bore anyone with (I already have on another thread anyway!).
I must say that the AAMCs FL’s are not at all indicative of the real thing. #11 is the closest, but the earlier ones not so much-at all really. I would have taken AAMC 11 a few weeks prior to the real thing rather than the week before. It would have helped me realize that content review was no longer necessary, but test taking strategies were key! AAMC’s FL’s just will not prepare you. They need to have more tests like 11 to give a better idea of what you will really face on the real thing, especially with PS.
I will say that the minimum time for content review IMO is 3 months. I will also emphasize that testing is key from early on. Not necessarily full lengths, but certainly quizzes, practice questions, sample passages, etc. Do content review in say, an area of Bio, then give it a few days, do content review in another subject, say physics, and then test yourself on the Bio you studied. It will train you to be able to switch it up and recall stuff that isn’t fresh in your head. Doing practice questions at the end of a chapter in a review book is not very useful IMO after you just read the chapter. Give it some time and then go back in w/o reviewing anything. The MCAT will test you on any number of things in any number of ways in any random order, so it’s good to get used to switching things up and preparing for the unknown.
Those are my thoughts for now! I just have to stress again that AAMC FL’s are not indicative of the real thing! Only AAMC 11 comes close so please be aware of this as you prepare. My plan would have changed significantly had I taken AAMC 11 earlier on than I did.
I’m going to disagree a bit with Shannon. I just took the test at the beginning of April, and I also prepped by doing content review and taking a lot of practice tests. And I think taking the AAMC FL tests are pretty key. Sure, some seemed a little easier than others, but usually not across the board–ie the physics might be harder, but the bio seemed easier, etc. And the tests are scaled, too, so it comes out pretty even. I was never fist-pumping and leg kicking after any FL tests, even on the ones I did best on. I always felt pretty drained. Same with the real MCAT. Kaplan and others have practice tests, and I think those are valuable, but at the end of the day, they don’t write the real thing, and familiarity is key. I feel like, in general, AAMC does a decent job of keeping the difficulty level pretty steady (HARD!).
Interesting thoughts! Just goes to show that everyone has a different feeling and opinion on the MCAT! I think it also shows that even in the same season of the MCAT the interpretation of tests in even the same month can be very different indeed. I think the MCAT will always remain a bit of a puzzle and I think that is part of the point of it, too. However, I stand by my opinion that I don’t think the practice tests are indicative of what I experienced on the MCAT yesterday. At least not in terms of PS. VR and BS to a lesser extent, though AAMC 11 seems to highlight the difficult BS experimental stuff a bit better than other earlier FL’s. We’re all different, though, so we all will have a different take on this test and our preparation for it once we cross that road, right? Best of luck everyone!
Like everything else in life, you probably won’t feel 100% prepared. At some point, you just schedule it and go. Once you have an end date, then you can start preparing.
I did content review first but got bored after a while since I had just recently retaken most of my sciences and they were pretty fresh. Taking a AAMC FL test was a really good starting point for me. I took notes on what I was weak in so I could study those areas and realized the questions themselves were causing more issues than anything else.
I ended up getting the most bang for my study buck by taking FL tests, identifying weak points, studying up and taking another FL test. There are so many options on which books to use, etc. You just have to see what fits your needs. I really just thought of it as a comprehensive final exam for my pre-med courses and it really is plus tests your ability to critically think through a problem.
Deb
- debr Said:
I ended up getting the most bang for my study buck by taking FL tests, identifying weak points, studying up and taking another FL test.
This is the approach I took and it worked for me.
IMHO, the MCAT is 50% about how to take tests, and 50% knowledge base.
Finally, my benchmark that I was ready was scoring "10's" in every section consistently.
Thank you so much Shannon for this information! I welcome all the advice/tips I can get. I may just wait and prepare more and take the MCAT in April instead of January, since I I’m not taking Physics II and Biochemistry until Spring. Thanks Licia!
Did you take a review course? Kaplan, etc…?
Great advice! So did you take a prep course?
Hi, Kitty. I did take an online Kaplan course. It was once a week (live stream) for 3 hours from Dec-March. I was very fortunate to have won this course by participating in an AMSA conference. I also used Examkrackers Audio Osmosis in my car when the mood struck me to do so. I also used Examkrackers Math. Techniques and Verbal Reasoning book for some extra tips on math tricks for the MCAT and because I heard EK VR strategies were very good. My VR strategy somewhat used their suggestions but I did not adhere to it 100%. I also used Chad’s videos at coursesaver.com. I bought his MCAT videos to use as a supplement to Kaplan. I liked his videos for OChem and Physics and figured why not get the MCAT videos, too. They are affordable. I used him on fuzzy concepts and because I could pause, rewind, use fast play, etc. and that was great. Plus, I like good video tutorials and Chad is great. Highly recommend. A good set of books (library or bought) and Chad’s videos with a good schedule would be a great way to prep on your own IMO. I have no opinion on Berkeley Review (hear very good), Gold Standard, or Princeton Review as I did not use any of these. Kaplan print materials were adequate for content review. Their online stuff is where the gold is. They have lots of full lengths (plus you have access to all of AAMC full lengths and diagnostic tools), section tests that are excellent (hard, but great preparation), tons of questions in the question bank, topical tests, subject tests, on demand videos explaining “high yield” topics and full length tests, outlines, etc. The online material is extensive and I found it very convenient and helpful. In the end, though, it all boils down to time commitment and motivation, too, of course. I took on alot this semester so did not put as much into the MCAT as some others. Though, by no means did I ignore it! It was challenging to juggle everything, though. Others I know seemed to be just as busy as me while prepping for the MCAT, and like me, kept their head above water but were challenged by the commitments nonetheless. Others managed along just fine (or so it appeared) and yet others I’ve heard of or known who took off months and months just for the MCAT did not put enough into in the end. A classmate told me of a friend who took a year off and devoted most of the end of it to MCAT prep and then ended up voiding the first test and retaking it twice after that! Others take off a month or use winter break to just do MCAT all the time and do great! It’s sooo individual. Everyone’s strategy is different and results are different, too. For some the MCAT style comes with ease, standardized tests are old hat, and they walk into the MCAT and do great with seemingly little effort. Others agonize and prep, prep, prep and never get to where they want to be. Others keep a level head and do what they can but keep calm about the process. It’s all over the map from what I hear and in my experience. It’s a very unique experience for sure! You’ll figure out your own “MCAT” type and make the best of it!
I think it’d be very beneficial to test after taking Physics II. I’m in it right now as well as Ochem II. Biochem may be helpful, too. For next years test, I think it may be even more helpful to have biochem than it did for previous years from what I heard. In my early MCAT prep, some ochem and physics II stuff was unfamiliar to me because it was before I had those things in my spring classes, but by March/April I had been exposed to the PhysicsII & Ochem II material enough in class and through MCAT prep to be okay with it, but in January I may not have felt that way.
So, that’s my very long answer (I’m always long winded! Sorry!) Best of luck. You’ll get great advice from others here, too, and you will find the best fit and plan for your individual needs!
- InHiswill Said:
Thank you so much Shannon for this information! I welcome all the advice/tips I can get. I may just wait and prepare more and take the MCAT in April instead of January, since I I'm not taking Physics II and Biochemistry until Spring. Thanks Licia!
Did you take a review course? Kaplan, etc...?
Did you take a review course? Kaplan, etc...?
IMHO, you should NOT take the MCAT without first taking ALL the preqs, especially Physics!
Not only that, Biochem is ON the test too!
I also forgot to agree that you never feel 100% ready, but that's been true for me in life too!
This is a very good forum topic! (I totally need it…)
I for one hate the MCAT; the questions are very difficult, its draining, and it sends me into a panic attack every time I think about it. I’ve bought some books on Amazon and am devoting a full four months to studying it. Pushing for a September date too. No school. Maybe working PT, I don’t know but nothing that I have been taught thus far have prepared me for the questions that are on these practice tests.
Is it true that one’s content knowledge becomes more refined as he or she answers more practice questions? God, I hope so…
- Julio Cesar Said:
This is a very good forum topic! (I totally need it...)
I for one hate the MCAT; the questions are very difficult, its draining, and it sends me into a panic attack every time I think about it. I've bought some books on Amazon and am devoting a full four months to studying it. Pushing for a September date too. No school. Maybe working PT, I don't know but nothing that I have been taught thus far have prepared me for the questions that are on these practice tests.
Is it true that one's content knowledge becomes more refined as he or she answers more practice questions? God, I hope so...
I for one hate the MCAT; the questions are very difficult, its draining, and it sends me into a panic attack every time I think about it. I've bought some books on Amazon and am devoting a full four months to studying it. Pushing for a September date too. No school. Maybe working PT, I don't know but nothing that I have been taught thus far have prepared me for the questions that are on these practice tests.
Is it true that one's content knowledge becomes more refined as he or she answers more practice questions? God, I hope so...
This sounds like a GREAT plan and my personal opinion is that not working is the best set up for success!
Very helpful insight, thank U!
Groundsquirrel,
I’m guessing by the MEU patch that you’re mil. I’m active duty and prepped for the MCAT using the Kaplan On-Demand course. It’s pricey, but being able to study on my own time was great. You don’t get the interaction you would by actually taking the class, but the lectures are recordings of a real online class. There’s the benefit of “working” with other students and seeing their questions. I got a lot out of the program and appreciated the schedule/format to keep me on the right track. It does a good job covering content and teaching you how to take the test. I will say, though, that a lot of the questions in the bank are rote learning or computational. The only thing I wish Kaplan did better in their question bank was looking at critical thinking.
I completed that program, took 6 Kaplan Full Lengths, 2 AAMC FLs, and took section tests for probably 3 other practice tests. Despite my freak out post-test, I managed to score a point higher than my target. For perspective, I took most of the prerequisite science courses between 2000 and 2007 and took the 2013 MCAT. I needed the review…
Kennymac: thanks for the advice on the MCAT stuff. Yes former Marines 1988-1996.
Your score on the AAMC practices should be about 2 points higher than your desired score! Because the real thing is much harder!
I echo this! If you are consistently making 2 points above your goal, you have a good shot of hitting your goal “on the day”.
Kate