I am planning to take the MCAT in about 2 more years. I am a non-traditional student and I believe I have great study habits. I was wondering if anyone had any ideas on studying for the MCAT with so long to prepare for it? I was thinking I would start studying now, even though I don’t have organic chemistry yet. I am also not even on my second level introductory courses in biology or chemistry yet. I figure if I study what I can now, it will be burned into my brain after 2 years of studying the same material. Any one else have any suggestions or ideas? Also, any comments on what you are doing, personally, to better prepare for the MCAT, I would love to know that as well.
Please help.
I did not find the right solution from the internet.
As a fellow non-trad, I feel your excitement at this new chapter in your life!
I took the MCAT in April and got 130/130/132/130 (522)
The most helpful resources that I used at each stage of prep were (in order of WHEN I used them most during my prep):
Khan Academy
Anki flashcards (mostly built from taking screenshots of KA vids and then covering sections)
MCAT Podcast
ExamKrackers Books
NextStep Tutoring (I did NOT find the NextStep books helpful)
Kaplan books
NextStep Practice Tests (I took 8 out of 10 in the pack)
AAMC Practice tests (I took every one that was available)
Note: I built most of my Anki flashcard deck relatively early on, and then continued to study/review it throughout my prep…
A few final thoughts… orgo is difficult, but is NOT heavily featured on the current MCAT (it is only a subsection of a subsection in Phys/Chem) - so def DON’T delay your studying in lieu of having orgo under your belt. Everything you need to know about orgo for the MCAT you can learn in just a few weeks of deliberate study - assuming you understand the underlying intro chemistry.
One of the most helpful things that I did was take an A&P course during the year that I was prepping for the MCAT. SO much of the MCAT focuses on body systems and the underlying basic sciences within the body, that having a solid A&P background is invaluable for doing your best on the MCAT.
Another one of the most helpful things I did was take a course on reading journal articles. In one semester I read (and was quizzed over) 150 scientific journal articles. The first week of class it took me about 40 hours to read 10 articles; by the last week of class, I was breezing through 10 articles (with improved comprehension) in about 4 hours - a 10x improvement that certainly helped me stay calm, cool and collected during the MCAT (which features a lot of passage/article-based questions). Make scientific journal article reading a deliberate part of your MCAT prep.
Good luck and let me know if there’s any other help/insight I could be of service!
Jon
P.S. my A&P and journal article reading classes were so symbiotic with my MCAT studying that I ended up with >100% grades in both, despite relatively little deliberate studying for them specifically… i.e. early MCAT studying can also help boost your GPA
It can get very stressful studying for the MCAT. It is good that you are trying to formulate better study habits. Below are some tips that we usually offer to our students. Break down complicated questions into bite sized pieces.Make a list of all your mistakes and memorize them in order not to repeat them. If you are planning to take the test again, you should make sure that you score CONSISTENTLY higher than your original score before your next test. If you get stuck on a question, try to eliminate 1 or 2 unlikely answers and make a best guess from the remaining choices. Manage your time and emotions well. Often times, people do not score high due to the lack of time management and/or test-taking skills, not the lack of knowledge or subject area skills. If you need more assistance, check out our MCAT prep courses and tutoring offering.
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