THE MCAT

4 Sections. 158 Questions. 4 hours and 25 minutes. Ridiculous amounts of time and social life gone to prepare for this beast. All so that, when you leave, you exhale and feel like you just successfully climbed Mt. Everest.

Basic Questions -

Q: What's on the test?

A: In sequential order:
Physical Sciences = Gen Chem + Physics
Verbal Reasoning = Reading and Interpreting Passages
Writing Sample
Biological Sciences = Biology + Organic Chem

Q: Do you NEED to have taken biochem before the test?

A: NO! Now, that's not saying that it might not make a question or two easier, but do not postpone your test just because you haven't taken the class yet. The only biochem question I remember was a biology question where it showed you a pathway (that happened to be biochemical, but you didn't need to know anything about the biochemistry of it), and asked you questions based solely on what was depicted.


Should you take a prep course like Kaplan or Princeton Review?

Here's my philosophy: everyone studies differently (that's not a philosophy, that's a truth...), so whether you should take one or not depends on you, your study habits, and what motivation you need to get through something as huge as MCAT studying.

Personally, I took Kaplan, and for my first diagnostic score, I got a 21. Granted, this was months before the test, and I hadn't studied, but 36 is a far cry from a 21! I personally would recommend taking a prep course, and here's why:

1. As much as I'd like to say that I would study on my own, the truth is that, while taking other classes or continuing a full-time job, you probably won't actually get as much studying/prep done than if you took a guided course. I mean, you're not going to slack off on a course you paid an extra $1800 for, now are you? Also, as a subset of this point, a prep course will tell you exactly what may or may not be on a test, and they also tell you what is more high-yield, that way you're not studying something worthless.
2. They study, evaluate, and analyze every MCAT that comes out, and how students do, and they're basically experts of the MCAT. My instructor had taken the test somewhere around 40 times, I think, so they seem like the people to learn from.
3. They give you access to tons of material: books to learn/study content, flash cards, something like 8 of their own full-length practice tests plus the four or so that the AAMC gives out, mini-section tests to work on the ones that are giving you problems, and analysis of all your tests so you can go back and see what types of questions/content you keep missing. The variety of study types allows for people that use all sorts of study methods, and also allows you to switch to a new way of studying something if it becomes monotonous. They also make their practice full-lengths harder than the real ones, so that you keep working harder. The highest I ever scored on a Kaplan practice test was a 33, and that was once. The AAMC tests are sometimes harder/give you lower scores, but apparently that's because some of them are just chopped up versions of the old, longer format of the test (could you imagine it being longer???), and are therefore more confusing.
4. They also just help to prepare you mentally/psychologically. I knew exactly what to expect for the day of my MCAT - where to put my stuff, what I could and could not bring, strategies to keep yourself alert/focused, and strategies to do well on the test. Although I started out as jittery as a banshee in the waiting area, people started asking things like, where do I put my stuff, can I bring in a watch, how long will this take, and I was the one actually answering their questions. Slowly, I realized I had no fear (well, some, because fear is good for adrenaline and focus) and I went into that test like "YEAH!" because Kaplan had prepared me so well, in lots of ways!

There are downsides to a prep course, such as time (you could be skipping the classes you think you already know about to study something you're more worried about) and money! And, depending your personal situation, if you have friends you could study with, maybe if you could get old prep course books from other people, you could be perfectly fine not taking a prep course.

Good tips I've learned from other people and my own experience --

Studying: No matter what you think, no situation is the easiest to make time for extracurricular studying. School, jobs, volunteering, no matter what your main focus is currently, making time for large amounts of studying is hard. The solution? Make a schedule with large blocks of time for studying -- but in that schedule, put in a certain amount of time for fun. Ex:

SATURDAY: 9-10 Breakfast, 10-12 Study Physics, 12-1 Lunch, 1-2 Physics Prac Test, 2-5 Movie and Dinner with Friend, 5-7 Studying/HW for school etc...

And actually stick to it! If you actually studied for those two hours, or finished whatever, reward yourself and do the fun thing you planned! Do not, I repeat, DO NOT, tell yourself you for some reason do not deserve this break and keep studying, or you will, without a doubt, go crazy. You need social interaction! Sometimes, you come back from a run, or a TV show, or dinner with friends completely re-energized to pick up that MCAT study book again.

Studying Continued...: You are NEVER going to know all the content. At some point, you have to make that leap where you stop staring mindlessly at those insignificant equations you can never remember and actually take a practice test. You learn more when you put things to USE! So take the test, and then see which important parts you missed. It's more important to learn what kinds of questions they ask, how they ask them, where their focus is, than to completely understand every word in that stupid prep book. It's not Study, Study, Study, Study - TEST! It's Study. Test. Review/Study from said Test. Test. Review/Study. Test. Real Test! (notice how this "test" is not in all caps as the previous one, because you are waaay less stressed out, and totally prepared.

Studying 3: At least once, but probably twice or more, take a full-length practice test while trying to simulate the actual day. Start the practice at around the time you are signed up to take the real thing. Take all the breaks. Take the test in a quiet place. If you think you are going to use ear plugs/noise-cancelling headphones, try wearing them the entire time. Have snacks prepared.

More later!