#handing off the mcat woes to you for now anon 🫳🏼🪖

[jentwt]

sorry if you've answered this before but if you don't mind i have an mcat question. i'm starting my studying now, and i wanted to know how you spread out your content review? did you study a little bit from different sections throughout the week, or did you do all the content review for one section before moving onto the next? and if you don't mind sharing what resources you used, it would be much appreciated. good luck with your application and interview processes!

omg hi fellow mcat taker!

DISCLAIMERS

i have not gotten my score back yet, and honestly i don't feel i performed my best when i took the exam (performance anxiety is Real and it Exists within me @_@) i'm likely going to be studying again to retake - which i accounted for when i began my studies! - so take all my advice with a grain of salt!

TIMELINE

i used a diagnostic to gauge my baseline score before diving into content review. from there i took the sporadic route -- i studied from different sections here & there! since i basically began studying right out of college, there was a good amount of info that i only needed a quick refresher on. i did some research on what previous test-takers said is usually high-yield and focused on those topics as well. about 2 months out i started taking practice FLs -- including my diagnostic, i took a total of 7 FLs prior to my test day with the last one being a week before d-day.

RESOURCES

FREE

Jack Westin is a great online resource. a lot of people recommend their site for CARS and i agree!

i dabbled in some Khan Academy modules from their MCAT course.

if i needed a visual/audio explanation of a concept i went to MCAT Self Prep's youtube channel.

if you lurk through reddit you can also find the MileDown anki deck which is great for active recall in all subjects.

PAID

i started off my content review with TPR's books (i've also heard of friends who used Kaplan's books!) but as time progressed i stopped using them to review and switched to online resources (see above).

as my test date got closer, i started using the sh!t out of UWorld. i got lucky and had a friend who no longer needed their subscription, but if you don't have similar connections i know those prices can get pretty steep. i do however highly recommend this resource because the qbank they have felt similar to the actual exam for me.

when doing FLs i used the ones included in my TPR purchase and then purchased AAMC Practice Exams to mimic the real thing.

TAKEAWAYS

honestly, looking back now i see how disorganized my studying was. but through conversations w other folks who have taken the mcat we've all agreed that you're constantly tweaking your study routine as the months progress. the biggest thing to take into account is your capacity for studying -- consider the amount of time, money, effort you can give to studying while also balancing your other obligations (like classes, work, extracurriculars... your own wellbeing) and move from there!

that was a lengthy response but i hope that answered your questions. if not or if you have more feel free to hmu! give yourself lots of grace when going through this -- you're not alone! a small blog in the abyss of tumblr (me. i'm the blog) is rooting for you :')

#handing off the mcat woes to you for now anon 🫳🏼🪖 #(i'll probably be back w you in the trenches soon.) #ask #anon #mcat woes #premed woes