One of the best ways to have a strong application for medical school involves achieving a good score on the MCAT. In 2016 I took the MCAT, received a 514 on my first attempt, and have since graduated from medical school and made it into not one, but two competitive residency programs. Read on for how I teach my premed students these strategies to study for the MCAT.
Best Strategies to Study for the MCAT
1. Be realistic about how much time you have to prepare
Your study schedule will greatly depend on how long you have to prepare for your test. The shorter the timeline, the more hours you will likely need to dedicate on a daily basis to study for the MCAT.
2. Pick no more than two main study tools to prepare
The two study tools you must have are a good question bank and a resource to help you review any content gaps you have. You can waste a lot of time trying out too many study tools or using too many study tools at once. Spend a little time upfront experimenting with a few different tools to find the couple you like and then stick with them.
3. Don’t waste your time trying to master every topic
The MCAT covers so many topics and subtopics that it is not possible for any person taking the test to be good at every section. That is ok! It’s important to focus your time and effort on the areas that will give you the biggest gains in the time you have to study for the MCAT.
4. The secret to success is progress and efficiency, not perfection
Your goal should be to make the biggest gains while you study to get the best score on the MCAT, not to get every question right or be good at every topic. Start by taking an honest inventory of your strengths and weaknesses. Focus on the areas that you can improve upon the most with the least amount of time and effort.
5. Focus more on test taking strategies rather than content knowledge
The dirty secret of standardized tests is that you have to be good at test-taking skills like time management, active process of elimination, and critical thinking. While you need a content knowledge base for each of the three science sections on the MCAT, you will make greater gains focusing on test taking strategies.
6. The more passage-based questions you do, the better you will do
The best way to become familiar with the test format is to do practice questions. On the MCAT, over 75% of the questions are passage-based. Many students think they need to start with content studying, but you will learn the most from diving into questions and learning from the wrong answers. The more passages you do, the more you will see which topics test writers like to ask about and how the questions can be asked.
7. Create a study schedule that is tailored to your needs
The more specific you can be about your study schedule, the better. Don’t make a generic study schedule that says something like “study CARS on Monday, Bio on Tuesday, etc.” Your study schedule should be detailed to take out the guesswork. List what resources you will use, which topics you will cover, and how long you will spend on each. Be sure to also include break time.
8. Dedicate time to study for the MCAT six days per week
Let’s get real for a minute. Some of you reading this are working full-time, taking multiple college classes, may be married, and may have kids. Not everyone has the ability to take time off to exclusively focus on preparing for the MCAT. However, every single person can find time six days per week to study for the MCAT, even if some days that is only five minutes. You read that right, even just five minutes! Consistency is key to building any habit.
9. State-dependent learning is critical
I always recommend to my students that one of their six study days be reserved for “practice test” day. To activate state-dependent learning, I recommend you simulate test conditions such as wearing ear plugs, not having your phone next to you, not eating or drinking anything during this time, and being somewhere public that has some minor distractions (e.g. your local library) while doing practice questions. You can also build endurance by doing study questions for longer and longer periods of time (e.g. starting with 1 hour in a row, then the next week 2 hours with a 10 minute break in-between, etc.)
10. Track your Progress
Having a system to track your progress prevents you from spending hours and hours on preparation only to have minimal improvement. One very simple strategy is to keep track of how long you spend on questions and your overall accuracy (e.g. number of questions right out of total number of questions attempted). You want to increase your speed while improving and maintaining accuracy.
11. Don’t be afraid to move your test date
If after consistently tracking your progress you anticipate you will not be able to achieve your desired score with the time you have left, consider moving your test date to a later date. While many applicants take the MCAT more than once, it is best to take it once and achieve the score you want rather than having to take it multiple times.
12. Take time for self care
It is common for students preparing to take the MCAT to feel burned out at times. To perform your best, you need to be in good mental and physical health. There’s a reason I recommend studying six days per week and not seven; one day per week is all yours. Spend this day on some well-deserved self-care and consider doing something fun with your friends or family. Starting early with learning how to balance work and play will serve you well as you continue with your medical career.
13. Don’t compare yourself to others
Many of my students struggle with test-taking anxiety, imposter syndrome, and decreased self-confidence. I find that this often stems from feelings of inadequacy when they compare themselves to others. The truth is that there is only one person like you, and your MCAT score is only one piece of your application for medical school. Focus on your own progress over time, not how you compare to others.
Summary
With the right strategies to study for the MCAT, anyone can make impressive gains in the time they have to prepare. Take some time to optimize your study plan with these tips and let us know which ones helped you the best. If you are interested in 1 on 1 help with creating an individualized study plan for the MCAT or with your AMCAS application, contact us here. Happy studying!
