MCAT

MCAT Breakdown

Study Habits

1. Find Your Baseline

1. 1. • Before starting your studying, take a practice full length test. This may seem daunting but it's the best way to assess what areas you need more help in. If you get a great score in the Biology section, but a lower score in the Psych/Soc section, you can focus more of your energy and time improving your weaker score.

2. Focus On Accuracy

   1. • Speed is an important factor for the MCAT, but you should focus on accuracy first. Do untimed passages before moving on to the timed passages.

3. Build Stamina

   1. • No one is used to taking a 6-7 hour test, it's exhausting. Try working your way up to completing 6-8 passages in one sitting before taking a break.

4. Don't Sacrifice Practice for Content Review

   1. • The MCAT really tests your ability to apply basic knowledge to new situations and your ability to reason and evaluate arguments. While you'll still need to know your science content you don't actually need to know everything super in-depth.

      • In some instances, the test makers are counting on you having lots of outside knowledge. They will use this to trick you when it comes to the answer choices.

5. Take As Many Full Length Tests As Possible

   1. • Experience builds confidence.

6. Practice Dealing With Distractions

   1. • Take your full length at a library or in a busier part of your hours, this will help you to better tune out distractions. You never know who you'll be taking your test next to.

7. Manage Your Stress

   1. • Don't burn yourself out. Yes, it is important to study, but don't shut out your friends/family during this time. You will need them for support. It's okay to take a break and hang out with friends or watch a few episodes of your favorite show.

8. Evaluate Your Work

   1. • Constant self-evaluation is the key to continued improvement. What kinds of questions do you consistently miss? What kinds of passages slow you down? What kinds of answer traps do you tend to fall for? What caused you to pick the wrong answer to each question that you missed?

      • Don’t just think about the questions you got wrong—also analyze how you arrived at the right answers. Did you avoid a common trap? Are there question types on which you are particularly strong?

Test Day

1. Check Your Appointment

   • • The day before, make sure to check that no changes have been made and that you have the most updated address of the testing center.

2. Arrive Early

   • • Check-in can take some time, so arrive at least 30-45 minutes before your exam is scheduled to begin.

     • If you get testing anxiety or are anxious about the parking situation, plan to have someone drop you off or take a trip to the test center a few days before you test so you know the layout of the parking/building.

3. ID

   • • You must show a valid, government issued ID when checking-in that matches the name you used to sign-up for the test. If the names do not match they may not allow you to take the exam.

       1. • Here are valid forms of ID: https://students-residents.aamc.org/applying-medical-school/article/valid-identification-mcat-examinees/

4. Bring Food and Drinks

   • • You will be given breaks between each section. You can use these breaks to eat/drink and use the restroom.

       1. • You will not be allowed to leave the testing center to get food/drinks, so plan accordingly.

     • While taking practice exams you should figure out the best foods to eat to keep you energized and focused.

       1. • Here's some food tips: https://www.premedlife.com/feature-articles/4-tips-to-eat-your-way-to-success-on-the-mcat-5036/

5. Bring a Mask

   • • All testing centers are requiring testees to wear masks that cover their nose and mouth. The only time masks wearing will not be enforced is when a testee is eating or drinking.

     • It is a good idea to wear a mask while taking practice exams to get used to wearing a mask.

How the MCAT is Scored

The MCAT is broken up into 4 sections and each section receives a scaled score from 118 (lowest) to 132 (highest). Your total score is the sum of all four sections. Your number correct scores on the four multiple-choice sections of the MCAT exam are based on the numbers of questions you answer correctly. Wrong answers are scored exactly the same as unanswered questions and do not affect your score. There is no additional penalty for wrong answers, so even if you are unsure of the correct answer to a question, you should make your best guess.

The MCAT exam is not graded on a curve. Instead, the MCAT exam is scaled and equated so that scores have the same meaning, no matter when you test or who tests at the same time you did.

Note that you can only take the MCAT 7 times in your lifetime. In a single testing year, you can only take the exam 3 times. It's okay if you didn't get the score you wanted the first or second time around. However, if by your third try you don't see any improvement, you should evaluate your study habits.

Medical schools will see every attempt. If they see that you scores haven't improved, or have even gone down, this will be a red flag for them.

Resources

Study Habits and Schedules

• https://www.shemmassianconsulting.com/blog/mcat-study-schedule

• https://www.princetonreview.com/med-school-advice/mcat-study-guide/mcat-study-habits

• https://www.kaptest.com/study/mcat/top-10-mcat-study-tips/

Free Resources

• https://www.khanacademy.org/test-prep/mcat

• https://ankiweb.net/shared/decks/mcat

• 24 Page Review Guide: https://www.kaptest.com/static/pdf/ktp-mcat-quicksheets.pdf

• Khan Academy Notes: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/10Z12cQ2TuMjmfKiThlKFMyllAPB4CUP2

Paid Resources

• https://medical.uworld.com/

• https://jackwestin.com/

Books

• "The Premed Playbook Guide to the MCAT: Maximize Your Score, Get Into Med School" Ryan Gray, MD

Test Prep

• https://www.princetonreview.com/medical/mcat-test-prep

• https://ww2.kaptest.com/mcat

• https://blueprintprep.com/mcat/practice-exams

How Other Students Prepared

• https://students-residents.aamc.org/applying-medical-school/taking-mcat-exam/how-i-prepared-mcat-exam/

Test Day Tips

• https://students-residents.aamc.org/applying-medical-school/article/top-10-tips-mcat-ecxaminees-test-day/

Scoring

• https://students-residents.aamc.org/applying-medical-school/article/how-new-mcat-exam-scored/

• https://students-residents.aamc.org/applying-medical-school/article/your-questions-answered-mcat-scoring-process/