PREP
Sooooooooooo something you will notice in talking with people about working your way through the long journey of medical school is that everyone has their own philosophy about EVERY aspect of school, hence this blogJ. So with this section you gotta know where I’m coming from. I took the Kaplan MCAT Prep course, pretty helpful, but I only had like a month and a half to study, plus I was taking the second physics course when I took the test, plus I had not finished the BIO or OChem (2nd class). I got a 22, the double deuce. Not too impressive, but alright considering.
Now another story, guy I know bought the MCAT prep books like 1 or 2 years before taking the test. Read through them about 9 times. He scored a 42. Schools pretty much considered him the Lebron James of the pre-med world and he got to pick where he wanted to go. J Sooooo my philosophy is repetition. The more you do, the better you’ll score.
WHEN TO START STUDYING
Right now. So go buy the Princeton Review or Kaplan review books. Go through them, highlight, Wikipedia, doodle, whatever you want. Just start going through them. Buy the books on Amazon, Craigslist, ebay, or from the Russian mafia.
They should look something like this (click pictures for links to programs):
Kaplan:
Princeton Review:
HOW TO STUDY
Set a schedule to scope the books out for like 30 min each day. Or whatever time you like. Make it long enough that you can get into it a little, but not so long that you get burned on it.
Then when summer hits and you have more free time, rev up the studying time. Begin to focus on your weak areas.
Make "study tools". These can be flash cards, abbreviated notes, pictures, questions, etc. What this does is requires you to know the info well enough to put it down on paper. Then you can use this tool and get real familiar with it and then when taking the test you might see the picture you drew to understand a chemical reaction, or the keyword for a certain topic that was in your notes, etc. You'll hear about study tools in med school big time.
MORE DETAILS ON KAPLAN AND PRINCETON REVIEW
So you might be wondering what in the world are Kaplan and Princeton Review. They are companies that specialize in preparing students for all sorts of "standardized tests". They do ACT (College Admissions), LSAT (Law School), DAT (Dental School), MCAT (Medical School), GRE (Graduate School), etc. They are not the only companies, but they have been around a long time and most people use them.
Their programs usually have a few different components to them, sometimes you can pick and choose which ones to purchase and sometimes you just have to buy the whole bundle and use whatever you want. Here's a super brief overview and you can find out more on their websites by clicking their logos below.
- Textbooks = These are written by the companies and contain "high yield" material, or stuff that is seen on the test most often. Its not super in depth, just enough for you to review and get the idea)
- Classroom Time = a teacher will go through the text book with you, classes are usually in the evening at some location
- Lectures Online = everything the teacher would say is recorded and you can go at your own pace and study from wherever you want
- Q-Bank = this is online computer program that when accessed will look similar to the MCAT format. It will have multiple choice questions and track your progress to let you know where your areas are that need more study attention. (When you study to take the licensing test STEP 1, 2, and 3 you will probably use a Q-bank for that also.
- Practice Tests = they have made tests that mimic the actual one and can give you an equivalent score that shows what you would have scored on the MCAT according to your results on their test.
WHAT OTHER STUDY AIDS ARE THERE?
There are other books and companies that will teach classes. There are other Q-banks out there. If you want to search around you can for sure find something besides these.
WHEN SHOULD YOU TAKE THE TEST?
The MCAT has to be completed prior to you submitting your applications to med schools so usually the timeline for taking it is the early summer (June, July) right before your senior/ last year of college.
But the big thing is to take it when you're ready and feel comfortable with the material and with your test taking skills. A lot of people wait until they are graduated to take it, so they don't have other classes or tests to worry about. Some take an entire year of no school just to prepare for it. Whatever your situation will allow and whatever you feel best about is the right course for you take.
