fee assistance and accommodations

If you qualify or believe you may qualify for testing accommodations, please see these before you proceed with anything else. If you will receive accommodations, it will be necessary to take practice exams under these conditions. If you will be cleared for fee assistance, you will need access to the practice content in advance of the test. While the applications for these are not difficult, they can be time-consuming. 

Accommodations specifically will take about two months to clear, and the testing site will also need a month to ensure they are able to provide you with the accommodations you are cleared to receive. The fee assistance program (FAP) will reduce the MCAT registration fee, provide access to the AAMC MCAT prep material, and waive the application fees to 20 medical schools (about $200 each). Keep in mind that both applications have strict requirements, require evidence, and will expire and require re-application. 

Shemmassian Consulting has a great article on accommodations: https://www.shemmassianconsulting.com/blog/mcat-accommodations

studying for the mcat

There are many ways to study for the MCAT and depending on the individual it can take years or weeks. No one way is correct, and the amount of time it takes you to study for this exam does not define you or your ability to matriculate into medical school and become a doctor. Below is my personal study method which at its core is composed of content review and practice. I will also include tips, how I studied, and things to keep in mind as you prepare. My most pressing advice is to delay the exam until you are ready. Do not plan to re-test.

My experience is brief but it worked to increase my score 22 points despite many limitations. My suggestions and recommendations are based on personal experience. You are likely here because you will not be utilizing an MCAT prep course, but in case you've considered it, please see the following:

MCAT Courses

These are always alluring, especially with their marketing campaigns and promises to raise you a certain number of points, but they're not cheap. If you can afford the price, why not, but try to stick with known names like Blueprint, Kaplan, or Princeton. There are benefits to having someone guide your studying, but keep in mind that in a class setting, you won't have control over what topics are covered (if you are an expert in X but need help with Y) and unless it's a self-paced course (Kaplan and Blueprint both offer one), you won't be able to slow down or speed up. Some people may find this advantageous to their studying, but others may be furstrated. One final note: there is nothign wrong with a DIY course, but if you are determined to have a formal class and finances are an issue, look to pre-med undergrad and postbacc programs as they may provide these resources. If you will be undergoing a formal post-bacc program, please take a look at the section where I will cover benefits and drawbacks to a pre-med oriented program. 

an outline

The outline below is a skeleton of how studying for this exam should proceed. First content review followed by practice problems and finished with AAMC practice material in the month leading up to the exam. 

practice

Enough cannot be said about practice. With proper questions that reflect the actual MCAT, you're bound to do well. So first we must identify where we can find proper questions, then how to use them. I will discuss sources after but here is how I used them. Except for practice exams, I reviewed questions immediately after answering them. Typically I would do a small set, two passages and each contained max 12 questions. Reviewing the answers is important as it will reinforce the content review and increase how much you remember from the review phase of your prep. Be sure to review all questions and understand why each possible choice was either wrong or right. This will be especially important with the AAMC material. Although it may take a while to get through and review a full length exam, it is essential. This phase should be prioritized over content review. Please see my comments on the AAMC material below, otherwise here is a list of practice sources in addition to AAMC I recommend:

#1. UWorld

This is what I used for practice before moving on to the AAMC material. UWorld was difficult, but the content was very similar to what I saw with the AAMC. At first I wasn't sure, especially because for the price, I would only have a short window to use it vs permanently mine. I think it was well worth the price but I know people who only used the AAMC material and did well. What's great about UWorld is that they provide amazing descriptions for their answer explanations. I would only recommend using UWorld with settings to review after each question as you do not want to miss the explanation. I would also caution: UWorld is difficult and can be demoralizing to start. The cars section for example will give you more passages if you select to do 53 questions, vs the AAMC and the MCAT will only give you 10 passages each time for that many questions. 

#2. Blueprint Prep

I do not have any personal experience using this source. This was recommended by a medical student, but UWorld and AAMC should still be prioritized. This should only be used as extra practice. 

#3. Jack Westin (FREE)

This is an amazing resource and is completely free. They provide a daily CARS and Science passage and you have access to all previous daily questions for really good practice. I would use the CARS practice daily and use the Science practice regularly too—perhaps during content review. 

aamc material

I was instructed to leave this material for last. The reason behind this advice: these practice questions are made by the test makers and therefore the closest to the actual MCAT than anything else. I agree with the statement but the AAMC also provides a full year access to the material, so perhaps studying needs to be infused with this material early on. The AAMC does not provide answer explanations with all questions, especially not the exams. You should plan to take time to review all questions regardless of whether they were right or wrong. This may take more time since you may need to look up why certain questions were one answer or another. A great strategy is to google or with caution ask ChatGPT any questions you need help on, likely there is a reddit thread or a chegg explanation somewhere. You should absolutely plan on purchasing all the AAMC online material, the physical book they provide is not essential. Use the CARS diagnostic tool early. It's good practice! The practice exams should be held for last. I would do a practice exam every week leading up to the day of the exam. Make sure to mimic exam day as closely as possible, time and day of the week, scheduled breaks you will use, lack of access to material or electronics, and so forth. 

create a study plan

When to Study

Before anything else, analyze your current schedule and asses where you will fit in studying. My suggestion is to make it a priority and therefore the very first thing you do in the day. I worked full time when I studied for the exam so I woke up hours before work to study. It's easy to think we will be able fit this in here and there, and you must, but that should be supplemental to your schedule. Waking up early for me provided two benefits. As long as I was disciplined and went to bed at a reasonable hour, I woke up rested and ready to learn. At the hours of 5am-8am nobody messaged, called or distracted me. When I returned from work, tired and ready to rest or see friends, I didn't have to worry about studying. Any afternoon studying became bonus and typically a time to get ahead on a lesson. 

How Long to Study

Several sources including Kaplan, Shemassian Consulting, Princeton Review and Reddit claim that you need somewhere between 300-350 hours of studying to do well on this exam. That's just under and hour per day if you spend one year studying for the exam. Although you should go at your own pace, the drawbacks of studying for one year is that you will have less retention of material, and you probably don't want to worry about the MCAT for an entire year. Two hours per day is already less than six months, which means if you can dedicate around three to four hours per day, you may be able to complete your studying within a 3-4 month period. 

The aforementioned time is not necessarily what you'll need to reach your target score and it may be less or more, depending on your circumstances. Perhaps you just completed a semester of physics, bio and chemistry, maybe you're a chemistry and physics tutor, or maybe you've been out of school a few years and need more than a refresher. You will need to create a study plan and evaluate as you go. Of course, try to dedicate at least a couple hours to studying per day. I used 7 Kaplan books which each contain 12 chapters. I determined I wanted to cover my content review in 60 days. I decided I could and should do CARS and the Psychology book every day, so I removed them from my 84 chapters of reading and suddenly I only had to cover 1 chapter worth of scientific material per day. You may need to take an inventory of the resource you'll use and try to use that as a measuring tool. If you can't complete one chapter of reading per day for example, you'll need to revisit your schedule and perhaps even move your exam date. If you cover more than expected, you may wish to maintain your schedule anyway and use the other time to do practice problems. 

Here are a few of my suggestions for your study sessions

• Review flashcards everyday (you'll start with zero unless you purchase a pack)

• Review pathways and reactions everyday or as often as necessary to remember them

• Complete at least one CARS passage per day

• Review new content and create flashcards

Things to consider when drafting your first schedule. They should be included in you plan before all else

• Do you have responsibilities? (children, pets, a job, school)

• Are there upcoming events that may take time away from studying? (holidays, weddings, birthdays, vacation, trips, work events)

• Do you want to take any days off? Will these be weekends or week days? 

• I would also schedule time for things like laundry, cooking, eating, working out.