MCAT Study Schedule

Some of the questions asked by students regarding their MCAT study plan are related to how much time they need to prepare for the MCAT. Questions such as:

• How many hours a day should I study for the MCAT?
• Can I study for the MCAT in 3 months?
• Are 2 months enough for MCAT?
• Is studying 4 hours a day enough for MCAT?
• When is the best time to take the exam?
• What materials are the best, most effective, most helpful, or most representative of the exam?

Most candidates who succeed in the exam usually follow an MCAT study plan that involves setting aside at least 3-6 hours per day for 3-6 months of studying. Some students may require more or less time depending on whether or not they have completed the recommended introductory-level college courses in biology, physics, organic and inorganic chemistry, biochemistry, psychology, and sociology. Of course, this also depends on their performance and comprehension in the mentioned courses.

The following diagram is a result of a Johns Hopkins University MCAT Survey of students who had taken the MCAT in the year that the new version of the exam was first administered (2015), and who scored at the 90th percentile or higher. Among the issues explored was how many months and hours a day that this cohort studied for the exam.

Prospective students commonly arrange for their MCAT roughly a year before their intended matriculation into medical school. However, varying circumstances may call for careful planning when choosing the appropriate time to take the MCAT. The following are common factors to consider:

The Admissions Cycle

Most medical schools begin interviewing in September. The majority of successful candidates start receiving acceptance letters as early as October 15. Getting over the MCAT hurdle well ahead of the submission deadlines could put you in a more favorable situation in several ways: you would have ample time to procure any supplemental materials that the schools might request; you would have a less stressful time preparing for your interview; and, you would have a better chance of belonging to the initial batch of the entering classes.

Many schools observe a rolling admissions process - they continue to accept applications until all vacant spots are filled. Applicants with remarkable credentials who wait until the last minute may miss admission into their preferred schools if the schools have already admitted a sufficient number of qualified applicants for the available slots for that particular school year.

Course Requirements

Some medical colleges impose certain co-curricular prerequisites as part of their entry requirements. You may opt to take the MCAT a year before completing any required coursework. You can then focus on finishing your coursework plus any requirements of the medical school you are aiming to apply. You can also work on improving your GPA in the remaining semesters. Other candidates take the opposite route. You should weigh which schedule would work best for you.

Another factor that you might consider before deciding on a date for taking the MCAT is making sure that you first complete the recommended introductory classes that will help make your preparation easier. Students are free to choose whether or not to engage in independent self-study or enroll in the college courses that are recommended. Some students who majored in non-science degrees opt to take some classes in Biology, Biochemistry, Chemistry and Physics. This raises their self-confidence and sense of competence and enables them to feel more prepared for the MCAT review and the MCAT itself.

Should you decide to take college courses to fully prepare for the MCAT, we have outlined the different classes here: College Classes for MCAT Preparation.

Contingent Results

Most students take the MCAT during the summer because they are free from university obligations and activities; they feel that they would have more time to focus on their review. But keep in mind that seats fill up fast during this period. This means that in case you do not feel confident or satisfied with your perceived performance, and you might want to retake, slots may no longer be available in your preferred testing center. This may cause a delay in your AMCAS, TMDSAS, or AACOMAS application. As a precaution, you should provide some allowance for such an event.

With so many preparation materials available in the market nowadays, choosing the most helpful, most effective and/or the most representative of the real MCAT can be quite overwhelming. First, remember that every student is different, so buy into an MCAT study strategy that caters to your specific needs. For most people though, the central working principle for MCAT prep that works follows this formula: content review → practice questions → full-length exams.

The best study habits also include a strict limitation on study materials. Some students see MCAT prep as an opportunity to accumulate a private MCAT library of materials! Avoid the trap of stocking up on books and other materials that cannot be fully and meaningfully reviewed. This may lead you to rush through the most frequently tested material in an attempt to "read everything". Such a strategy would be counterproductive, unduly stressful, potentially frustrating and worse, it might yield a sub-optimal MCAT score. Over-preparation may cause burnout.

The following is a description of review materials offered by Gold Standard MCAT, but most of the advice provided here can be generally applied.

MCAT Books/eBooks

Content review during MCAT prep is normally a review using a book or ebook. The main aim is to understand key concepts that are mostly tested in the real exam. However, reading a chapter is the least efficient way to study because the purpose of a review is retaining information. So we will describe how you can retain information more efficiently:

Always 'map' first. 'Mapping' means that you never read a chapter before having already gauged where you are going. Start by reading the first page of the chapter which describes what you should memorize, understand, etc. You also read all the titles and subtitles in the chapter, review all tables and images (as well as their captions). Now you are ready to read and you have the proper concept and objectives. When choosing the best MCAT books, please understand that everyone is different and so you are really trying to decide what is best for you.

The next step is to complete chapter review questions so that you get feedback on your understanding of the material that you read. And finally, you must encode your review and practice experience in quality personal notes. Once the content review and chapter review questions are complete, then you are ready for full-length MCAT practice tests.

Teaching Videos

Some students like to watch science review videos before or after reading a chapter. Depending on how you learn best, content review can be optimized through the synergy between video and reading material, especially for those with little or no science academic background. Here's how you can effectively combine videos and content review for your Gold Standard MCAT science preparation (of course, the following can be applied in a similar fashion if you are using Khan Academy MCAT videos):

Start watching videos from our online science video library. Physics or General Chemistry videos is the classic starting point. Taking notes while watching will also reinforce your retention and understanding of concepts. We recommend that you go through the videos as a first run, like auditing a college course, to get a general idea as to where it is all going.

In the Gold Standard MCAT online lessons, we offer yet another type of video called Virtual Classroom. These are whiteboard-type lectures where Dr. Ferdinand summarizes particular chapters from the book or ebook. We recommend that you watch these Virtual Classroom videos before reading a particular chapter.

Ultimately, videos and chapter review questions added to reading a review book will be very important parts of your MCAT prep in order to fully understand and later integrate the most salient science concepts.

Audio MP3

CDs and MP3s condense many major concepts into a series of conversational lectures, which you can listen to while driving, running or working out at the gym. They are a good source of review for major points and are best used for recalling concepts. You can consider recording your own MP3s from your Gold Notes (i.e. your condensed study notes).

Science Flashcards

Flashcards are helpful to learn concepts and facts that you are not familiar with, do not understand or keep forgetting. Flashcards are also handy compared to physical books. You can bring them anywhere, which means you can review summarized topics and concepts while waiting for your next class, for the bus, at a doctor's clinic.

As you progress with your content review, try to shuffle the flashcards frequently. This will help you bridge information and integrate concepts, which the real MCAT requires in the science sections.

Full-length Practice Tests

The only way that you can determine for yourself if the MCAT review course you are considering conforms to the standards, scope and format of the actual MCAT is to be thoroughly familiar with the AAMC syllabus.

Hence, our best advice has always been to start and end with AAMC practice materials. We also strongly suggest that you leave the rest of the AAMC materials and not work on their full-length sample tests until after you have completed your content review. In this way, you will have sufficiently prepared to take practice exams from an official source and can therefore assess your readiness to take the MCAT. For our full advice on taking practice tests, please click here: MCAT practice test advice.

Nevertheless, non-AAMC full-length MCAT practice tests remain useful for building your speed to answer questions, for testing your knowledge and understanding of the exam content, and to overcome exam anxiety. They may not be reliable in predicting your performance in the actual MCAT. In fact, your scores can fluctuate from one practice test to the next. One reason could be because most of the topics happen to be your weak areas in one set. In another occasion, you may not have been in your best disposition. You must also keep in mind that no practice MCAT is statistically as rigorous as the AAMC's exams which were tested by tens of thousands of students prior to becoming commercially available. It is therefore important to observe the following when taking your practice exams:

• ALWAYS complete the practice tests under TIMED conditions.
• Try to SIMULATE the real conditions when doing a practice test - that is, take it at around the same hours that your exam is scheduled. Also, avoid going to the bathroom or drinking water until the section breaks.
• Spend one full day doing a very careful post-test analysis. Review one question at a time and learn more from your wrong answers. Of course, each post-exam period should include taking brief notes, which are then reviewed several times per week.