How To Study and Prepare For the MCAT | Medical School Preparation
Getting a good
MCAT score is essential for getting into medical school. In this video, I talk about how to prepare and study for the MCAT. MCAT is short for
Medical College Admission Test (MCAT). It is the standardized exam required for admission for medical schools in the US. It is important because it’s been shown to be highly predictive of success in medical school courses and on
Step exams.
So the MCAT contains 4 sections:
Chemical and
Physical Foundations of Biological
Systems
Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills (
CARS)
Biological and Biochemical Foundations of
Living Systems
Psychological, Social, and Biological Foundations of
Behavior
PREPARATION is
Broken down into 3 parts:
College Classes,
Content Review,
Exam Practice and Strategies.
College Classes,
Before taking the MCAT you should consider taking these seven courses:
One year of introductory biology
One year of general chemistry
One year of organic chemistry
One year of physics
One semester of biochemistry
One semester of introductory psychology
One semester of introductory sociology
Personally I also recommend:
Anatomy and Physiology,
Cell Biology,
Microbiology,
Genetics,
Immunology,
Brain and Behavior/Physiological
Psych would all be helpful.
Why? Because it helped me master the But remember that your prereqs are
ALL YOU NEED to obtain a good score.
Once you have taken the courses above,
2. Content Review
Ideally you want do a content review
3-4 months before the exam.
But it really depends on the person and how much time you have to study per day. 3-4 months is perfect time because it:
gives you enough time to study without burning out and,
if you study less than 3-4 months, you may end up being under-prepared.
Again, this really depends on the person. Some people can get away with barely preparing while others need a lot more time to get ready
. In the end, it really depends on how you study.
When you’re going into content review mode there are several things to consider:
how much time you have until your exam date,
how much money you have to spend, that is:
are you gonna need extra discipline and motivation?
if so review classes like Kaplan more ExamKrackers are an option.
Personally: I did a review class--ThinkMCAT, it was really good. The instructor was really good in
not necessary, but you have to be really disciplined and motivated and stick to a strict schedule.
3. Exam Practice and Strategies:
It’s worth noting that the MCAT is 7.5 HOURS LONG!
Of that 7.5 hours:
A little over 6 hours is used for the taking the exam,
two 10 minute breaks
30 minute lunch break
My suggestions for this sections are:
Understand and learn the concepts,
Practice, practice, practice! The MCAT is a
CBT, so you guys need to practice and getting used to taking taking notes on the computer. For me, this was hard because I was so used to taking paper exams.
Take as MANY full lengths exams as you can! Make sure they are timed so you can get used to the pressure. By the time you take the real exam, you would have taken so many tests that it’s second nature to you.
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Check out the rest of the videos that are part of this series:
What's in my med school backpack: https://youtu.be/bAh4MxPb0iA
FAQ about how to get into medical school: https://youtu.be/2PehxHQLBM4
What's in my white coat: https://youtu.be/KROFnLSDc7Y
How a typical medical school schedule looks like: https://youtu.be/da917hZV-wo
Useful Apps I use in
Medical School: https://youtu.be/S-e3uA-SdG0
Typical Weekly
Schedule of a Med
School Student: https://youtu.be/da917hZV-wo
Study Tips for Medical School and College: https://youtu.be/MUGnNH9AEX0
A Typical Day in Medical School: https://youtu.be/RgftpK99w2I
How to
Prepare and Study for the MCAT: https://youtu.be/iK8FK3o5lA0
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