5 Tips and Tricks When Studying for the MCAT

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Taking the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) is a requirement for admission to medical school. This multiple-choice test is administered by the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC). Your MCAT score has a significant impact on your chances of gaining admission to the school of your choice, making it important that you make every effort to prepare to do your best. Here are five tips and tricks when studying for the MCAT.

Create a Study Schedule

There is no doubt that preparing for the MCAT is a substantial undertaking. This makes it important that you create a study schedule that will keep you on track with all of your preparation. Most students should plan on about 200 to 300 hours of dedicated study time. You will likely need even more time to prepare if it has been some time since you have reviewed the material. Giving yourself enough time to study will boost the odds that you fully absorb all of the material.

This massive test is not something that you can cram for just a few weeks prior to the exam date. Creating a detailed study schedule will ensure that you have allowed yourself adequate time to prepare. Remember that you can always make adjustments to this schedule as you go through the prep process.

Practice Makes Perfect

As with any big endeavor in life, practice makes perfect. Many medical students report achieving a high score on the MCAT because they took a number of practice tests. Doing so will encourage you to feel more comfortable with the test format. This familiarity will give you confidence heading into the big day so that you are able to relax and perform at the highest level. Incorporating practice tests into your preparation plan will also help you to understand how to best pace yourself.

Taking a practice test in the beginning of the study process will provide a good baseline. This knowledge will help to guide your preparation plan so that you are focusing on brushing up on the right content. You do not want to waste your time reviewing material that you already know thoroughly nor do you want to skip over the content that is one of your weaknesses. The results of the practice tests will ensure that you are focusing your attention on the most strategic content for your personal needs.

Lean on the Professionals

The MCAT is not a monster that you can take on without any preparation. The good news is that there are a number of online MCAT tutoring services that can help you to ensure that you notch your best possible score.

A professional tutoring service such as Elite Medical Prep will create a customized study plan for you, helping you to identify and target problem areas. This plan will also deliver an ongoing assessment of your progress so that you can make any necessary adjustments to your strategy. The support team is always available to answer questions and guide you through this pivotal season in your academic career. Do not make the mistake of thinking that you can go at this on your own.

Set Your Sights High

While it is true that you can always retake the test if you are not satisfied with your score, counting on this as a possibility is not the best strategy. The MCAT is not like the SAT or ACT that you took in high school where it is common to retake the test multiple times. The MCAT is expensive to take and a stressful endeavor. Lastly, most medical scores will note if you took it twice and look at both of the scores or use an average when determining your qualifications.

Give Yourself Grace

Although it is always better to do as well as you possibly can the first time that you sit for the test, it is also important to give yourself grace if you are not happy with your initial score. Taking the test again is always an option. Give yourself grace if you stumble when taking the test the first time.

You do not want to leave the preparation for this test up to chance. These five tips will prepare you to be your best on testing day.