8 Ways to Prep Yourself for the MCAT

Posted by Rayanne on August 20th, 2021

The MCAT is the first and probably the most important step in your med school application process. It\'s a standardized exam that tests your knowledge of high-school-level content. This article will provide you with tips on how to prepare for the MCAT.

1. Start Early and Study Hard

The MCAT is a major exam that requires many hours of studying to get good scores. This may mean a year or more if you are starting. Ideally, you need to start studying at least six months before your desired test date to give yourself ample time for mistakes and improvement. If you start any later than four months, you are cutting it close and will need to work long hours to succeed.

2. Find Free Resources

The MCAT is hard to study for on your own. Many topics require basic knowledge of biology, physics, chemistry, and much more. Since this isn\'t something you learned in high school, you have to find a way to learn it on your own. Luckily there are many free resources on the web such as online MCAT tutors that can help you understand the topics required for the MCAT.

3. Schedule Time for MCAT Study

Allow yourself enough time to study, whether it be an hour a day or 10 hours a day. It all depends on your educational background and the amount of time you have. Schedule it like any other appointment. If you have a full-time job, this might be hard. Ideally, you should schedule study time into your work schedule; if not, find something similar to study all day long. If you have to go to school, plan something in the morning or afternoons when everyone else is out. If you have kids, this can also work. You can devote 10-30 minutes to study for the MCAT and then spend quality time with your children.

4. Take Part in MCAT Practice Exams

There are many free practice exams available online that will help you brush up on the topics covered on the MCAT. They will cover all the topics you need to know for the exam, and they are broken down into multiple sections. You can take as many free online practice exams as you want. The more practice exams you take, the better you\'ll get at the exam. Once you have taken all the practice exams you can find, try and take a real exam from a prep company.

5. Find a Study Group

If you are taking many classes, you might have trouble finding time to study. One way around this is to meet with other med school hopefuls in your area and form a group. This will allow everyone to share their notes and teach each other new topics. You can also meet for MCAT practice exams and offer each other feedback on what worked and what didn\'t.

6. Practice with Confidence

This is the most important aspect of preparing for the MCAT. There is no way you can know if your studying methods are effective until you try them out on something as difficult as the MCAT. If you feel too nervous, remember that the MCAT is a standardized test meant to be compared and evaluated by students worldwide. You shouldn\'t have any problems with getting a high enough score on this exam.

7. Keep Things Positive

You may run into some problems or obstacles along the way to your score goal. You may need more time; you might need to find more resources; you may not have enough money to pay for your exam prep class or any other number of problems. Just remember that you are preparing for a standardized test, not a live clinical setting. You can always find free online resources that you need to know how to study for the MCAT.

8. Study with Others

Another method of studying is to get help from your friends and family, or even a tutor. There are many online resources for online tutoring and group MCAT study to help you along the way. Find one that works for you. There are many free online resources as well that can help you brush up on the topics covered on the MCAT.

Conclusion

The MCAT is a test that requires lots of prep over a while. There are many free resources available for you to get help with study tips and practice exam results. This is how you will be able to study the topics covered on the MCAT.