Creating a Study Plan
While there is no one way to prepare for the MCAT, your study plan
should begin at least three months before your chosen exam date. Here's an
outline you might want to revise to fit your situation:
- Obtain a copy of
The Official Guide to the MCAT exam
- Read and understand the
MCAT Essentials (PDF, 24 pages)
- Read
Preparing for the Test Sections below
- Make a note of any material that is unfamiliar to you or that you
haven't studied recently.
- Review the science topics using relevant course materials, including
textbooks, course outlines, and notes.
- Work through MCAT practice tests, using the diagnostic reports in the
online practice tests to identify topics and skills that need additional
review.
- If your pace on the practice tests is slow, take advantage of any
services your college offers to help improve reading speed and
comprehension.
- If you have a study partner, each of you can use your strengths to help
the other address areas of weakness.
- Avoid last-minute "cramming."
- Make sure to get enough sleep, food, and exercise, especially in the
days preceding the test.
When should I take the MCAT exam?
Medical school admission officers usually suggest that you take the test in
the calendar year prior to the year in which you plan to enter medical school.
They generally recommend a Spring testing date because receipt of the Spring
scores allows for summer or early fall completion of your application. A Spring
test date is also recommended because it permits examinees who feel that their
scores do not accurately reflect their abilities to retest in the Summer or
Fall. Later scores may then be submitted to medical schools in the same
application year as the earlier scores.
Am I ready to take the MCAT exam?
You may have taken the SAT or ACT as part of the college application process.
The MCAT is different from these tests in that it goes beyond testing general
knowledge. The MCAT also tests knowledge of specific subjects: biology,
chemistry, and physics; it also assesses communication and critical thinking
skills.
Ideally, your undergraduate education has prepared you for the MCAT. If you
have taken the requisite science courses, as well as classes in the humanities
and social sciences you should be skilled at reading a wide range of material.
Rigorous coursework and extracurricular reading expand your vocabulary, develop
your reading pace, and increase your familiarity with texts and arguments in
various disciplines.
If you have already completed an undergraduate program, but need to take more
science courses to meet medical school admissions requirements, you should
explore Postbaccalaureate Premedical
Programs.
Preparing for the Test Sections
Multiple Choice Sections: Content Outlines
Multiple Choice Sections: How to Prepare
Writing Sample
