MCAT Exam Preparation: Time and Cost Analysis from AAMC, Slides of Reasoning

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Pr efa ce

Pr eparing fo r the Medic a l C ollege Admission T est® (MCA T ®) tak es tim e and dedicat ion. W hile you a r e trying to f ind a balanc e bet ween you r course s at school, work obligat ion s, r es earc h and labs , family and f riend s , and extr ac urric ular act ivit ie s, you need to f ind t im e to pr epar e fo r the MC AT e xam. So it ’s no sur pris e that one of the mo st f r equent ly ask ed ques t ion s is , “W hat is the bes t way to p r epar e for the exam ?”

T her e is no conclu sive evidenc e about a right or wr ong wa y to pr epar e, but the MCA T tea m at the AAMC cr eated th is guide to help you de velop your o wn s tudy plan usi ng f r ee r es ourc es and lo w-c os t pr oduct s. W e will wa lk you thr ough the six s teps to cr eating a pers ona lized s tudy p lan.

W hile we can ’t tell you how m uc h time to s pend pr eparing for the exam , we have the fo llowing data f r om the 2016 Post -MCA T Ques ti onna ir e ( PMQ ) :

Tim e spent pr eparing fo r the MCAT exam :

Time in w ee ks Percentage of ex ami nees 0–8 weeks 28.8 % 9–12 weeks 30.6% 13–16 wee ks 17.7% Mor e than 16 wee ks 22.8%

Time in hours Percentage of ex ami nees 0–10 hou rs per week 23.0% 11–20 hours per week 26.9% 21–30 hours per week 20.9% Mor e than 30 hours per week 29.3%

T he m aj orit y ( 77%) of examinees studied o ver 11 hours pe r week , with 29% studying m or e than 30 hou rs pe r week. Do rem em ber that pr epar at ion tak es tim e, and you s hould s tart pr eparing earlie r r athe r than later.

T aking the MC AT e xam is one of the mile stone s in you r path to bec oming a ph ysician, and the AA MC want s to suppor t your j our ney. T o do that, this guide offers helpful info rm at ion in addit ion to the six-step Study Plan. Included in the la st sec t ion, fo r exam ple, ar e links to in sp iring sto ries fr om medica l students and physicians who ’ve o v erco m e signif ic ant obs tacl es to a ch ie ve their dr eams. On da ys when y ou feel anxious o r ove rwhelm ed, stop for a m om ent and r emind yourse lf of why you’r e on this path. W e hope that the ins piring s tories will help p r ope l you forwa r d!

T abl e of Contents

T his gu ide wa lks you thr ough six s teps :

1. Find Out Everything You Can About the Exam
2. Figu r e Out W her e You Stand: How Mu ch Do You Know?
3. Use Fr ee and Low-Cos t R es ources to Help You Pr epar e
4. Cr eate Your Study Plan
5. Stud y and Pr act ic e
6. Commit to a Final Rehears al or Pr a ct ic e

W orks heet s and blank tem plates acc om pany the guide:

1. Sa m ple T es t W orks heet
2. Res ou rc es and Str ateg ies W orksheet
3. Stud y Plan W orks heet
4. Stud y Plan

Step 1: Fi nd Out E ve rythi ng You C an About the E xam ( 2–3 da ys)

Suppo se you have a com pet ition c omi ng up. W hat would c om pel s om eone to choo se you , or what wou ld lead you to win or qualif y? Ho w do you size up the event? If you don ’t k now the r ules, how m uc h t im e you have, nor what you m ust do to qualif y, c hanc es ar e pr ett y good that you won ’t pe rform we ll.

You a r e less lik ely to have opponents or ad versa rie s when pr eparing for the MCAT e xam , but ther e ar e d isqua lif iers. You do need to k no w what ’s on the exa m , how m uch t im e you have, ho w the exam is scor ed, when to r eg is ter , and what you c an/ c annot bring to the te st center , am ong other deta ils. Fo r exam ple, if the I D you bring with you on test day does n’t m at c h your r eg is t r at ion inform at ion, you c an’t sit for the e xam. And if you’r e not c om pletely su r e what c oncept s a r e go ing to be on the exam, all you r stud ying m ay not have c over ed what you need to k now.

So the f irst th ing to do is f ind out as m uc h a s you can about the exam and k no w what to expec t. Us e the c he cklis t below to he lp you tak e th is f irst s tep.

Task Tim e needed

Co st Com p leted

Find out when the MCAT exam is administe r ed. 15 - 30 minutes

f r ee

Check the AAMC’s MC A T te st ing c alendar and sc or e r eleas e dates. Find out if you qualif y for fee assistan ce. 1 hour f r ee T he AAMC Fee Assis tance Pr ogr am pr ovides benef it s r elated to exam r eg is t r at ion, pr ep p r oduc t s, and applic ation to m edica l school. Find out m ed ic al school applic at ion dead line s. 3 hours varie s Check the AAMC’s Applying to Med ical Sc hoo l with A MC AS® w ebsite for detailed inform at ion.

1 hour f r ee

Conta ct your pr ehealth ad viso r o r ac ademic advis or fo r guidanc e on when to sc hedule your exam. If you do not have an ad vis or , u se the f r ee Find an Adviso r service p r ovided b y the N at ional Ass ociation of Adviso rs for the Health Pr ofessions to ha ve an advis or a ssigned to you.

1 hour f r ee

Check the AAMC’s Medica l Sc hoo l Ad mission Requir em ent s™ (MSAR® ) for U.S. and Canadian Medica l Sc hoo ls website fo r inform ation on admission s and a cc eptanc e policies , MC AT and GPA r anges , tu it ion and educ ation inform at ion, r e searc h oppo r tun it ies, s pecialt y choice s, and m or e. Sub scribe or s ave on the pu rcha se of a

1 hour $27 +

Task Tim e needed

Co st Com p leted

sub scription bundled with T he Off icia l Guide to Medic al Sc hool Admission s p rint book or

eboo k.

Find out wh ic h d iscip line s , c onc ept s, skills , and topics ar e c over ed in the exam.

1 - 2 days varie s

W atc h this t wo-minute i ntr odu cto ry video. 2 minutes f r ee Go to the W hat’s on the MCA T Exam? r es ou rc e to r eview the four se ct ions , 10 foundat ional c onc ept s, 31 content categories , scient if ic inqu iry and r eason ing skills, and crit ic al ana lysis and r eason ing skills that ar e te sted on the exam.

2–3 hours f r ee

Read The Off icial Gui de to the MCAT® Ex am. It pr o vides extensive deta ils , including a t im eline of things to do, inform at ion on ho w to r eg is ter for the exam , and 120 pr act ic e quest ions written by the sa m e peop le who wr ote the MCA T exam.

1–2 days $

Lea r n how your sco r e is c alc ulated. 15– minutes

f r ee

Visit the How I s the MCA T Exa m Sc or ed? website for f r equently ask ed que st ions. Lea r n about MCA T log is tics and r equir e m ent s. 1–3 hours f r ee The MCA T® Ess entials online do cu m ent is r equir ed r eading befor e you r eg iste r for the MCA T exam. It tells you what t ype of I D you need, what happens if you canc el, what you cannot bring to the tes t cente r, what t rigge rs in ves tigat ions , how to r eta k e the e xam , and other im portant inform at ion you need to k now.

N ow is a good t im e to tak e a look at your f inancial r es ources. C onsider how m u ch m one y you’r e able to spend on pr eparing for the MCA T e xam. T o m ak e pr epar ation as acce ssible a s po ssibl e, we ha ve r efer enc ed only f r ee or low-c ost r e source s in this Study Plan. If you need f inancia l s uppo r t, visit the AA MC Fee A ssis tanc e P r og r am page for inform at ion on how to apply for benef it s. If you qua lif y, you will r ec eive s om e MCA T pr ep pr oducts fr ee of c ha rge.

If you ha ve an y quest ions about thes e r esou rces , c ontact the AAMC. You c an r ea ch u s at:

• 202 - 828 - 0600, f r om 9 a.m. to 7 p. m. ( ET), Monda y thr ough Friday (clos ed W edne sdays , 3–5 p.m .)
• mcatpr ep@aa mc .org (MCA T exam pr epar at ion and pr oducts)

• aa mc.org/c onta ct mc at (MCA T exa m r eg is t r at ion)
• fap@aa mc.org (F ee Assis tanc e Pr og r am)

C ong r atu lat ion s on taking the f irst s tep! Ha ving com p leted thes e tasks , you now ha ve a good idea of what disciplines ar e tes ted, what the log is t ica l r equir em ent s ar e, and how you can get f inancia l suppor t.

In the ne xt s tep, you’ll la y the g r oundwork fo r your stud ie s.

Step 2: Fi gu r e Out W here You Stand: H o w Much D o You Kno w? (1–2 da ys)

H ave you e ver t ried to g ive dir ec tions ove r the phone to a f riend, r elative, or de live ry d river who c ouldn ’t ident if y their cu rrent loc at ion? “T he GPS sa ys I s hou ldn’t be any m or e than 10 minutes awa y, ” the y m ay s ay. Des pite their best intent ion s, it ’s d iff ic ult to determine whe r e the y’r e going, what r oad c ond it ion s ar e lik e, or how far they r eally ar e f r o m their destination if they don’t k now their curr ent loc at ion.

T his e xa mp le m a y s ound obvious to you, but in a tes t ing situation, it ’s easy to ca ve in to the pr essu r e of feeling that you need to start studying a s s oon a s possible and j um p right in. Pau se for a m om ent and consider this: it’s diff icu lt to determine how to pr epar e if you’r e not s ur e wher e you stand or ho w m uc h you k now alr eady. So sta rt b y ident if ying what you do k now and what you don ’t k now.

W e rec omm end that you tak e the AA MC’s Off icial MC AT ® Sam ple Tes t or a full-length pr a ct ic e tes t to get a bas eline befor e y ou s tar t stud ying. “ But wait, ” you m ay s ay. “ I haven ’t s tudied for it yet, and I ’m not r eady. My sc or e is going to be so lo w that I ’m only going to get d isc our aged_. ”_ A c tua lly, the Sam p le T est pr ovides a detailed br ea k down of you r c orr ect and in co rr ect answers, not a sca led scor e. It s pur pos e is to help you def ine your star t ing point —to ident if y wh ic h disciplines , conc ept s, or skills ar e familiar or unfamilia r to you. W hile blocking out e ight hours is c halleng ing, we r ec ommend that you take the Sam ple T e st in one sitting to expe rien ce what taking the a ctual exa m is lik e. C om plete this task in Step 2 befor e pr oc eeding an y furthe r.

Ta sk Tim e needed

Co st Com p leted

1 Purchas e and tak e the Official MC AT ® Sam p le Tes t. 8 hours $ T ak e it in one sitt ing (with the sa m e b r eaks you get during the ac tual MCA T exa m).

H ow d id you do on the Sam ple T est?

It is not t ypic al for peop le taking the Samp le T est to have m aster ed all the c ontent. Keep in mind that ea ch ind ividual brings a differ ent s et of k nowl edge, skills, and experience s to the table. T he tes t g ive s you a ba se line so you k now what to study.

Ma ybe you ha ve a s tr ong c hemistry back gr ound but have neve r tak en a psycholog y or s ociolog y class. Or you’v e tak en c ours es in a ll the d iscip lines , but you didn’t fee l c omfor tab le in the bio chemist ry class you took las t s eme ster. Or your m aj or is politic al sci ence, so you have s t r ong analyt ica l skills but need a st r onger b io log y and physics foundation. Don’t pan ic. Being r ealist ic , ca lm , and a wa re will help you gather the r e sourc es and im plem ent st r ateg ie s to ac quir e the k no wledge and skills the exam co vers.

You took the Sam p le T es t to identif y your s tr engths and wher e you have gaps. W e’ll sho w you how to cata log thos e gaps so that you c an gather r es ourc es to c over them in p r epa r at ion for the MC AT e xam.

T he Sa m ple T est g ives you an honest br eak down of you r k nowledge s o that you ha ve a r ealis t ic vi e w of ho w you need to pr epar e. You m a y not fee l c omfortable or c onf ident with what you k now right no w, but r e m em ber: this is j us t a sta rt ing po int.

Revie w you r Sam p le T est r es ult s in detail, and catalog your c orr ect, i nc orr ect, and inc om plete answe rs.

Task Tim e needed

Cos t Com p leted

2 Re vie w your Off icial MC A T ® Samp le T e st r e su lt s and co m plete the Sam p le T es t W orksheet.

6–

hours

f r ee

Open the Sam ple T est W orksheet. Co m plete the works heet while r evi ewing your Sam p le T e st r es ults on the e-MC A T site. W e’ve pr ovided you with an examp le.

2 - 3 hours f r ee

Afte r logg ing in at e-MC A T .co m, open the Sa m ple T es t you j ust c om p leted and s elec t “ I t em Level R eview Table” ( th ir d tab). T his shows you all the ques tion s you an swer ed in co rr ec t ly, as well as the que st ions you left in co m plete. Using the Item Le vel Revie w T able on line at e-MCA T .co m , doc um ent the Foundat iona l C onc ept, Content Category, S cient if ic Inquiry and R eason ing Skill, and Discipline on your Sam ple T es t W orks heet and r ec or d how you did.

3 - 4 hours f r ee

Retu r n to the ques t ions you an swe r ed in co rr ec t ly, and us e the Wh y Di d I M iss This Q uesti on? featur e at the bottom of eac h quest ion to m ark one of six r ea sons. T his m ay help you r e cognize patter n s in your decision m aking.

1 hour f r ee

On your Sam ple T est W orksheet, write you r conce r n s and c hallenges in the Concer ns and Challe nges c olum n. W er e you hung ry? Did you r un out of ener gy o r los e fo cu s? W er e so m e s ec t ions r eally diff ic ult or unfamiliar?

minutes

f r ee

N ow r e vie w your co m pleted Sam ple T est W orks heet. You have an outline of spe cif ic foundat iona l con cept s, content c ategories , and skills you need to study. You a lso ha ve i nform at ion ident if ying why you miss ed the que st ions and what personal conce r n s you need to addr e ss befo r e the exam.

In the ne xt s tep, you’ll gather r es ourc es and de velop s tr ateg ies to help you f ill in the gap s and bols ter the k nowledge and skills you ident if ied.

Step 3: Gather Free and Lo w-C os t Re s ou rc es T hat C an H el p You P repa re

( 4 - 6 hou rs)

At this point, you m a y be asking yours elf, “W hy so m u ch planning?”

Plann ing he lp s you g r asp the big pic tur e. If you ha ve a good plan, you k now what to e xpec t. You’ve a ccounted for gaps , conc er ns, and risks up f r ont so that you have a plan or s tr ateg y to addr e ss them and a void be ing blindsi ded. A lot of planning goes into every im po rtant event or pr oj ect, and pr eparing for the MCA T exam is no except ion. A s the old adage goe s, “Failing to plan is p lanning to fail. ” Taking the MCA T e xa m is a miles tone in your future ca r eer , and pr epa r at ion for it s hou ld be done with g r eat effor t and attention to detail. T he bette r pr epar ed you ar e, the m o re lik ely you will perform we ll.

Without a plan, it ’s d iff ic ult to k now wher e you s tand or how m uc h pr og r ess you’ve m ade. Without a plan, it ’s easy to fall pr ey to feeling s of un ce r taint y and anxiety and mak e im pu lsive decision s that undermine your c onf idenc e.

So in this step, you will pull together an in vento ry of a ll the MC AT exam prep r e sourc es availab le to you. I m por tant note : Your r esourc es fo r studying will be s om ewhat d iffe r ent f r om your r e sou rce s for pr act icing. Your f irs t set of r esource s will be for s tudying content, and you r s ec ond set of r es ourc es will be for pr act icing and applying what you’ve s tudied.

As you s elec t your r es ources and str ateg ies , r eme m ber that they s hould be pa rt of an a ct iv e s tudy p lan. T his m eans that your plan s houldn ’t con sis t only of passive ac tivit ie s (su ch as wat ch ing video s) ; you r p lan s hould have a ct ive s trateg ies to r einforce l ear ning: s umm arizing what you r ead, explaining the c onc ept s in you r own wor ds , and applying idea s to r eal-life sc ena rios.

Onc e you ’ve co ver ed c ontent, m ak e s ur e to p r a ctice applying the c ontent. One wa y of doing this is to tak e off icial pr act ice ques t ions to gauge your understand ing and applic at ion of the con cepts you studied. For pr a ct ic e ques t ions on the va riou s d isciplines c over ed in the MCA T e xa m , the AA MC offers the AA MC MCA T ® Section Bank , the Off icial MC AT ® Questi on Packs, and the Off icial MC AT ® Flas hc ards , all of whic h a r e author ed by the s am e people who write the MCA T exam. Us e thes e to he lp gauge whether you ’r e lear ning ho w to integr ate and app ly con cept s in pr epa r at ion for the exa m.

Ta sk Tim e needed

Co st Com p leted

1 Open the Res ourc es and St r ateg ies W orks heet, and b r a in storm r es ourc es and s tr ateg ie s. List eve rything you c an think of in the t wo c olum ns. ( A list of e xam p le s a r e pr ovided for your r efer en ce.)

1 hour fr ee

2 Use the Sa m ple T est W orks heet and Re sourc es and St r ateg ie s W orks heet to c om p lete your Study Plan W orks heet. (W e r ecomm end that you print the m. )

3 - 5 hours fr ee

Ta sk Tim e needed

Co st Com p leted

On you r Study Plan W orks heet, lis t the exa m s ec t ion, foundat ional c oncept, content c ategory, scientif ic inquiry and r ea son ing skill and/or crit ic al analysis and r eas oning skill, and discipline you want to stud y.

1 - 2 hours

Cons ult your Res ourc es and St r ateg ie s W orks heet to lis t all the re source s and s t r ateg ie s that tar get these a r ea s of study.

minutes

Lis t the st r ateg ies that you can us e with the r es ource s you have.

minutes Re vie w the SIRS ( Scientif ic Inquiry and Reas oning Skills) or CAR S (Crit ica l Ana lysis and Reas oning Skills) s ect ion in you r Study Plan W orks heet. Revisit the W hat ’s on the MCA T Exam? r es ourc e to r e vie w eac h skill in detail and lis t the r es ourc es and st r ateg ies that will help you build those skills.

1 - 2 hours

SU GGESTED O FFI CI AL STUDY RESO URCES

(f ree)

Varies

Khan Ac ademy’s MC AT ® Co lle ct ion tutoria ls r elate d ir ect ly to the MC AT e xam c ontent c ategorie s. o Re visit the W hat’s on the MCA T E xam? r es ourc e. At the bottom of eac h of the 31 c ontent categorie s is a lis t of Khan Ac ademy video tutorials r elated to that c ategory. Khan A c ademy’s MC A T ® Co lle ct ion is a f r ee, open- acc ess co lle ction that includes m or e than 1,100 videos and 3,000 r evie w quest ion s cove ring all c ontent ar eas on the e xa m.

fr ee

A Roadm ap to MCA T® Content in So ciolog y and P syc hology Textbooks is a f r ee, printable online r es ourc e that list s f r ee or lo w-c os t psycholog y and so ciolog y te xtbooks , as well as the s pecif ic te xtbook c hapters that c over the foundat iona l c on cept s r e lat ing to psycho log y and s ocio log y.

fr ee

Ta sk Tim e needed

Co st Com p leted

A Roadm ap to MCA T® Content in Bio chemis try Textbooks is a f r ee, printable on line r es ourc e that lis t s specif ic chapters in lo w-c os t textbooks that co ve r the foundat ional c onc ept s r elat ing to bioc he mis t ry.

fr ee

SU GGESTED O FFI CI AL PRACTI CE RESO URC ES

( l ow cost)

Varies Va rie s

A pack et of Off icial MCA T ® Flas hc ar ds pr ovide s you with 150 discr ete quest ion s written by the developers of the MC AT ® exa m. You get 25 quest ion s in eac h of the se disciplines : bioc hemis t ry, b io log y, chemis try, ph ysics, p syc holog y, and socio log y.

$

Off icial MCA T ® Ques tion Pa cks , which can be purchas ed individually ( 120 ques t ions) or as a bundle ( 720 ques tion s) , co ve r b io log y (vols. 1 and 2) , c hemis try, physics, and crit ica l analysis and r easoning (vols. 1 and 2 ).

$

ea ch $ bund le of six

T he AA MC MCA T ® Sec tion Ban k c onsists of 300 pr act ic e questions em pha sizing bioc he mist ry, psyc hol ogy, and s ocio log y.

$

J us t lik e the Off icial MC A T ® Sa mple T es t you took earlier, all the online off icia l AAMC pr ac t ice pr odu ct s c om e with the Why Di d I M iss This Questi on? featu r e. Use this featur e to ident if y patter ns in your tes t taking.

fr ee

You’ve no w cr eated a Study Plan f r am ewo rk! Your next step is to organize the wee ks or m onths you’ve a lloc ated to pr epar e for the MC AT exa m.

Step 4: Create You r Stud y P l an (3–5 hou rs)

T he wo rksheet you cr eated in Step 3 will he lp you cr eate a pers onalized w eekly o r m onthly Study Plan.

Ta sk Tim e needed

Co st Com p leted

1 W orking backwar ds f r om your exam date, f igu r e out ho w m uc h t im e you have to s tudy.

1–

hours

f r ee

You’ve r evie wed the MC A T test ing c alendar and app lic at ion deadlines. T h ink about whether you c an perform we ll on your f irs t tak e or need t wo or m or e tak e s. If you think you m ay need two or m or e tak es , c onsider schedu ling the f irst tak e ea rly enough to leave t im e for addit ional tak es du ring the sam e A MCAS applic ation cycl e. Reg is ter for the exam if the r eg istr at ion windo w is open and you fee l comfor table r eg is tering now.

varie s

2 Cr eate you r Study Plan. 2– hours

f r ee

Open the Study Plan. Write down a ll your ac ade mic, p r ofessional, and ext r ac urric ular obligat ion s in the r ow labe led “ S c hedule” and ho w m any hours each ac t ivity r equir es. Write down how m any hou rs you have ava ilable to s tudy eac h day, s ubt r act ing 10 hours for sleep and basic ca r e and the nu m ber of hours needed for the obligat ion s you lis ted in the task above. Ident if y the ar eas you want to stud y, and write the m down. Figur e out how to s equence you r stud y and pr ac t ice. Do you want to sta rt with your s t r ongest ar ea, or do you want to a lte r nate bet ween a s ec t ion you are co mfo rtable with and a s ect ion you’r e not as comfor table with? Also, r em ember that studying c ontent t ypic ally c om es befor e pra ct icing the applic at ion of that c ontent. Using you r Study Pl an W o rks heet f r om the pr eviou s s tep, write down the r e source s and s t r ateg ie s you’ll us e to s tudy c ontent. Also

write down the r es ourc es and st r ateg ies you ’ll us e to pr act ic e applying that c ontent.

Your pe rsonalized Study Plan is a living doc um ent. If, after a few weeks of stud ying, you f ind that you need to adj us t you r tim eline or the num be r of hours you’ve alloc ated for s pecif ic discip line s, c onc ept s, or skills , you s hould do so. If you f ind that the m aterial you ’ve listed is too m uch or too litt le for the num ber of days o r weeks, adj ust you r p lan acc ording ly.

Step 5: Stud y and P r actic e ( tim efra me va ries)

Your Study Plan s hou ld have a good mix of st r ateg ies to help you lear n, integ r ate, and apply new con cept s. After s tudying new c onc ept s, mak e s ur e to g ive yours elf oppor tun it ies to pr act ic e and app ly them. Here are som e str ateg i es you can us e:

• Pr epa r e a set of questions to ask you rself after wat c hing a video or r ead ing a textbook chapte r. For exa m ple: Can I ex plain th is to a cla ssm ate? C an I think of a real-life ex am p le of th is c onc ept relev ant to m e or som eone els e? D oes this differ f ro m w hat I pr eviously unders tood and if s o, w h y? W hat add it ional inform at ion c an I see k out to enhanc e my understanding of this top ic?
• Sta r t eac h day with a r evie w of what you stud ied or pr ac t iced during the previou s day. Re vie wing sm a ll c hunks of inform at ion r egularly will help you r etain the content.
• Study with a par tner. Assign topics to teac h eac h other, u se eac h other a s s ounding boar d s to think out loud, and s har e notes. Cr eate que st ions and quiz eac h other.
• Summ arize what you lea r ned. You can u se le cture notes, textbooks , and Khan A c ade my tutoria ls to write s umm aries , c om p ile list s, or dr aw c om par e- and-c ont r a st char t s and c on cept m aps.
• Rep r odu ce your s umm aries and notes f r om m emory to pr ac t ic e r ec alling inform at ion.
• Cr eate you r own f la sh cards and vo cabulary lis t s.
• If you have quest ions or don’t fully unde rs tand a topic or c onc ept, k eep t r ack of all your quest ion s and c he ck in with your p r ofessor or advis or during off ic e hours.
• Jo in online for ums to ask and answe r quest ions about the topics and concept s.

T he AAMC inte rvie wed a d ivers e g r oup of e xaminees about how they pr epar ed for the MCA T exam. T he s tr ateg ies used by s om e of the exa minee s ar e featur ed in How I Pr epar ed for the MC AT ® Exa m. Consider the r es ourc es the se ind ividua ls us ed, the obs tacles the y ove rc am e, and the advic e the y’d lik e to offer others pr eparing for the exam.

Step 6: C ommi t to a Fi nal R ehears a l o r P ra ctic e ( 2 da ys)

It has been wee ks sinc e you f irs t took the Sa m ple T es t, and you’ve s pent a lot of t im e pr eparing for the MC AT e xam. Now it’s t im e for you r f ina l pr ac t ice, or r ehears al, befor e the r eal exam. T ak e another fu ll-length pr ac t ic e test, this t im e a sc or ed one, to s ee where you now stand. A s befor e, tak e it under the s am e c ondit ions a s the actual tes t: with the s am e timing and b r eaks, at a locat ion out side your own hom e, in one sitt ing.

After you tak e the prac t ice test, think about what you want to do. Ar e you happy with the r es ult s? Do you need m or e tim e to s tudy and pr a ct ice, or ar e you r eady to tak e the e xam?

Rem e m ber , you have the opt ion of r evisit ing you r Stud y Plan and adj usting or extending it bas ed on you r p r a ct ic e tes t r es ult s. You a ls o ha ve the option to r etak e the exa m.

Task Tim e needed

Co st Co m plete

1 Set aside a whole day, and tak e a fu ll-length pr act ic e exa m. W e r ec omm end taking the AA MC MC AT ® P r a ct ice E xa m 1, AAMC MCA T ® Pr a ct ic e Exa m 2, or AA MC MCA T ® Pr a ct ic e E xam 3, all of which ar e off icial, full-length pr a ct ic e tests that pr ovide sca led sco r es.

8 hours $

Se le ct the “ S im ulate A ctua l T est ” s ett ing to test unde r the s am e tim ed c ondit ions as the ac tual exam. 2 Re vie w your sc aled sc ore r epor t, and r ef lect on your pe rform anc e.

1–

days

f r ee

Revisit you r r es ults f r om the Sam ple T e st, tak en in Step 2, and ass ess your c urr ent perform anc e. Write down how you feel. 3 Dete rmine your next c ours e of act ion. Varies f r ee “ I ’m happ y with the r es ults. ” o You can go ahead and ta k e the actua l e xam. O r o You c an tak e anothe r fu ll-length pr a ct ic e tes t to be abs olutely su r e you can per form the s am e. You can also ask your advis or to hold a Mock Exa m Day for you and your peers or ho ld one for you rs elf.

Task Tim e needed

Co st Co m plete

“ I think I c an do better .” o You can r evisit the pr eviou s s teps to cr eate a Study Pl an ba sed on your full- length pr actic e test r e su lts. Consider m odif ying your ar ea s of foc us or adding t im e and r es ourc es. o If your obstacl es we r e physic al, s uc h as being tir ed, hung ry, o r unfoc us ed, f igur e out a plan to addr ess those cha llenges. o If you have alr eady r eg ister ed for the exam , don’t thi nk you ’ll be r ead y, and ar e within the r eg is tr at ion deadline, consider r esc heduling your e xam. (Re sc heduling fees m ay apply. )

Ins pirat i ona l Stori es

It’s co m pletely no rm al to fee l overwhelm ed o r anxious about a big exam. W hen you fee l overwhe lm ed o r discouraged, r em em ber that ther e ar e m any s tudent s out ther e who ar e feeling the sam e. Also r e m em ber that ther e ar e j ust a s man y individua ls and ins ti tut ion s want ing to s uppor t you, and ther e ar e m any r es ource s out ther e to help you s ucc eed.

Man y student s have o vercom e incr edible challenges—po ver t y, serious illness o r in j ury, vio len ce, disab ilit ies , and lear ning Eng lish as a thir d or fourth language—to be co m e ph ysicians. Som e we r e the f irs t in their families to go to co llege, s om e pr epar ed for the MCA T e xa m while r aising ch ild r en and working full- t im e j obs, and som e took the exam four or m or e t im e s.

T he AAMC has intervie w ed and c hr onicled the sto ries of s om e am azing individua ls who s ucce ssfully pr epa r ed for the MCA T , navigated the applicat ion pr oc ess , and wer e accepted to m edica l sc hoo l. For ins pir at ion, c heck out the f irsthand a cc ounts of thes e i ndividuals her e:

• Ho w I Pr epa r ed for the MCA T ® Exa m o Pr em ed s tudents talk about ho w they pr epar ed for the MCA T e xam. T hey d isc uss their sc or es, the r e sou rces they u sed, the obs tacles the y o vercame, and the ad vice they’d lik e to offer to othe rs p r eparing for the exam.
• Asp iring Docs Diaries : Prem ed blog s o Pr em ed s tudents, m edical s tudents , and r esidents blog about top ics s uch as r esilience and motivation.
• Ask a Med Student video s eries o Med ical s tudent s answer ques t ions about their paths to m edica l school, what m ed sc hool cours es ar e lik e, e xperienc es with patient s , and m o r e.
• Asp iring Docs: In sp iring Stori es o Med ical s tudent s and physician s ta lk about the j our neys they’ve m ade.
• Anato my of an Applic ant o Intervie ws with m edic al student s, their pr ehealth advis ors , and the admissions off ic ers who acc epted them h igh light how applic ants c an dem ons tr ate the c or e co m petencies for entering m ed ica l students in m any wa ys.

Som eday, the se out s tanding individuals m a y be you r c olleagues or m entors at a ho sp ita l, clinic, r es earch facilit y, or other s ett ing. If any of thes e ind ividua ls ar e within your geog r aphic r eg ion, r eac h out to them and ask if they c ould sit do wn with you over lunc h or a coffee br eak to talk about their e xperienc es and how they got to their cu rr ent posit ions. Per haps, in a few yea rs , you too will be loo king back at this poi nt in t im e and ta lking to student s about your e xperienc es on your path to beco ming a physician!

T he AAMC wishes you the bes t of luck in th is endea vor!

S uppl e m ental W orks heet s for the Stud y P l an

1. Sam p le T e st W orks heet
2. R es ou rces and Str ateg ies W orks heet
3. Study Plan W orks heet
4. Study Plan

Each of the items above in clude: 1) a c om pleted sam p le; and 2) a blank tem pl ate.

1 - Sa m pl e Te s t W o rks heet

Exam secti on

Q ues ti on num ber

An swered c orrect ly An swered i nc orrectly o r left inc om plet e FC 1 CC 2 SIR S^3 Discipline FC CC SIR S Discipline W hy d id I miss th is ques ti on?

C on c e r ns and c ha ll enge s

B io logic a l and B ioc hemic al F oundati ons ( BB)

C he mic al and Ph ysic al F oundati ons (C P) Critic a l Ana lysis and R eas on ing S kills (C AR S) P syc ho logic a l, Socia l, and B io logic a l F oundati ons of Behavior ( PSBB)

1 6 6 B 4 Psyc ho log y T hought I k new the answ e r but got it wrong

I ha v en ’t ta k en any p syc holog y o r s o cio l ogy cla ss es in gener a l, s o I ’m basic ally gue ssing my w ay th r ough th is s e c tion. I a ls o fee l tir ed i n the late after noon afte r^ w^ o^ rki^ ng har d on the other s e c tion s , s o it ’s har d to fo c u s.

2 6 6B 2 P syc ho log y

3 6 6B 4 Psyc ho log y Didn ’t k now the an sw e r and gue ss ed in c o rr ec t ly 4 6 6B 4 P syc ho log y

5 6 6B 4 Psyc ho log y Didn ’t k now the an sw e r and gue ss ed in c o rr ec t ly 6 10 10A 1 So cio log y Didn ’t k now the an sw e r and gue ss ed in c o rr ec t ly 7 8 8 C 3 So cio log y Didn ’t k now the an sw e r and gue ss ed in c o rr ec t ly 8 9 9B 3 So cio log y Didn ’t k now the an sw e r and gue ss ed in c o rr ec t ly 9 8 8A 2 Psyc ho log y Didn ’t k now the an sw e r and gue ss^ ed^ in^ c^ o^ rr^ ec^ t^ ly

1. FC = F oundat iona l c on c ept; 2. CC = C ontent c atego ry; 3. SI R S = Scientif ic i nquiry and rea s on ing skill

Sam pl e T est W orks heet ( bl ank)

Exam secti on

Q ues ti on num ber

An swered correct ly An swered i ncorrectly o r left i nc om plet e FC 1 CC 2 SIR S^3 Discip line FC CC SIR S Discip line W h y d id I miss th is ques ti on?

C on c er n s and c ha ll enges B io logic a l and B ioc hemic al F oundati ons ( BB)

C he mic al and Ph ysic al F oundati ons (C P)

Critic a l Ana lysis and R eas on ing S kills (C AR S)

P syc ho logic a l, Socia l, and B io logic a l F oundati ons of Behavior ( PSBB)

1. FC = F oundat iona l c on c ept; 2. CC = C ontent c atego ry; 3. SI R S = Scientif ic i nquiry and rea s on ing skill

2 - R es ou rc e s and Str ategi es W o rks heet

Res ources availa ble S trate gies availa ble

• Cl ass notes
• Friends’ cla ss note s
• Friends
• T ex tboo ks
• J our na ls
• Pr ofe ssors (if I don ’t unde rs tand s om eth ing)
• Ac ademic ad visor
• Fr ee online textbooks
• Fr ee online c ourses
• Test pr ep books in lib r ary or bookstor e
• Online p r em ed discu ssion for ums
• Khan Academy
• YouTube
• MC AT® que st ion- a- da y online
• AA MC’s psyc ho logy/ s ociology textbook too l
• AA MC’s bioc hemis t ry textbook tool
• F ull-length p r act ic e te st s
• AAMC pr a ct ic e m aterials : Section Bank; Ques t ion Packs; Flashc ar ds ; Pr a ct ic e E x ams 1, 2, and 3; Sam ple Tes t; Online Que st ions fr o m The Off icial Guide to the MCA T® Ex am , et c.
• N ationa l Scien ce Digital Libr ary
  • Read
  • W at c h video s
  • Cr eate s umm a ries
  • Do pr act ice questions
  • Cr eate co m par e - and-c ont r ast c har ts
  • Cr eate con cept m aps
  • Ma ke my own f las hc ar ds
  • Fo rm/pa rt icipate in s tudy gr oup
  • Teac h- ba cks with friends
  • Write dow n real-life e xam ples of the c oncept s
  • Jo in online fo r ums to ask ques tions
  • Cr eate v oc abulary lis t s

R esourc es and Str ateg ie s W orksheet ( bl ank)

Res ources availa ble S trate gies availa ble

3 - Stud y P lan W o rks heet

Exam Sect ion

FC CC SI RS/

CAR S

D isci plin e Resources St ra t e gies

PSBB 6 6B SI RS

P syc h • Khan A c ade my videos on sleep and c onscious ne ss , dr ug dependen c e, attent i on, m e m o ry , and c ogn i tion

• Psyc ho log ic a l Sci enc e, c hapters 3, 4, 7, 8, and 9
• AA MC Sec ti on Ban k and Fla s h c a r ds - W at c h video s - R ead tex tboo ks - Cr eate s u mm a ries - Ma k e f la s h c a r d s - T a k e Se c t ion Bank - T ea c h- ba ck with psyc h m aj or friend - A sk ques ti on s on online for ums if I don ’t unders tand s o m eth ing - P r a c t ic e inte r p r et i ng f igur es , gr aphs , data, etc ., w h il e r ead ing te x tbooks

8 8A SI RS

P syc h • Khan A c ade my video on s e lf- identity

• Intr odu c t ion to Bi os ocia l M ed icine, c hapte rs 4, 5, and 7
• AA MC Sec ti on Ban k and Fla s h c a r ds - W at c h video s - R ead tex tboo ks - Cr eate s u mm a ries - Ma k e f la s h c a r d s - T a k e Se c t ion Bank - T ea c h- ba ck with psyc h m aj or friend - A sk ques ti on s on online for ums if I don ’t unders tand s o m eth ing

8 8 C SI RS

Soc • Khan A c ade my videos on s ocial behavio r , s oci a l inte r ac tion s , s elf - p re s entat ion and inte r a c ting with othe rs^ , b^ io^ log^ ic^ al^ ex^ p^ l^ anati^ on^ s^ of s o cia l behavio r in anim a ls , and d iscrimi nat ion

• AA MC Sec ti on Ban k and Fla s h c a r ds - W at c h video s - R ead tex tboo ks - Cr eate s u mm a ries - Ma k e f la s h c a r d s - T a k e Se c t ion Bank - A sk ques ti on s on online for ums if I don ’t unders tand s o m eth ing - P r a c t ic e ident i fying h y pothe s es , r elat ion s h ip s , v a li d ity of too ls , et c ., w h il e r ead ing tex tbooks

9 9B SI RS

Soc • Khan A c ade my videos on de m og r aphics , c u ltu r e

• AA MC Sec ti on Ban k and Fla s h c a r ds - W at c h video s - R ead tex tboo ks - Cr eate s u mm a ries - Ma k e f la s h c a r d s

Exam Sect ion

FC CC SI RS/

CAR S

D isci plin e Resources St ra t e gies

• T a k e Se c t ion Bank
• A sk ques ti on s on online for ums if I don ’t unders tand s o m eth ing
• P r a c t ic e ident i fying h y pothe s es , r elat ion s h ip s , v a li d ity of too ls , et c ., w h il e r ead ing tex tbooks 10 10A SI RS 1

Soc •^ Khan A^ c^ ade^ my^ video on^ s^ o^ cial inequa lit y

• Intr odu c t ion to So ci ol og y , c hapte rs on hu m an ec o log y and en vir on m ent, s tr at ific at ion, and hea lth and m ed ici ne
• AA MC Sec ti on Ban k and Fla s h c a r ds - W at c h video s - R ead tex tboo ks - Cr eate s u mm a ries - Ma k e f la s h c a r d s - T a k e Se c t ion Bank - A sk ques ti on s on online for ums if I don ’t unde rs tand s om ething - P r a c t ic e r ec ogn izing pri ncip les , r el at i on s h ip s , etc ., w h il e r ead ing o r do i ng p r ac tic e ques t ion s

Stud y Pl an W o rks heet (b lan k)

Exam Sect ion

FC CC SI RS/

CAR S

D isci plin e Resources St ra t egies

Bio logic a l and Bioc hemic al F oundati ons ( BB)

C he mic al and Ph ysic al F oundati ons (C P)

Crit ic a l Ana lysis and R ea s on ing Skills (C AR S)

Psyc ho logic a l, Socia l, and Bio logic a l F oundati ons of Beha vi or ( PSBB)