As you near your undergraduate studies and begin preparing for medical school, a pivotal step is getting a high score on the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT). This exam plays a crucial role in medical school admissions, demonstrating your preparedness for medical school. Therefore, you’re probably wondering, “When should I start studying for the MCAT?”
While studying for this monumental exam can be intimidating, this comprehensive guide will help you create an effective study schedule, decide when to start studying, and choose the best time to take the MCAT. So join us and determine the optimal timeline for beginning your MCAT studies so that you have ample time to cover the material thoroughly and approach test day with confidence.
Overview of the MCAT
The MCAT is a 7.5-hour standardized, multiple-choice exam designed to assess your knowledge and skills necessary for medical school. It’s a crucial component of the medical school admissions process in the United States, Canada, Australia, and the Caribbean Islands. It provides a standardized measure to compare applicants from different educational backgrounds.
This exam assesses your understanding of scientific concepts, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills. It consists of four sections:
- Biological and biochemical foundations of living systems (BBLS): Tests your knowledge of basic biology, biochemistry, organic chemistry, and inorganic chemistry.
- Chemical and physical foundations of biological systems (CPBS): Assesses your knowledge of basic biochemistry, biology, general chemistry, organic chemistry, and physics.
- Psychological, social, and biological foundations of behavior (PSBB): Tests your introductory psychology, sociology, and biology knowledge.
- Critical analysis and reasoning skills (CARS): Tests your analysis and reasoning skills on concepts related to ethics, philosophy, and a wide range of social sciences and humanities disciplines.
The first three sections consist of 59 multiple-choice questions, whereas the CARS section consists of 53 multiple-choice questions. Your raw score is the number of corrected answers in each section, and there is no penalty for incorrect answers. The raw score is then converted to a scaled score ranging from 118 to 132 for each section, taking into account the variations in difficulty across different test forms. This ensures that scores from different test dates are comparable. The total MCAT score ranges from 472 to 528, with the midpoint being 500.
When Should I Start Studying for the MCAT?
To determine when you should start studying for the MCAT, you must first evaluate factors such as:
- Current knowledge base: If you recently completed the prerequisite courses—two semesters of biology, physics, general chemistry, and organic chemistry—and have a strong grasp of the material, you may need less preparation time.
- Test date: Your test date will largely determine your study time. Make sure to give yourself plenty of time for a comprehensive review, practice tests, and addressing areas for improvement.
- Personal and academic commitments: If you have a demanding schedule or are experiencing life-changing events, you may need to start earlier to distribute your study hours more evenly.
While the optimal start time for preparing for the MCAT varies, we recommend taking three to six months to prepare for the exam, which, if studying for 25 hours per week, equates to 300-600 hours of study time. This time frame provides enough room to cover all the necessary material without rushing while ensuring information retention.
When Is the Best Time to Take the MCAT?
The Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) offers the MCAT exam on 30 test dates in January and March through September. So when is the right time to take the exam? We recommend taking it as early in the year as possible, no later than mid-May, before the medical school application submissions begin in early June. As most medical schools offer rolling admissions, taking the exam earlier provides you a better chance of enrolling in your preferred program. Alternatively, taking the MCAT in either January or March gives you ample time to retake the exam if necessary and still allows you to submit your application early.
Other crucial considerations for scheduling the optimal test date for you include:
- Coursework completion: If you haven’t completed most of the prerequisites for the exam, it’s best to take the exam at a later time. Finishing these courses will give you the foundational knowledge needed for the exam, making you feel more comfortable with the content and skills being tested.
- Personal schedule: Consider your academic and personal commitments and avoid scheduling the MCAT during final exams, major projects, or personal events.
- Readiness: Schedule your exam when you feel confident in your preparation. If you need extra time to study, consider testing later in the year for additional time.
MCAT Study Schedule: How to Create One?
One of the major factors essential to achieving a high MCAT score is creating an effective study schedule. To make a personalized study schedule to suit your specific circumstances, follow the steps below:
Step 1: Set your goal score and timeline
The first thing you need to do when creating an MCAT study schedule is determine a target score based on medical school requirements and personal goals. In 2023, the mean total score was 501.3; however, you should aim to get a higher score to become a competitive applicant.
Then you must decide when to take the exam and calculate how much time you have to study. If you want to attend medical school in the fall of 2025, you should take the exam in 2024.
Lastly, setting a realistic study timeline is essential to creating a successful MCAT study plan. A realistic timeline helps you manage your time efficiently and reduce stress. It also allows for unexpected events or the need for additional study time.
Step 2: Gather study materials
Having the right study materials is crucial for effective MCAT preparation. Fortunately, there are plenty of resources to help you ace the MCAT. From textbooks and online courses to practice tests and flashcards, each study material offers unique benefits such as in-depth content review and interactive practice questions. We recommend study materials such as:
- Books: Kaplan MCAT Complete 7-book Subject Review, and Princeton Review MCAT Subject Review Complete Box Set
- Practice tests: AAMC Official Prep Materials, Kaplan full-length practice tests, Princeton Review Practice Tests, and UWorld MCAT Prep
- Online resources: Khan Academy MCAT Test Prep, Anki flashcards, and Sketchy MCAT.
With all these resources available, organizing and keeping track of them can be overwhelming. You can use cloud storage to store PDFs and notes or binders for printed materials. You can also maintain a study log or journal to record what you studied and for how long. While study materials can be costly, investing in high-quality materials can make all the difference in your MCAT performance.
Step 3: Create a study plan
Although the daily study schedule depends on the time you can allocate to study each day, in general, it should include:
- Review of specific content areas
- MCAT prep (half practice test, test review, practice questions and passages)
- CARS practice passages.
Furthermore, you can break the three-month preparation period into several phases, such as:
- Week 1: Start by taking a diagnostic test to familiarize yourself with the test and establish your baseline performance. Identify content areas you need to work on and make changes to your study plan accordingly.
- Weeks 2-8: Spend this period rotating on subjects like Biology, Biochemistry, General Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, Physics, and Behavioral Sciences. Use the AAMC Sample Questions and Sections for test-like practice and study for the CARS section on a daily basis.
- Weeks 9-11: Begin each week with a practice test and follow up with a full day of test review. Identify the types of questions or topics you need to work more on and tailor your study schedule accordingly. When practicing from the AAMC practice tests, choose the passages based on the content areas you’ve reviewed. Continue to study for the CARS section daily by reading passages and working on passage-related questions.
- The final week before the exam: Take a full practice test and review it. Spend time reviewing the content areas that you think you can master, given just a little more time. Take the day before the exam completely off, and make sure to be well-rested and mentally prepared for the MCAT.
When creating your study plan, balance content review, practice questions, and full-length tests. Lastly, incorporate regular breaks and rest days to avoid burnout.
Step 4: Adjust your study plan
Flexibility and adaptability are critical to a successful MCAT study plan. While sticking to a study schedule is crucial, it’s equally important to be open to adjustments as needed. Being flexible in your study plan allows you to adapt to unexpected events without compromising your preparation. Moreover, flexibility is crucial for maintaining a healthy work-life balance and avoiding burnout. To incorporate flexibility into your study plan, you can allocate time for breaks and rest days and create a backup plan for missed study sessions.
Another crucial component of an effective study plan is regularly assessing your performance through practice tests and self-evaluation. These tools help you identify patterns in your results and areas of consistent strength and weakness, allowing you to adjust your study plan to allocate more time to weaker areas.
Step 5: Focus on test strategies
Effective test-taking strategies can significantly improve your performance on the MCAT. Here are specific techniques you can implement for each section.
- BBLS: Memorize all amino acids and biochemical pathways. Ensure you understand how each organ system works and how environmental factors and gene expression affect system function. If a passage describes a research experiment you don’t understand at first, stay calm, focus on what you know, and read through it again more slowly.
- CPBS: Review how to read different types of visual data (histograms, diagrams, graphs, etc.) and recognize which results are statistically significant. Memorize organic structures, common chemical reactions, experimental techniques, and physics equations.
- PSBB: Use strategies similar to CPBS, understand the important theories, and determine how these theories can be applied. Utilize flashcards to understand the underlying principles of different concepts. Memorize the function of key brain regions, how the senses work, and understand ear and eye anatomy.
- CARS: Read through the passage, highlighting important concepts, names, and dates. Try to answer questions before looking at answer choices.
The MCAT is a lengthy exam, so regular practice under timed conditions is essential. Taking full-length practice tests can help you build confidence and become familiar with the test format.
The MCAT is also a milestone exam that can be stressful to study for. It can be tiring, time-consuming, and overwhelming. To manage stress, try practicing mindfulness and meditation. Additionally, it’s important to maintain a healthy diet, get enough sleep, and exercise regularly.
The Bottom Line
The MCAT is a significant milestone on your journey to medical school. As the exam is long and challenging, creating a personalized study plan based on your current knowledge base, test date, and personal and academic commitments is crucial to help you prepare. In addition, beginning your preparation at least three to six months in advance can provide a solid foundation.
Remember, preparing for the MCAT is a marathon, not a sprint. To maximize your study efforts and prevent burnout, you should maintain consistency, flexibility, and balance. So, stay focused on your long-term goals and take care of your physical and mental health along the way. Keep pushing forward and believe in your ability to succeed!
Frequently Asked Questions(FAQs)
Do you take the MCAT in junior or senior year?
You can either take the MCAT in the summer after completing the junior year or during the senior year of undergraduate studies. We recommend taking the MCAT as early as possible to allow time to complete other parts of the medical school application, such as clinical experience and shadowing.
What time of year is it easiest to take the MCAT?
Unfortunately, there isn’t a specific time of the year when the MCAT is easier. However, we recommend taking it as early in the year as possible, no later than mid-May. This allows you to submit your application early and gives you ample time to retake the exam if necessary.
Is studying 3 hours a day enough for the MCAT?
Studying three hours a day can be enough for the MCAT if you begin studying at least three months before the testing day.
Is the MCAT harder than med school?
Unfortunately, the MCAT isn’t the most challenging test you’ll have to pass in your journey to becoming a physician. If anything, it’s the first of many difficult exams in medical school, like the USMLE exams.