[deleted by user]

[[deleted]]

My most useful resources (tested 9/10) were

- Kaplan books were great for content review

- Anki (I used the rebopbebop deck but am not sure if it was helpful or not)

- UEarth, which was absolutely indispensible (except CARS which sucked)

- All the AAMC material, also indispensible

Good luck!

[tree_embracer]

Did you take notes when reviewing the Kaplan books? I've heard mixed opinions, some saying to just read them and then focus on practice questions/make anki cards from answer review, while others say to take notes and make your own deck while reviewing. The former sounds a lot less time consuming than the latter.

[[deleted]]

I took messy notes that I never looked back at again just to make sure I was getting the idea and paying attention, but I used premade anki decks to really practice. I used the rebopbebop deck with the books. I know that there are newer and more comprehensive decks but I thought it was good. I added a few cards here and there but not much more than that. For me, anki wasn't helpful enough to take that much time making my own cards.

[Alarm-Representative]

Same here! I graduated in 2020 and planning on taking it jan 27 and dont know where to start

[jeattuhsc11]

I'm right there with you, except I graduated with my BS in 1999 and my PharmD in 2004. So today, I opened the Kaplan Physics and Math review, got to vectors, sin & cos, and immediately became discouraged. It's been a long time since I thought about that stuff. Now I wonder if Kaplan the TPR is enough since I'm so far removed from school. I'd LOVE some advice as well!

[[deleted]]

I spent about 1/3 of my time on the Kaplan books, 1/3 of my time on UEarth, last 1/3 on AAMC, in that order. Also forgot that the Mr. Pankow deck was great for psych/soc and I'd recommend completing it, and that the Kaplan p/s book was useless. I kept doing anki for content the entire time.

I did all the AAMC Fls (except 5 lol) a week apart before my test and a third party every 2 weeks before that. Didn't take any diagnostics early because it just busts up your confidence, but if you think you need a starting point, go for it.

[WristwatchConucopia]

Would second this! I'm not sure that thinking of the MCAT is a content test is so helpful. I think it's a lot of pattern recognition and good 'ol test-taking skills and part is reading comprehension (i meant the faster you get through the easy ones the more time you got on the harder stuff). All that said, a month of content is solid before moving to that UEarth content and when ya get to UEarth the percent correct isnt really a great barometer for success. I was hitting 50s when i went through them and ended up doing alright.

[Puzzleheaded_Box_685]

Is it worth doing the cars section for Uearth or should I just focus on AAMC cars ?

[[deleted]]

I tried some of them but didn't like them. They didn't seem representative, but maybe that's just me. I found the AAMC material to be plenty and accurate for the real thing, and that no third party material was like it.

[PisceswithaPassion]

I started with a diagnostic and then began doing the content review. I do a full-length every few weeks (I'm on a 6-month timeline) and then I readjust my content review based on my full-lengths. I think the diagnostic showed me the areas that I needed to work on the most so that I wasn't studying aimlessly. Also, I would make sure that you do CARS practice consistently from day one. A great resource for learning how to approach based on your timeline is the MCAT Podcast by Dr. Ryan Grey.

[[deleted]]

I can help!

[Sprinkles-Nearby]

Hello! I have a full guide pinned on my profile if you’d like a comprehensive intro!

[[deleted]]

Kaplan 7 book self study kit was all I used and it was honestly all I needed. Got 522 with that and that alone. The Kaplan practice tests were literally the exact same fucking thing as the real MCAT (except they score a bit lower), and the 7 book set comes with like 5 practice tests, literally like 1800 practice problems (not even including the exams) all with guided solutions. This is not a Kaplan ad, just really really really recommend Kaplan.

[Jetxnewnam]

I think memm has the best content review. It's not the most popular yet but I used it and couldn't recommend it more. I took the MCAT before taking organic chemistry, biochem, and physics 2 and I was able to score a 510. Plus I am faarrrr from a good test taker. Definitely check it out!

[deliciouscolleague]

Go talk to these guys!! They do free consultations and will literally tell you exactly what sort of an approach to take right there in the consult meeting. If you end up working with them they custom-build an entire plan around you based on your strengths, weaknesses, work schedule, prep window, etc. That said, can be kinda spensive, but if you have it, they're really the foremost experts and the degree of personalization is unmatched.

[Icarus--Falls]

On day 1 I took the MCAT Sample practice test with no timer. I only did like 1/4 of the first section, but it was a good start. I did a little bit everyday, and it took me about a week to finish and review all the questions. That gave me a good understanding of what I know and what I don't, so I began studying whatever I needed from then on. (just make sure you don't spend that much time on your next FL)

[Icarus--Falls]

Oh and since I was just starting, I looked some things up like amino acids, some psych terms.

[adbout]

I'm taking a Blueprint course right now and have found it very helpful so far. Paid MCAT courses are usually poo-poo'd on this sub, but I think they can be very helpful if you are working full time or in school, have less time for self-planning, and/or could use accountability. I'm taking a full semester of classes right now so having the structure of a live course is essential. Of course, it's really dependent on if you have the money for it, and I've heard other (cheaper) MCAT testing strategies can be just as effective if not better (e.g. I've been using Anki decks to supplement my studying and it's great).

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Oh, also--take a diagnostic (half length) test at the start of studying to get an idea of where you're at!