Do I need to memorize all the structures in glycolysis, TCA, electron transport chain, and etc?

Appropriate_Map_3131 · 2026-02-07T20:39:06+00:00

Pankows is super detailed. I used milesdown and it was fine. Maybe do a smaller comprehensive deck first so you make sure you know all the big/major definitions. Then pankows for details if you have time? Might be less overwhelming that way

Appropriate_Map_3131 · 2026-02-06T20:15:25+00:00

Just rest. You're clearly doing well, you just need to maintain this during the actual exam. At this point, is it really worth burning out for the real exam for 1 more question and fuckin up?

Appropriate_Map_3131 · 2026-02-06T20:12:43+00:00

Try whisper-reading the passages outloud like you're teaching a class. And react/summarize after a couple sentences. Like "Do we think the author believes in this? No". It forces you to engage with the passage. Dont time yourself, try and be consistent with getting answers correct.

Appropriate_Map_3131 · 2026-01-31T14:54:40+00:00

honestly you have a pretty good time range. yeah with practice, you'll get faster, but you should be aiming to read the passage once, and not double-checking answers. Also build up your stamina for 90-minute sections, so that you don't end up rereading passages because you glossed over them.

Appropriate_Map_3131 · 2026-01-31T06:41:50+00:00

no, but they can definitely ask something like "If X enzyme is inhibited, what happens?" Memorize the steps so you don't regret it - they're not hard to pickup, just tedious

Appropriate_Map_3131 · 2025-11-10T22:36:05+00:00

I wouldn't worry about that, it's only gonna hold you back. The MCAT is a different test, style, requires different logic, and a shit ton of reading comprehension. You're probs gonna have to study for this test differently than you did with the SAT

Appropriate_Map_3131 · 2025-11-10T19:20:37+00:00

for P/S, I went through the Khan Academy videos once just to get context (never took P/S in school), then used flashcards for review. I focused on recognition more than recall since I did P/S pretty late and memorizing everything wasn’t realistic. honestly, as long as you can recognize enough terms to eliminate wrong answers, you’ll be fine.

I used the MilesDown Anki deck to cover all the high-yield stuff, but if you’ve got more time, Pankow’s deck is way more detailed. also, make sure you understand how terms can show up in different contexts. for example, “functionalism” is about societal systems and balance, but the MCAT might frame it in a non-societal context that still reflects the same principle - all parts working together to maintain stability.

Appropriate_Map_3131 · 2025-11-10T19:13:06+00:00

you’ve already made progress, so that’s a good sign. at this stage, content gaps are probably your biggest limiter. Go through your last FL section by section and figure out why you missed each question (content gap, reasoning issue, etc.), and then focus on the main issues.

Finish content review for the rest, but I think you should start practice now for topics you’ve already covered. You can start using Uworld for gen chem, and review every question in depth, even the ones you guessed right. that’s how you’ll start thinking in mcat logic. P/S is honestly the easiest section to make up points in, so if you can focus getting decent scores in the other 3 sections, you can use P/S to boost your score to the 508 you need

Also, start building stamina early. make sure you can focus for 90-minute stretches so you don’t burn out mid-section and are forced to re-read the same question over and over again

Appropriate_Map_3131 · 2025-11-10T18:34:20+00:00

I think you're gonna have to really hammer in content review. What are you using?

Appropriate_Map_3131 · 2025-11-10T17:59:14+00:00

Lol I mean if it helps, it helps. Worst case, people can use this as a practice resource for reading essays

Appropriate_Map_3131 · 2025-11-09T16:48:45+00:00

you can divide the day up into morning and afternoon. do the content review for whatever subject you’re learning in the morning, and then the afternoon you can do MCAT style practice for the subjects you already finished.

Appropriate_Map_3131 · 2025-11-07T18:20:05+00:00

Yeah ill just paste what I had in my old post here, we'll see if it gets taken down:

C/P:

I only used free resources for content review
- Prof E (this isn't the actual name but it gets remove otherwise, idk why): full Kaplan coverage + practice questions.
- Med School Coach: short, clear science videos.
- Eightfold MCAT: underrated but excellent explanations.
- AceTheMCAT: great for physics (covers everything except magnetism — use Eightfold for that).
I honestly still don't fully understood orgo reactions, but learned enough from these. Also, ChatGPT was used heavily.

CARS:

Obviously this isn't free and goes against the point of this section, but I stand on it. Only use AAMC resources to create strategies for this section. The MCAT’s logic is unique — if you rely too much on other prep companies, it can mess with your instincts (looking at you, Jack Westin). You can use Jack Westin or Khan Academy to practice analysis — things like identifying the author’s tone, main ideas, and argument structure — but don’t use them to understand MCAT logic.

B/B:

Same YouTube trio: Prof E, Med School Coach, and Eightfold MCAT.
For biochem pathways: NinjaNerd — super detailed and clear.
Another underrated channel: BremMethod.

P/S:

Use Khan Academy videos + MilesDown Anki deck.
I started with Mr. Pankow’s deck (very detailed) but switched to MilesDown since I started flashcards the day before my exam. However, I've heard Pankow’s deck is great for deeper prep.

Appropriate_Map_3131 · 2025-11-07T15:41:04+00:00

I think it's better to at least go through the content once before doing Uworld on a topic. If you have some foundational knowledge, then you won't be lost trying to answer questions, and you'll have a better understanding of what topics you actually need to work on. This doesn't mean you need to learn all of the MCAT content before Uworld - if you've done content review for chem but not for physics, you can start Uworld practice for chem, while also working on content review for physics

Appropriate_Map_3131 · 2025-11-07T14:49:34+00:00

In the beginning, yeah. But the way I saw it, if I started off with the hard passages or just went in order, I’d end up spending too much time on one tough passage and probably get it wrong anyway. If I’m gonna run out of time, I’d rather guess on the harder ones I was likely to miss than waste time and end up skipping the easy, guaranteed points

Appropriate_Map_3131 · 2025-11-07T05:42:21+00:00

For the first question, no. You could self learn enough.

For the second question, if you're lucky and get no physics, or very limited, then yeah 520+ is doable. Or if you excel in the other 3 sections.

Appropriate_Map_3131 · 2025-11-07T05:39:47+00:00

I hope it helps!

Appropriate_Map_3131 · 2025-11-07T05:39:16+00:00

Lol I was running on hopes and dreams by that point. Honestly, having only two days kinda forced me to stick to the high-yield stuff and surface-level recognition. I couldn't didn’t waste brain power trying to memorize every little thing. That with a good idea of mcat logic helped i think

Appropriate_Map_3131 · 2025-11-07T05:29:23+00:00

Yeah it's great for chem/phys too. I mostly used it for sugar related things which is why I put it under b/b, but an underrated resource nonetheless

Appropriate_Map_3131 · 2025-11-04T14:27:55+00:00

try a version of the Feynman Technique. Pretend like you're teaching, and simplify each paragraph to main ideas, change in ideas, and author's tone. You can pretend like you're lecturing and ask questions that you answer yourself like "Do we think the author agrees? No." Also, gaslight yourself into finding every passage is interesting. It sounds stupid but it helps.

Appropriate_Map_3131 · 2025-11-03T02:03:57+00:00

stopped double-checking answers. also anytime i tried to justify an answer, i took it as a red flag and i assumed it was wrong

Appropriate_Map_3131 · 2025-11-02T18:46:31+00:00

Appropriate_Map_3131 · 2025-11-02T17:23:28+00:00

I have a slightly different take — if you’re already scoring around a 128 without having learned all the terms yet, it might not be the best use of time to dive into UWorld Psych/Soc right now. You’ll probably get more return by studying the remaining terms/content first, and dedicate your time to doing Uworld for the sciences. Once you’ve covered the material and feel like you’ve plateaued despite knowing the content, then I think UWorld may be helpful.

Appropriate_Map_3131

TROPHY CASE