My MCAT Experience
- Harleen Kahlon
- Aug 10, 2024
- 5 min read
Written by: Harleen Kahlon
Position, Member Since: Marketing Director, Joined Fall 2020
Major & Track: Nutritional Sciences, Pre-Med
Current Year: 4th Year
If you are anything like me, even hearing the word 'MCAT' is enough to send you into a full blown panic. Rightfully so; the process is far from straightforward, and everybody seems to have a different opinion on the topic. I want to take some time to explain some of the concerns that I had going into the exam and what helped me personally.
A bit about my experience:
I initially planned to take the MCAT in March of my Junior year. I then rescheduled it to April when I realized I was not getting as much time to study during the school year as I had hoped. I rescheduled for a second time to July 27th when I ultimately decided to take a growth year before medical school.
When should I take the MCAT?
As an underclassman, I had a completely incorrect concept of when I needed to take the MCAT. I had heard of people taking it as early as January of their Junior year, so I assumed that this was the 'correct' time to take it. However, you really only need to take it by the May right before you plan on applying, to give you enough time to see your score before submitting primaries. I am taking a gap year, and I wanted to be able to study without having to worry about classes, so I chose to take the MCAT at the end of July (before my senior year.)
How long should I study for the MCAT?
This completely depends on how you study best and what other responsibilities you have going on during your study time. After speaking to a couple of advisors, I found that they generally do not recommend extending your studying too far (9 months plus), because most people begin to forget information at this point. Before I had decided to take a growth year, I tried to study for the MCAT during my Junior year alongside classes. I did not feel like I was able to dedicate enough time to studying, however, on top of my classes and other extracurriculars. This is not to say that it is not doable to study along-side classes; it just did not work well for me personally, and I did not feel like I was able to give it my all. The MCAT is an expensive exam, and I wanted to make sure that I only had to take it once. After deciding on a gap year, I chose to study over the summer, when I was able to dedicate my time almost exclusively to the MCAT. I only studied for three months (May, June, and July), for my test date of July 27th. This is definitely on the shorter end of what is recommended, but having an imminent test date motivated me to make the best use of my time. On that note, it is important to consider what you need to do to make sure you maintain good mental health. For me, this meant scheduling a July test date rather than in August- I knew that I needed at least a couple weeks before Fall classes to myself.
How much did you really study?
While browsing some pre-med forums, I saw people claiming to study upwards of 8-10 hours each day. If this sounds like something you are capable of, more power to you! For me (and likely the majority of students), this sounded ridiculous. There is a big difference between studying and studying effectively. I have trouble believing that people studying for 10 hours a day are actually getting 10 hours of studying done. If you are exhausted and barely paying attention to your review content, staring at a book for 10 hours is not going to help you. I chose to study for four hours every day for my first month of studying. During my next two months, I studied for four hours M-W, took a full length practice exam every Thursday, and reviewed it for four hours on Friday (giving myself weekends off). This led me to 270 total hours of studying before test-day. This is not as many hours as some people do, but it is what worked for me. I can also say that my four hours of studying was truly four hours of studying. I would set a timer every time I started, and pause the timer for bathroom breaks, snack breaks, or if I went on my phone. This meant that sometimes (when I was in a particularly distracted mood), my four hours of studying took me all day. Other days, I was able to power through with only a few breaks in between. Remember to give yourself grace; some days you are going to wake up and not feel like studying. On these days, you might need to take a break every half an hour, and that is okay. Whatever you need to do to get it done is what you should do. Remember, the best study schedule is the one that you stick to.
How do you cope with MCAT anxiety?
One of my biggest sources of MCAT anxiety actually came before I even began studying. I was incredibly nervous to start studying and realize just how far I had to go. I spent longer procrastinating my initial diagnostic exam than I care to admit. My diagnostic was by no means a good score, but it was comforting to know that I at least didn’t get every single question wrong, as my brain had convinced me I would. After launching myself into my study routine, my anxiety actually decreased.
Once I started taking practice exams, after my content review stage of studying, some of my initial anxieties came back. Almost every week I came close to convincing myself to push taking my practice exam to the next day. However, I knew that this would disrupt my study schedule, so I managed to overcome the urge to push it off.
Did you have any setbacks?
I had more setbacks throughout my MCAT studying process than I could have ever imagined. I had some major disruptions in my personal life going on in the midst of my studying that almost convinced me to push my test date. However, I realized that there is truly never going to be a perfect time to take the MCAT. You can set yourself up to take it at the best time you possibly can, but you can never predict what might come up.
Three weeks before my test day, I took a practice exam that resulted in an unexpectedly low score– a score well below what I had been consistently receiving. This was a major knock to my confidence. In cases like this, it helped me to think about my scores as though they were data points in a scientific study. If you had a thermometer and measured your temperature five times, and received the numbers 98.6, 98.9, 98.8, 97.9, and 156, what conclusion would you draw? That last number is an outlier- you should check your thermometer and pay special attention, but it is no cause to rush to the emergency room quite yet.
Final thoughts:
The MCAT is hard. You are going to have moments of being overwhelmed, and you are going to question whether or not you are ready. Realize that this is completely normal, and in fact just means that you care. Your MCAT score is important, but nothing is more important than your mental and physical health, so don’t study yourself sick.
Everyone has their own study recommendations, but there is no one right way to study. Find what works for you, and stick to it religiously. Finally, find time for yourself throughout your study process (it really does make you more productive, and even if it didn’t, you still deserve to have a good time every once in a while). I would also be happy to share the specific resources that I used to study, so feel free to shoot me an email if you want my two cents :)
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