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1. How did you prepare for the MCAT?
2. What did you get?
3. Which MCAT books are the best? (Kaplan, Princeton, Examcrackers)
Any tips?
I guess it depends how well you feel you know the sciences. If you feel you are strong in them I would say just use Exam Crackers. Exam crackers also has audio CDs which I found very helpful. They are very clearly written (as opposed to Princeton and Kaplan) and are high yield. If you feel like you need more work with the sciences then consider taking a full MCAT course. Kaplan isn’t very good.
Any questions feel free to ask!
Congrats on going to med school. You will love it!
Do lots of practice questions while timing yourself.
The Kaplan software, which simulates the actual exam, is very helpful for practice questions. It breaks down your practice exam scores so you really see where you need to focus. I would recommend buying this on its own, without enrolling in a course, which the quality of is very dependent on the individual instructor.
I found the best way to review specific subject matters was to go back to your textbooks that you used in those classes, organic chemistry and physics textbooks. These teach you to understand concepts, which is the most important factor to scoring well.
Another test taking tip: For the month before you take the exam, compile a master list of ALL the equations relevant to the test, probably about 100 equations. Each day, rewrite the list as best you can from memory. Practice until you know the entire list by heart. Then on test day, before you begin the exam there is a 15 minute tutorial that is really a waste of time. Use this 15 minutes to rewrite your master list and refer back to it during the physics section. It was save you time, and make the test a whole lot easier.
Student Doctor Network (google it)
If you are studying for the MCAT and applying to medical school, I would be very careful with SDN (student doctor network). Although it can be useful, there is also a lot of misinformation that is spread. Not to mention hearing about how some kid didn’t get in to his dream school with a 40 on the MCAT, 4.0 GPA, and discovering the cure for cancer.
Good luck on your studies! Also, one more thing: I agree with SecularFrummy, but remember – only memorize the basic equations. No need to memorize all the derivatives (e.g. PV=nRT, don’t bother memorizing Boye’s law as well!)
LOL everyone on SDN got a 40. and a 260 on the USMLE. It cracks me up sometimes. Medical students are such bad gunners. Look into Firecracker.me . I didn’t use it for the mcat but they give a free month. I used it for my boards and I found it helpful.
Questions question questions.
When youre done, do some more questions
When youre done that, do some more
Do them timed and of course review the answers
I used Kaplan and was very happy
Stay away from SDN more misinformation than real information
Good Luck
Hey! SDN is very good. You can get great tips from there if you ignore the gunners. You will definitely get better and more realistic advice from SDN than from the coffee room.
Assume everyone is lying, and separate the wheat from the chaff, and use SDN.
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