The MCAT Exam - Student Testimonials

Most commonly asked questions by students surrounding the MCAT exam. Use your AMSA ACPHS officers for advice! We are here to help YOU! To start the conversation, the officer team answered some FAQs below based on their own experiences studying for the MCAT and their experience on test day.

1. What review course, if any, did you use and would you recommend it?

Kaplan MCAT in-person prep course. I would recommend this course because it introduces you to the test and they provide a plethora of resources that will help you rock the MCAT.

I used Kaplan In-person classes offered by ACPHS. I would recommend it: I really liked that Kaplan labels topics as high-yield and gives a rough estimate of what percent of questions are going to be on certain topics. This really helped me focus my studies. I also used AAMC practice sets and tests.

Kaplan MCAT Review Course (I did not like the course at all but I really liked the practice exams that came with the course materials) and Princeton MCAT Review Course (I absolutely loved the course it was a bit more expensive than the Kaplan Course but well worth it my scores went up a significant amount but I didn’t like the practice exams that came with it as much as the Kaplan practice exams).

2. What did/does your study schedule look like?

My schedule is not necessarily representative of your general test-taker due to the impact of COVID and therefore should be taken with a grain of salt... I began studying New Year's Day to take my test on March 27th. I started off walking by reading 1-2 chapters a day and taking notes. Over time I added more chapters per day and review questions from Kaplan and the AAMC. I worked from a 500-518 in my practice exams spending about 25-35 hours/week studying. Once COVID sent us home for the remainder of the semester, I broke from studying for a month and a half to focus on school (GPA is important too, remember!). I had rescheduled my exam for June 28th and had approximately a two months. This time around I went hard into reading multiple chapters then completing dozens of questions each day to master them. Without the burden of classes, but with the distraction of being home, I was pulling a little less time each day (15-25 hours/week).

I studied for the MCAT during the semester so I would only have 2-4 hour MCAT study sessions per day (not counting practice test days). I spent the first two months of studying doing content review and making flashcards and spend my last month of studying working more on solidifying concepts through practice tests and practice questions (using Kaplan Q-Bank and AAMC practice question banks).

I began studying 6 months before the exam. I would use Friday, Saturday and Sunday to study and generally use Saturdays for mock exams. For the first two months, I focused on completing the subjects necessary for the exam. I had to especially focus on biochemistry as I hadn't taken the course prior to starting my MCAT preparation. I would study roughly 15 hours per week unless I was taking a mock exam, in which case I would not study otherwise.

During the school year I tried to fit about 5 hours in a week however that worked out but preferably about an hour at a time During the summer I did 6 hours a day with Saturday as my break day With a 10 min break every hour and a half and an hour break at the 3 hour mark (phone turned off no distractions).

3. What surprised you most the day of the exam?

The other test takers. I tested with about 5 other students, I was the second out of everyone there to begin my exam. Despite this, I was the last to finish.

How bright the computer screens were! Doing practice tests on my own computer where I always could adjust the brightness did not prepare me for that.

The length. I expected the exam to be more time intensive than it was.

How tight the window is for bathroom breaks especially at the Albany testing center (Bathroom is not on the same floor)

4. Biggest piece of advice for the exam?

Practice your CARS. It is possible to improve but it takes the most effort out of all of the sections. Ask professors or other students to help you try and improve your skills. I worked from a 124 on my initial practice exam to a 127 on the actual exam.

Get a good night's sleep and try to eat before the exam!

Try to limit the amount of time you spend in break. Once you've hit your stride, it's better to just continue instead of breaking your rhythm.

Start studying early chip away at things and consistently practice it consistently and constantly review what you have studied even if you think you know it already (prove it to yourself).

5. Do you wish that you did anything differently?

I wish I stressed less about it. My work paid off, but I spent less time with my friends before COVID because of it. It's an important exam, but once you're done with it you realize all of that time studying was just lost.

I wish I made a plan earlier in my studying process.

I wish I had spent more time revising psychology and sociology.

I wish I took micro before my 4th year and before the exam I also wish I started studying earlier (In my opinion summer between 2nd and 3rd year is a solid time to start seriously looking at it if possible).

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Check out more student testimonials on the official AAMC Website: https://students-residents.aamc.org/applying-medical-school/taking-mcat-exam/how-i-prepared-mcat-exam/

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If you have taken the MCAT Exam and would like to share your experience and/or recommendations, please sign-in (or make a new account if you don't already have one), copy and paste the following questions and comment below!

1. What review course, if any, did you use and would you recommend it?

2. What did/does your study schedule look like?

3. What surprised you most the day of the exam?

4. Biggest piece of advice for the exam?

5. Do you wish that you did anything differently?