#Kaplan diagnostic mcat how to#
#Kaplan diagnostic mcat full#

A cautionary word: don’t pay any attention to the weird and irrelevant analytics they give you about what % of other people are answering questions correctly. Their answer explanations make AAMC material look like it was written in crayon. UWorld QBank –> I’m angry with UWorld for murdering r/MCAT, but their material is superb. Look elsewhere for P/S, and know that you’ll have to fill in some gaps with other material. Their P/S book, even the most recent edition, is garbage, and not worth spending your time on. They do a good job of identifying what’s essential to know, and what’s not as important. It’s a great, relatively cursory review of almost everything you’ll need to know. I began my studying by reading through all of these, sometimes taking notes, sometimes just soaking it all in. For gen chem, orgo, bio, biochem, physics, and CARS, there is no better resource. Moreover, anyone who feels like they have a solid, relatively recent foundation in the pre-medical sciences, go EK. The downside of Kaplan is that it’s expensive, and if you have a limited budget for practice materials, it might not be worth the $.Įxamkrackers Books –> Especially if you’re a Post-Bacc student, buy these books. I’d also recommend that you take timed SECTION tests (not FLs) with their material. Some of their acronyms and study tips are helpful, others are not. Quite a few things that were mentioned in these lectures stuck in my head and came up on my exam. Whenever you get bored doing practice questions, grab a LaCroix and watch a couple of the recorded lectures on 1.5x or 2x. Some of their teachers (John, especially) are excellent. That being said, they have phenomenal recorded lectures that cover high-yield material. I took Kaplan FL #1 a week before I took AAMC FL#1, and my score jumped from a 506 to a 518. Everyone will tell you that their practice test scores are deflated. If you use Kaplan, know what you’re getting yourself into. Kaplan Online Practice Materials –> I hate Kaplan. Alas, some of my fellow classmates were in the same position and did not do very well on the MCAT, so I believe the studying component is equally as important. I attribute some degree of my success to this reality. As new as these concepts were, they were somewhat fresh in my mind as I began my studying. The disclosure that’s important to make is that I had just taken all of my pre-reqs in an intensive year, from Chem I all the way through Biochem I. To all my fellow Post-Baccs out there: yo.

I was formerly an English major, and did a bunch of different things after I graduated. Trust in yourself, and trust in your progress. Find a way to walk away from your desk feeling like you made a little bit of progress, however that progress manifests. The counterpart of this advice is just as important: when you’re studying, do the best you can every single day. Give yourself permission to NOT study when you’re not studying. Have a couple of beers every now and then. Don’t radically restructure your life to prepare for this exam. If you can take care of yourself, you can help others do the same.

#Kaplan diagnostic mcat how to#

At the end of the day, this is what becoming a doctor is all about, this is why we learn obscure scientific facts, to learn how to help others take care of themselves. More than any other piece of advice I’d like to offer in this post, the most important piece of advice I have is this: take care of yourself. The path to MCAT success begins with a mindset, grows into a routine, and culminates in an act of faith in yourself. What I can promise you right here and right now is that you can succeed at this test if you want to, and you can do so without spending (as some claim) three months studying around the clock. Force it out of your mind insofar as you’re able to. This should be acknowledged, and then it should be promptly forgotten. In most ways, the MCAT is an unreasonable exam, expecting - as it does - a breadth and intensity of recall that spans the entirety of the spectrum between merely unfair and totally impossible. I’d like to begin by acknowledging the lunacy of this whole endeavor.

#Kaplan diagnostic mcat full#

AAMC full lengths for the last 3 weeks leading up to his exam.

UWorld qbank (use it to learn, but not to predict your score).

His strategy: “I used and like the Kaplan strategy for every section except for CARS: click through the questions, take note of the discretes, answer all the discretes, then move on to the passages.” He thought C/P was hard but you need to trust in your knowledge. Non-traditional MCAT student takes the MCAT, after taking all of his pre-reqs in one year. Hey, do you need help with your MCAT studying? Are you looking for someone to help you craft a study plan and hold you accountable? Try an MCAT academic coach! It’s everything you’d get from a class, but way cheaper and more personalized! Summary: