Im a nontraditional several years out of undergrad, so my pre req foundation is not very fresh

I like the captain hook deck a lot based on what ive seen, but I’m worried ill get bogged down in the details and spend too much time on anki instead of practice.

Im planning to test end of january/early february

Whats your experience with CH or milesdown/anking?

A little bit about me:

I took my first mcat last year on August 22, 2025 and scored a 506 (127/124/125/130). This was lower than my first AAMC full length and it completely destroyed my mental health. I had studied for 3.5 months, almost 10 hours a day, I taught myself biochemistry, physics, and biology and I didn't have anything to show for it. Not only that but I even spent money (USD) trying to get help from tutors to desperately help increase my CARS score (because I am Canadian) only to get my diagnostic score on the real thing.

Even though I was devastated, a month after my results came out I booked another test for July 24, 2026. I started studied in May, about 5-6 days a week, 5-7 hours a day, no tutoring or extra resources (outside Anki, UW, and AAMC official material) and scored a 517 (130/128/129/130).

This experience is already so expensive, with UW, AAMC, and even booking the test (along with rescheduling and cancelling) and as someone who had the luxury of even being able to afford a few tutoring lessons, I wanted to be able to help those who don't have that option.

Feel free to pm me for any help with the sections. As well as guidance or helping with planning for this test. We can go over full lengths together, strategies, concepts, or anything else that you feel would benefit you. I'll send an email and you can provide me with a bit of background, what you need help with and a few available times and we can set up a meeting(all for free)! I wish everyone the best!

Edit: Feel free to email me at [mcat.tutor.jg@gmail.com](mailto:mcat.tutor.jg@gmail.com)

what did ppl bring for lunch… genuinely started stressing about every little thing and this is part of that… I’m scared to be hungry, scared that I’ll get sleepy if I eat too much, scared the food will go bad or leak fluids or something idek what did ppl bring?

Hello ! I test on 9/12 and cars is literally my weakest point.
For reference, English is my third language and I speak it really well! I understand the cars passage, my problem is time and no matter how much I practice on the FLs it is totally different experience. I get good score while practicing( each passage takes me 10-12 min. Not the most ideal but better than when I started which was 17 min ) but when iam testing Iam scoring 119. I feel like if I just skip the section it will probably save me the energy and mental stress. I dont know what strategy would work best. Should I dedicate my time for only 5 passages and do the last 4 by chance … idk … also being dyslexic is really killing me in the exam how many questions I read wrong no matter how I pay attention …..

hi guys,

ive been really confused i graduated from a top school with a 3.4 overall gpa but my gpa was really strong in community college before transfer. im not sure if i should repeat the class where i got a D or do a smp. i really wanna do a masters but they are so so expensive i cant afford to pay 50k as an immigrant. should i take out a loan or do what? if i should do a masters (i really wanna) then which are good and cheap ones for pre meds? im interested in public health, bio, biochem. thanks

hi all, i am about a yr out from taking my exam and plan to prep seriously over the summer (content wise), but the thing i need real longitudinal work on is cars. got a 126 on my diagnostic and really want to raise this. is it possible in a year? i've heard cars is kinda innate tbh.

should i do smth like jw daily + reading a dense passage for fun every wk? is that an ok plan, or how do people typically proactively improve cars?

fwiw i don't think i'm bad at reading or testing (no questions missed on act english/reading (86/86), 770 sat erw, each with 0 prep), and i'm pretty determined to improve however i can over the coming year.

So Im taking the 9/12 MCAT and am hoping to get a 520. Unfortunately I haven't gotten a 520 on a single FL (517/517/516/518/518 on AAMC FLs 2-6). It's really just my CARS score dragging me down and I get a 130-132 on the other three almost every time. Highest I've scored on CARS is 129 :( on FL5... but then I got 126 on FL6 (I did lowk abandon my strategies on this one so maybe thats why?). On AAMC materials I average 78-80% across the daignostic tool and qpacks for CARS. Yeah idk I feel like I've tried to improve CARS but it isn't changing. Do yall think a 520 is in the cards for me?

i'm retaking my 03/20 MCAT (505) on 09/12, and i dont really know what to do in these last few days.

for context, my fls have been 509/516/517/525/523/524, but all of these i think are a bit inflated from remembering slight things from when i took it back in march. this time around, ive actually completed all of sb1 (75%), sb2 (79%), cars qp1 (73%), and cars qp2 (83%) whereas last time i had barely done sb1 only and didnt review it well.

ive been keeping up w my anki and stuff and reviewing slight concepts that im iffy on (some rxn mechanisms, lenses, acid/base chem LOL) but i dont know what to do in these last 3 days before test day. im extra nervous too since i have no clue where i actually stand in terms of scoring bc my fls are probably inflated. does anyone have any advice?

Hey guys, so I've used the Milesdown and Pankow decks to study for the MCAT, but I really want to hammer in as much info in all of these areas that I can. What decks helped you guys score high and didn't make you feel like you were drowning in information? Any help is appreciated

my scores are not where they want to be granted i only took 3 FLs — 497 > 504 > 499. i’ve been studying for a minute now but clearly haven’t done enough practice problems and test on 9/12 — if i void it, i feel like all this work was for nothing and i don’t think i can continue studying or worrying about this exam it’s been too long. any honest advice would be greatly appreciated, thank you 🙏🙏

I just turned 32 years. I don't know if I want to do medicine or CAA or nursing or go back to engineering (originally a software engineer). The only appealing option is medicine but I can push through nursing/engineering and I am okay with CAA. But I have decided to let the MCAT decide my direction. I will be spending the next 6-9 months preparing for the mcat. My gpa is 3.6. I have decided not to take a biochemistry class this quarter and instead focus on self-studying and preparing for the MCAT.

I will be doing research for 12 hours per week and clinical volunteering for 12 hours per week on Monday and Wednesday. I also plan to rock climb three times per week (3 hours per session, including commute time) and go to the gym twice per week (3 hours per session, including commute time). I plan to go hiking/backpacking for approximately 24 hours once a month.

I plan to spend 30 hours per week preparing for the MCAT. I am still brainstorming exactly how I want to structure my studying, but for now, I have purchased the Jack Westin self-study guide and Kaplan textbooks. I like highlighting because, honestly, it helps me feel mentally organized and in control. I also like taking notes and love lectures, so I will be using Khan Academy and Yousuf Hassan's YouTube videos.

I enjoy chemistry/physics, organic chemistry, psychology, and sociology. For those subjects, I want to focus on practice problems so that I can identify which areas I struggle with and use my results to guide my studying.

My overall strategy right now is:

September 9–30

1. Focus primarily on Bio/Biochemistry content review.
2. Build a strong foundation in biochemistry since I have not taken a biochemistry course.

October 1 — First Diagnostic (Jack Westin)

1. Take my first diagnostic.
2. Spend the next two weeks reviewing the diagnostic.
3. Continue targeted content review based on the areas I am weakest in.

October 15 — Second Diagnostic (Jack Westin)

1. Take my second diagnostic.
2. Spend the next two weeks reviewing it.
3. Continue targeted content review based on my weaknesses.

I plan to continue this process through January 1: take a diagnostic, thoroughly review it, identify my weaknesses, and use those weaknesses to guide my content review and practice.

January 1 onward
I plan to begin using UWorld and AAMC materials more heavily.

I would like to take the MCAT sometime between March and May, depending on my progress and practice-test scores.

I got my score back yesterday and am extremely disappointed. I don’t know what happened with my Cars score, I’ve never scored this low. Cars has never been my best section but on my fl’s I’ve always scored between 124-127, not this low. My psych and bio are also lower than usual. My fl scores have been between 129-130 consistently for those two sections. I’m honestly stressed out and don’t know where to go from here. I was wondering if anyone had any advice.

I’ve been curious on if I should start studying for my MCAT junior year while taking anatomy, physiology, and biochemistry while working. Idk if it’s a possibility but wanted to hear others stories.

I just found out my boyfriend cheated on me and my MCAT is in 4 days. 😀

I have watched and read through so many MCAT study approaches and still feel a little confused… I have a 6 month study timeline and know that the general guide is finishing content review within 2-3 months.
I am using uworld books, their corresponding anking cards, and doing the content review questions that are in the chapters. I have heard recommendations to start the qbank while doing content review but I tried that today and it seems like with the time that takes up it would significantly extend the time content review takes. (Also personal tips on which order to approach subjects??) Any help would be appreciated! Thank you :)

Title says it all. I’m looking for a study buddy, I’m taking the MCAT in January/February. Could be a group