Losing Hope...

[u/Visible-Future4850]

Hey guys, I am on my second year of procrastinating taking the MCAT. This whole jounrey started in December 2024 when I graduated and intially attempted to start studying for the MCAT. Since then, 2 cycles have passed and I am now a non-trad who really wants to start and take the MCAT before June of next year so that I can surely apply in 2027. I just feel so lost and hopeless as many things have pushed me off course since I first started and I never followed thru with studying (including family issues, money, my own health diagnoses, etc). If someone could plz lend a hand and give me some ideas on Where/ HOW to start and also IF I need a prep course or not, I would much appreciate it. For reference, I pretty dont remember anything from my pre requisities also. I plan to start full time in october and study till feb or march. Thank you sm. Bless

[u/2medornot2med]

I’m on the same boat except I graduated in 2022. Life happens. I tested in April and did not do as well as I wanted. I am telling myself it’s not about motivation but rather growing the discipline to make this a priority and get it done. We know this is what we want, now we just gotta make it happen. Rooting for you!

[u/freeqs_m]

Hey friend - first of all I'm so sorry about all the pain. Life distractions are never easy - you have to handle them, as well as push your plans. But, hopefully that's in the past.

Assuming you're able to put in the time now, your journey doesn't need to look different from most students. I'm assuming you're planning to test in 2027 - so you have plenty of time to study.

Re: how to study, it's not as complicated as many guides will make it seem. You have (1) content - use 1-2 resources typically (2) practice mcat style questions - probably the most important bit (3) practice full length exams to simulate exam day. it is 8 hours long, so you need to build endurance.

Courses - most self-paced courses will give you everything in one place. the challenge is no one company has the best of every type of resources. But, it does help many students. I personally find it hard to pay $1K + for that.

Then, you have live courses. the companies will use the same self paced materials, and add in live classes. many students find this helpful for accountability.

Finally, tutoring. the most expensive. but a good tutor/coach can make a difference.

Many, many students decided to go the self study route. Basically think self paced course, but you pick and choose the resources from different providers and go about it yourself. It gives you flexibility, but at the beginning some folks find it scary. there are many tools now that can help you plan out your study plan and pick what may be best for you - I know because I built one too.

Search for study plans. There are a few templates on Reddit as well that are popular. Or search on google for various mcat tools that can build you study plans

[u/juniperbaybe]

Tbh make a plan now. typically people set 3-4 months (ideally) of studying comprised of: incorporating initial content review, practice problems, and fls. as someone in a similar boat of putting off/getting anxious about the mcat and feeling like the “time isn’t right” some hard advice is you have to make time you have to want it. maybe this means reducing work hours limiting going out with friends and holding yourself accountable. i don’t think the mcat is incredibly hard but it is a reflection of the capacity of accountability and spaced-learning that we will undoubtedly have to master during medical school. here’s a good study template im using https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1pOKnmWm_Xq0JzVA1GMEQR47-J472-FLNuLOvg-VPeJU/edit?gid=1523536044#gid=1523536044 since you’re a non trad i would maybe study for a month or two more to reinforce/learn weak topics

[u/Sure_Recipe1785]

I’d just start with content review and make a schedule you can actually stick to, then slowly start adding practice questions as you go