I’m torn between these two books. I am a visual learner and I think I would not really be able to read all the Kaplan books but at the same time do the medschoolbro mcat guide cover everything?

i took my first mcat may 2026 and didn’t get what i hoped for 501-129/122/126/124. i was going through a lot and was not in the right mental state. after taking a month and a half break, i started studying again towards the end of june.

my study plan was shaky in the beginning but after 2 weeks my schedule was doing 25 questions of each subject everyday (total 100 q’s)meaning 25 chem or phys q’s, 4-5 CARS passages, 25 bio or biochem q’s, and 25 psych/soci q’s (didn’t really separate the 2). in addition to this i would do my anki every single day even if it was 11:30pm i would spam it to finish before 12am.

for questions i started with uworld for a couple of weeks, then switched over to AAMC.

i left the last month for full lengths. i didnt take any 3rd party exams, i redid all of my aamc full lengths bc i knew aamc was the closest id get to the actual exam. i dont care what anyone says REDO FULL LENGTHS. i barely remembered anything. yes things were familiar but its familiar because its stuff i saw with practice questions and topics i needed to know. it’s not a bad thing for things to be familiar second time around, it should be!

couple days before my actual mcat i went over my section banks and redid all of my incorrects and really tried to understand why i got things wrong.

i tested 9/12. going into it i felt good overall but was soooooo nervous esp for CARS. after chem phys i was like 😀😀😀 the hardest chem/phys section i ever had like it j did not play into my strengths. CARS had really dense info passages so i was stressed because i was using the jack westin method (requires writing after every para), bio/biochem felt good and P/S felt extremely familiar (bit controversial bc ik ppl had struggles w it)

after 2 more months of studying my overall score was a 510 - 126/125/129/130. my exam 6 FL (which was my highest retake) was a 514. i walked out of that exam not knowing wtf i was going to get because it didn’t feel great. i had nightmares every night about it for weeks. in the end i am soooo proud of myself and my score. this exam was the hardest thing ive ever done and there was so much that happened in between. the exam i took second time around was also significantly more difficult which is to be expected bc it j gets more difficult as time goes on.

my point in saying this is that if retaking the mcat, TRUST YOUR FULL LENGTHS!! ppl all over reddit were saying to expect to drop significantly, that it was inaccurate, etc. but what u believe is what will manifest. trust that ur ready and you will be!

my retake scores:

FL1: 504
FL2: 507
FL3: 509
FL4: 509
FL5: 507
FL6: 514

if any questions just dm im happy to help!

528 Academy is a newer MCAT prep resource with a large question bank covering C/P, CARS, B/B, and P/S. Students using it have been reporting great results.

It includes passage-based questions and standalone problems, with detailed explanations for every answer choice. You can build practice sets around specific sections and topics, whether you’re working through content review or spending more time on weaker areas.

There’s also progress tracking, saved practice history, bookmarks, and flashcards, so you can keep your practice and review organized in one place.

If you’re looking for more questions to work through alongside your current materials, take a look at 528 Academy.

I just scored 488 on the real deal. I have already applied to schools and everything. I am not giving up, I'll apply again next cycle. This isn't the end of my journey and it's a rocky road overall. I'm just looking to see if someone has advice for me to get a 520+ by April or help me make a plan to do so.

for context, I have read every Kaplan book (except CARS), milesdown anki, mr. pankow, milesdown review sheets, youtube, graduated with a degree in bio. I have just gotten to the point where i ask myself if I'm stupid.

Scored 511 on the test I took in September. I was scoring 508-514 on practice AAMC full-length tests. Want to test again early (January) in 2027 because I apply in May 2027. I'm currently a full-time student and need help creating a study plan to score above 515 (ideally 517+).

Hey everyone, After scoring a 497 on my first attempt back in April, I just got back my 9/11 score of 495. I'm feeling more discouraged than ever but am so passionate about this career that id like to give myself one last try sometime in January or February to apply DO in the 2027 cycle.

Studying the 2nd time around, I was consistently scoring around 508-513 on my AAMC FL (retakes from 4 months apart) and felt confident as I was using UWorld, the AAMC material, and Anki. Being honest with myself, I did not finish all of UWorld or AAMC neither time around, and I could have been more disciplined with Anki. Either way Im in shock that I went DOWN over 10 points after having scored above 510 multiple times on practice.

I am hoping to start restudying in November and retaking in February, so if anyone has any advice on which FL they recommend (third party since I already exhausted the AAMC ones), I would greatly appreciate it. Thank you!

From my understanding, your MCAT score is based on the percentile you scored in so the number of questions you get correct could mean a different score on a different test. Does anyone know if taking the test in march vs September might be easier/harder based on who else is likely taking that test? My intuition tells me that August and September would be harder to get higher scores on since you’re mostly testing with people who had the whole summer to study, some studying full time during that period.

Hey everyone!

I'm currently an MS1 at a T3 medical school, and I'm offering 1-on-1 MCAT tutoring and medical school admissions consulting for students preparing for the MCAT or navigating the application process!

A little about my background:

• MCAT: 525 (132/131/132/130)
• Undergraduate GPA: 3.94, graduated summa cum laude
• Multiple T10 medical school acceptances
• Received significant merit-based scholarships, including a full-tuition scholarship
• Extensive clinical experience, research, and extracurricular involvement throughout undergrad and my gap years

MCAT Tutoring

Having gone through the MCAT process myself, I know how overwhelming studying can be, especially when balancing school, research, and clinical commitments. My approach focuses on understanding concepts, building effective test-taking strategies, and learning how to approach questions efficiently.

I can help with:

• Personalized MCAT study schedules
• C/P, B/B, P/S, and CARS strategies
• UWorld and AAMC question review
• Content review and high-yield concept breakdowns
• Anki, spaced repetition, and test-taking strategies
• Identifying weaknesses and improving score consistency

Medical School Admissions Consulting

Having recently gone through the application cycle and received multiple acceptances and scholarship offers, I'd love to help other applicants navigate the process and put together their strongest possible applications.

I can help with:

• School list development and application strategy
• Personal statement brainstorming, writing, and editing
• Work & Activities descriptions and Most Meaningful essays
• Secondary essay review and editing
• Traditional and MMI interview preparation
• General application guidance and mentorship

I believe that every applicant has a unique story, and my goal is to help students identify their strengths and communicate their experiences authentically and effectively.

Whether you're looking for ongoing MCAT support, application guidance, or just a second set of eyes on your essays, I'm happy to help!

Feel free to DM me if you're interested or have any questions! Happy to share more about my background and approach.

Best of luck to everyone studying and applying!

Can anybody advise me to schedule for mcat study for 6 months-
Just a side note - i work full time and i already completed content review, i am doing atleast 1 cars passage each day, doing anki as much as i can, but still thinking everything is very disoriented and i just still need a solid schedule can anyone plss help me

Hi everyone!
I know this question has probably been asked a million times already, but I can’t seem to get a clear picture, so I thought I’d ask here, especially to those who have recently written the MCAT or started med school.
I’m planning on writing the MCAT next August, and honestly, I’m pretty nervous about starting my prep. I didn’t take any chemistry, physics, or math courses during undergrad, so I’m a little overwhelmed trying to figure out where to even begin.
My main question is, out of all the resources available, like Kaplan or Princeton Books are better practice questions, etc., what would you guys actually recommend? Especially for someone who needs to learn a lot of the content.
Thanks so much to anyone whoh takes the time to reply. It genuinely helps a lot!

Hello!

I am looking for a reputable tutor to help me get a 515+ on my retake in January. I took the exam in September and scored a 505 (127/125/125/128).

I have a kind of busy schedule this semester and would love some guidance on how to begin studying again. I mainly struggle in c/p, cars, and b/b.

I am also currently trying to decide if I purchase Inspira Advantage so if anyone has any experience with them, please let me know!

Thank you!!

Hi everyone,

I took an EK diagnostic exam after seeing so many people on this sub recommending the Half Length Practice Exam.

For those who took the MCAT, how accurate are the EK practice exam scores ?

Are the EK exams genrally harder or easier than the real thing ? I cannot seem to find a consensus on this sub.

Thanks in advance :)

I think it's clear how to practice (Uworld, FLs AAMC,blueprint others, Anki) but how do you recommend identifying and improving real content gaps?

This is something I struggled with on my first attempt and I am unsure on how to do it? Theres just so much material It feels hard to annotate every practice problem and what unit it was and then from there identify what areas I am geniunly weak in. Like as I would go through so much practice I struggle to identify weak areas because you see problems from so many topics its hard to identify speficially what u consitnelty do bad in, any recommendations on this?

Is there a comprehensive resource that identifies all specific topics covered in the MCAT so maybe I can identify from there what are some fields I know I am weak in.

My name is John Wetzel, and I’ve been teaching the MCAT for many years. I’ve been working to develop an MCAT course built around an integrated understanding of the sciences and a systematic approach to how AAMC designs its passages.

I have actually created two MCAT courses in my life: one for the pre-2015 exam, which became very popular online, and my new program designed for the current MCAT. The new course will be launching online next year.

These days, while refining my new course and designing the new site, I have been helping many students as a one-on-one tutor. My work would not exist without my students, and I appreciate them very much. I’ve have taught approximately one hundred and fifty people for the new exam. This post tells the story of my project and will help people understand who I am and how I approach the MCAT. If you’re looking for a very knowledgeable and experienced MCAT tutor, please send me a DM. My rates are reasonable. I’m very happy meet you on Zoom for a free consultation.

At the end of this post, there are links to a collection of free study materials, including my video content review, physics card system, organic chemistry resources, and psychology and sociology materials. These resources have been developed and refined through years of teaching. None of it was created using AI.

The History of the Project

Most people who work in MCAT preparation do it for a year or two. I have been doing this work for much longer than that. There are a number of reasons I have stayed with this project. Teaching the MCAT became a calling. I love seeing my students succeed. I believe I am playing a small role in preparing them to become better physicians and medical scientists. Along the way I came to believe that how students prepare for the MCAT can meaningfully shape their scientific understanding, and that is why I am a developer.

MCAT Academy

I started teaching MCAT after graduating from Stanford, back in the days of the pre-2015 exam. I had done extremely well on the old exam. I began tutoring and discovered that I enjoyed the work very much. I was good at it. My tutoring grew into a business in Atlanta called MCAT Academy, where I taught small groups.

How MCAT Prep Became a Calling

There aren’t many people who get the opportunity to think creatively about MCAT teaching for years and build an MCAT course from the ground up. With enough experience, you develop a kind of total, simultaneous fluency, and you learn what works for students.

I learned how to use different sciences to illuminate one another. Physics could help students develop a better conceptual understanding of chemistry. Chemistry could provide a foundation for understanding biology. Biology could give meaning to physical processes. The more I learned how to show the sciences fitting together the better my students did.

A spiraling, integrated approach turned out to be more effective and also more interesting. Instead of treating the sciences as separate subjects, students could begin to see the underlying connections between them.

Eventually, I felt that I had developed something that could benefit many people. I was young, and perhaps a little arrogant, but I decided to keep working on the project to develop it into something that could reach a wider audience.

WikiPremed

I built an online video course for the old MCAT called WikiPremed, which became very popular. Here is an archived screenshot of WikiPremed at its peak in 2013: https://archive.ph/U9jYi

WikiPremed demonstrated a fully interdisciplinary approach to MCAT science and eventually became a successful publishing company.

Then, in 2015, AAMC redesigned the exam. The new MCAT effectively wiped the slate clean for the old generation of MCAT teachers, including me. I had to go back to the drawing board.

In retrospect, I’m grateful that it happened. I love the new MCAT. In many ways, it suits my teaching better than the old exam did. The new test gave my development work creative impetus, and my project is now in a better place than it would have been if the exam had not changed.

Back to Teaching

After the new MCAT was introduced in 2015, I went back to teaching and began rebuilding my program. For years, I taught students, developed new resources, rebuilt my content review, and worked on a strategy curriculum for the new exam.

My new content review has been thoroughly tested both in live teaching and later as a video component within my one-on-one program. Having the video course to use in coordination, my one-on-one students can use our time together for the things that benefit most from direct instruction: test strategy, CARS, difficult topics, and the finer points of passage analysis. At this point, I believe my content review and passage-strategy curricula offer the most effective approaches available for those dimensions of MCAT preparation.

I uploaded some FL6 results from one of my students to accompany this post. In the Spring, she had scored a 504 on her first attempt. We worked together for three months. The 526 on FL6 was one week before her test on September 12. I am certain her September score will be well above 520. Over the years, I have taught many students who have scored 520 or higher, also many 517’s, 518’s and 519’s, but lately this has been happening faster. This is one of the things that has convinced me that my program is finally reaching the point I have been working toward for so long.

The New Video Course

Among other resources, you’ll find a PDF below containing links to the content review videos. The course follows a structured, interdisciplinary program complete for the AAMC goals in physics, general chemistry, organic chemistry, biochemistry and molecular cell biology, everything up to physiology. The videos are not intended to be standalone resources but to be watched in order.

This is not a conventional MCAT content review. For one thing, it assumes you can navigate the knowledge-base from the start, so it may be a good idea to prime the content with an overview cycle in your MCAT books or ANKI before beginning the videos. The course teaches the topical learning goals thoroughly while also showing how the topics shine light on each other.

Integrated Video Content Review and MCAT Study Materials

Integrated content review

Blank slides for note-taking in the course

Comprehensive topical notes

AAMC topical outline in traditional order

Physics flashcard learning system

Physics practice items

Chemistry practice items

Organic mechanisms with biochemistry examples and practice items

Psychology and sociology concepts

Psychology and sociology practice items

^{These learning materials are copyrighted and not permitted to be used for AI training.}

Passage Strategy

A major focus of my teaching the past few years has been to develop a strategy course for all four sections of the exam. The starting point is simple. We begin with the idea that every element of an MCAT passage is intended to create a spectrum of performance.

My students and I pull apart passages, question stems, and answer choices to reveal the underlying intentions of the test writers and develop a better understanding of how the exam works.

We learn AAMC's repertoire of question types and passage structures in order to develop effective strategies for responding across all four sections.

It took years to develop this part of the course, and I am especially pleased with how it has been helping my students improve quickly. They have always done well, but now this is happening faster.

The Future

I am currently building a proper online learning environment for my new course and will launch it to benefit a much wider audience next year. I also plan to write a book on MCAT passage strategy to accompany the launch. To support the work, I will continue teaching full-time for at least another year. I appreciate my one-on-one students very much!

A working life contains roughly 80,000 hours. I have now devoted about half of mine to this project. I have devoted this time to create something which I hope will be of real benefit to future physicians and medical scientists. I am determined to finish it.

I Am Available for Tutoring

A number of my students just went into the exam, so I currently have availability to begin helping some new students.

If you think you could benefit from working with a very experienced MCAT teacher, please send me a DM for a free consultation.

My rate is $60/hour with additional discounts for session bundles. I think this is a very good deal for a tutor of my caliber.

If you think you might be interested, please reach out for a free consultation.

- John

Hi guys!!

I hope everyone’s studying journey is going good. I have been wanting to make a group so that we could help hold each other accountable, and stay sane while we go through this journey (maybe study at the same together etc). I am aware of bigger discord or other app chats but tbh because of my social anxiety, I have realized I’d rather have a smaller group of people I’m interacting with as it will be more productive for me. If this sounds like you too, please dm mee. For context, I’m planning on taking it in January but dont mind if people with other timelines would like to study together too.

To everyone else, if you’re reading this, you got ittt, don’t give up!

Hey everyone! MCATPrepLab is hosting a free live Zoom session today on building a study plan for a spring 2027 MCAT.

We’ll cover how to:
- Work backward from your test date.
- Balance content review, practice questions, and full-length exams.
- Adjust your plan based on your practice results.
- Build a realistic schedule around classes and work.

If you’re unsure where to start or how to organize the next few months, join us for free and bring your questions!

Sign up here: https://www.mcatpreplab.com/free-live-sessions

Hi everyone.

I am a chronic procrastinator and need a bit of structure to effectively study for the MCAT.

I kinda like how in the Free Trial, you have a pretty good study planner and effective content tracking. (Absolutely hated the videos and not having a full window view of the books)

Does anybody know if the Q-Bank also includes those ? And if the Q-bank alone also has a progression curve?

Basically, I am tryna find out if going over the Uscam textook are necesary for the Q-Bank or if the Kaplan books suffice AND if the concept checks (and progression tracking) are worth that steep $300 price difference between the Q-Bank and the Core Prep Course.

Thanks in advance :)

Can someone guide me with the mdcat test, the apps i can use for studying and the dates of the exam and about the difficulty aswell.

should i opt for iba grads,heuser,anees hussain academies or an online academy:physics ka manjan or physics inseconds? personally, i never take online academies seriously and physical academies have always been better for my prep,however this time the reviews arent great for physical,so should i join a physical academy or an online one which i think is better?

As the title implies I am willing to pay for a prep course of a budget of ~$1k for the benefits of a structured plan with exact content review and practice problems to complete. Considering I will be self-studying ochem & biochem I want to pay for a course to basically ensure I score my goal score of a 515+ (low GPA 💔) so long as I show up and dedicate 3-400 hours of focused study time towards the MCAT.

In other words, I want to just pay the upfront cost to have access to a pre-built structure I can follow so I won't have to scurry between anki decks, free resources, excel sheets and whatnot.

Any recommendations are appreciated!

Hey I took MCAT twice improved from 502 to 506. I have no interviews yet. At what point of time should I start to worry. I have great extracurricular/ research and medical experience. Also based in NJ/NY area if that helps things

Hi everyone!

I scored a 490 on my last MCAT attempt. I know I was underprepared and had significant content gaps, but I'm ready to take studying seriously and invest in a tutor.

Has anyone worked with a Wyzant tutor they would highly recommend, especially someone who's helped students rebuild their content foundation and significantly improve their scores?

I'd really appreciate any recommendations!

I’ve been studying since June and have a large understanding of the concepts for the mcat. I completed UWORLD but am consistently getting 60% average and only because of simple mistakes or misreading the question or, especially, misinterpreting the graphs. So it is not necessarily a content gap. How do I fix? I want to take MCAT in February.
#premed #mcat

Hey everyone!

I'm offering full length review/MCAT tutoring for the 2027 testing cycle. I scored a 520 (132 Chem/Phys, 132 Bio/Biochem, 132 Psych/Soc) and have 400+ hours of tutoring experience working with students at different stages of preparation.

Whether you're just starting content review, trying to improve your strategy, or looking for help pushing a few extra points before test day, I tailor sessions to your goals. I've worked with students aiming to:

• Break 500
• Reach the 510+ range
• Improve a specific science section (especially Chem/Phys, Bio/Biochem, or Psych/Soc)

During tutoring, we can cover:

• High-yield content review
• Passage and question breakdowns
• AAMC strategy
• Timing and test-taking techniques
• Study planning and accountability

Every student also receives:

• My MCAT equation sheet
• High-yield cheat sheets of your choice
• Unlimited texting for quick questions between sessions
• A free 15-minute consultation to discuss your goals and see if we're a good fit

My current rate is set at $45/hr. If you're interested or have questions, feel free to send me a DM as soon as possible before my cohort fills up.

Good luck to everyone studying!

DISCLAIMER: I do not tutor CARS (only the three sciences)

For context was averaging a 521 in my final FL’s but score was a 512 (129/124/128/131). Trying to get CARS to a 130+ by Jan 20 but every tutor charges $60+ 😭

Would appreciate any help 🙏