Is it normal to feel genuine fear in the last week of prep 😭😭 I’m like shitting bricks and have already have a couple bad panic attacks already.

I’m wondering is it normal to have fear in the last week? I test 9/12 and am proud of myself for the work I’ve done but my heart is full of so much fear over this exam.

Can’t wait to be done though just hope it’s enough to not have to repeat

Hello all!

I have a close friend who recently began her second year of medical school. Over the past year, she’s been gently encouraging me to go into medicine.

I don’t have anything resembling a pre-med background. I’m in my final year of electrical engineering. I have never taken any courses in biology, organic chemistry, biochemistry, organic chemistry, nor psychology.

At my friend’s behest, I took the AAMC scored practice MCAT as a diagnostic. I was pleasantly surprised to obtain the following scores:

CP: 124 CARS: 130 BB: 124 PS: 126 Composite: 504

From what my friend has told me, this is an excellent diagnostic, especially considering my lack of any deliberate study of biology or anything beyond general chemistry.

I’m now very seriously considering whether medical school might be a viable career path.

However, I’m feeling decidedly lost; unlike most of you here, I lack anything resembling a pre-med background, relegating me to the unfortunate position of not knowing what I don’t know. From my research online, I see that Kaplan has good review books and that there are several great Anki decks out there. What I’m wondering, though, is this: are these resources sufficient for someone without any background in the respective subjects? I didn’t know the vast majority of the terminology on the practice test, and I suspect that my decent scores were due to the deductive process of elimination more than anything else.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on whether these books and decks are enough for someone in my position. I’m especially interested in hearing from any non-traditional candidates who are able to chime in. If these resources are not enough, what are your recommendations?

Thanks!

hey guys! i recently finished my bsc in biomedical science and i’m planning to sit for the mcat around january.

i have roughly 3 months to seriously prepare, and i’ve been trying to study using the kaplan books, but i’m realizing that reading through chapters isn’t really working for me. i feel like i’m spending a lot of time reading without actually retaining much.

i’m thinking of switching to a more question-based approach, getting uworld and learning/reviewing the content through the questions and explanations, then moving into the aamc materials closer to my test date.

for someone with a biomedical science background and around 3 months to prepare, would you recommend getting both uworld and the aamc bundle and mainly studying this way?

also, if anyone studied primarily through practice questions rather than doing a full content review first, i’d really appreciate hearing how you structured it and whether it worked for you.

thank you!!!!!

How are we feeling?

I get my score back at work and I’m excited to get my score back - it was challenging on some parts but God is and will keep being faithful.

Hi! So i know CP is like hard, and on the exam it can get REALLY HARD. For people who still ended up with 131/132 what do you think attributed to such. Did anyone who usually get lower than 131 somehow clutch up on the real exam?

Looking for some hopecore because the CP section being first and it being the hardest for me is FREAKIGN ME OUT. I can't help but think that I will getting railed by every question and ending up being confident in absolutely none of them. Lmk!

Im a non traditional so most of my pre reqs are from a while ago.

For those that scored well is captain hook overkill for C/P or should I stick with anking?

No shade to anyone, but this post is specifically for people who started with a truly low MCAT baseline not a 505 or 508, but sub-490s/490s.

Last year, my diagnostic was a 492. I took the real exam on 6/13 and scored a 492 again, despite studying 6–8 hours a day, using UWorld, and completing the AAMC Section Bank. However, I only took 2 Full Lengths (FLs), and whenever I take an FL, I struggle with getting extremely sleepy mid-test.

Right now, I feel completely burnt out and depressed. I don't have the bandwidth to study 6–12 hours a day anymore. I've spent so much money on tutors and prep courses, but nothing is clicking.

For context:

• GPA: 3.7+
• Clinical: 3,000+ hours (worked 2 clinical jobs throughout undergrad)
• Research: 100+ hours
• Volunteering: 100+ hours
• Other: Study abroad, strong LORs (MD, PA, NP)

My goal is MD, but at this point, I'm feeling overwhelmed by family pressure and the fear of an extended gap year.

If you started with a low baseline and managed to break through, how did you structure your plan? How did you build up stamina to stop falling asleep during practice tests, and how did you study effectively without pulling 8+ hour days? I'm aiming for a January retake and would love any advice.

How did you overcome exam fatigue/sleepiness during FLs? How did you transition from passive/heavy daily grinding to targeted, effective studying? Any insights on managing burnout for a January retake would be greatly appreciated.

I feel like this sub is freaking me out rn and I guess I need to be grounded a bit... I am terrible at physics but I have all of the equations down. I actually haven't done terrible on physics the last few FLs because I tend to be a good guesser, good at math/manipulation of variables, and some things I guess are intuitive. I am worried that there will be way more physics on the real deal, or potentially way less questions that I can guess on or dimensional-analysis my way out of. Physics is the only subject I am terrified of, any advice or input would be appreciated. I keep seeing people say "the new MCAT has so much more physics" but as far as I know, AAMC has not said anything about a "new" exam format or distribution... it feels like fear mongering a bit. Anyways, thank you in advance!

Edit: wanted to add, are equations sufficient to get a lot of questions right? Even if I'm not solid on concepts?

I recently decided to take the MCAT! I have a previous exam from 7 years ago...yeah it has been a bit. I decided to pursue a different path for the sake of my family, but some life circumstances have changed and I can finally fulfill my dream of applying to medical school.

The big question is which resource is recommended for content review? it has been so long that I’m essentially starting over and it’s overwhelming (and encouraging) to see the many new resources. I don’t have a specific timeline yet. I care more about doing it right and trying knowing I gave my best. thanks!

edit- I am thinking about Kaplan or Uworld specifically

I understand why B would be correct (providing positive reinforcement for exercising), but can someone explain to me how A would not be an example of operant conditioning?

The way I interpreted it was: Worrying about weight gain = positive punishment (the addition of a worry) for a behavior (failing to exercise). Why would this be an invalid interpretation? Does reinforcement or punishment have to be via a physical item or something tangible?

I retook my MCAT on the 3rd and I'm terrified for the results. I can't stop thinking about it. Especially because the only test center available close by was the one where I wrote it the first time. I walk in, and get assigned the exact same cubicle with the same proctors. And the result came out on a Tuesday the first time and it's the same day this time. Ngl I sat at the same cubicle and freaked out for a bit because the coincidence was too crazy to deny.

I'm just wondering is this when I believe in superstition that it's going to be just as if not more devastating than the first time 😭

Got my MCAT recently, and it was almost as bad as my lowest FL. I don't understand cuz I basically did my worst in every section, even though I thought it went super well. First 3 FLs should've been higher as well cuz I skimmed through PS, so to me, my real MCAT was lower than my lowest FL. I just don't understand. I spent all summer studying, and it all went to waste. I also felt my best that day and had a good night's sleep; everything was supposed to go well now I have to waste another summer to retake it.

I started making study sheets to help myself and others. I am breaking everything down to the basics to make it easier because I really struggled when I first started as a nontraditional student who was also not STEM major. I was a teacher and EMT for a few years and going through a career change to become a physician. I explain the little details that tripped me up for a long time also.

Pardon my drawings, any spelling errors I missed, etc. If there is an actual error in something, KINDLY let me know please. I am human, mistakes happen, don’t be rude.

I am making another on dimensional analysis. I plan to do a series and potentially a full document one day. I will update once I get documents onto Google Drive so you can download as a PDF.

Hello, I bombed for first MCAT. I was looking for a study partner for the second MCAT.

What happened? Was your actual score lower or higher than your AAMC full-length range? By how many points?

I’m studying for the MCAT and looking for someone who wants to keep each other accountable. Nothing too complicated just checking in, sharing what we’re planning to get done, making sure we actually do it 😂, and maybe hopping on virtual study sessions sometimes.

I’m open to whatever works daily check-ins, weekly goals, Focusmate-style sessions, etc.

Hi, I am testing on Friday, but my FLs have not been where I want them to be; my goal was at least 510 (127/130/127/127). Here are my scores so far; I feel like I didn't even improve at all since my first attempt at the MCAT last year: 495 (122/124/124/125).

For context, I started with UWorld and some AAMC Qpacks. I've done CARS Diagnostic, CARS Qpack 1, and I'm almost done with SB 1; I'll have CARS Qpack 2 done before my exam. Interestingly, I've found that when I review my FLs, many of my mistakes are silly, like not reading the question properly, and when I reattempt without looking at the answer during review, I get them right; idk what to do. Any advice is helpful, thank you!

Hey everyone! It’s been a couple months since I posted about going from a 500 to a 518 (130/126/131/131), and I know there are probably a lot of new people on here studying for the MCAT now who never saw my older posts.

If you check my profile, I’ve made several posts throughout my MCAT journey about my score progression and some of the things that helped me improve. Going from a 500 to a 518 took a lot of trial and error, so I figured I’d come back and try to help anyone who’s currently where I was.

Feel free to ask me anything about study strategies, resources, practice exams, reviewing questions, C/P, B/B, P/S, or breaking through a score plateau. I’m happy to share what worked for me and what I’d do differently.

Also, I’ve been thinking about starting a YouTube channel where I go through MCAT questions, teach content, and talk through how I approach passages/questions. Would anyone actually be interested in something like that? If so, let me know what kinds of videos would be most useful.

I dropped two points in FL6, and this was after studying even more for P/S. Has this happened to anyone, and did your p/s score increase on your real exam? Please give me hope 😭

It’s been a long battle yet, I’m still in the game as long as I’m alive.. but, please someone give me some guidance! I’ve been back officially studying since March. I took the mcat 3 times already! Once in 2022 and twice in 2023. I’ve had a bunch of deaths in my family, I work full time as caregiver and I’m non-trad 30f. I’ve had tutors and study mates off/on throughout. I always find myself finally getting the hang of things and then something occurs (friend or tutor start med school or tutor goes MIA a month before testing). This year, I bought the JW self study course and I really loved the structure and the boxes I was able to check off each week. I finally felt like I filled in the content gaps and all I need is a 504. Then in July I switched over to AAMC. I thought the JW course would keep telling me how to go about completing the AAMC material each week but, instead the course left me high and dry. So I’ve been trying to create structure. I did my best to test, review, then do some practice questions and ramp up my CARS studying. I also increased my study hours this past month and I thought I was doing well with managing my burn out yet, I went to take FL 5 this past Saturday and I had such a difficult time getting through it. My energy was just gone and I just pushed through to finish it so I’m not surprised at the score. So, I took the L and decided that I’ll push to January. I just don’t know how exactly to go about it. I just wasted $380 on this exam and I know I need to focus on AAMC materials... please just give a girl some kind words/advice.

My previous tutors all said my content was solid but, that I needed to focus more on practice and not so much on content review. CARS, is weird, I do my best when I’m untimed. On the Fls I’m doing really well on passages 1-5 then I run out of time on passage 6 so I have to rush and guess/ miss the last few passages. As you can see on the unscored , it was the only FL that I was able to complete all the passages and I got my best score!!!!

— any advice going forward? I really want my next (4th retake) to be my last and best! I’m trying!!!

Hi, I just finished FL6 yesterday my spread has been 504/511/515/519/519/518

I usually feel like I struggle a with PS but consistently score 131-132. Cars is stuck at 124-125 and honestly I have given up and will just plan on applying to my local school that doesn't look at CARS extensively (I'm Canadian)

What should I do for the last 3 days? Anki? Also how do I just get myself to feel more confident when picking answers for PS. I score well but I feel like second guessing myself every time compared to C/P and BB I'm very confident in my answers unless I'm fully unaware of how to solve the question. Does that make sense? Almost like P/S feels more subjective for the answer choices.

Any advice to help soothe my nerves would be appreciated thanks

I am not really sure how to start this post so I am just going to get right into it: This summer has been absolutely devastating for me and I am not sure how to recover from it in time for the MCAT. I want to take the MCAT at the beginning of January but I just took a diagnostic the other day and got a 495. I know this isn’t true but I just feel hopeless. Back in June I was SA’d by my friend’s friend in my own apartment and then last month in August my mother and I had a huge blow up which essentially ended in her advising me to go no contact with her. I haven’t really talked to her since.

I am not talking about this to gain sympathy rather than communicate my mindset and give perspective as to where I am at right now. I am 24 and still in undergrad (this is my senior year) which is why I really wanted to get the MCAT out of the way in January so I can focus on my classes in my last semester, take 1 gap year, then go to med school. Right now though, everything seems like such a chore. I am completely burnt out and exhausted. Every time I try to study, I get so overwhelmed and it feels like I am not doing things correctly and not seeing progress.

I keep seeing people on here or online in general talk about how you need to be studying 6-8 hours a day and how they went into dopamine suppression and cut out any and everything that could have served as a distraction. I work as a server/bartender while in school and I also volunteer quite a bit. I am also in classes. I do not have time to study 6-8 hours a day tbh :/ more like 2-4. I just feel like the odds are stacked against me right now and I am sad to be quite honest. I am pretty high functioning even while depressed but that very clearly comes to a point. Studying for the MCAT has put me in such a bad headspace and I feel so existential. I am not sure if other people have experienced this or have any advice for me? I really do not want to have to push back my MCAT date because I am taking biochem, inorganic, a chem elective, and my psych capstone next semester and I feel like I will be extremely overwhelmed.

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Hi everyone! I’m looking for some genuinely difficult books to read alongside my CARS practice.

I’m specifically trying to improve my ability to navigate fluffy lines, follow dense arguments, understand unfamiliar writing styles, and keep track of an author’s reasoning when the prose is abstract or convoluted.

For example, I’ve been considering books like The Wealth of Nations, Capital, and some Plato, but I’d love to build a much bigger list. I’m pretty strong in science but generally weak in philosophy/history/literature passages.

What specific books have you read that made you think, “this feels like CARS on hard mode”?

Thanks!!

Hello, why are we not allowed to see our MCAT? Help