Have you been hoping for a top score on the MCATs? If you are headed for early MCAT registration, then creating a timeline so you’re prepared is essential. We talked to some of the top MCAT scorers to discover their secrets when they were taking the exam. Basically, these individuals scored in the 99.9th percentile. These are the best practices for getting a top score on the MCATs.
So how prepared should you be for the MCATs?
Study for 3 Months Ahead
You may think you don’t have to study as head because you’re a great student and have scored high in all of your undergraduate work. However, the MCATs are a totally different beast. You should block out enough time to study for the MCAT for as long as you need, but top scorers say three months is minimum. During this time, you should spend hours looking over practice tests and material for the MCATs.
Shadow a Doctor
You can take some time off before you take your MCATs and really learn from someone else with job shadowing. You’ll need this knowledge for your career, but it will also help you prepare for the MCATs to have some professional, field experience. In addition, if you have questions from your materials, then you can have your doctor clear up questions or talk to nurses who can help with your test prep.
Treat the MCAT like a Job
You want to do your very best, which is why you should study as much as you can. You should time your study sessions and make sure that you are focusing on the work. If you treat it like a job, then you’ll be more likely to study for longer periods of time per day. It’s important to get through moments where you feel like you don’t need to study because that’s not the case. There are always areas that can use improvement. You can take a practice test to see where your baseline is and what areas need improvement.
Track Areas Where You’re Weak
You should see an improvement after taking your first practice test. You can take a practice test at the end of every week to see how you progress and what differences have been made. You should always take a different test and make sure that you are timing it correctly so that the settings are just like they will be when you take the real thing.
If there are concepts that are easy to breeze through, then you should focus on the subjects that are giving you the most trouble. These are the areas that will need extra focus during your exam.
Review All Questions You Missed
When you miss a question, you should mark it down and go back to it after the practice test is over. You should study this material harder until it becomes like second nature to you. This is why you give yourself three months to prepare. You should be able to answer many more questions by the end of this period and understand how each subject has improved during your study session.
Register Early & Apply Ahead
You should always be ready for early MCAT registration. This exam is the key to your future, but to be in the best place, you want to get your application in early. This should put you ahead of other students and give you an extra boost if you have great scores.