7 elements of a worthwhile MCAT review program: Part I

MCAT

Studying for the MCAT isn’t always sunshine and lollipops, so most people want to make sure that they get it over with the first time around. And what’s the most important predictor of their success in doing so? Their study program. To quote a proverb: “He who fails to plan, plans to fail.”

So what are the elements of a winning study program? In this two-part series, we review the seven most important elements of an effective, efficient MCAT study program.

7) The right review materials—Material is crucial.

MCAT review shouldn’t be the first time you’re learning MCAT-relevant material. This should have been done in your coursework earlier on. At the same time, review materials should be comprehensive enough to ensure that some of the obscure facts the MCAT test writers like to focus on are covered. So the right study materials strike the right balance between efficiency and comprehensiveness.

We particularly like the Princeton Review’s Biology Review. For Physical Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, and Physics, the Berkeley Review blows everyone else out of the water. With respect to verbal, we feel that none of the review books available are really worth the added time in practice that you’d have to sacrifice to read them.

 6) The right practice materials—Again, material is crucial.

With respect to practice materials, we recommend the Berkeley Review series across the board. Their practice questions, we feel, most closely mimic the real thing. If you can get your hands on the Princeton Review’s Science review book, it’s also an excellent resource, as is the Examkracker’s 101 passages in MCAT verbal.

We also recommend purchasing all of the AAMC practice exams (3-11). These are gold. Use them wisely—we use them for benchmarking as our students move forward with their studying. 

Here at Cambridge Coaching, we’ve gone through all MCAT study and practice materials available to handpick the best from every pot. And because we’re not the big guys, we’re not wedded to any particular set of materials or another. We know our students benefit from using the best materials available—regardless of the brand.

5) The right time allocation—Let’s face it, studying for the MCAT can be a time-suck.

Given that, it’s important that you allocate your time efficiently. While there are differences of opinion about how best to allocate time both within and across the sections, our opinion is that each student should allocate time inversely to her strengths. If you’re a bio major, then perhaps focusing on the Physical Sciences and Verbal might be a better investment of your time, and vice versa.

However, within each section, the ratio of review to practice tends to be consistent for most students. Given the breadth of information covered in the Biological Sciences section, students will want to spend more time reviewing material as compared to doing practice problems (not that practice isn’t important!). As for verbal: It’s practice, practice, practice. Physical Science tends to be somewhere in the middle.

We’ve built our MCAT review program to be customizable for just these reasons—everyone has their own strengths and areas for growth. Our curriculum capitalizes on that to give each student what she needs, no crap.

In the next post, we’ll review the four most important aspects of a successful MCAT review program. Stay tuned…

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