Studying for the MCAT can feel like a never-ending marathon and the fear of burnout is very real for many of us (I was in that situation, too!). We often hear about Reddit threads that tout 12-16 hour study days for 3 months straight, with maybe 1 or 2 days off for Christmas. You might read this and think, “How is this humanly possible??” Don’t worry, I thought so, too. After reading through multiple blog posts and Reddit messages about this, I concluded that those long, long days were not for me. I had to come up with another solution, and if you feel like you’re in the same boat, keep reading.
After achieving a 512 on the MCAT the first time, here are the big things I changed in my life to increase my score by 11 points to a 523.
1. Take 1 full day off per week.
Yes, you read that right: 1 full day of doing no MCAT whatsoever. For me, this was typically on Sundays, since I enjoyed spending time with family or friends on the weekend (and because I always scheduled my full-length test days for Saturdays). This day off was incredibly beneficial in resetting my rhythm and allowing me to recharge for another 6 days of studying.
2. No screens after 8 PM.
I’m a morning person: this meant that I woke up at 6:30 AM every single day, worked out for 30-60 minutes, studied from about 7:30 AM to 4 PM (including breaks!), relaxed for a few hours, then shut off all screens at 8 PM. The MCAT is a computer exam and almost every study resource is online. That’s a lot of blue light and potential headaches, and if you’re looking at screens until you go to bed, chances are you won’t get the high-quality sleep your brain needs.
3. Read books you enjoy.
Reading books during MCAT studying can be beneficial for a few reasons. It reduces blue light exposure to ensure quality sleep (see tip #2), and it also helps you in the CARS section. I had heard that improving your CARS score necessitated diving into dense philosophical passages, but that's not true in my experience. I learned that by simply finding books you love (mystery novels, in my case), you’ll breeze through the pages and you’ll be analyzing the plots without even realizing. You’ll gain skills in speed reading and understanding the author’s mood, skills you'll certainly need for CARS.
4. Strive for 7-8 hours of studying per day.
I committed to 7-8 hours a day of studying. That meant, though, that other than the occasional 5-10 minute break, or 20-30 minute break for lunch, I was locked in. No phones, no distractions; only focused studying. 7-8 hours might still feel like a lot, but if you’re finished studying at 4 PM every day, that still leaves a few hours of doing anything you want.
The MCAT exam can be a really arduous time and process, but you’re not alone.
Learning from blog posts such as this and truly listening to what your body and mind are telling you can be priceless while studying, and will pay off on test day.
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