How to review a full-length practice MCAT exam 

MCAT
By Simone

So, you’ve taken your first practice MCAT. Now what?

No matter how you did score-wise, you’ll want to make the most out of your post-test review to keep on improving. 

Take your time. 

I spent usually at least one day, and sometimes one and a half, reviewing my full-length exams. You want to go slow to make sure you’re really making the most out of your post-test review. If you need to re-read a passage, do so. If you need to look back at some content to remind yourself about the steps of glycolysis, do so. 

Reviewing a long test like the MCAT can be time consuming, but it is worth it. But you want to make sure you are alert when you’re reviewing—take breaks throughout your review of a test. 

Stay organized. 

The MCAT is a long test with lots of parts, so you’ll want to stay organized as much as possible. I recommend starting an Excel file. Each sheet can either be a new test, or they could be split up by section (C/P, CARS, B/B, P/S). I chose to do mine by section so I could easily see what kinds of questions I was getting wrong after I had taken multiple practice tests. Whatever you do, stay consistent. 

Don’t just review what you got wrong. 

If you got a question right, don’t just skip over it. Had you flagged this question? If so, you should still review it. Do you really understand why the correct answer is the correct answer? If not, review it. If you were deciding between two choices and picked the right one, still review it. While this can be time consuming, it really makes the most of your reviewing. 

Articulate what tripped you up about the question. 

This is incredibly important. It is easy to simply accept the right answer and move on. But really try to pinpoint why you got a question wrong or, if you got it right, why it stumped you. This will help you stay organized and reveal to you what you need to focus on with your studying moving forward. It is imperative that you pinpoint what you can improve on. 

Be detailed. 

Next to each question you review, write the question number (so you can always refer back to it), the type of question (discrete or passage based), and the topic of the question (practice tests will usually provide this for you). These topics will differ based on what practice test company you are using, but they are helpful to organize your studying. Then, include the correct answer to the question, as well as the key idea of the question. What was the piece of information you missed, either in the passage or from outside knowledge, that was essential to this question? Articulate that clearly and type it out so you’re clear about it. Sometimes, the key idea for that question may not be anything related to the content of the question, but rather an idea related to test taking strategies. For example, one of my common “key ideas” was, “Don’t automatically see a word in an answer choice and assume it is correct because that answer choice also appeared in the passage.” Write your explanations and key ideas in a way that makes sense to you. 

Have your post-test review inform your future studying. 

Either during or after your review, make a list (or even flashcards) of what topics you need to review or what kinds of questions you need to work on. If there’s a specific fact you weren’t aware of or need to review, make a flashcard for it and incorporate it into your deck so you never miss it again. If it’s a whole cycle or organ system you need to review, write it down and make a note to do so before your next set of practice questions or next exam. 

Full-length practice MCAT exams are some of the best tools out there to help you prep for the MCAT. But in order to make the most of them, you need to spend at least just as much time reviewing them as you do taking them. Happy studying!

Simone graduated summa cum laude from Barnard. She holds a Master of Public Health from aColumbia, and is currently pursuing an MD at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.

Comments

topicTopics
academics study skills MCAT medical school admissions SAT expository writing college admissions English MD/PhD admissions strategy writing LSAT GMAT GRE physics chemistry math biology graduate admissions academic advice ACT interview prep law school admissions test anxiety language learning premed MBA admissions career advice personal statements homework help AP exams creative writing MD study schedules test prep computer science Common Application summer activities history mathematics philosophy organic chemistry secondary applications economics supplements research 1L PSAT admissions coaching grammar law psychology statistics & probability legal studies ESL CARS SSAT covid-19 dental admissions logic games reading comprehension engineering USMLE calculus PhD admissions Spanish mentorship parents Latin biochemistry case coaching verbal reasoning DAT English literature STEM excel medical school political science skills AMCAS French Linguistics MBA coursework Tutoring Approaches academic integrity chinese letters of recommendation Anki DO Social Advocacy admissions advice algebra art history artificial intelligence astrophysics business cell biology classics diversity statement gap year genetics geometry kinematics linear algebra mechanical engineering mental health presentations quantitative reasoning study abroad technical interviews time management work and activities 2L DMD IB exams ISEE MD/PhD programs Sentence Correction adjusting to college algorithms amino acids analysis essay athletics business skills careers cold emails data science dental school finance first generation student functions graphing information sessions international students internships logic networking poetry resume revising science social sciences software engineering tech industry trigonometry writer's block 3L AAMC Academic Interest EMT FlexMed Fourier Series Greek Health Professional Shortage Area Italian Lagrange multipliers London MD vs PhD MMI Montessori National Health Service Corps Pythagorean Theorem Python Shakespeare Step 2 TMDSAS Taylor Series Truss Analysis Zoom acids and bases active learning architecture argumentative writing art art and design schools art portfolios bacteriology bibliographies biomedicine brain teaser campus visits cantonese capacitors capital markets central limit theorem centrifugal force chemical engineering chess chromatography class participation climate change clinical experience community service constitutional law consulting cover letters curriculum dementia demonstrated interest dimensional analysis distance learning econometrics electric engineering electricity and magnetism escape velocity evolution executive function freewriting genomics harmonics health policy history of medicine history of science hybrid vehicles hydrophobic effect ideal gas law immunology induction infinite institutional actions integrated reasoning intermolecular forces intern investing investment banking lab reports linear maps mandarin chinese matrices mba medical physics meiosis microeconomics mitosis mnemonics music music theory nervous system neurology neuroscience object-oriented programming office hours operating systems