To begin building the content phase, write down the name of each chapter from your content review books in an Excel or Google Sheets page. (Suggested reading: When Should You Take the MCAT? The Ideal Timeline) Your study schedule will be constructed around this date.

In other words, if you study for 3 months (~90 days), you should average a little over 3 hours each day.īe sure to select your test date carefully. You should aim to study for at least 300 hours for the exam. Write out the average amount of time you will be able to study for the MCAT each week. Write out every other time commitment you will have between now and your test date. To assess your time, try this simple exercise. You should be honest and realistic with yourself when determining your time commitments. What other time commitments will you have during the period in which you plan on studying for the MCAT? MCAT preparation is time consuming. (Note: There are also medical school prerequisites.) Have you taken the classes absolutely needed for the MCAT? These classes include general chemistry, one semester of organic chemistry and physics, and introductory biology. When are you planning on applying to medical school? This is often not an easy decision to make, so there are a few questions you should ask yourself before selecting a test date.

In order to build your MCAT study schedule, you’ll want to select a test date. Part 2: A step-by-step approach to building an MCAT study schedule Step 1: Choose an MCAT test date. To help you sit down and write out your own MCAT study schedule, we’ve developed a comprehensive guide that will help you achieve a 520+ score and get into medical school.Ī step-by-step guide to building your own study schedule, which includes choosing a test date and mapping out each week until your examĪnswers to frequently asked questions about the MCAT study scheduleĮxample study schedules (1-month, 2-month, and 3-month MCAT study plans)Īfter reading through this guide, you’ll have all of the information needed to build yourself an effective study schedule that helps you achieve a high score on the MCAT. What this MCAT study schedule guide covers Let’s dive into what this guide covers and how to make an MCAT study schedule. Students who are thoughtful and spend the time upfront creating a solid study schedule tend to perform much better on the MCAT.ĭon’t be afraid to spend a few hours designing your MCAT study schedule! It will pay off in the long run when you crush the MCAT and get that acceptance call from your dream medical school. What’s more, a large number of these low MCAT scorers didn’t dedicate sufficient time to developing a study schedule because they weren’t “ready to completely start studying” or were “just getting started in the process.”Ĭreating a study schedule is the single most important piece of the MCAT puzzle that you will complete at the beginning of your test prep as it serves as a roadmap, friend, and accountability tracker throughout your entire MCAT journey. Here’s the bottom line: lots of otherwise qualified students don’t get into medical school because of a low MCAT score.

The small state school student proved a high science and critical thinking aptitude, and admissions committees will likely choose the small state school student, despite the differences in the undergraduate reputation. Why do admissions committees care so much about the MCAT? The MCAT is an attempt to compare students who come from a broad range of backgrounds, majors, regions, undergraduate institutions, and much more.įor example, let’s say that a Stanford student and a student from a small state school have the same application, but the Stanford student scored a 505 on the MCAT while the small state school student scored a 518. If you think of medical school admissions as a tiered evaluation process, the MCAT falls in the top tier of what admissions committees look at when they evaluate an applicant, in addition to your GPA and personal statement. Odds are these students had less-than-stellar MCAT scores, one of the most important factors admissions committees consider when evaluating applications. You’ve probably heard stories about premed students who went to well-respected colleges, had extensive clinical and volunteer experiences, worked in the same lab for multiple years, and achieved a 3.9 GPA but were still rejected from every medical school that they applied to. Part 1: Introduction to building a great MCAT study schedule

Anki mcat separating gen chem and ochem