Middlebury College



MCAT Peer Advice Panel: January 8th, 2019Pre-Health Society Event co-sponsored by CCIPanelists: Lexie Lessing, Rebecca Lightman, Stacy Goins, Kevin Zhang, and Emma Office ‘17 Moderator: Zack AbramsNote-taker: Harrison Knowlton Overview of the MCAT4 sections: Chemistry/physics, critical analysis and reasoning (CARS), biology/biochemistry, psychology/sociologyCARS section is 90 minutes; remaining three sections are 95 minutes each All multiple choice questionsNearly all questions are passage based, although the non-CARS sections have some stand-alone (discrete) questions as wellWhat was your experience like studying for the MCAT?Broke up studying throughout the day. Found downtimes during lab (i.e. waiting for a PCR to run) Studied during commute with flashcards or Kaplan quicksheets Mimicked practice test environment to be like the real test (i.e. same length for breaks and lunch) Really regimented studying / full day scheduleCan be intimidating to take your first practice exam. However, afterwards, you feel better with a sense of accomplishmentSome questions involve memorization, some involve inference skills, some involve using the information directly in the passage to answer a question - learn how to read long questions quickly so that you don’t waste timeWhen did you take the MCATS? What else were you doing at that time?4 of the 5 people on the panel took it the summer between junior and senior year while working a 40 hour jobAnother person took it while working full time after collegeOne person also shadowed a doctor in the weeks leading up to the MCATTaking off time and making sure you get sleep is really important! What study material did you use? Was there any material that you found to be unhelpful?Kaplan study books - all positive reviews (except not for the psych/soc section) Kaplan live online class - able to have a teacher and could ask questions to whole group or private teachers. Downside is the price. May not be necessary for all students. Talk with Mary or Hannah before signing up for an expensive class! Studying with some videos because just reading can be exhaustingNextstep books Free online materials - Princeton Review, many others offer a free full test, although they are varied in their difficulty and how closely they mirror the actual testAAMC - full tests that are made by the company that makes the MCAT. More representative of the test and good to take at the end. Maybe take one midway though to judge where you’re at in your studyingAAMC Question Pack and Section Bank MCAT subreddit - really good for AAMC answers to their exams, question packs, and section banks Quizlet flashcards, physical flashcards Khan Academy (could be frustrating to watch some long videos when you’re pressed on time)(anatomical stuff not covered at Middlebury very well) - also have practice questions to answer Keeping track of wrong answers on a spreadsheetBrainscape - flashcard app, can rate cards based on how well you know it so that you don’t see terms you know well as oftenLots of websites with free practice questions on different topicsDid you find that group study was useful? Studying alone?Studying alone. Everyone studies at a different pace and needs attention on certain subjects. Studying near other people can help (maybe a coffee shop)What did you find unhelpful when studying for the MCAT?Getting stressed outTalking about the test with others can make the test seem even more stressful. Don’t compare yourself with othersPredicting your score What was a typical day of MCAT prep like?3-4 hours a day during the week day. Did specific sections (1-2) each day and then reviewed at the end of the week Full practice test + reviewing answers on SaturdayDay off SundayFew weeks before the actual exam: 6-8 hours a day Took around 9 practice tests in total What did you wish you had known prior to taking the MCATS?Start memorizing certain things earlier (amino acids, equations, anatomy, psych/soc terms etc...) Did you feel that Middlebury prepared you especially well for some areas of the exam? Less well for others? Were there gaps in your knowledge that you had to self-teach?Had to self teach the physics part (especially if you haven’t taken PHYS110 or PHYS111)Lacking in the human biology /anatomy Lots of memorizing terms for psych/soc that you may not be familiar with (depending on your major/minor)Kaplan did a poor job at psych/socWhat was test day like? Did you need to stay in a hotel? Travel? How far in advance did you register for the exam?Early wake up, stayed in a hotel so I didn’t have to travel, registered 6+ months in advance, brought a lunch that was high in protein so that I didn’t get the post-carb filled lunch tired slumpHow did you feel about timing?Gets better as you go with studying and practice. You will likely run out of time at the beginning and then get used to it as you go alongIf you’re a fast test taker - practice slowing yourself down because going back to a question (and having to re-read/skim a passage) can be time consumingIf you’re a slow test taker- take tests untimed to focus on questions for first two tests, and then practice with individually timed sections (and review immediately after) before taking an entire test timed ................
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