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Vol 1 Issue 15
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One of the most frequently asked questions we get is "What is the best way to prepare for the MCAT Exam?" It's not surprising given how busy pre-med students
are balancing coursework, extracurriculars, and a social life. Students report that they spend on average 20 hours a week for three months to prepare for the exam, according to the
2014 Post-MCAT Questionnaire.
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Creating a study plan will help you think about how to manage your time. It will help you organize your work, give you structure, and keep you on track up until
test day.
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To get you started, the AAMC has developed five guiding steps that you can tailor to fit your study habits.
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Understand all about the MCAT exam and what it tests.
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Explore the content outline of the exam and the necessary skills tested by the exam by using the
What's on the MCAT Exam? interactive tool. This tool allows you to click around, watch videos, and even see sample questions and explanations.
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Walk through the
Official Guide to the MCAT® Exam to get a complete overview of MCAT exam, including registration, scoring, exam content, and more. The guide includes 120 practice questions and solutions, with an option to access those questions online.
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Establish a baseline of knowledge to help you plan how to study
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Start by taking the
Official MCAT® Sample Test. This is a full-length exam with the same features and functionality as the actual MCAT exam. While this test won't provide you a score at the end, it will show you the percent and number correct you achieve. This will help you
identify where you need to study and help you plan for your future practice.
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Study the areas you have identified to work on.
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Watch the
Khan Academy MCAT Collection videos to brush up on familiar topics or get exposure to new material not yet covered in your courses. The collection includes 1,100 videos and nearly 3,000 review questions that cover all the natural and behavioral and social
sciences content on the exam, as well as 11 passages and questions in the Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills section.
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Take a look at and download the
Roadmap to MCAT Content in Sociology and Psychology Textbooks. This includes a list of textbooks (many of them open-access) in which MCAT content in sociology and psychology has been identified by the textbook publishers. They have already done the hard
part for you!
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Remember to use the resources already available to you. Take a look at course notes and textbooks, use the campus library, or perhaps even form a study group.
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Practice and identify areas that might need additional work. The AAMC offers online resources to help you
practice with the same features and functionality you will see on test day and all questions have been written by the test developers.
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AAMC MCAT® Section Bank with 300 questions in the natural and behavioral sciences
with an emphasis on psychology, sociology, and biochemistry.
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Target a specific discipline with the
Official MCAT® Question Packs. There are six packs of 120 questions each in biology (two sets), physics, chemistry, and critical analysis and reasoning.
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Remember to go back and review concepts as needed! You can use resources such as course notes, textbooks, or even the Khan Academy MCAT Collection.
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Simulate your test day experience from start to finish.
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AAMC MCAT® Practice Exam (Scored) 1 is a full-length 230-question exam that includes
estimated scoring to give you an understanding of how you might perform on test day. Use the Simulate Actual Test feature to get yourself comfortable with all the elements of test day, especially your endurance during the exam.
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Keep in mind there is no right or wrong way to prepare for the exam and examinees use lots of different ways to prepare. No matter how you choose to prepare,
we hope this helps get you started!
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