1. AAMC – the best. I mean these are from the people who make the exam. They have three full-length exams out for the new MCAT.
2. ExamKrackers – I really liked these and seemed to resemble AAMC practice tests in terms of difficulty. Check out their five tests here: ExamKrackers
3. NextStep – I took a couple of their tests and they were okay. You can buy them here: NextStep
Who does not like free material? I thought these were some of the best and free material for the MCAT.
1. Khan Academy (https://www.khanacademy.org/test-prep/mcat) – Their biochemistry passages are wonderful. I really liked them. They had a wide range of difficulty in questions. So, def recommend using this resource. Also, there are a number of videos. I liked the psychology videos and would watch them before reading through a review book.
2. NextStep (½ length) (http://nextsteptestprep.com/mcat-diagnostic/) – Out of all the free MCAT practice tests, this seemed the best one. The questions were a bit difficult, but really put things into perspective. However, it is only half the length. Still, do take it.
3. AAMC MCAT2015 Mini-Test e-Book: 12 Sample Questions and Answers (http://offers.aamc.org/mcat2015-mini-test) – This is a sample of free questions from AAMC (the people who make the MCAT). No brainer. I took them before starting MCAT prep.
4. MCAT Question of the Day (source: Reddit) – so many choices: ExamKrackers, Kaplan, MCAT Question of the Day, M Prep MCAT2015, NextStep, and Premed HQ. Whenever you have free time, try a couple. Being efficient is the key to scoring your best.
I am sure many Pre-Meds have heard about SDN, Student Doctor Network. There are many, many things I do not like about the website. However, there are a few occasions I would use it. One of them is during MCAT preparation. Hear me out. I listed some resources out below. So, check them out:
1. Test date forums.
This is for the upcoming January one:
https://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/official-mcat-january-2017-thread.1223725/
I did not have many pre-meds at my school. So, I was really happy to find other students studying for the exam to take on the same date. I was able to ask and answer questions. Being active on this particular forum, I became motivated to study harder. I would check once or twice a week or whenever I was bored of studying. 😛
I would note that people tend to post their practice exam scores on here. Just do not be discouraged, if someone has a higher score than you. Be confident. I believe in you. 🙂
2. Sample Study Schedules
When starting to study, I was lost on how do I review and practice so much material. I listed some sample study schedules that others on the forum have made. I did not follow them to the dot. But, they helped get me started studying on some sort of schedule.
Mcatjelly: https://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/my-mcat-2015-study-schedule.1122820/
3. General MCAT Discussions
People ask so many questions on a wide variety of topics, such as how to improve my physics score? What are the best material for CARS passages? Just a variety of questions. I would advise you to not get distracted. Just find the material you are looking for and close the website.
If you have any questions on specific topics, do ask me. I would love to help out. 🙂
MCAT Question of the Day:
I love MCAT question of the day emails/applications. There are quite a bit of companies/websites that do this now. I used “MCAT Question of the DAY” and made it my homepage.
MCAT Question of the Day:
http://mcatquestionoftheday.com/
You can try these questions anywhere. If you have a long bus/commute ride, just take out your phone and try a question. Other websites are:
Kaplan: https://www.kaptest.com/mcat/mcat-practice/free-mcat-practice-question-a-day
NextStep: http://nextsteptestprep.com/mcat-question-of-the-day/
Tutoring:
A lot of us need to work and study. I recommend tutoring, if you are looking for a job. You can set-up your own business with flexible hours. Try Wyzant.
In this way, you are studying by teaching others. In that way, you can study it before a session.
Block Social Media:
So, cut down all of your social media. It might be helpful to relax at the end of day. However, do not go on it all the time. There are some Chrome extensions that block websites on your browser. This might be helpful for some of you.
I used this one:
StayFocusd: https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/stayfocusd/laankejkbhbdhmipfmgcngdelahlfoji?hl=en
It’s tough, but just for some time. Same goes with texting. Being efficient means not being distracted. It sucks that you are studying for this huge test, while your friends are having fun. But, just stay focused on your end goal. Trust me, you do not want to retake this exam again. Just keep that in mind.
Hope you like it. Do not forget to share this post with your friends. 🙂
Sorry, this is not my personal statement for medical school application. 😛 Friendly tip, I actually kept a list of special “medicine is what I want to do” moments. Here is a template (click here) that I used and kept in the beginning of my planner (staple it to your front page). It helped write my personal statement. In my toughest moments, I went back to them for inspiration and motivation.
Anyway, I am inspired to go into medicine because of a family member. She is my best friend. I watch her struggle with a chronic disease every day. I did not want anyone to suffer as much as her. So, she was my inspiration.
Another moment that I remembered was being a camp counselor. I volunteered for a children’s camp, and I loved every moment of it. They had some of the worst diseases and were such an inspiration. Being with them, making them laugh or encouraging them was the best. I could not see myself in any other position except making kids feel better. I knew this was what I wanted to do. I had other volunteering opportunities with children, but this experience stuck with me.
One thing for sure, I am not going into medicine for money. In my opinion, it’s not worth it. For the field I see myself (pediatrics), I can make the same amount of money without ten years of schooling and $200,000 in debt. I work in IT, and there are many opportunities of growth. So, hitting near $200,000 could be easily done at my company.
I really encourage you all to write down moments of “why medicine”? It’s a huge benefit when application season comes around. In tough times, these moments encouraged me. I attached a printable to help you out (click here). Just staple that sheet after the front page of your planner. Then, look back for motivation. 🙂
Catch you later,
Ahina
If you have questions, do not hesitate to email at premedvideos1@gmail.com
Hi guys!
I did a review on ExamKrackers MCAT books. Check it out below:
Buy the 10th edition for $250 at amazon: http://amzn.to/2avhIHm
Buy the 9th edition for $100 at amazon: http://amzn.to/2afgxdk
Also, I did a review for Kaplan MCAT Complete 7-Book Subject Review! Check it out below:
If you want to buy the books, here they are: MCAT Complete 7-Book Subject Review: Online + Book (Kaplan Test Prep)
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