In today’s day and age, students are faced with an entirely new set of problems than they might have been just a decade or two ago. Nowadays, with just a few clicks of the mouse, students can find all sorts of resources on any topic they wish to learn more about. While this has made the learning experience more accessible than ever, it’s become more challenging for students to decipher between which sources are credible and which to avoid. In the case of students preparing for the MCAT exam, it’s more challenging to know which resources best serve your preparation and allow you to cover the material in its entirety without leaving any marks on the table. In order to select the smartest MCAT resources, you’ll need to consider your starting point, study style, budget, and target score. We’ve compiled the most effective resources so you can construct the optimal plan to earn a spot in medical school.
The Best MCAT Prep Resources by Category
The reason MCAT preparation can be such a head-scratcher is that it encompasses two separate things. First of all, students need to cover and review the extensive material that is examined on the assessment. Then there is also the need for students to master the art of applying that knowledge to unfamiliar passages, data, experiments, and questions, as this is how they’re going to be graded on the day.
Record the questions you miss and, more importantly, why you missed them. Reviewing recurring mistakes can reveal knowledge gaps and weaknesses in your test-taking approach.
So, even if you know the course inside and out, that’s not going to result in a top grade. If you’re not familiar with the style of questions that you’ll be faced with on the day, what’s required for a top score, or how to manage your time, you’ll likely fall short, even if your knowledge is flawless. Reviewing the MCAT test sections can help you determine whether an online resource covers the subjects and skills you need to prepare for.
The reason that the right combination of resources is likely to differ from one student to the next is that each candidate will have their own target score in mind. They’ll also have their own learning preferences and varying starting points. Let’s take a look at some of the resources that students can implement in their study plan.
Official AAMC MCAT Resources
Let’s kick things off with the most logical and effective inclusion: official resources created by the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC). Using resources that have been designed by the very organization that sets the test might seem like a no-brainer. But you’d be surprised by the number of students that under utilize these resources in their study efforts. We’d definitely advise students like yourself to go a step further and keep these resources at the heart of your plan, as they’re the best way of getting familiar with the MCAT question style, interface, and scoring experience.
The AAMC currently provides a free full-length practice exam that’s jam-packed with 230 questions.
In addition to this, you’ll also have a free Unscored Sample Test to complete and review at various stages of the learning process.
You can, of course, supplement this with some of their low-cost full-length practice exams, but you can see that there are some valuable gems available free of charge.
If you were to browse the resources they’ve got on sale, you’ll also come across their Content Outline. Any past MCAT student will tell you just how much of a lifesaver this one is. It’s essentially a one-stop shop that establishes exactly what concepts, skills, and disciplines students are expected to know. You’ll be able to use this one as your checklist, ticking off topics as you progress through. It connects the topics with the appropriate learning materials too, so you’ll have complete clarity on what’s needed. We recommend kicking things off with their Unscored Sample Test. This is the best way of arriving at your starting point, giving you an understanding of what areas need the most work.
Learning effective MCAT study techniques can help you get more from the preparation resources you choose.
MCAT Full-Length Practice Exams
Being able to achieve top marks in an exam is a skill in itself, and it needs to be worked on in addition to your revision of the examinable material. This is why full-length practice exams need to be right up there as a priority in your current study plan. They are the most effective way of learning exactly what to expect on the day when it comes to the sort of questions you’re likely to encounter, how exactly they tend to be asked, and what the examiner will be looking for in order to award full marks.
MCAT preparation should include timed practice well before test day. Working under realistic time constraints can help you develop pacing and reduce the disruption caused by difficult questions.
They essentially help you develop the right pacing, concentration, passage-navigation skills, as well as the ability to maintain your performance across all four sections. So, the next time you’re at your desk, have a look through the practice experiences that the AAMC currently provides. You’ve got the scored Practice Exam 1 and the Unscored Sample Test. Familiarizing yourself with the MCAT signup process can help you choose an exam date around which to organize your preparation.
We recommend that you see how you find these free resources, and if you’re impressed, you can then opt for some, or perhaps all, of their five additional low-cost full-length practice exams. Again, each exam contains a whopping 230 questions. So, by going through them under the same conditions you’ll have on the day and subsequently reviewing your answers, you’ll be a well-oiled machine by the time the big day approaches.
Once you make your way through the official sample exams, you could then, of course, look at sprinkling in some of the third-party exams as a means of supplementing your learning even more. However, the official AAMC resources should remain at the heart of your exam preparation. You’ll also want to revisit the exams you complete over the course of your revision and take notes on topics that you answer incorrectly. This will ensure that you’re building up a library of questions and subject areas that you know inside and out!
Free MCAT Study Resources
Now, we all know that preparing for the MCAT exam is a costly endeavor for students, as it encompasses many direct and hidden costs. If students aren’t careful, the overall cost of taking and preparing for the exam can creep well up into the thousands. This, of course, doesn’t need to be the case, especially when there are so many gems that you can utilize in your preparation, completely free of charge.
We’ve touched on some of the free options that the AAMC provides, such as the Content Outline and sample exams.
However, they’ve also got a boatload of other free study tools that you should make the most of, such as their Practice with Exam Features tool, their study-planning resources, and Sample Question Guide.
While we’ve intentionally been driving home the point of having official AAMC resources as the centerpiece of your learning, there are many other free resources that can serve as valuable additions to your exam strategy.
Khan Academy offers a collection specifically dedicated to the exam, and it contains approximately 1,100 videos and more than 3,000 review questions covering the four sections of the exam. Not bad for a free resource, right? Understanding the MCAT preparation costs can help you compare free and paid resources while considering your overall preparation budget.
Nowadays, students turn to YouTube to learn about just about any topic under the sun. So why should MCAT preparation be any different? Whether it’s inside scoops from past students, advice from current med students, or material uploaded by tutoring schools, you have a wealth of knowledge at your disposal.
Superprof Tutoring Lessons
Most students of any subject, language, or skill will testify that private tutoring is the most effective resource that you can implement in your learning. When you consider the average career that MCAT students end up pursuing after getting medical school out of the way, getting the help of a specialized tutor is seemingly a great investment.
Which MCAT study resource do you find most useful?
Even with the quality mix of private and paid resources that we’ve covered thus far, none have a better return on your time and effort than private tutoring. Having a tutor who specializes in MCAT preparation by your side will ensure that your learning is kept on the optimal path for exam success. They’ll have worked with countless students just like yourself in the past, helping them take steps closer to their desired spot in medical school through tailored and guided lessons. Setting a target MCAT score range can help you determine which preparation resources are appropriate for your goals.
Superprof is the best place for students to go about finding the very best MCAT preparation tutors. The platform allows you to search through its library of tutors and refine your search further according to the parameters that are most important to you. On top of this, you can also see the rate that the tutor charges for their sessions, their bio, and any reviews that have been left by past students. The personalized attention offered in this learning experience is next to none and definitely worth adding to your own preparation strategy!
What Makes a Great MCAT Prep Resource
Now that we’ve covered the most essential resources for students looking to achieve their potential in the MCAT exam, we can conclude that what makes a great resource is one that is purpose-built to help students perform with a specific component of the assessment. If it’s content that you need to brush up on, you need clear explanations and opportunities to reinforce what you learn. If it’s improving your reasoning, you need realistic passages and questions. If it’s the final touches of strategy and exam performance, you’ll need to grab those practice exams and keep drilling those questions!
Authenticity is also going to be particularly important. You can see that we really lean into those AAMC resources, and it’s with good reason. The closer a practice resource comes to the structure, wording, reasoning style, and functionality of the real MCAT, the better prepared you’re going to be heading into the exam on the day. After your reading, you should find yourself in a better position to fill out your study plan with purposeful resources that will optimize your chances of success on the MCAT exam.
Summarize with AI:
Did you like this article? Leave a rating!
Loading...
