The MCAT is one of the most challenging exams there is. So, if there was one thing you should know about it that would improve your chances of getting a top score, what would that be? Based on our analysis of top or even perfect MCAT scorers, the best thing you can do to score […]
I remember facing burnout a month before my MCAT date and panicking. I had just finished my finals week and planned on starting MCAT Self Prep’s Bootcamp (a 30-day study plan that is part of the free e-course). I simply couldn’t bring myself to study for the MCAT. I needed to both address the burnout […]
If you ask any friend who scored exceptionally high on the MCAT for studying advice, they are likely to tell you two things: take lots of practice tests and master the content through self-testing. We’ve already covered how to take practice tests in other blog posts, so for now let’s focus on self-testing. Self-Testing for the […]
One of my most important jobs as an MCAT tutor is helping my students develop a good MCAT study plan. Some of my students have used my study plan process to achieve scores in the 100th percentile. Before I share my guides for 3 month, 6 month, and 8 month MCAT study schedules, it is […]
Studying your butt off for months, suffering through an anxiety-inducing test day, and then waiting an entire month just to get a lower-than-expected MCAT score is by no means a pleasant experience. It truly is the worst. It is so bad in fact that many students decide to quit trying to go to medical school […]
The MCAT is the only consistent academic measure available to admissions committees. For this reason, the MCAT is more important than your GPA when it comes to Medical School admissions. However, there are several factors to consider before asking what MCAT score you need. Firstly, what is it that you are trying to use your […]
Studying for the MCAT doesn’t have to be expensive with hundreds of free and low-cost practice exams and questions at your fingertips. That’s why we created a Free MCAT Prep Course, which structures all of the best free and low-cost materials into an easy-to-follow eCourse. Our free ecourse includes 360 AAMC-styled discrete questions, which are […]
My name is Max Wilberding and I am an Elite Tutor for MCAT Self Prep. Since achieving a 99th Percentile score last year, I have spent my time tutoring students in both the MCAT’s reading and content essentials, but also in the importance of diligence and mental health. I hope the successes and failures of my […]
When I started studying for USMLE Step 1 (“the boards”), I wondered which aspects of MCAT studying would come up again. Some biochemistry topics felt comfortable (amino acids and protein structure), and some topics required more learning (urea cycle and nucleotide metabolism). Yet, at the end of the day, building a quality study schedule really […]
I often joke that medical schools are only looking for the skill that matters most for future doctors: the ability to jump through arbitrary hoops. Like it or not, medicine has a lot of hoops. For those of us who want to be a doctor, the MCAT will not be the last standardized exam that […]
When you sit down to take the MCAT, you have already prepared for months. You probably have a loose idea of how you will score, especially if you’ve followed our FREE Ecourse and done those AAMC mini exams and full-lengths. With our MCAT Study Plan, there’s even a tab where you can track your progress […]
It’s that time of year again! Every April, medical school applicants begin the last phase of the medical school journey: negotiations. April 15th, MD applicants with multiple acceptances must narrow their acceptances down to 3 final schools. April 30th, applicants with multiple acceptances may now only hold 1 acceptance. While you can still maintain all […]
You may know what you need to memorize for the MCAT, but knowing HOW to memorize MCAT content is key. Flipping through content review books can be overwhelming, and it can seem downright impossible to learn everything in time for your MCAT test day. Luckily, several strategies have helped many of my students maximize their […]
You’ve likely heard that getting accepted to medical school is an extremely challenging feat, but just how hard is it, really? Well, out of 53,030 students who applied to medical school in 2020, 30,791 students did not gain acceptance to a single medical school. That means the typical applicant has a 58 percent chance of […]
The MCAT is more than pure content memorization. It requires knowing the “language” of the exam — how questions are asked, how to interpret data, and the logic used to reach each answer. For this reason, many of my students question how their content knowledge will translate on the actual exam. After working with hundreds […]
Current applicants, medical students, and medical admission consultation companies often talk about the importance of applying early to medical school. However, it can be confusing if you are hearing that for the first time. Are they saying I should apply at a younger age? Should I apply as a junior instead of a senior in […]
I’ve talked with hundreds of students who have taken the MCAT and failed to achieve their goal MCAT score. Through this experience, I’ve noticed some patterns in preparation that can be extremely detrimental to one’s ability to achieve a top MCAT score. In this MCAT Study Tip, I want to outline the three biggest mistakes […]
You can do almost anything with your smartphone these days. You can video call a friend in China, order pizza with the click of a button, and even see in the dark! So, if your smartphone can help you do these and an infinite number of other things, then why can’t you use it to […]
Taking a full-length exam is exhausting! After taking a practice exam, the last thing I felt like doing was going through the questions again. However, going through practice exams is one of the greatest tools in your MCAT prep arsenal. In this blog post, I will share how I go through practice exams with my […]
Studying for the MCAT is a huge hurdle for students applying to medical school. While everyone has their own preferences for how to study, having a study buddy can be beneficial to anyone — even if you prefer to study alone. I was lucky to have my friend and classmate Tim, a fellow Premium Elite Tutor […]