Should I complete one Content Module at a time? Or is it okay to jump around?

by | Feb 26, 2019

I highly recommend completing one Content Module at a time from start to finish. There are three major reasons for this: 

  1. Your brain will learn best with structure. The MCAT covers a vast amount of material, and as you learn your brain is trying to organize all the information into semantic networks (networks of connected information). The network that is created within your brain is often related to the order in which you learn the information. For instance, if you jump from topic to topic, your brain’s semantic networks will be disorganized similar to an office with papers scattered all around the room. On the other hand, if you learn one topic in a clear order, your brain will be able to create a neatly organized semantic network similar to a filing cabinet. Think of each concept like a piece of paper, each lesson like a folder, and each drawer like a Content Module.
  2. You’ll be better able to stay on top of your reviewing of previous material. Our eCourse has a carefully structured system of review. In each lesson, you will review the current lesson’s flashcards as well as review the previous lesson’s flashcards. For instance, you’d review the flashcards from lesson 1 at the end of lesson 1 and at the end of lesson 2. Then, after completing lesson 1 through 12 of the Content Module, in lesson 13, you will review all the flashcards from lessons 1 through 12 again. And once you’ve completed all ten content modules, you’ll start MCAT Bootcamp. During MCAT Bootcamp, in addition to taking Full-length exams, you will also review every single flashcard from the 10 Content Modules again. By completing the Content Modules in order from lesson 1 all the way to lesson 15, you’ll be better able to follow this system of review.
  3. You should regularly take AAMC Mini Exams. After you finish that first content module, you’ll take your first AAMC Mini Exam, which acts as a diagnostic exam. The Create-your-own Study Plan Course will then help you use your results on that AAMC Mini Exam to determine which Content Module to study next and which materials to utilize while studying that module. You will then map out the next few weeks of studying using the Study Plan Spreadsheet. And the cycle continues with you completing a Content Module, checking your progress using the AAMC Mini Exam, adjusting your plan for the next Content Module, and on and on until you’ve completed all ten Content Modules. Taking AAMC Mini Exams regularly at the end of each Content Module allows you to have a study plan that is adaptable and adjusts over time to your changing needs. It is also important to practice on AAMC practice problems regularly throughout your Content Review Phase in order to develop test-taking skills and an AAMC mindset.

How we Matched up the Khan Academy Passages with the eCourse Lessons

Each lesson of the eCourse contains links to 1 to 5 Khan Academy science passages for the purpose of providing you with non-AAMC material to practice your science passage reading skills on. By completing all the linked passages within every lesson, you will have finished all the freely available Khan Academy science passages.

To match up the Khan Academy Science Passages with the eCourse lessons, we carefully examined the passage and question content of each one. Then we decided which lesson of the eCourse best correlated with that content. You may notice that some passages don’t match up perfectly with the current lesson. If they don’t match up with the current lesson, they should match up with one of the previous lessons in the module. We did this carefully so that you could practice your science passage reading skills on passages that contain the content you’ve already learned.

Why we don’t recommend non-AAMC CARS practice questions

We recommend practicing CARS by reading non-AAMC CARS passages but not doing the associated practice problems. The reason we don’t recommend doing the practice problems is because the MCAT is written by the AAMC. They have a very unique style in which they write CARS practice questions that third-party companies (try as they might) are unable to replicate. When students spend time on non-AAMC CARS practice problems, they get familiar with the wrong style of questioning, leading them to overthink and incorrectly respond to the questions written by the AAMC. Thus, it is in your best interest to solely practice on AAMC CARS practice questions.

That said, we highly recommend practicing your reading skills on non-AAMC CARS passages. In our Ultimate CARS Strategy Course, we provide you with 1,000 free CARS passages and 100+ homework assignments, giving you ample material to practice on. Reading countless passages while practicing the proper reading habits and strategies will prepare you well to conquer the CARS section as it was written by the AAMC.

Which books do the lessons match up with?

The books we use in each lesson are linked below. We plan to stick with these older editions of the books since very little has changed and the older editions are much more affordable:

First Edition of the Kaplan 7-book Series
First Edition of the Princeton 7-book Series

Do the chapters match up perfectly?

The Kaplan Books, Princeton Books, and Khan Academy Videos were all produced by different authors. For this reason, there are some chapters in the Kaplan Book or Princeton Book that are not even found in the Khan Academy Videos and vice versa. For instance, the Kaplan and Princeton Books have chapters that cover certain experimental procedures that the Khan Academy Videos do not cover.

Our goal in matching up the books with the videos was to correlate the content as best as possible while also covering ALL the content from every resource. For this reason, when nothing in the Kaplan Books matched up with one of the video playlists, instead of leaving the reading assignment for Kaplan blank, we inserted material that did not fit in anywhere else (i.e. one of those chapters on an experimental procedure that was not covered by Khan Academy). So, when the assignment doesn’t appear to match up right, please know that this was intentional.

*If you follow the reading assignments outlined, you will finish the entire Kaplan 7-book series and/or Princeton 7-book series by the time you finish all 10 content modules.

Do the sections match up perfectly?

If the sections assigned in our eCourse do not match up with the sections contained in your content review book, you may have a different edition. The sections should still match up the large majority of the time, but in the rare instance that they don’t, I’d recommend simply reading sections that do match up and saving the ones that do not for a future lesson.

MCAT Launchpad Required!

Before jumping into our free eCourse, you’ll need to complete orientation by watching MCAT Launchpad. During this free 35-minute intro session with Head Tutor Andrew, you’ll learn 6 Keys to Earning a Top MCAT Score, the 5 Essential Elements of an Effective Study Plan, 12 Tips for Taking the Best MCAT Study Notes, and more! Andrew will also provide you with a detailed overview of the Free MCAT Prep Course, teaching you how to get started.

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