It’s no secret that studying for the MCAT can be expensive. Signing up for the test, purchasing study materials, working with tutors, and buying practice tests can add up. In addition to paying for prep material, many MCAT test-takers also dedicate hundreds of hours to mastering the test that they could’ve used to earn money in other ways. At MCAT Self Prep, we want to not only help you succeed on the MCAT but also save you some money. If you didn’t know already, giving away MCAT prep materials for FREE is pretty much our favorite thing to do.
1. FREE Khan Academy Videos for Studying Content
The Khan Academy videos for the MCAT may be one of the best free MCAT resources out there. The AAMC understands that some students cannot afford to spend thousands of dollars on prep materials. Knowing this, they paid Khan Academy to use their FREE comprehensive study guide to make a comprehensive set of videos that covers everything on the MCAT. These videos are better than most, but some students choose to pay for more condensed videos or prep books that focus on the high-yield aspects of MCAT study. You can grab our free 100-page Khan Academy Behavioral Science Notes here.
2. FREE Diagnostic Tests for Practice Problems
While we still recommend practicing for the MCAT with multiple full-length exams, many prep companies offer their own FREE half-length exams. Two of these half-length tests can be combined to create “built it yourself” full-length exams if needed. They also can be used as practice problem sets with feedback on why you missed certain answers. Check out our other post of free and low-cost tests. Additionally, the Khan Academy also put out hundreds of FREE MCAT-style passage questions with detailed explanations for every section. You should never run out of free practice problems, but the Khan Academy questions tend to be easier than the actual questions on the MCAT.
3. FREE MCAT Self Prep for Organizing your Study
We hope that you are already using our FREE course to keep track of your progress through learning the content for the MCAT. The MCAT Self Prep website gives you YouTube playlists from a wide variety of different MCAT prep channels to create a comprehensive walk-through of everything on the MCAT. They also have suggestions if you would rather get through the content with prep books. A cool feature is that this course integrates the AAMC practice materials into mini-tests for testing your progress frequently. All you need to do is sign up with your email! If that’s not enough, you can access our FREE blog of study tips and FREE daily questions emailed right to your inbox!
4. FREE JackWestin for Studying CARS
JackWestin has put out FREE daily CARS passages for as long as we can remember. In addition to the FREE Khan Academy CARS passages that they have formatted to the AAMC format, you should never run out. Their questions are somewhat harder than the actual AAMC CARS passages, but we would recommend them to anyone. Sometimes they will write a question where the majority of students pick the wrong answer. In that case, just ignore the question because it was likely poorly worded. And if you watch our Free CARS Strategy Session, we’ll send another 100 free CARS passages your way!
5. FREE Software to Keep Your Content in Long-Term Memory
One of the most powerful tools for retaining lots of information in your long-term memory is spaced repetition self-testing. Self-testing means quizzing yourself with minimal contextual clues. Spaced repetition involved self-testing at increasingly longer intervals. Physical flashcards can be great for those who are kinesthetic learners who like to write by hand. However, if you anticipate making thousands of flashcards, consider building a system to incorporate spaced-repetition. Anki and Quizlet are free software alternatives if you don’t want to store thousands of physical flashcards. Both have spaced-repetition options built-in. If you want to try either Anki or Quizlet, it would be worth your time to watch some YouTube tutorials to maximize the benefits of these programs. Or to save yourself some time, you can access MCAT Self Prep’s 5,000+ Flashcards for only $199.
6. FREE MCAT Podcasts
For those podcast junkies out there, consider downloading a few FREE podcasts to keep studying while driving to work, going for a run, or washing the dishes. Some of the best are the MCAT Podcast by Ryan Gray and the biology review by VanFidel.
7. FREE Study Groups for Learning from Others
If you know of friends who are also studying for the MCAT together, you can form a study group together for FREE! Head on over to the FREE MCAT Self Prep Facebook Study Group Learn from other perspectives and teach each other lessons about physics, biochemistry, and more. Or try working through CARS passages together to learn to correct your common mistakes. This is a great low-cost alternative to private/group tutoring sessions.
I scored a perfect 528 on the MCAT for less than $1000! So trust me, you don’t need to pay more to get a higher score. If you have any questions, please contact me or our other tutors by sending a message using the link below!
Want more FREE MCAT help?
Get free access to our 10 content modules based on the official AAMC outline, our 300+ hour video collection, and hundreds of AAMC-style flashcards and practice questions by joining our free MCAT Prep Course! Get started here!
Warm Regards,
Theo Bennett
Theo Bennett scored a perfect score (528) on the MCAT and has been accepted at Harvard, UPenn, Columbia, UCLA, and other top 10 medical schools across the country. You can learn more and sign up to work with him one-on-one here.
For more MCAT Tips:
Sign up for our affordable elite MCAT tutoring.
Sign up for our FREE MCAT Prep Course.
Follow us on:
seconds