How a Third Time MCAT Taker Scored a 519 on the MCAT

My First MCAT Attempt

I began my MCAT journey by self-studying only with the help of free resources, Kaplan books, and free full length practice exams. After receiving a “good but not good enough” score as I deemed it, I decided I needed to retake the test.

My Second MCAT Attempt

With no good pre-med advisory board at school, I rushed into my second test only using UWorld without an adequate review process. The second time I took the MCAT, I did worse than I did the first time. The feeling of stressing and working only to score lower made me feel so alone and I began to question if this path truly was for me.

My Third MCAT Attempt

I knew I needed a third test and I knew I could do so much better with time, but I didn’t know where to begin. Then, my Dad was searching around and found MCAT Self Prep, home of the free MCAT prep course. I started sifting through the free sections and was amazed at how much help was being offered in this style without paying anything. What I ultimately settled on was the Deluxe Pro Plan, which gave me access not only to the Ultimate CARS Strategy Course, but access to modules for each section with organized lessons and readings, 5,000+ flashcards and 2,500+ AAMC discrete style practice problems for review, and even an application module for when I aced that test. It is always hard when you have to pay something up front, but looking at the cost of the Deluxe Pro Plan, the highest level at MCAT Self Prep, compared to even the lowest level of courses at competing companies was crazy. Honestly, this was the biggest driver in my decision to purchase a course from Andrew.

Starting a third time of studying was quite honestly daunting and it is something that gave me incredible anxiety. These were the thoughts that kept repeating in my head:

First round of testing – “The anxiety is normal and it’s necessary.”

Second round of testing – “I’m scared but a lot of people test twice.”

Third round of testing – “you have no choice but to do better or you may need to switch paths.” And let me tell you, this is such a terrible way of facing it. But no matter what anxiety I had coming in, MCAT Self Prep really helped me find where and how to start. By having formulas for figuring out what you really needed to focus on most upfront, I was able to prioritize and arrange all 10 content modules into more chewable pieces that I felt less anxious to tackle.

I started by filling out the create-your-own study plan spreadsheet with my study times, but what worked best for me was not planning out the entire 8 months ahead that I planned to study, it was planning a week at a time. Every Sunday I wrote down what I wanted to accomplish for the week, and tried to arrange it into what I could do each day to tackle that.

Because I felt alone through my process, I want to be as transparent as I can be for anyone else who feels alone. As I progressed through my study schedule and worked a full time and part time job, it became hard for me to stick to what I thought I would accomplish, which often gave me great anxiety. But something that is so nice about MCAT Self-prep is that you are in control of your own life. Stuff comes up, stuff happens, and you aren’t wasting or losing any of your money if you can’t accomplish something you wrote down you would do for that day (like you may do if you miss a scheduled class time elsewhere). Having that ability to change my study schedule multiple times to fit my actual life relieved so much stress for me.

MCAT Bootcamp with MCAT Self Prep

The most important step I felt for me was the last month before testing: MCAT bootcamp. As it sounds, it is (and has to be) intense. You eat, breathe, and sleep MCAT. Sounds intimidating, right? Don’t let it be!! In the bootcamp module, you get a 30 day setup of EXACTLY how you should navigate this last month and how to think about the scores you are receiving on full length practice exams. You never have to guess what you should be doing to prepare in that last month and you should never feel like you are doing an inadequate amount. For me, this allowed me to rest that side of my mind that says “did I do enough today?” which is such an important thing to do when approaching your test date. Aside from content, you get emails with helpful blog posts from previous testers all the time which is such an awesome resource to have. You have access to a number of tutors that you can schedule sessions with. And of course, Andrew is only an email away to answer questions.

Overall, from a three-time MCAT tester, my prep was the best with MCAT Self Prep. It gave me the structure I needed without the pressure (and cost) of an actual class I need to attend online or in person. I was in control of my own prep, and when I needed some help, I always had access to it. I, once again, used Kaplan books, UWorld, and other free resources, but MCAT Self-prep helped me organize and use them in a way that was actually meaningful and that harbored learning rather than brute memorization. I scored a 519 with the help of this structure, which was a 10+ jump from where I started. I highly recommend using MCAT Self Prep as a resource for your MCAT needs because it is so helpful and also doesn’t break the bank. And to you reading this, you are doing great and you are not alone. Keep up the good work!

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