MCAT Resources

Updated October 4, 2020

Brief Overview of the MCAT:

MCAT stands for Medical College Admissions Test. Like the SAT for college, MCAT scores serve as an indicator for academic achievement for medical schools and allows them to compare students from different undergraduate institutions.

The test is split into four sections: Chemical and Physical Foundations of Biological Systems (C/P), Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills (CARS), Biological and Biochemical Foundations of Living Systems (B/B), and Psychological, Social, and Biological Foundations of Behavior (P/S). Except for CARS, each section has 59 multiple choice questions that you need to answer in 95 minutes. For CARS, there are 53 multiple choice questions that you need to answer in 90 minutes. There are some questions that you answer based on a passage while others are freestanding. Each of the four sections are scored from 118 to 132. The scores for each section are then totalled and that is your overall score. The whole exam takes 7.5 hours with optional 10 minute breaks between sections 1 and 3 and a 30 minute lunch break after section 2.

AAMC Resources:

The AAMC or Association of American Medical Colleges is the entity that administers the MCAT exam. In addition to providing students with the most up-to-date information about the exam, the organization also sells study materials. Since they are the ones who design the actual MCAT, their resources are usually considered to be the most representative of the exam, from the design of the online tests to the questions themselves to the scoring of the exam. Most people like to save these question banks and practice tests for the few weeks leading up to their exam to get into the “AAMC mindset.”

Private Test Prep Companies:

There are also many companies that sell test preparation materials. Some of the most well-known are Kaplan, Blueprint Test Prep (formerly known as Next Step Test Prep), Princeton Review, and Examkrackers. These books not only provide content review but also come with a set of full-length practice exams and some also come with question banks, as well.

While these are great resources, buying these books can often cost >$100. One option to reduce the cost is to buy or borrow them from someone who has already taken the exam. They often change very little from year to year, so as long as they are geared to the new MCAT (aka 2016 or anytime after), they should still be just as relevant as the new books.

Also, pro tip:Black Friday sales are a thing for test prep companies as well. So that’s just something to keep in mind when you’re thinking about when to sign up for a course. Also, Blueprint usually seems to have some deal going on almost always.

Online Test Banks:

There are also some online test banks that you can buy subscriptions for, like UWorld. UWorld has been noted to be the most “AAMC-like” as well as one of the more affordable options. Additionally, UWorld has phenomenal explanations which can really help to cover large content gaps.

Flashcards:

There are also a lot of people who also use flashcards to study. Some people create public decks and share them through sites like Quizlet and Anki and these can be great resources for people who are looking to quickly review content.

CARS:

For those who are specifically looking to improve their CARS score, many students find Redwood MCAT’s course and Jack Westin’s program to be very helpful. While you need to purchase their packages in order to get full access to everything, they also do provide some free tips and questions that could help you increase your score.

MCAT Tutoring:

Finally, for those who feel like they might need a little extra help and benefit from having someone teach them, tutoring might be a good way to go. There are tutors who work for large companies, like Kaplan and Blueprint, as well as freelance tutors that you can probably find at your university.

overall:

While there are many different resources, there is no one-size-fits-all solution to studying for the MCAT. Every student has different needs and you need to figure out what works best for you.

Ruple jairath

Hometown: Newburgh, IN

Medical School:
Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis

Year: M1

Jenny Ji

Hometown: Irvine, CA