One of the first essential decisions you face in formulating your plan is whether to prepare independently or to use a commercial review class. There are numerous commercial MCAT-preparation classes available (Kaplan, Princeton Review, and so forth) that offer thorough, intensive review and study plans for the exam. These programs hold regular classes that extensively and intensively review the required subject matter and also offer specialized, computer-driven training on subject blocks and question types, as well as full-length practice exams so you can monitor your performance as you go. Most companies offer private tutoring and online review options as well. The average cost of one of these review courses is around $1,500 to $2,000.
I took a Princeton Review course and took about three fulllength sample tests. It was pretty helpful in understanding what the test was going to be all about. It is a very specific kind of exam, and knowing the kinds of questions you’ll face and the time pressure you’ll be under is crucial.
—Adam
The comprehensive, structured review provided by these classes is useful, and it will likely help highlight substantive gaps and otherwise clear the cobwebs on some important concepts you may not have covered for several years. The proctored, full-length, professionally scored practice tests also provide the most realistic simulation of the actual exam.
The downside to these review programs is that you may find yourself spending hours in classes reviewing material you already know. These courses can also breed anxiety, causing you and your reviewcourse classmates to feed off each other’s stress and escalate difficulties out of proportion. Finally, the one-size-fits-all approach means that if you are stuck on certain concepts, you may have to skim them and supplement with private tutoring or extra sessions in order to keep up with the class.
I also took the Princeton Review and found it very helpful. I don’t think it was the particular class, but more the way it helped focus and encourage studying. It was worth the investment.
—Ben
In the end you will have to make your own decision about what best suits your needs and your learning style. For applicants more distant from the substantive knowledge of premed class work, a rapid review course may be just what the doctor ordered. Similarly, if you fear that you will lack the substantial discipline required to establish and adhere to a regular study schedule, having classes to go to and scheduled practice tests to measure your progress may be just the structure and incentive you need. For those with the ability to maintain a disciplined study schedule, however, a self-study plan may be just as good.
Practice, practice, practice!
Whatever your approach, we cannot emphasize enough the critical role that regular practice tests must play in your study plan. Remember, the MCAT is a game, not a true evaluation of your substantive knowledge. The only way to get better at taking the test and learning its tricks is to practice.
But simply taking practice tests is not enough.
Once you’ve completed a practice test, it is critical that you go through each question and understand either why you got the question right or why you got it wrong. If a conceptual issue gave you trouble, add the topic to a running list of substantive concepts requiring your further review. If you misinterpreted the question or failed to uncover the trick in its logic, flag it on your running list of question types that give you trouble. The MCAT uses a very finite array of question types. If you can identify which types of questions give you trouble, you can focus your studies on tips and tricks for handling those types of questions. The trick is to learn from the practice tests you take. Don’t just take a bunch of tests, as the repetition only gets you so far. Examine your mistakes carefully, and you’ll learn from them and get stronger. Don’t just study hard—study smart!
The single hardest part of your MCAT preparation will be sustaining the commitment required to prepare properly. There will be countless times when you don’t feel like studying but know you should. There will be concepts that you tell yourself you understand, but you know you really don’t. These are the times to redouble your efforts and make sure you stay dedicated to the mission. As you take and critically evaluate more and more practice tests, you should see a gradual but steady improvement in your practice test scores.
During my senior year I studied using a handful of review books. I took the test seriously, but I thought it would be like all the other high-stress exams I had experienced in college. I spent almost no time preparing for the verbal section. I took a few practice tests out of a cheap test book and convinced myself I was well prepared. In reality, I discovered in an alarming fashion how incredibly unprepared I was. On test day I found myself rushing to finish sections and actually ran out of time before I was able to finish the verbal section, scoring a 6. I did only a mediocre job with the rest of the test, scoring a 10 on the physical sciences and an 8 on the biology section. With a total score of 24, I knew getting into any med school would be almost impossible. I had a conflict that coming summer that prevented me from retaking the MCAT in August. I still believed I had what it took to become a physician, so I made a decision at that point, ten full months ahead of time, not to underestimate the test again.
On October 1 that same year I started studying full-time for the MCAT, which was still six months away. Often I would spend several hours a night and most of the weekend going over review material. In January I enrolled in the Kaplan course, and by the end of March I had used every piece of material they had for review at least once. I went everywhere with my index cards. Interestingly, at no point did I feel I was learning any new material. Often I would find myself helping my Kaplan instructor explain concepts to our class. I already understood the science that was behind the questions. What I was learning was how to take the MCAT. My strategy worked well, and I did substantially better the second time around, scoring a 9 in the verbal, 12 on the biology, and a 13 on the physical sciences section, for a total of 34, a tenpoint increase over my initial score. Trust me, I was no smarter a year later. If anything, I had lost some of the knowledge from my undergrad studies, as I was another year removed from it. I was, however, a well-trained test taker, and I found myself avoiding many of the pitfalls of the test that had so significantly slowed me down the year before.
—Chris
REGISTERING FOR AND TAKING THE TEST
Registration for the MCAT is done through the AAMC Web site (www.aamc.org/students/mcat/). The test is offered in April and August of each year at specific test sites throughout the United States. The AAMC recommends you take the test eighteen months before your anticipated matriculation. That’s probably ideal but certainly isn’t mandatory. Many people take the April test in the spring before their October application deadline. You can register for the MCAT twelve weeks prior to the test.
Registration costs $210, with fee assistance available for those in need. Starting in 2005, you had the option of registering for a computer-based exam instead of a paper-based exam. Most students are more familiar with paper-based exams, so this is their natural preference. However, you should be aware that the USMLE Step Exams, the standardized licensing exams you’ll take in med school, are all computer-based. If you’re comfortable working on a computer screen, you may wish to consider this format. If you choose this option, however, be sure to practice on the computer rather than just on paper, as the computer-based format has a very different feel and presents some strategic limitations.
When you register, you will be given a list of potential test sites closest to your area, and you will be asked to rank these sites in preferential order. You will be assigned a test site according to your list and the test center’s availability. In urban areas, there are a lot of potential candidates who will all be taking the test on the same day, so you will need to register early if you want to get your preferred location. As with all standardized tests of this magnitude, you should research the test centers in advance. Given the choice, a small, out of-the-way test center in a quiet location can offer the most
stressfree and relaxed exam-taking environment.
The AAMC will mail you an admissions ticket several weeks before the test. You will not be allowed to enter the test site without this ticket, so put it somewhere safe. The AAMC’s MCAT Web site has a wealth of specific information on the rules about taking the actual test. It’s worth reviewing these to make sure you comply. The last thing you want to do is go through months of studying just to blow the test on a technicality.
About a week or two prior to the exam you should travel to the test site. Familiarize yourself with the location of the facility, how to get to the right room, and where the bathrooms are. If you’re not a morning person, you should also start setting an alarm and get used to being awake and handling questions by the appointed start time of your upcoming exam. Beginning a week or so before the MCAT, several of us trained by getting up early and doing a bank of multiple-choice questions every day.
There are various rules and regulations about what you can and can’t bring with you to the test. Most test centers will provide you with a locker or storage area in which to keep your personal belongings while you take the exam. It’s worth packing a lunch and bringing some good high-energy snack foods with you for the break time. You’ll be provided with everything you need to take the actual test, but you should definitely bring earplugs. You’ll be in a large room with many stressed-out people, and the last thing you want is someone’s sniffling or a nearby jackhammer breaking your concentration.
Finally, a word about the eleventh hour. Preparation for the MCAT is a marathon, not a sprint. Nothing you do the night before is going to change your score. The night before the test, get some exercise, eat a good meal, relax, and enjoy the evening off. Know that you’re equipped with the knowledge and skills not just to take the test but actually to excel at it. Approach the test with calm confidence in the morning, and simply do the best you can.
WHATEVER THE SCORE, MAKE IT WORK FOR YOU
You should get your score results by mail within about sixty days. Before you open the results, make a promise to yourself that whatever they are, you will make them work for you. Performance on the test does vary year to year, so your MCAT score report will include statistical data to help you interpret your numbers. As mentioned previously, a basic rule of thumb is that a combined score of 30 will get you a solid consideration at a range of medical schools.
“When I reapplied for med school, I thankfully had to take the MCAT only once more,” Deb notes. “I took my MCATs hoping I would either do really well or very poorly (naturally I prayed for ‘really well’!). Unfortunately, I did absolutely average. I pondered whether or not to take the test again and decided to apply using those lackluster scores, figuring that if I didn’t get an interview, I’d know I needed to take it again. Fortunately for me, I was invited to interview and then was accepted, so I escaped the pain of having to retake the MCATs. I think that my grades from college and high school were good enough to make my average MCAT scores acceptable.”
So open your scores.
If you crushed the exam, congratulations—the MCAT has just become a major selling point of your application. If your scores are average, you’ll be in the thick of the pack, so you’ll have to let the other exceptional components of your application be your selling points. If you’ve underperformed, take stock. If your scores are only slightly below average, you’ll want to consult your premed advisor for advice on how to proceed. If your scores are well below where they need to be to get into your chosen schools, drop back, assess what happened, punt, and plan on taking the test again.
If your strategy involves taking the test again, don’t just repeat the experience. Make sure that next time around you allot yourself more time or adjust your study strategy to try new techniques and target the gaps in your substantive knowledge or procedural skills.
Remember, the road to medical school is a long one, sure to be paved with some ups and downs. Beating the MCAT is just one part of the marathon. If you have to take a second shot to overcome the MCAT, so be it. Your ultimate goal is admission to medical school, and the hallways of hospitals around the country are replete with doctors who needed a second chance to beat the MCAT.
PART TWO
Applying to Medical School
CHAPTER 5
Crafting the Perfect Application
No man should part with his own individuality.
—WILLIAM ELLERY CHANNING
YOUR APPLICATION PROCESS officially begins the day you decide you want to go to medical school. This doesn’t mean you should immediately sit down at the computer and tear your hair out trying to craft the perfect soul-searching personal statement. That can wait. But it is never too early to begin to understand the application process and the steps you’ll need to take to secure a spot at the medical school of your choice. Starting early will not only make you aware of the requirements with sufficient time to respond to them, it will also foster your awareness of the attributes and gaps in your evolving application.
The medical-school application process is a chess game, and to play it well requires foresight, dedication, and strategy.
A QUICK OVERVIEW
Your first step in applying to med school is to familiarize yourself with the application process. Almost all medical schools use an initial, universal application produced and managed by the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) and its American Medical College Application Service (AMCAS). You can review the list of AM CAS member medical schools using this universal application on the AMCAS Web site (www.amcas.org). This universal online application provides a common format for detailing all of your academic and extracurricular credentials and can be distributed to all the AMCAS member schools of your choosing.
Individual schools then review this primary application and determine whether they wish to send you a secondary application. Thus, the first cut in the medical-school admissions game is whether or not you get a secondary application.
Each medical school crafts its own secondary application. Once your schools receive your secondary application (and, yes, an additional application fee), they decide whether to offer you an interview. This is the second cut in the process. Getting an interview puts you in the final round of applicants under consideration. After the interview, schools will admit, reject, or wait-list your application.
A timeline for the road ahead might look something like this:
Month
Activity
Summer after sophomore year (or one year prior to application)
• Start researching online Web sites and blogs to get the lay of the land and the latest tips and trends
August before junior year (or one year prior to application)
• Evaluate AMCAS requirements, identify personal strengths and weaknesses, and begin pulling materials together
September of junior year (or one year prior to application)
• Go to AAMC Web site and gather information about MCAT
• Consult premed advisor for list of recommended resources
• Develop personal MCAT study plan
• Enroll in MCAT review course (if chosen)
December of junior year (or in year prior to application)
• Research test centers for MCAT administration on AAMC Web site
• Identify and calendar MCAT registration date
• Scope out various test centers and choose one
January of application year
• Register for MCAT
March of application year
• Meet with premed advisor to discuss application process
• Solicit letters of recommendation from faculty
April of application year
• Take MCAT
May of application year
• Begin researching medical schools
June of application year
• Evaluate MCAT scores and begin finalizing application list
• Begin drafting personal statement
July of application year
• Ensure that all faculty letters of recommendation have been received by college premed committee
August of senior/application year
• Upload completed AMCAS universal application
October of senior/application year
• All secondary applications complete
Fall/winter of senior/ application year
• Interviews
Fall/winter of senior/ application year
• Evaluate and rank acceptances
• Keep in touch at schools where wait-listed
Winter of senior/application year
• Make a final decision and celebrate!
References and resources
Med School Confidential Page 8