The MCAT will challenge you to showcase this type of critical thinking process. The MCAT is hard because it contains questions and formatting that are intended to trick the test taker. This is done to better assess whether the test taker has the overall knowledge and the essential critical analysis skills to perform this type of work after they graduate. The field of medicine covers a wide range of subject matter, and learning these concepts takes years of study and intense effort.
The makers of the MCAT exam questions purposely bombard test takers with a large amount of data and simulated diagnostic scenarios to test whether the student truly has what it takes to make the cut. This is meant to prepare future doctors for evaluating mounds of information and details that their patients and other medical professionals might give them during a routine patient exam or medical consultation session.
The doctor needs to understand how to identify essential information, and not let irrelevant details negatively influence their prescribed course of action. You see, the MCAT takes 7. This is a long time to spend focusing on a test. The long time length can become overwhelming if the test taker does not adequately prepare well ahead of time.
For some comparison, the LSAT takes just 4 to 5 hours and covers only questions. The GRE exam is administered over 3 to 3 hours and 45 minutes with approximately the same amount of questions. The MCAT doubles both the test question numbers and the length of time it takes to fully complete. In addition, the MCAT is much more complex than the other types of exams encountered in college. Along with the proper test preparation, students should also develop good lifestyle habits that help increase their ability to tolerate lengthy and difficult testing situations.
Often, students struggle to finish some sections of the MCAT, which means their scores on those sections are not as high as they could have achieved with more time. On which sections do students typically run out of time? If you find yourself running out of time, remember that wrong answers will not count against you, so aim to fill in an answer for every question — even if it is just an educated guess.
The data outlined in this blog shows that the MCAT is not an impossible exam, but there are understandably many reasons that students find the MCAT to be more challenging than any exam they have ever taken.
The length of the MCAT is something that you cannot change; however, you can prepare for this aspect of the test.
The MCAT is a marathon, not a sprint. Your success will require training and endurance. Have a look at our blog to find out when to start studying for the MCAT. We recommend that you take full-length practice exams throughout your MCAT preparation to provide sufficient practice. This will help you to prepare for many aspects of the MCAT, but importantly will allow you to get used to the length of the test and how to power through it.
Yes, there are many questions, and many different subjects, covered on the MCAT. Our recommendation for tackling such an expansive knowledge base: divide your MCAT preparations into two stages:. Remember, studying content must come before in-depth practice that tests how well you are applying your knowledge. Take note of concepts that have interdisciplinary relevance — concepts that you have seen in multiple science courses — as these concepts will likely be addressed on the MCAT.
Focus your studying on high-yield information for each subject area: strengthening your understanding of big ideas is more important than small details since the MCAT emphasizes analysis and application of knowledge rather than a regurgitation of information. Medical schools are not looking for students who can memorize complex information, but do not understand the mechanisms behind the facts they have memorized.
If you cannot explain the why behind a concept, study it until you can! Deeper understanding is crucial to the practice of medicine. It is important that you understand the MCAT is testing for this deeper understanding. This deep understanding is what separates a mediocre score from a competitive score. Lastly, do not ignore the social science aspects of the MCAT. Be sure to allow time to prepare for the Psychological, Social, and Biological Foundations of Behavior PSBB section of the MCAT — this is your chance to demonstrate that you will understand the psychosocial complexities of your future patients.
Once you complete the content-heavy phase of your studying, focus on the practice phase of your MCAT preparation. As you practice, focus your content review on topics you find yourself missing during your practice. A knowledge gap in a particular area will not only impact your ability to answer questions on that subject, but it can also limit your capacity to answer an interdisciplinary question. It is not enough to simply review practice sections and skim answer explanations.
It is essential to learn from your mistakes! Ensure that you are taking ample time to understand why you missed a question, so you can approach each round of MCAT practice with new knowledge.
Continuing to expand your knowledge base is essential for improving your MCAT score. The sheer number of hours that you will need to study for the MCAT can make it pretty daunting. Need help creating a study schedule that progresses from in-depth content review to intensive MCAT practice?
Use our comprehensive six-month MCAT study schedule as a guide to creating a schedule that suits your needs. To do well on the MCAT, you will also need to think critically and learn how to apply information to novel questions.
Beyond studying content, how can you approach MCAT passages effectively? The first step: understand how the MCAT is written. On a passage-based exam, you need to understand where, or how, to find the answer for each question. For some questions, the answer will be within the passage; for other questions, you will need to apply your outside knowledge to determine the answer. Some questions will require a combination of these approaches to deduce the answer.
Knowing that these three question types exist is important in starting to understand how to approach a passage-based exam. If you cannot figure out the answer to a question, it is likely that you have missed an important detail hidden within the passage. Why is CARS different? The CARS section does not rely on outside information; the answer to every question in this section can be found within the passages.
Now that you understand how the MCAT is written, what is the second step? The second step is practice, practice, practice! Obtain as much practice material as you can. A great source of practice materials can be found on the AAMC website as their materials most closely resemble the difficulty and format of the actual MCAT. The MCAT is timed. Again, this is something that you cannot change, but you can prepare for the time crunch. When completing MCAT practice sections or full-length exams, try to mimic test-day conditions as much as possible.
Complete your practice in one sitting and under the appropriate time constraints. This is the best way to learn how to use your time effectively, to understand how test anxiety may affect you, and to determine any weaknesses you need to address.
For CARS, aim to spend ten minutes per passage on the nine passages. For all other MCAT sections, aim to spend eight minutes per passage-based question and one minute per stand-alone question. If you complete your MCAT practice with these guidelines in mind, by the time test-day rolls around, you will be proficient at how to pace yourself through the MCAT.
Asking this question means you are focusing on an ineffective MCAT study strategy. You can sign up for an MCAT prep course and have an expert help you get ready for the test. These programs are pricey, so you have to make sure to make the most out of your investment.
Getting to know the MCAT thoroughly will also help you get ready for it effectively. Look for handy MCAT tips and hacks as well so you can gain a good footing in the process. Think about Medical School acceptance rates , as well. This way, you can effectively set a target MCAT score and work accordingly when trying to reach such goals.
Whether you intend to self-study or sign up with a test prep program, having the best MCAT books and materials will prove to be helpful to your efforts. Not all MCAT study books are made equally, though, so you should be very careful when shopping for some. The MCAT is not getting harder over time. The MCAT did change in in which some people say it is harder, but it remains relatively consistent. The MCAT is hard because it is a measure of worthiness for someone to get into medical school and become a medical student.
Doctors have a lot of responsibility so schools want to make sure that they accept people who show the academic rigor required to score well. Although it is not a perfect system, it is one measure of a student's capabilities. It is not hard to get a as it is at the 80th percentile. That means 20 percent of test takers score a or better, which means it is a very reachable goal.
However, it does require a lot of studying to get that high of an MCAT score. Fortunately, at and up you'll be a competitive candidate.
As the first hire of Study Prep Lounge I primarily help with growth strategy, but also assisted with managing our small team of writers and designers.
Another aspect of work I've taken up is writing and I thoroughly enjoy it! I am currently working full time in software and am also fulfilling my prerequisites so I can apply to Medical School.
Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Table of Contents. Anyone can do well on the MCAT with enough and the right type of preparation.
You just have to be dedicated, disciplined and very well practiced. That means putting in a ton of hours in deep-focused study. As well as employing strong evidence-based study methods that help you recall information long-term check out my MCAT anki deck recommendations for help here.
Continue your research, gather your resources, set out a steady study plan. Most of all, believe in yourself. Thousands of students like you surprise themselves and smash the MCAT each year. Born and raised in the UK, Will went into medicine late 31 after a career in journalism.
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