Planning is one of the most important factors that determine a person’s success in any field, and this is also applicable when it comes to preparing for the MCAT. It is possible for some students to cruise through the MCAT and attain higher scores without having to prepare a lot. However, most students have to create an MCAT study schedule to enable them to utilize their study time effectively, which will guarantee higher scores on the test day. You can also seek advice from your MCAT tutor on what it takes to build your MCAT study schedule.
Since it’s a very essential preparation tool, an MCAT study schedule has to be customized in order to suit your personal requirements. Therefore, you should not rush to create your personal MCAT study schedule because it demands careful thought as well as proper assessment. Below are the necessary steps to building your MCAT study schedule:
#1. Identify your strengths and weaknesses
Think of your undergraduate training or the amount of time which has elapsed since your graduation. If you don’t recall most of the science concepts, then your study schedule should involve an in-depth science review. If you are still familiar with most of the science concepts, then your study schedule should begin with a review of materials related to critical analysis as well as the reasoning skills. On the other hand, your study schedule should first address your weaknesses.
If you aren’t sure which of your weaknesses or strengths are more important, you may want to consider finding an MCAT tutor or prep course to help you evaluate yourself. You can take MCAT practice tests to evaluate your strengths and weaknesses objectively
#2. Rank your subjects based on personal difficulty
After you have determined your strengths and weaknesses, you should go ahead and prioritize all your MCAT subjects using this criterion. This means that you should rank your subjects from the most difficult to the simplest one and this is what is referred to as a priority basis.
#3. Determine how long you are going to study for the MCAT
Have a look at your grades as they are the key to determining the duration you will take to complete your studies. For instance, students who have excelled in their science courses will most likely require less time to prepare for the MCAT. In other words, students with no science background or those who studied sciences a long time ago may take up to six months to prepare for this test. However, if you are attending a prep course or meeting with an MCAT tutor, then that may influence your needed prep time.
#4. Adopt daily and weekly schedules
You can set the number of hours you are going to study on a daily basis. You have to ensure your MCAT schedule does not conflict with your other daily activities. For instance, if you skip your scheduled MCAT test prep time on a single day you should ensure that day’s study hours have been pushed to other days by prolonging your study hours to compensate for the hours you skipped.
This is also a chance for you to find an MCAT tutor to help guide you through your test prep. If you have a regular schedule for meeting with your tutor, you will be more likely to stay on track and stick with your study plan.
#5. Stick to your study schedule
Adhering to your study schedule will help you to get the most out of it. It is important to stick to your study schedule and always remember to modify it to suit your personal requirements. Always allocate time for reviewing the questions you missed on the practice exams.
