So I wrapped up content review while doing the JW discrete question bank. I got a 506 on my diagnostic and I think I need to kick into full practice question mode to start seeing an increase in my score. I have 3 months until Jan 29 (test date).

However, I am conflicted on whether to start UEarth now or just jump straight into AAMC material. I have heard from some high scoring people that third party resources do not represent the actual MCAT well. Any advice?

Were you full time studying or did you work part-time/full-time?

What are some add-ons that you guys swear by for anki? I'd love some suggestions

hey guys! I pushed my test back to Jan after not doing as well as I wanted on FLs this summer (last one i did was in August, havent done FL6 yet though). I was planning on retaking all the FL's in December again but Im not sure if that would skew my score if i subconsciously remember things and I wont have an accurate measure of how ill do on the exam...but I really didnt wanna take any third party tests because I know AAMC is the most representative.. idk are third party tests better in this case or is it ok to just retake? Lmk if you have any advice!

For context i am studying 3 months full time

This is your sign to go read ANYTHING other than CARS passages

And yes I will be going to the midnight release party for book 7 and reading it before my 1/29 exam

Not sure if I’m just super distracted and have undiagnosed ADHD or what but it takes me like 3+ hours to go through my anki reviews and new cards. I’m doing like 80 new cards a day and average like 200-300 reviews and it’s so hard to sit and crank them out. I’m trying to be anal about really knowing the cards so I feel like it takes me a bit longer. I’m not even halfway done with my deck and I cant even imagine how long it’ll take for me to go through like 500+ reviews. Is this normal??

I’m scheduled to take the MCAT on February 12, and I’m honestly feeling pretty lost right now.

I’ve spent the past month doing content review using the Kaplan books, but I feel like barely anything is sticking. I’ve recently started moving on to practice problems, but I’m struggling to apply what I’ve learned, and even when I review my mistakes, I still feel like I’m not fully understanding the concepts.

I’ve also been trying to keep up with Anki, but I’m having a hard time with it. I know everyone swears by premade decks, but for some reason, they just aren’t working for me. I’ve tried making my own cards, which seem to help a little more, but I’m worried they won’t be comprehensive enough.

I’m not sure if I’m just overwhelmed, studying inefficiently, or approaching everything the wrong way. It’s frustrating because I feel like I’m putting in the time and effort but not actually retaining or understanding the material.

Has anyone else experienced this? If so, what helped things finally start clicking? I’d really appreciate any advice on how to approach content review, practice questions, or Anki when nothing seems to be sticking.

From MilesDown deck.

They didn't believe in us, GOD DID | 498 → 515 → 522

Figured I’d finally post my progression and what actually changed for me between my first attempt and my retake.

I started with a 498 diagnostic (122/128/122/126). This was the unscored one (translated score) and I did it with no studying. 5 months of studying later: My first round of AAMC FLs went FL2 511 (129/125/130/127), FL3 516 (128/128/130/130), FL4 517, FL5 519 (130/129/129/131), and FL6 521 (128/131/131/131). Then I took the real thing and got a 515 (128/129/129/129).

For my retake, I took a fresh Blueprint FL1 and got a 515, then on my AAMC retakes I got FL2 519, FL3 520, FL5 519, and FL6 526 (131/132/131/132). Obviously I took those AAMC retake scores with a grain of salt since I had seen the exams before. I didn't think I really remembered much tho. I mainly used them to see whether my reasoning and understanding had actually improved. My second real MCAT ended up being a 522 (128/130/132/132). The two takes were 7 months apart. The second time I had to restart studying and studied for 3 months.

Why I retook a 515

Everyone told me not to retake. 515 is an amazing score and most people should not retake it. I was stubborn and knew I had left points on the table. I wanted to retake because I wanted more control over what school I would be able to go to. I am hoping to go to a medical school out of state for personal reasons and I thought a better MCAT score would give me a shot at getting into a school that is worth paying out of state tuition for. On the other hand, I knew people who have gone to my in-state school and have gotten a good scholarship because of their MCAT score. Top medical schools also tend to have better financial aid, which was another incentive. In the end, I think it is a personal decision, but I decided to bet on myself and am thankful it worked out.

What I changed the second time

The biggest difference the second time was honestly that I stopped trying to know every single thing. Especially for B/B, I actually think I knew less random low-yield information on my retake. The first time I used JackSparrow and spent way too much time trying to memorize basically every card. I knew a lot of details, but I don’t think I always understood the bigger concepts as well as I should have.

The second time I switched to AnKing and probably did around 2 hours of Anki a day max. I used it more as reinforcement instead of trying to learn the whole MCAT through flashcards. I focused much more on really understanding things like amino acids, enzyme kinetics, metabolic pathways, molecular biology, and experimental/data interpretation. My B/B went from 122 on my diagnostic to 129 on my first MCAT to 132 on my retake, and I honestly think mastering those core topics matters way more than knowing every obscure biology fact. My first time doing UWorld, I was around 69% in Gen Chem and Orgo, 61% in Physics, and 73–75% in B/B. The second time around, I averaged about 82% overall. I think that improvement reflected a much better understanding of the material and how to apply it.

The other big change was how I reviewed questions. The first time, if I missed something, my instinct was usually just to make another card and memorize more. The second time I tried to figure out why I actually missed it. Was it a real content gap? Did I misread the passage? Did I misunderstand the experiment? Did I set the math up wrong? Did I narrow it down to two and choose badly? That helped me way more than just piling on more information. Once you do a bunch of practice questions, you will be reading the passage and predicting what they will ask you. Most questions are layups and you need a basic understanding of the content and understand what is happening in the passage. This comes with practice.

For resources, I mainly used UWorld, AAMC, AnKing/Pankow, my own short Anki cards, and Jack Westin CARS. I can add more detail about how I used each one, but the biggest lesson for me was basically that my first attempt was more about trying to know everything, while my second attempt was more about understanding the important stuff really well and using practice to find weaknesses.

498 diagnostic → 515 first MCAT → 522 retake.

Please ask ANY questions below! I had to rewrite this because I realized I was on an endless yap.

I got behind in my first week because I didn’t allocate enough time for reading and flashcards but now that I’m in a rhythm it’s manageable. I think its easier because it’s all fresh in my mind from classes. I can’t imagine studying for this after taking a few gap years.

However this is only my content review portion so maybe I’ll be screwed when I get to practice Q’s and actually applying the knowledge.

I’m skipping the psych/soc kaplan book. Is it better to read that 300pg document or just watch khan academy series or find an anki deck? I really don’t wanna read that document.

Hi everyone.

I took a diagnostic on blueprint. I haven’t studied for real yet for this exam…… I plan on taking the MCAT in April. What is a realistic score I can get? I am aiming for 515 +.
I kept running out of time for many of these sections, I hope I can get accommodations ( I have them for my pre req classes) which could be helpful…

What should my study plan be? Any suggestions from those who had a similar diagnostic/ any advice in general.

I'm currently studying for the MCAT and trying to figure out how in-depth I need to go with memorizing metabolic pathways.

These are the pathways I'm planning to study:

1. Glycolysis
2. Pyruvate oxidation (pyruvate dehydrogenase)
3. Citric acid cycle (Krebs cycle)
4. ETC + chemiosmosis (oxidative phosphorylation)
5. Gluconeogenesis
6. Glycogenesis
7. Glycogenolysis
8. β-Oxidation

My main question is: Do I need to memorize every single step, enzyme, and intermediate for all of these pathways? Or is it enough to understand the overall purpose, where they occur, and important inputs/outputs?

Also, are there any major pathways I'm missing that I should add to this list?

I got 476 on my diagnostic (122 in cars and everything else 118). I'm 2 years out of undergrad and work 40-45 hours FT, 10-12 hr shifts. I’m taking the MCAT May 7, 2027!

I’m very pressed for finances and will need to work w low cost materials. I can’t do UWhale. Relying on free resources and AAMC material closer to the exam date. I’m using KA and YouTube, Miles down review sheets. I tried Anki, not helpful imo, except for Bio and P/S section tbh.
It took me an entire weekend to finish 1 physics chapter. At this rate, I'll have a very hard time being well prepared for the MCAT. I'm aiming for a 510 (w 130+ in CARS at least and 127+ in Bio). C/P- I sucked it at all thru high school and uni, and I’m hoping to get a 125 tbh.

Any advice to fast-track content review while working full time and how to content review- aka take notes or review sheets- like what worked best for you guys! Thanks a ton <3

Basically what the title says. Im planning to write the MCAT in the summer after 2nd year but have no idea where or how to start studying. I already feel behind the people who are in life sci or health sci programs cause they take all the sciences so they dont have to study as much. On top of that my program has placements during the summer of 2nd year so im gonna have even less time to study. If anyone has been or is in a similar predicament, please share your tips! Any advice would be greatly appreciated

Hey everyone! I'm an international student from India who recently graduated with a undergrad Honours from Canada (3.3 GPA). I'd had my heart set on medical school in Australia since before starting undergrad (as Canada says no international students in med lol), but somewhere along the way, I got a little derailed haha.

Throughout undergrad, I struggled with recurring burnout, motivation, and periods of mild-to-moderate depression. My final year was particularly messy, juggling coursework, extracurriculars, and my honours thesis (which I somehow managed a 90 on with a sick mid-way PI, and tbh I feel like I bullshitted my way through this and learnt nothing??). I even missed all my master's application deadlines because I was so fixated on everything else, yet couldn't get myself to study for the MCAT. Shortly after graduating, I was diagnosed with ADHD, which explained quite a lot.

I sat the MCAT after graduating and did terribly. I'd studied fewer than 50–60 hours over two months, if that, with only one FL completed (on which I scored higher 7 points than my actual exam).

It's been almost four months since I returned to India. I've been slowly improving my routine, although there have been several arguments with my parents about my future. My parents are still loving and supportive as long as I'm making progress and aim to start something next year which I desperately want to (a job/masters etc.). So, I guess this is an unexpected gap yr which isn't expected in asian families tbh...

I'm now considering funded, thesis-based master's programmes for 2027 as an alternative and go into bioinformatics or something idk/idc a lot, but I cannot seem to let go of the MCAT. At the same time, I just cannot commit to studying for it. Part of my main hesitation is the lengthy pathway to specialist training in Australia, especially when I'm not sure I'd want to settle there permanently. I go back and forth almost every day on this.

If I retake the MCAT, I'm considering testing sometime between late January and April 2027, giving myself a longer preparation period.

Has anyone else struggled with wanting to pursue medicine but being unable to commit to the exam itself? How did you finally get yourself to sit down and study consistently?

Tbh, at this point, I just want to give the MCAT my absolute best shot without ruining myself, apply to medical schools again, and see where life takes me while I start my masters or a job as soon as possible. I don't even feel the need to have my entire career figured out right now. I just want to know I've genuinely tried.

Am I being unrealistic? I'd really appreciate any advice to get some clarity or perspective! I JUST CANNOT SEEM TO GET MY HEAD STRAIGHT AND THINK THINGS THROUGH.

Hi everyone, I have been grinding through my anki recently and have finally reached glycolysis, gluconeogenesis and the krebs cycle. I am struggling so bad to learn all of these, I feel like theres a million steps to them and I keep getting all of the enzyme names mixed up and its straight up killing me. I was wondering what you found was the best way to memorize all of the pathways since I don't think anki is going to do it for me in a way that doesn't take a week straight of studying nothing but them.

Additionally, I was wondering how in depth we need to go on these enzymatic pathways. Do we need to know all of the structures of all of the reactants and products? Or do we just need to know the general ideas of whats going on and so forth. I would really appreciate some help, I feel like I've been killing it on almost everything else so far and this has been such a roadblock for me the past 3 days when I usually get through 2-3 chapters each day so its kinda demoralizing. Thank you!

The uni I want to apply accepts both MCAT/GAMSAT, I’m aiming to apply next September. For GAMSAT they have a 90th percentile cut off, but no cutoff for MCAT

I’m from non-science so I did GAMSAT for first time this September, haven’t received my score yet. I’ve been studying AP level content as well. As now I’m more confident on contents, I’m considering moving to MCAT. The rationale is MCAT is far more resourceful, practices are up to date, more testing dates (GAMSAT only happens twice a year)

However I’m unsure if I should just give up on GAMSAT next March, go straight for MCAT. Or do another GAMSAT next March regardless (this means I will need to dedicate time for essay writing and section 1, which is basically CARS but more humanities heavy), using MCAT practice material. Since MCAT is far more content heavy. If there are anyone with similar experience, I appreciate your suggestions

Planning a third take on exam. Did UWorld twice during my first two attempts at mcat (first time was barely 30%, second time was 45%, reset in between). Following my second round of studying, depending on category I have between 50-70% of questions remaining for Bio, Biochem, Gen chem, Orgo, and Physics. My Behavioral is fully ran through. Is it worth rebuying and creating a new UW account or should I just extend it and work with my current status?

Pushed my MCAT from January to September 2027 to focus on raising my GPA. I’ve barely studied lately due to coursework and burnout.

I’ve used Kaplan, Anking (switched to Aidan V2 later on), Pankow, and UWorld (16% of the QBank completed). My UWorld percentiles: 87th biochem, 86th gen chem, 76th orgo, 62nd bio, 54th P/S. Got 83% on the AAMC CARS Diagnostic. No FLs yet.

My main weaknesses are bio and P/S. I haven’t finished P/S review and didn’t cover bio thoroughly. I have been addressing P/S with anki. 300 page doc didn’t help. For Kaplan bio I feel like I'm barely retaining anything from it. I'm not sure whether I should go through it again or try a different approach.

Aiming for 520+. I want to study lightly for now and ramp up over winter break and spring. But I don’t know how to especially address bio and P/S. I am lost and don’t know what to do anymore.

I need to get out of bio and P/S hell. I have been stuck in a loop with them and I can’t get out. Give me any ideas on what to do from here.

So I took the Blueprint diagnostic to give me a baseline before I start studying and got a 508. Lowest was CARS.

I graduated from undergrad back in 2018 so a lot of the material is not fresh. I’m currently a high school teacher (not by choice) and am looking for a career change into medicine. My mcat is scheduled for January 16, so I’ve got under 3 months to get my score up. What would you guys recommend? Please let me know if you need more info.

I am very disturbed by the page 43-44's prejudice section. It claims there is such a thing as an authoritarian personality, which the Big Five Minnesota personality axis or any other analysis never mentions. It then says the authoritarian personality follows orders without questioning, which is likely already covered by the Milgram experiment, given the situation, proximity, and prestige of the order-givers.

Khan notes forgot about its own notes; just half a page above this section is the attribution error about attributing behavior (following orders) erroneously to the person him/herself, instead of attributing the behavior to the situation that Milgram and H. correctly teach.

And then Khan notes descent into the wrong terminology use of "ego," as in using "prejudice to protect their ego", when the correct term is "id," which satisfies the supposedly primal, supposedly uncompromising urge to be on top, as the word "prejudice" was already discussed as primal, infant-capable categorization of people around and the infant itself. All this assumes prejudice is a self-protection mechanism, which hasn't been established.

Wrong on so many layers, and hard for MCAT-capable people to describe the intricacy of wrong on top of wrong. I am not even sure if I should read pages 44-67 of Khan notes.