The best way to prep for the MCAT (in my opinion) is to take practice tests. Going through the pre-medical requirements at most universities will make you cover the material the MCAT tests. The tricky part is actually applying that information appropriately to a test that really measures your reading comprehension more than it tests your knowledge of Physics, Chemistry, and Biology. Could you do well on the MCAT having never studied these topics? Probably not. However, the reality is you do not need to be an expert in them in order to do well on the MCAT. A lot of the exam is being able to sift through VERY thick science paragraphs and find the information the multiple choice questions are looking for. Practicing taking MCAT exams is an excellent way to learn how to do this.

In my own experience, I followed my university’s plan of taking a Kaplan MCAT prep course that began in the fall of my junior year. My school (Boston College) gave a discount on this course, so I figured I might as well take it. However, I know the Princeton Review course is just as good if not better. The workload of the course was staggering when coupled with my college requirements, so I stopped going. Instead, I took advantage of all of the full length MCAT practice tests Kaplan offered via the course. After taking about 4 or 5 of them (a big commitment when you consider they take 6 or 7 hours), I saw my score steadily increase. This is without studying at all; all I did to prep was take practice exams. In the end, I ended up with a 31 which was good enough to get me into medical school. However, before you jump on this approach, I should warn you that I was a ferocious studier in college and probably wouldn’t have benefited much from studying anymore outside of classes. If you don’t take your pre-med classes quite as seriously, refreshing by taking a full MCAT prep course would be best. Also, a 31 is good but not outstanding. If you’re shooting to get into Harvard or Stanford, you would want to score around a 35 (thus, you would want to study much more than I did).

Finally, if I have any advice for an incoming college freshman looking at medical school it’s this: ENJOY YOURSELF. College is a blast and goes by fast enough already. Do well in your courses (especially sciences classes), and try to find your passion. If it’s medicine, awesome. If not, it’s not the end of the world. Be happy before being a successful MCAT-taker. Becoming a physician is a tough road, but it can also be very fulfilling. The best way to get to medical school is finding a balance between grades/MCAT scores and enjoying what may be the best four years of your life. Good luck!

You can’t really study for the MCAT per se because the test involves a lot of thought questions based on having a thorough knowledge of physics, chemistry, organic chemistry and biology. So, what you need to do is to study really hard on those subjects to try to really understand them completely. If you do really well in all four of these subjects and then review before you do your MCAT in your Jr or Sr year of college, then you will be in good shape. If you get about a 31 or better on the MCAT then you will have a good chance of getting in to some med school.

This process takes a lot of dedication, but if you have the will power to do it, you will succeed.

ps When you get to college, be sure to check in with the premed advisor right away. In fact, you should probably check in with him/her before you arrive in order tog et advice about what Freshman courses to take.