Health

The MCAT – Why It Can Break Or Make You

Dating back to the 1920s with a different name, the Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT) is still a rite of passage to aspiring medical students in the U.S, Canada, Caribbean Islands, and Australia. And as a part of preparing to take the MCAT exams, a med school calculator can show your competitiveness level to get admitted to a specific med school. This way, you’ll know the school with higher chances of accepting you.

Also, gathering solid pre-med and MCAT tips from reliable sources like Medical School HQ can help you get admitted to your dream med school. That said, let’s demystify the MCAT exam by exploring the common mistakes (and their effects) students make when preparing for the test.

Working hard instead of smart

You’ll have some pre-med students making notes, memorizing details, focusing on the quantity they’ve read instead of the quality, and concentrating on specific topics while neglecting others.  Well, that’s hard work gone to waste because it won’t deliver the good scores you want in your MCAT tests. The goal when preparing for the test is quality reading and conceptual thinking. Aim at understanding the different topics and establishing a connection between the content. In short, aim to get the meaning, understand the content, and relate it to the real world.  Only then will you get the incredible scores you’re looking for in the MCAT exams.

Inability to relate practice questions and content review

Practice questions Vs. Content review, which should you go with while studying? The idea of choosing one of the two isn’t enough for tremendous success. The thing is you can’t do practice questions before having a better grasp of the content. At the same time, you can’t put all your energy into content while neglecting practice questions. Realize that the content and practice questions are two sides of the same coin. While content teaches you concepts, practice questions test whether the concepts are at your fingertips. Also, the questions help build readiness to tackle the 7+ hours MCAT tests.  In general, a perfect blend of reviewing content and doing practice questions gets you better scores in the MCAT exams

Less studying time

While no minimum minutes or hours of study guarantees better scores in the exam, you must invest significant time in your preparation. Don’t wait until the last minute to start studying and expect a better score. Remember, the MCAT covers a wide range of topics that demand quality studying time for deep comprehension and retention. Commit yourself to a studying plan or a timetable. Squeeze in studying in your busy schedule to ensure consistent studying that yields understanding and content retention. Even so, don’t put yourself through long reading hours. Have breaks in between and master the art of learning in short bursts.

The MCAT is important for pre-meds. It determines your future as a med student. It’s the bridge connecting you with your dream medical school. Therefore, by avoiding the common mistake aspiring med students make you’ll improve your chances of acing your MCAT test.

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