How long should I study for the MCAT?

First, you should understand that the MCAT is one of the toughest standardized exams that exist! Second, standardized exams demand a different kind of stamina and type of studying than any of your in-class or university-levels do. You should take this seriously.

An average of 3 months is the required study time for the MCAT. Most students begin studying after the completion of their 2nd year Winter semester which culminates in April. This means that the months of May through July are dedicated to studying and these students aim to write the exam in August or September before the new academic term begins.

KEY TAKEAWAY
The ideal amount of study time varies from individual to individual – 3 months of study time dedication is only a rule of thumb! Before you begin studying it is best to know which schools you are targeting when their application due dates are and the score you will need in order to be a successful applicant.

While yes, it is feasible to study for 1 month and achieve a competitive score, Prep101 recommends that you do not do this! It is likely that you will face burnout and your mental and physical health may suffer in an attempt to cram. The MCAT covers biology, physics, chemistry and psychology content from essentially the first year of science undergraduate studies – THIS IS A LOT OF MATERIAL TO REVIEW! By pacing yourself and allowing ample time for review, practice and writing mock exams you are setting yourself up for success. 

Some experts say it takes 10, 000 hours to master a skill. Does that mean you need to study for 10, 000 hours?

Absolutely not!

Through our experience, most students require 200-300 hours of studying in order to achieve a target score. BUT, take this with a grain of salt. Every student’s ability to gain mastery varies; we all have our inherent strengths and weaknesses and you should understand yours before diving into the studying.

For example, a biochemistry Ph.D. student studying for the MCAT who TAs undergraduate courses may have stellar biology and chemistry understanding and may not need to review a bulk of the content that a 3rd-year sociology student writing this exam would.

At Prep101, we recommend that students determine how many hours they need to study by first understanding the content that will be tested on the MCAT, here. You should ask yourself questions like:

• Have I covered all of this content in my classes at university?
• How long ago did I learn about these topics?
• How comfortable do I feel with these subjects and subtopics?
• How comfortable am I with my mental math skills?
• After content review, how much time do I see myself needing to practice and sit mock exams?

KEY TAKEAWAY
You may find that initially you begin with an initial estimate of the hours you will need and eventually discover you need more time than you anticipated. This is completely normal! As you learn more about the exam and your learning abilities you will have to revise your planning!

Before you can even dive into making a study schedule, you should have clarity about two things:

1. What your current level of performance is (yes, without studying)
2. What your target score is

How do you determine these components? You should sit on a diagnostic exam. Every student begins at a different baseline level of understanding and skills needed to succeed in this exam. In order to know how much and for how long you will have to study, you have to know where you will begin. A quick Google search will show you there are numerous diagnostic MCAT exams available to you for free! Take the time, sit one and compare the score you receive to your target score.

BEFORE YOU READ ON, READ THIS:
You should understand the importance of a study schedule before you create it. By now, you probably understand that there is A LOT of material to cover and after you will be spending most of your time doing practice. A study schedule will help you map out your time and help ensure you can cover everything you intend to. It will keep you accountable and is key to achieving your target score.

Once you know about your current performance level and where you’d like to be, pick your favourite calendar app (Google, Outlook, etc.) or use templates on Word or Excel and start filling in days with what you intend to cover. Your calendar should have the following:

• Content review – note exactly what you’ll be covering and for approximately how long
• Break days – pace yourself so that you do not burnout!
• Mock exam days – a scheduled time when you intend to write a full-length practice test
• Exam review day – allotted time to review all of your incorrect AND correct responses while tracking your progress on an error log
• Review days – you will probably forget some of the content you covered early on, schedule time to go back to it to refresh your memory

KEY TAKEAWAY
Front-load your studies – you know that ‘crunch time’ at the end of your study period where you’re scrambling to complete everything you set out to? Move that to the earlier half of your study time. Essentially, you would be forcing yourself to be in ‘crunch mode’ right at the beginning and therefore, have an easier time avoiding distractions, maintaining focus and refining the right kind of problem-solving and critical-thinking skills.

There are many different study outlines you can find. The important thing to remember is that a schedule is highly dependent on the test-taker. Hear us out: if you’re a science undergraduate or graduate student who is specializing in biochemistry, perhaps a few hours of content review and practice may be sufficient for you to achieve a high score in this section. An MCAT test-taker without a science background may opt to spend weeks to months for content review followed by months of practice. In fact, a 3-month timeline may not be ideal for such a candidate.

The important thing to realize is that an ideal schedule should be customized to each individuals’ needs, strengths and weaknesses – after having factored in a target score. So the question becomes, what should you consider before making your schedule? Here’s an outline of the steps we think will help you build a schedule:

1. Know everything you can about the MCAT
2. Research the schools you are interested in and know what score will make you competitive
3. Analyze your study options:
   a. Will you self-study or are planning to take a course?
   b. Do you need a comprehensive set of materials or concise ones?
   c. Do you learn by reading, writing out notes, watching videos, doing practice, etc.?
4. Narrow the materials right for you – remember, you can always add additional content if you
   think you need to address certain subjects!
5. Start with blank calendars for the months/weeks you intend to study and begin creating your
   study schedule
6. Study and practice
7. Revise your schedule if needed

Read the AAMCs recommendation on How to Create a Study Plan for the MCAT Exam.

Having a schedule doesn’t guarantee success, you have to ensure you’re abiding by it and reassessing your schedule if you think you’re not making the kind of progress that you should be! Your schedule will only allow you to reap benefits if you stick to it. Here are some common reasons students go wayward, be aware of these:

1. They give themselves too much time. More time does not always lead to a higher score. Sometimes students give themselves 6-8 months to study and lose motivation or momentum in thinking they have plenty of time to prep. Set realistic goals that are tangible for you.
2. They underestimate the true nature of the exam. Many students, especially student undergraduate and graduate students, think that since they’re likely to be familiar with the content of this exam, they don’t have to worry too much. THIS IS NOT TRUE! The MCAT is not a
   science test, it is a reasoning-skills exam and you will need to develop a largely new skillset to do
   well on it (- don’t worry, this skill set will be required in medical school and when you’re a
   practicing physician!). Do not take this lightly.
3. They try to achieve too many goals at once. There are students who work full-time, volunteer, write research papers and study for the MCAT simultaneously. Is doing everything whilst studying ok? Perhaps. The message here is, understand your priorities and be aware of your capabilities. Take on activities alongside studying for the MCAT that fit your goals and your timelines. You might also want to add weekly check-in points to your study schedule. Ask whether you’re on track and do some introspection, maybe you can add 5 hours of weekly volunteering or maybe you need to cut down hours at the lab. In the end, you have to be brutally self-aware!