![]() Use this to your advantage-in order to choose an answer choice in CARS, there must be a piece of text evidence that directly supports the question. As a general rule of thumb, if can’t figure out the answer to a question, return to the passage to make sure you didn’t miss a key detail.įor the CARS section, you do not need to know outside information, meaning the answer choice must be somewhere in the passage. By taking practice problems and thoroughly reviewing them afterwards, you will begin to understand what the AAMC expects of you on any given question. Solution: Understand whether the test-writers at the American Association of Medical Colleges (AAMC) want you to find the answer in the passage, use outside knowledge to the answer the question, or utilize a combination of the two approaches.įor the Chemistry/Physics, Biology/Biochemistry, and Psychology/Sociology sections of the exam, you will need to ask yourself where the AAMC wants you to find the answer. Preparation time: A student who prepares for the recommended 300-400 hours will likely perform better than a student who prepares for 75 hoursĬhallenge #3: The MCAT is a passage-based exam.Method of preparation: A student who prepares efficiently by prioritizing high-yield practice over rote memorization of small details will likely perform better on the exam.Other time commitments while studying: A student who is just studying for the MCAT will have more time to devote to the exam than a student who is in school, volunteering, and studying for the MCAT at the same time.Undergraduate major: An English major may perform better on the CARS section while a Biochemistry major may perform better on the Bio/Biochem section.Here are some of these factors (disclaimer: every single one of these factors can be overcome based on how you study for the exam, and there are counterexamples for each one we have listed!): In addition to the general factors we discussed in this article that make the MCAT a difficult exam, there are other individual-specific factors that might make the MCAT easier or more difficult for any given person. After each passage, he should do an intense review of what he missed and why he missed it in order to identify patterns in his wrong answer choices.Īs you can see, the most effective way to study for CARS is very different from studying for organic chemistry. Instead, Jeremiah should focus on finding and taking as many CARS humanities passages as he can. What’s the most effective study strategy for Jeremiah to improve his CARS score? He won’t be able to draw out reactions or memorize functional groups for CARS. He should repeat this process for the other highly tested organic chemistry functional groups to improve his performance on the Chem/Phys section of the exam. Without “memorizing” a specific mechanism, Jeremiah just reasoned through nucleophilic acyl substitution. As a result, a nucleophile can attack the carbonyl carbon and cause the hydroxyl (-OH) group to leave. For example, Jeremiah should write down what a carboxylic acid is, memorize the structure, and understand that the carbonyl carbon is electrophilic because the oxygen pulls away electron density. Will Jeremiah be able to study CARS the same way he studies organic chemistry? Of course not!įor organic chemistry, Jeremiah should write down important functional groups, memorize their structures, and learn how those structures are important for the different chemical reactivities of the functional groups. Let’s look at an example: Jeremiah is struggling on two MCAT subjects: organic chemistry and CARS passages on humanities. Solution: Choose the most effective study strategy for each specific subject. Come test day, you will be more than ready and the test will fly by! Challenge #2: The MCAT tests your knowledge of many different subjects. Start the exam right at 8 a.m., take each of your breaks as you would on the real test, and treat each question and passage as if you were taking your real MCAT. During the course of your test preparation, you should take at least five full-length exams under test-like conditions. The length of the MCAT makes it mentally and physically draining. Solution: Take many simulated full-length practice exams. Part 3: How to ace the MCAT Challenge #1: The MCAT is long.
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