Being a doctor is one of the sought after professions. Despite the challenges that they may encounter ahead when taking this course, many try to endure since once you become one, it’s quite rewarding and fulfilling in the end.
Students who want to apply to a medical school need to take an entrance exam called MCAT. We know that when taking exams, we need to be prepared to make sure that we end up passing it. Although preparing for an exam can be quite stressful and time-consuming. By doing simple things like having a good study plan and preparing ahead of time, applicants, like you, don’t need to stress out or cram.
What is MCAT?
MCAT or the Medical College Admission Test is a computer-based standardized examination that is necessary for students who want to get to medical schools. Prospective medical students who want to study in the United States and Canada need to take this exam.
This exam is designed to test examinees if they have the knowledge and skills necessary to be successful in medical school. The content of the exam is from the inputs of medical educators, medical students, and even resident doctors. This is considered as a prerequisite to be able to attend medical schools and practice medicine.
The MCAT exam covers four sections about subjects under Biological Foundations of Behavior and Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills, Chemical and Physical Foundations of Biological Systems, Psychological, Social, and Biological and Biochemical Foundations of Living Systems.
The first three sections are based upon lessons learned in undergraduate courses, while the last one is more on measuring their analytical and reasoning skills. The scores on each section are weighted equally in the examinees’ overall score.
How to Prepare for the MCAT Exam?
Most pre-med students say that they are quite unsure about how they can prepare for the MCAT exam, and it’s quite scary. Preparing for the MCAT exam takes time and dedication, and you will encounter some challenges as well.
Here are some of the must-know tips on how to prepare for the exam –
Information about the Exam
Of course, before we get into studying, you must first know the processes and the requirements you need when taking the exam, and when and where the exam will take place. Once you know and complete them, then you can study with ease.
Gauge your knowledge
Knowing what the level of learning is and how much knowledge you already have. Taking an online free practice exam is also a good technique too. From here, you will need to know the topics or subjects you should focus on.
Study Materials
By knowing content categories, concepts and topics that will be covered in the exam will help you find the right studying materials. You can do this by getting a copy of the AAMC outline of topics. Study materials are the most important things you should have in preparing for the MCAT exam.
Study guides, sample questions, and practice tests are examples of them and mostly available online. Creating Flashcards and vocabulary list is also a good way to create your study materials.
Creating a study plan
This is very important. Studying in the middle of your busy schedule will be quite challenging, so creating a study plan and an MCAT study schedule will help you study in between daily activities and routines that you already have. By this, you can plan out what topics to study and when to study them.
Study and Practice
A good strategy when studying is by reviewing what you have already studied. Answer some practice tests of the topics based on what you have just studied to see how much you have absorbed and retained. Having a study partner or a study group is also helpful, so you can try to ask questions or create quizzes for one another to test your knowledge.
Preparing for the Test Day
It is advisable to take a rest a day before the actual examination day. Try to prepare things that you will need for the examination day, like requirements, exam materials, and even some snacks. Having some relaxation will avoid giving you that jumpy feeling on the day of the exam. Sleeping early is a good thing to do before the exam. Enough sleep will relax your mind and keep you from feeling tired and exhausted.