Are you a graduate of a bachelor’s degree in one of the health sciences? Would you like to take your studies to a higher level? Then perhaps the MCAT is the right exam for you to prepare for if you really want to be immersed in the health sciences.
The MCAT acronym stands for Medical College Admission Test. It is usually taken by students to gain entry to medical schools in the USA and Canada. Although there are some schools in both countries who do not require MCAT scores to permit applicants to enter, it pays to be sure by submitting your MCAT score to the Admissions Department of the med school you wish to attend.
Here are some study tips for the MCAT that you can try out, by using Magoosh MCAT materials. These may help you get a topnotch MCAT score.
What To Look For In Magoosh MCAT Materials
- Relevance – Your MCAT prep materials from Magoosh should help make passing this crucial test easier because they are up to date. Acknowledge your weak points and make a study outline of those topics you need to read up on. You can then check the updated prep materials so that your outline jives with these. Also be sure you have high quality MCAT prep books to prepare.
- Availability – One good point about the Magoosh prep materials is that you can study anywhere at any time convenient for you. This is good news for students who are employed yet need to study for the MCAT too. You can also email Magoosh tutors if there are points that you find hard to understand.
- Thoroughness – The updated prep materials aim to help you cover as much ground as possible so that you won’t be stumped during the exam. You should check the knowledge areas you are weak in so you can take practice exams. Practice always makes perfect in academic studies.
- Affordability – The prep materials ought to be within financial reach of even the most financially-challenged students, without sacrificing the quality of the content. This is most important especially since there are students who also work part-time or full-time because of financial need.
- Accurate – you will need a reliable source of practice tests to be able to get a high score during the actual MCAT. That is one major consideration when seeking MCAT materials.
How To Use MCAT Review Materials
- Prepare to Prepare – Before you can start the review proper, you need to prepare yourself first. This means checking your baseline score. Once you know that, you will be more informed as to what areas you need to put more effort in during the actual review.
- Study for Understanding First – You need to go over the materials aiming to comprehend them. Don’t worry – once you understand a piece of knowledge it becomes easier to remember it and know how to apply it to other situations.
Go for Accuracy Before Aiming to Increase Speed – Some people think that they should race through the practice tests so that they can hike up their score. That is the wrong strategy. Rather, try to get as many questions right as you possibly can. Speed will then follow as you get more proficient. - Build Endurance Over the Long Haul – You may find that you can only study for a short period at the start. That’s okay, you can make progress by extending your study time a bit more each day as your review period continues. So if you keep adding 10 minutes of review per study period, you may find that you seem better able to last without sacrificing quality or speed.
- Condition Yourself For Real-World Circumstances – This surprises some people because they think they ought to be studying within a library, with everyone talking only in hushed whispers. Actually, you should consider studying in a crowded place, such as a coffeehouse, with people conversing naturally. After all, when you get to med school you will be seeing patients under less than ideal conditions but you are expected to perform well even so.
- Analyze Answers to Questions That You Didn’t Get Right – When you take the practice tests, you have to set aside time to go over the results. You may see why your analysis was wrong in certain parts and correct in other answers. This helps you improve.
Final Advice
Many people like you will be taking the MCAT this year. So you should select MCAT prep materials that will help you pass and soar over others during the actual exam. Be sure to choose MCAT materials that are relevant, readily available, thorough, affordable and accurate. That way you will make good progress in your review period so that you are ready for the actual exam in the near future.