Preparing for the MCAT is never an easy task. There are plenty of sources that you may seek when looking for the right advice on how to adequately prepare for this task. From these sources, one can understand the necessary steps and mistakes to avoid when preparing for this test. These are some of the MCAT prep mistakes you need to avoid at all cost:
Taking a lot of time memorizing small details
MCAT exams are different from college exams since they cover all the background information and that is present in its accompanying passage. The questions are meant to examine your critical thinking and application and not the repetition of facts. Apply this technique in your preparation by not memorizing everything, including the small details.
You don't have to spend most of your time memorizing everything to perform well in MCAT. Put more attention on understanding the fundamental concepts and creating the necessary foundation of knowledge, and thereby concentrating on completing preparation questions.
Allocating more time for reading than practicing
MCAT needs a lot of practicing other than reading, because it is performance based. When preparing for an exceptional performance a solid foundation is what is needed most.
MCAT mostly requires one to master the biology basics, both the organic and inorganic chemistry as well as physics. After this foundation has been laid, the essential part of the preparation is practice. You should allocate most of your time to completing the practice exams and sets.
If you’re using an MCAT tutor, they can help you employ past questions as a new technique for learning. If you have failed a question, try to find the reason why you missed and find out the fundamental concepts. You need to put more focus in to grab the information required to answer that question correctly, and by doing this you will not miss such a question in the future. If you got the answer to that question correct, try to inquire about the reason why others have failed it. If there are issues that are not clear you, you MCAT tutor can help you more fully understand the questions.
Practicing without time limits
While doing your sessions, allocate the time that is required to complete each one of them. Time boundaries will enable you to even work under pressure when you are required to complete practice sets with certain time limits. If you do your practice sets without setting time limits, you may find it hard to cope when you're exposed to work environments that require strict adherence to time.
Devoting prep time for extracurriculars
Medical school admission requires one to have excellent academic qualifications, leadership involvement, community service and some form of research or clinical exposure. Most of the medical students have little or no time for extracurricular activities. It is necessary to devote most of your time for MCAT preparation rather than the extracurricular activities during your study months.
In spite of what many people will tell you, further extracurricular participation won't compensate for a mediocre MCAT score. If you must participate in these extracurricular activities, consider choosing a small number of these activities which make you happy and try to maintain them during your MCAT session and avoid involving yourself in groups that take up to much of your time.
Not studying efficiently
The preparation of studying for the MCAT can be overwhelming due to the increase in the number of exams, books, and questions. The student may end up spending most of their time studying without witnessing an improvement in their scores. This occurs as a result of redundant and inefficient reviews. To get rid of this, ensure every MCAT study session has a precise structure. You can even come up with a study calendar which acts as a guideline on what you will study every day.
