Rosette Pathways' tips for the MCAT
You just signed up for the MCAT. Are you thinking about how important the exam is? How many of your pre-med friends complained about it being so hard? Such thoughts are common, but in the long run can lead to self-sabotage. Like so many things in life, your mental state holds the key to a positive outcome. As Founding Father Thomas Jefferson wisely said, "Nothing can stop the man with the right mental attitude from achieving his goal; nothing on earth can help the man with the wrong mental attitude."
Yes, you might say, it’s easy to quote a great thinker or sports figure about the importance of mental toughness, but the MCAT involves actual knowledge. The following are some suggestions to help you work on your mental toughness and build your confidence as you prepare to take the MCAT. Like everything in life, academic success hinges on your mindset.
Instead of feeling like it is a dark cloud looming over you, take some time to figure out what you need to do to make it manageable. Remind yourself—repeatedly—your test score does not define you as a person.
1. Take a full practice exam in the conditions that are most like the setting where you will take the real test so that you can establish a baseline because what can often be daunting is the sheer length and scope of the test. Take breaks when they say to take breaks, putting yourself in a full testing environment each time that you take a practice test. For example, don’t listen to music or eat while you take the test because you won’t be able to during the real thing. Figure out what kind of snacks help you keep your energy up. Eat the same thing each time you take a practice test.
2. Assess where you are at and, if you bomb this first practice test, tell yourself it is ok! You just don’t want to bomb the last test! What parts of the exam did you do well on? Which areas need more review? It is a good idea to go through the whole exam after you take it so that you can see what you knew and what was a lucky/educated guess. The first part of prepping for the MCAT entails learning and reviewing the content. Then familiarize yourself with the way that they phrase the questions.
3. Get organized by setting up a calendar (I prefer a large paper one) and plan a schedule for how you are going to review/learn the content. You should be spending at least 10-15 hours a week if you are on a four-to-six-month schedule. Ideally, you spend 20-30 hours a week. How much time you put into studying will depend on other factors, like if you have a full-time job or family responsibilities. Regardless, set up a schedule so that you know exactly what you are going to work on each week. This will also give you some relief because instead of focusing on the final goal and outcome, you are turning it into a series of tasks. (I love crossing things off my to-do list!) You will also give yourself an idea of whether or not the test date you signed up for is realistic.
4. Be task-oriented. Make short term goals for yourself that you can check off because this will give you a sense of satisfaction that you are making progress even though the test seems so far away. Always reward yourself for a good day of studying, like going to the gym or for a run, or watching a television show that is in your queue.
5. Embrace what Ken Bain calls “deep learning” as you review. Rote memorization and superficial learning will ultimately not help you in medical school. You are studying material that you will need in medical school and beyond. If you are struggling with the content, then you may need to postpone the exam. It is better to wait and take the MCAT when you are ready then to perform poorly (below 500) and have to retake it. The downside of retaking the MCAT is that the schools where you apply will see all of your scores.
6. Once you finish the first phase of reviewing the content, start taking practice tests. The last few months before the MCAT, you should take a practice test in real conditions weekly. It is not enough just to read through questions and answer them. You need to build your endurance for the test. You wouldn’t run a 10K without training, and the MCAT is no different!
7. After you complete a practice test, go through your answers. Some companies provide explanations for the answers so you can review the content. The mistake that students often make is they practice in a comfortable space and don’t reproduce the conditions of the test. This often results in a discrepancy between the practice tests and the actual exam. By the time you take the MCAT, you want to feel confident, like you did absolutely everything you could to prepare.
8. While you read a passage, anticipate the kind of questions that will be asked. Cover up the answer choices before reading them to see if you can come up with the answer on your own. This approach really benefits people who get tripped up when they see possible answers, second-guess their instincts, and pick the wrong answer.
9. If there is a section that is giving you trouble, don’t let yourself get down. No negative self-talk! Tackle your weakness head on and turn it into a strength. You may need to adjust your study schedule and devote more time to that section or perhaps seek outside advice or tutoring.
10. Change the way that you think about and talk to yourself. Positive self-talk only! Instead of kicking yourself for not doing better on a practice test, look at the areas where your score improved. Focus on your growth. As Carol Dweck points out, students with a “growth mindset” learn how to stay motivated and embrace deep learning. By contrast, students’ fixed mindset can often sink them when they get frustrated, think others find this material easy, and lament that they will never get it. If you approach anything expecting to fail, then you have already determined the outcome. Remember that the medical school application is a portfolio and the MCAT is just one data point among many. You will not get into medical school based on this one measurement, however, a low score can take you out of the running. Why is the MCAT such a necessary hurdle? It provides a good baseline for schools to see where you are academically outside of your GPA. Universities have different standards for their classes and the MCAT tests the basic science knowledge that you will need in medical school. Taking the MCAT also demonstrates how well you perform under pressure. Keep in mind that when you take your board exams, you will only have a finite number of tries to pass, so the pressure will feel magnified if you don’t develop testing skills as you go.
Book a FREE Discovery Meeting to learn more about working with us!
コメント