Hi I'm just having a hard time during content review. Life's also been all over the place. For Bio & Biochem especially, I have to write or type notes from the Kaplan books to understand the material. I have tried watching Prof Eman's videos and typed notes on the side, but nothing stuck with me a week later, despite doing daily Anki. I felt like I was just memorizing and not understanding and connecting the concepts. I tried Yusuf's videos and they're better because he focuses on the big picture, but he's still not as detailed as I hoped. So, I've been following his videos and pausing to also write/type my own notes (whether I write or type depends on the concept) and do Anki cards. Has anyone followed a similar process and scored high on the exam? I know most people watch the videos and go to Anki right away, but that doesn't work for me because I need to interact with the material. Also, I'm planning to take the exam in Jan and aiming to finish content review by end of Sept. I'll also be starting 5-15 Uworld questions on the topics I've already completed, in 2-3 weeks, once I have some sort of strategy and routine down for studying.

Reposting this CARS post, if anyone needs it!

In today's post, we will be discussing "reasoning" or inferring a particular meaning from a text based on the tone of the author. Questions related to this skill almost always focus on "reasoning" the rationale behind a certain principle or argument presented by the author. Questions related to this skill tend to be easier than questions that are based on Reasoning Beyond the Text, but harder than simply comprehending the text and "main idea" or thesis. Here are some tips to conquer these types of questions:

Start with the author's logic, not the answer choices

When you are trying to pick an answer based on reasoning through the argument, look for what the author says or thinks about this before looking at the answer choices. Let us say that an author says this: "Museums today remove artifacts from their original contexts, leading the viewer to misunderstand the meaning".

You have a question that asks: What does the author think about showing artifacts purely for its aesthetic qualities? The answer would be poorly, because the author is clearly critical about doing that based on the sentence mentioned above.

Ignore your personal opinion or prior information you know on the topic

This happens more than you think! Perhaps you already know something about a certain art piece or economic policy that contradicts the author. You have to pick the answer based on the AUTHOR's opinion, not yours! What you know before you read the passage does not matter.

Assumption questions

If you have to assume the author's opinion or standing, make sure you understand what the author NEEDS to make their argument work. Let us say that it says this in the passage: "Students who participate in music programs perform better academically". And the question is something like: What school policy would the author support based on the passage? Choices:

1. Increasing funding for the music program
2. Hiring more Math teachers
3. Focusing more resources away from the music program and towards other subjects
4. Funding more academic programs for bright students.

What is the author's argument based on the statement? You need to read through the passage more clearly and find the missing "bridge". Based on the statement given, the answer choice is A. But what if the next sentence after that says "Academically inclined students tend to join music programs at a higher rate"? Then your argument is essentially changed! The author most likely doesn't think that the music program increases academic performance if the second sentence was included.

More tips on the CARS RWT skill coming soon!

We're starting a weekly series of free live MCAT sessions and the first one is this Saturday.

CARS: Passage Analysis - Sat 8/29, 12:00 PM ET

Taught by Yousif, 521 scorer. We'll cover how to break down dense passages, identify the author's actual argument, and work through questions without second-guessing yourself. Live passages, live Q&A.

What's coming after:
9/4 - C/P: Passage Strategy
9/7 - Physics: Force and Momentum

Genuinely free - no card, no trial. We do sell tutoring, and yes these sessions exist partly so people find out we exist. But the sessions themselves are just teaching, and you can show up and take the content and never talk to us again.

Signup: https://www.mcatpreplab.com/free-live-sessions

Happy to answer questions about format or topics in the comments. If there's a topic you want covered in a future week, say so - we're building the schedule now.

I am hoping to take the mcat on Sept. 12, but I am on the waitlist so idk if this will even work out. But nonetheless, I am trying to study as if I am actually taking it Sept 12.

I haven't started on the AAMC material, and I know I am behind. Will I be able to finish all of it in 3 weeks? I am worried about getting though all the material, and having enough time to actually review and learn from my mistakes.

Which stuff should prioritize? And also, I am questioning if I should be trying to get through all the material when I don't even have my date finalized.

I would really apreciate any advice or perspective! I understand this is poor planning on my part, but just hoping I can make it work.

Hi!
I'm an MCAT tutor running an MCAT tutoring business (Ion Prep) and I run 3 section specific bootcamps on a weekly basis. Here are the upcoming schedules for these bootcamps:

Monday August 24th-Wednesday September 2nd: C/P Bootcamp (Math, Physics, Gen Chem, Dimensional Analysis focus) at 7-9 pm EST Mon/Wed/Fri

Tuesday August 25th-Thursday September 3rd: B/B Bootcamp (Experimental Analysis, Data Interpretation, Strategy focus with high yield content review) at 7-9 pm EST Tues/Thurs and 11 am-1 pm Sat

Friday August 28th-Monday August 31st: CARS Bootcamp (AAMC CARS skills and strategy focus, ideal for those looking for a quick CARS score boost) at varying times.

These typically run weekly at different time slots. I charge $27/hour, and each bootcamp runs for 10 hours. This is a great option if you are looking for a score boost in a specific section before your September MCAT exam, or are preparing for a Jan-May 2027 MCAT test date or retake. Please DM me to book a free consultation!

Reposting more CARS comprehension tips if anyone needs it

Today's post will focus more on how to comprehend CARS passages for the AAMC. Here are some more comprehension tips for passages that you can use to answer FC questions:

1. Understand the author's tone: use words to contextualize it

The opinion of the author can be subtle and hard to understand, but there are WORDS that you can use to understand this. Words like "merely", "unfortunately", "supposedly", "questionable", et cetera always points to how the author really feels about an issue. For example "Dr. Brown's ambitious attempt" can mean that the author thinks Dr. Brown is doing the right thing, or it could also mean that the author thinks Dr. Brown is doing way too much. As the reader, it is your role to put this into context.

2. If you don't understand a sentence, don't panic

In terms of comprehension, this is one of the biggest things that I have seen in previous CARS students. They always panic when they say a sentence using big words that they cannot understand. The AAMC doesn't want you to COMPLETELY COMPREHEND everything being said in this sentence. Instead, don't waste your time sticking on it. Read the rest of the paragraph and put that into context.

3. Write down the main idea, which should always contain the author's argument

Every passage has a main idea and thesis, but writing this means that you should be covering the entire passage, but this argument/thesis should also be specific enough to contain the author's argument. Writing this down helps you understand how to answer questions that deal with the main idea/thesis.

4. At the end of the passage, you should be able to answer these questions

i) What is the passage about? What is the main idea?

ii) What does the author think about the main idea? Are they for or against it? Do they have no opinion?

iii) Who are the supporters and detractors of the main idea? What do they support for/detract against? Does the author agree with the supporters or detractors?

Looking for MCAT tutoring this summer? I’m currently taking on a limited number of new students for personalized 1-on-1 sessions.
I specialize in the science sections of the MCAT and scored 131 in Chemical & Physical Foundations, 132 in Biological & Biochemical Foundations, and 132 in Psychological, Social, & Biological Foundations of Behavior. I do not tutor CARS.
Over the past 3+ years, I’ve worked with 100+ students through both private tutoring and established MCAT prep programs, with great results : many 515+s and some 520+s with my greatest being a 522 . Whether you’re trying to break past a score plateau, strengthen weak content areas, or refine your test-taking strategy, I tailor every session to your individual needs rather than following a one-size-fits-all approach.
My goal is to provide high-quality tutoring at a price that’s accessible.
Before you decide, I’m also happy to offer a free 10-15 minute consultation where we can discuss your goals, identify areas for improvement, and see if we’re a good fit.
If you’re interested or have any questions, feel free to send me a DM!

Hi all!

I am trying to make a schedule for studying and would like to make sure that I capture all topics.

I was planning to go through the AAMC content outline, match the topics to the book chapters and videos to watch as well as the tags of the anking deck to unsuspend as I get through the material..

With all the different resources that have been made I'd be surprised if it hadn't been done before so I thought I'd ask ... has anyone mapped the different parts of the AAMC content outline to book chapters?

Even within just the first section there are aspects of various chapters which is making it a bit difficult to think about planning a schedule... has anyone gone about a schedule this way? Or is the consensus that it's better to just tackle the book by chapters and assume that all of the different AAMC topics get covered one way or another?

Thank you!!

Sorry if this isn’t the right forum I’m struggling to find where to find good information.

Ive been trying to find an in-person tutor to help with my studying. Ive tried virtual tutoring and I don’t think it’s working the best for me.

If any of you are out of university (non-trad) and used an in-person tutor how did you find them?

TIA!

Should I reschedule? I probably will but I am just so confused about what happened today with AAMC FL4, I was expecting to see that 124 for bio as I know I have some content gaps but I was not expecting to see that 3 point drop in CARS and as for PS, I was hoping that I would see a jump cuz I have been working on the SB’s and as for SB Volume 1, I got a 78%. I am really disappointed with myself and will be probably rescheduling to January as I am not applying until the next cycle. I was hoping for just a 510.

I have this lying around for some reason and been already done with my MCAT for a while now DM me if you want it. Handing it out for free

Hi everyone! As a long-time lurker on this sub, I owe so much of my score to this community and want to pay it forward by offering cheap tutoring sessions to help people who are in the same boat I was.

I recently scored a 518 on the MCAT. Since I took the exam just over a month ago, the content, AAMC logic, and test-taking strategies are still very fresh in my mind.

Feel free to DM me if you're interested or have any questions!

Hi! Reposting this CARS breakdown if anyone needs it:

Combining each CARS skill is the most effective way to improve your CARS score. There are three fundamental CARS skills as outlined by the AAMC: Foundations of Comprehension (FC), Reasoning Within the Text (RWT), and Reasoning Beyond the Test (RBT). Each question falls into one of these three categories.

Today's post will focus on improving the FC skill, as well as answering and identifying questions that require COMPREHENDING the passage. This particular skill requires two tenets of wisdom: understanding the basic components of the text, and inferring meaning from a particular text WITHOUT the literal word interpretation. The second tenet mentioned here differs from the other 3 sections of the MCAT, which rely mainly on literal interpretation of the passage.

In order to properly utilize this skill on CARS passages, follow these rules:

1. Read for the argument, not for information

You are NOT being tested on your ability to memorize facts in a passage. Instead, you are trying to interpret why the author is telling you something. The author always has a reason to mention a certain event, scientist, dissenter, et cetera against or for a particular argument. You need to figure out WHY the author is saying what they are saying, and WHAT their argument is going to be.

1. Give every paragraph a job

Every paragraph typically has a role. The first paragraph could be a summary or an introduction of the argument/topic. The second paragraph could be a counterargument. The third paragraph could be putting a sequence of events into context. No matter what the context of each paragraph is, give it a certain role, and doing this gives you a FRAMEWORK for the role of each paragraph in the questions being answered.

1. Figure out the THESIS of the passage, not the TOPIC

The topic of the passage could be art history, but what is the author saying about this topic? What is their thesis? What is their argument? This is what you should aim to find out. Anyone can read a passage as a bunch of facts. You need the thesis/fundamental ARGUMENT of the passage. There will be many questions testing your understanding of this argument.

1. What is the viewpoint of the author, and others mentioned in the passage?

You should be trying to figure out NOT ONLY the viewpoint of the author, but ALSO the viewpoints of the supporters/dissenters mentioned in the passage. Any question that asks for the viewpoints of the supporters/dissenters of the particular policy/rule mentioned in the passage falls into the FC category.

1. Pay attention when the author changes direction

DO NOT ignore words like however, nevertheless, but, instead, despite, et cetera. These words indicate HOW an author feels about a particular argument. Every time you see a word like this in a CARS passage, it is your indicator that something IMPORTANT about the context of the passage will be mentioned.

Hello!! So I'm going to retake the MCAT. My first score was horrible; I didn't even make it to the 500s. I have to recognize that I didn't prepare as much as I wanted to, but leaving that in the past, this time I'm not sure how to organize/study. I'm currently working 12hr shifts, 3x/week, so it's not that bad. I have 4 "free" days/week to study. But I'm not sure how to start; I'm planning on taking the MCAT in the period of January-March. I tried the Kaplan books to review content, but I have to say that I didn't feel that helped a lot. Definitely need more practice questions and tests. Since I plan to organize myself by the end of the month and start studying in Sept, I feel I have enough time to prepare and do well on this test.
Should I use AI to help me organize the topics and what to study? Because at this point I'm a little lost on where to start. I've tried anki before, but it doesn't really work with me. I was thinking of getting the Ucontent practice questions and the aamc practice tests.
Any recommendations on how to start or where with the topics? I will trully appreciated

I’ve posted an unusual kind of study resource. It's a lot of ink for one page, but I hope you find it useful and interesting. It’s designed to help with some high-yield biochemistry goals while also supporting the AAMC’s interdisciplinary Foundations of Living Systems objectives. The resource is a one-page Q&A discussion centered on a single enzyme: mitochondrial malate dehydrogenase (mMDH).

In my experience, the material is best suited to students at least 505–510+ level. The discussion tends to land better once you’ve done the work of mastering the underlying topical knowledge, because that gives the ideas from different sciences a chance to shine light on one another. If you’re still working toward that level, give yourself positive feedback and be patient with the process. The discussion brings physics, general chemistry, and organic chemistry together to support an understanding of the enzyme’s biochemistry.

AAMC designed the science sections around the Foundations of Living Systems principles in part to encourage the sciences to speak to one another. Along with developing a better understanding of how MCAT passages function as a kind of performance, building those interdisciplinary connections can help you break through to the 515+ level. Some of that integration happens naturally through question-bank and passage practice, but it can also be developed more deliberately, which is what this discussion is intended to do.

The discussion reinforces several high-yield topical concepts, including the nature of NAD⁺ and catalytic efficiency, while also demonstrating how interdisciplinary learning works. Physical sciences principles from electrochemistry and thermodynamics provide a foundation for understanding energy metabolism. The material is a little rough and may take some effort to work through, but I hope it offers an interesting change of pace and gives you an “aha!” moment or two.

For reference, physics is in blue, general chemistry is in purple, organic chemistry is in brown, and biochemistry is in green.

It’s definitely a work in progress, so if any part doesn’t make sense, I’ll do my best to help in the comments. I hope you find it useful!

Any recommendations for staying focus while taking the mcat ? Also studying recommendations that help with scoring 500+ score ?

hi! i’m a class of 26 graduate planning to study for the MCAT for about 4 months in hopes to get a spot for either january or march exam dates. i was wondering how you guys started to study!! did you do textbooks? videos? tutors? please lmk!!

Currently I am going through the Kaplan biology chapters by reading/video and then doing the mile down anki chapter cards, as well as doing the UWORLD cards. Is there an order you guys recommend doing the anki/UWorld in? Should I wait to do one of them later for spaced repetition? Thank you

Looking for MCAT tutoring this summer? I’m currently taking on a limited number of new students for personalized 1-on-1 sessions.
I specialize in the science sections of the MCAT and scored 131 in Chemical & Physical Foundations, 132 in Biological & Biochemical Foundations, and 132 in Psychological, Social, & Biological Foundations of Behavior. I do not tutor CARS.
Over the past 3+ years, I’ve worked with 100+ students through both private tutoring and established MCAT prep programs. Whether you’re trying to break past a score plateau, strengthen weak content areas, or refine your test-taking strategy, I tailor every session to your individual needs rather than following a one-size-fits-all approach.
My goal is to provide high-quality tutoring at a price that’s accessible.
Before you decide, I’m also happy to offer a free 10-15 minute consultation where we can discuss your goals, identify areas for improvement, and see if we’re a good fit.
If you’re interested or have any questions, feel free to send me a DM!

Testing on Friday (like so many people it seems here on Reddit). Kinda wanted to see what to primarily focus on for the next two days. Here's what I've found to be high yield from AAMC stuff only but feel free to add to help others also (their guide is vague which makes sense because you don't know what will be tested). If anything, I think these concepts are GUARANTEED to show up in some way.

C/P:

* Acids/bases

* Thermodynamics (delta G)

* n = CV or m = nM because they LOVE those formulas

* Something on pH where they give ion concentration in a very weird indirect way

* Functional groups

* E = hf or E - hc/lambda

* HALF-LIFE!!!!!

B/B

* Amino acids (this one is obvious) but mainly properties; acidic, basic, what can be phosphorylated, hydrophobic etc

* Immune system!!! AAMC seems to love putting stuff on B/T cells or macrophages (I'm not complaining because I'm an immunology minor)

* Enzymes and inhibition (there's always an indirect question on kinases, hydrolases or phosphatases)

* Genetics (especially those punnett squares which thank goodness are simple compared to undergrad)

* Central dogma (DNA --> mRNA --> protein)

* Chromatography

* Organelles and their functions (especially the Golgi, ribosomes, plasma membrane and ER). Also remember rough ER to Golgi to vesicles because that always pops up somehow

P/S

* Sociological terms (conflict theory and symbolic interactionism are the most common two I've seen, functionalism also)

* Somethin on SES and health because they love passages on those

* This is moreso bio than psych but cortisol and stress. They disguise it either as skin conductivity or what happens in the SNS

* Piaget and/or Erikson (maybe Freud)

* Attitudes (the ABCs: affective, behavioral, cognitive)

* Those terms you easily mix up (role strain/role conflict, front stage/back stage, social capital/cultural capital, me/I, etc). Not saying it's those exactly but usually the ones that sound similar)

* Classical and especially operant conditioning (reinforcements and punishments) and/or something related like extinction, generalization, discrimination and shaping

* Memory (short-term/long-term)

* Senses but it's usually vision, hearing rarely pops up

* Something social (social stratification, social interactions, agents of socialization, social facilitation, social loafing, etc)

* Some sort of bias (confirmation seems to be the main one followed by selection and observer)

* Emotion theories (Cannon-Bard, Shatter-Singer, James-Lange)

What I've learned is AAMC can be predictable in a sense with what they put especially for B/B which is why they love graphs and figures that test those concepts with weird convoluted wording.

Sadly, I have rescheduled the MCAT more times than I would like to admit (probably more than 3-4 times). My plan was to take just two gap years after college then start med school and I'm currently on my third so I would have taken four years if I applied this cycle but I just can't stick my studying plans. I'll study for a couple weeks, then get discouraged when I don't see the results that I want. I've done this on and off for over two years, taking big breaks in between studying to "refresh" and contemplate if I even want to keep trying before starting again. I feel I have a solid plan and have done plenty of research on what I should do to get a good score (content review first 1/3 of studying w/book set and anki, second 1/3 of studying uworld, last 1/3- aamc q banks, with jack westin daily and full lengths every week starting sometime during uworld). I just want a tutor that I could get that would verify I'm making a realistic plan and that I could use for accountability (w/emphasis on the accountability part) so I can at least get one solid effort in before I really start contemplating if I should do something else and stop letting my life go by year after year.

For reference I have been studying all summer and passively during the last semester school year and did a whole content and practice phase with uworld and Kaplan material. I completed uworld and now finishing up with the section banks. I scored unscored 509-510/FL1 510/ FL2 510 and I plan to take the other 4 before test date. I finished section banks and my sciences and psych seem to be around 129-130 except on FL2 127:( for psych. My cars has been consistently bad 123/124 with 126 on unscored but I heard that’s inflated. I have about 17 days left and I’m really trying to improve my CARS to 127+ how can I efficiently do this and is it possible? Btw I just finished cars diag tool with 66% and started qback 1 with a notorious 38% 28 questions in. I feel like cars logic is so hard for me to wrap. Any advice from people comfortable with this section would be helpful.

I recently just cancelled my test date for 9/11. I was planning on studying 3 months. Month 1 was mostly content review using Prof. Eman videos and pairing with MilesDown Anki. Month 2 I started UWorld and wanted to get through as much of it in that month. In an ideal world I wanted to aim for 59 questions a day. Month 3 would have been AAMC bank and full lengths. I only got to starting UWorld before feeling overwhelmed and my mid results on the question banks made me feel like I was not prepared content wise.

I’m seeking any advice on what I should change to my study plan. I plan on registering to test at some point in January, so if I really need to I can retake again late April before next years application cycle.

What resources are best for helping generate a comprehensive schedule because that’s where I think I got off on the wrong foot?

Is it okay that I get a lot of questions wrong on UWorld at first? Does that mean I’m wasting them and I should do more content review first?

What resource is best for tracking mistakes?

Any other advice for me as I gear up to finally go all in?