How I Scored a 520 on the MCAT! Resources + Study Schedule from a 98th Percentile Scorer
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- Опубликовано: 6 авг 2024
- Hi everyone! Welcome to my channel. This is my first video here on RUclips, and I am super excited to start sharing my medical journey with you guys. This past spring, I took the MCAT. Studying for it was a very scary and lengthy process, so I wanted to share my experience and tips with you all in order to help you guys out as you go into your studying.
Time Stamps:
01:30 My MCAT Score Report
03:03 My Resources
13:58 My Study Timeline
17:27 My Regrets
Resources mentioned:
• My Khan Academy P/S Notes: www.etsy.com/listing/85374561...
• Kaplan Half-Length Diagnostic: www.kaptest.com/mcat/free/mca...
• Altius Half-Length Diagnostic: altiustestprep.com/take_free/
• NextStep Full Length 1: blueprintprep.com/mcat/free-r...
• Kaplan 7-Book Set: www.amazon.com/MCAT-Self-Stud...
• Kaplan 528 Book (not linking because not that helpful)
• Kaplan Flashcards (not linking because not that helpful)
• Khan Academy MCAT: www.khanacademy.org/test-prep...
• 300 + 100 Page Docs: / 491418881579741
• Jack Westin CARS: jackwestin.com/
• Kaplan QOTD: kaplanquizzes.com/mcat/
• GMAT Practice Tablet: www.amazon.com/Practice-Table...
• Earplugs: www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07...
• AAMC Prep: students-residents.aamc.org/a...
• RUclips channels I watched: Medical School Headquarters, Med School Insiders, MedKinza, TheDailyMundane, Sydney Dong, Kaur Beauty
• MCAT Subreddit: / mcat
• Score Converter: / aamc_correct_scaled_sc...
• UWorld: www.uworld.com/
Study Schedule Outline:
• May 2019: Planning (AAMC Website)
• September-November 2019: Free diagnostic exams (Kaplan, Altius, NextStep)
• December 2019-January 2020: Content review (Kaplan books + Khan)
• January-March 2020: AAMC Practice
Connect with Me!
• Instagram: / future.doctor.coral
• Email: coralholt@gmail.com
• Etsy: www.etsy.com/shop/futuredocto...
Thank you so much for watching! Make sure you like the video if you enjoyed it, and subscribe to my channel for more! Leave a comment down below if you have any questions or video suggestions! I'll be posting a Part 2 where I go over some more general tips in the next week or so!
Have a great day, and good luck! :)
Hey guys! Thanks for taking the time to watch my video, and I hope you found it helpful! If you're interested in my comprehensive Psychology/Sociology notes or a customizable MCAT Progress Tracker, both of which I created and used while studying, you can find them here! I have a special discount for RUclips viewers for 50% off using code RUclips21 at checkout :)
www.etsy.com/listing/853745619/mcat-psychology-sociology-digital-notes?ref=shop_home_active_1
Yes keep it up
I can't thank you enough for this video. Amazing job on your test!
Thank you for this great video, congratulations on your excellent score!
Thank you so much this is great! 🙂 on your score and good luck with your journey 🥳🥳
Aw thank you what a great ending! You are super kind and thank you for sharing your insight!!!
Congratulations!! And thank you very much for sharing. Best guidance video so far
Thank you so much! Your video was very helpful especially for someone who can not afford to spend a ton of money on MCAT prep material 🙏🙏
I really liked the way you are guiding for Mcat preparations.
Honestly the best and most helpful mcat video ive watched
Best MCAT PREP Video Thank You Soo Much ! And Congratulations On Your Score
Girl. I love your personality. I can see that you are a very humble and hard working person through this video. Wish you the best luck!
I’ve watched SO many mcat study videos and yours is by far my favorite! Thank you so much!!
Thank you for uploading this video. It was very helpful and it made me feel more confident on where to begging my MCAT studying and about what resources to use. I subscribed. Best of luck.
Absolutely amazing video coral 👏👍
Thank you so much for this! It was extremely helpful.
Thank you so much Coral, this was INCREDIBLE! Also, 1000th subscriber 🎉😊
Best help video seen so far, now i understand why so many people come to study to my country from abroad haha. Congrats!!
Amazing! Been spending days watching these typpa videos. Some are just vague and not direct!😂 || Congratulations on your score!
Wow! This video is awesome 👌
Thank you for making this video, and I highly appreciate the many resources you provided for us! ❤
Your insights are so valuable for those of us still prepping. Congrats on your amazing achievement!
Great video, super helpful :)
So helpful, thank you
This is by far the most comforting mcat prep video! Congrats on your score ;)
That’s so sweet, thank you! 😊
Congrats :)
THANK YOU. just thank you.... this video is amazing, comforting, encouraging and really REALLY helped me to stay calm and level-headed while in the midst of studying. thank you for all the information and all the positive encouragement
Kaly Houston aw thank you so much for the feedback! I’m so glad I could help, I know I was super stressed out when I started studying so this means a lot!
Excellent!! Fact is not bragging. If anyone can not admire success then its their problems.
This video was so informative! I am so happy I watched this video and subscribed to your channel. You have so many helpful tips in here that I have not seen anywhere else. Thank you!!
Cheyenne Oliver yay I’m glad I could help!! Thank you for the kind words :)
Thank you so much for this video very helpful ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Thank you!
Amazing as an international student it gave me more insight
Thank you
Now that you are applying (I presume you have already sent your primary) keep us informed of your progress. Applications, secondaries, interviews etc... good luck.
I'm in India amd Preparing Indian Medical Entrance Exam, NEET (National Eligibility-cum-entrance test) and these tips are very practical and Helpful for NEET too..👌👌
Hi! Great video! If possible, could you share the notes you took while reading the content portions of the Kaplan books?
So pretty! Thank you 💕
this was literally the clearest, helpful, supportive guide to mcat!! thank you sm :) a quick question tho...im starting my prep now and have my Kaplan books and was wondering which subjects I should begin with - the one I just studied and am comfortable with like biochem or orgo bc it would be a review or something I haven't done in a while like physics or psychology and sociology??
Thank you so much! I'd recommend doing all subjects longitudinally throughout your content review rather than doing all one subject at a time. That way, you won't get tired of doing the same thing all the time and you can keep your mind fresh on all subjects. I did this by dedicating each day of the week to one of the four subjects (for example, Monday was CARS, Tuesday was Bio/Biochem, Wednesday was Chem/Phys, Thursday was Psych/Soc and the rest of the days were review and practice). If you really wanted to just do one or a couple subjects at a time, I'd probably say to focus on the stuff you haven't seen in a while first!
@@coralholt6363 thank you for sharing 🙏
People keep asking me (510) how I studied for the MCAT, and I'm just like why are you asking me? Here's a great video.
Hahaha thank you that’s so sweet!!
Hi Coral I found your video super helpful and it truly helped me get a 519 on the mcat. I was wondering what schools you’re considering and whether you are planning on applying this cycle
Hi! I'm so happy my video helped you, and congratulations on that score! I actually applied in the 2020-2021 cycle, so my cycle is wrapping up currently. I applied to my state schools and mostly in the schools around the region of the US I live in plus a couple of reach schools! Make sure you look into the school's specific programs and think about if you would realistically go there before you apply. If you can't see yourself there, then you may be wasting your money by applying!
Thank you so much I am about to begin studying and im in college and I feel so overwhelmed. Ive seen people failing and I just dont want that to be me.
Thank you🤎
Thanks so much for these! These were much clearer and relaxing than other videos similar to this. I just wanted to ask for your opinion on the Berkeley review 10-book set; I recently got them but I was wondering if you know anyone who’s had experience on it and did well as well.
Thank you! I have not had any experience with that company, and I haven't talked with anyone who has used it. Sorry I can't help you more!
I got them too! Have you liked them so far?
I am also a pre med biology major and psychology minor as well!!
Hey! I’ll be in Clemson in the summer
Awesome video, thank you for doing this! Would you say that the summer before junior year would be a good time to really get on the grind for MCAT, or do you recommend pushing it off a bit? In terms of coursework I haven’t taken orgo 2, but orgo 1 and gen chem are done and basic bio is done as well so I’m wondering when it would be best to get going
I have seen people be successful on the MCAT by starting to study at many different times! I personally had finished all of the recommended courses long before I started studying, but I know of a lot of people who have studied as they finished up those courses. I liked having the opportunity to take some more advanced courses like Anatomy and Physiology and advanced psychology classes, so I was happy with my decision to wait until the spring of my third year of college to take it. You also have to consider what else you may have going on in your life when developing an MCAT timeline. I know that I did not necessarily want to give up a whole summer to MCAT studying, and I decided to use that summer after my second year to do a medical experience program and get more clinical experience instead. However, my third year of college was definitely more stressful because I was studying for the MCAT in addition to classes and extracurriculars. So I'd start studying in the summer after your second year if you plan to take it early fall of your third year, but don't start studying over that summer if you're not planning to take it until later in your third year. Deciding when to take it is really up to personal preference based on the pros and cons I talked about above!
@@coralholt6363 wow thank you so much, this was so detailed and I definitely feel a lot better now! Congrats on your score and thank you for making this video, the process of how to go about everything can be very confusing at times and it’s awesome that there are people like you to help us out!
Hello, thank you for sharing your experience. I wanted to ask if you started studying or had finished studying before doing the free exams you described (Kaplan half length and the Altius test). Also can you do a video explaining how you took notes either via iPad , paper , a mix of both, typing or anki and what are your opinion about these mediums . Thank you so much regardless this was helpful.
Hi! I took those exams as diagnostics, so those were done before I had done my studying. Thank you for the video suggestion!
i bought the kaplan prep books at the half price bookstore for 7.99 each instead of full price
Hey Coral! Great job! I'm aiming to go to medical school as well and studying! This helps a lot! What kind of doctor do you want to be? I want to be a Plastic Surgeon
Hi! I am not sure yet. I am thinking something in the primary care branch (family medicine, OB/GYN, psychiatry). I'm looking forward to rotations in medical school to help finalize my specialty decision. Best of luck to you!
Hi Coral, how many hours total did you put into the MCAT?
Thank you so much for this video, it was very helpful and informative! How did you increase your score above a 500? and what did you do between each full-length exam to gradually increase your score?
I suspect that my 501 score from the Kaplan diagnostic was largely due to what most people call "deflation" of the scores that these third-party companies use to make people think their scores improved when they really didn't. A few weeks after taking the Kaplan test, with little to no studying in between, I scored 512 on an Altius diagnostic. So I really think that "jump" was due to differences between the testing companies. My biggest true increase was from 510 on the Next Step (Blueprint) test to my final 520 on the real thing, and I did that by practicing with realistic practice tests and doing practice questions! Practice was much more beneficial to me over content review. In between practice exams, I kept a log of the questions I got wrong or guessed on with explanations about why the answer was the answer and important facts that were needed to answer the question. Doing this helped a lot! You can do it in a spreadsheet or a normal document, though I preferred the document style.
@@coralholt6363 What we’re your AAMC FL scores? Especially AAMC FL4, I heard that’s the most similar one to the real deal
Hi could you upload the calendar study plans that you included in the videos please?
You said the real score was within the scores of all the aamc practice exams. Can u expand on that with more details?
Thank You for sharing and Congrats. I am currently a Junior in college, and I am still trying to figure out where to start with studying. How would you recommend spacing out the topics for each subject?
I created a system where each day of the week was dedicated to one of the four subjects, and the other days were reserved for review and practice (including practice exams)! I liked doing it this way so I didn’t get tired of one subject and it kept all of them fresh in my mind!
@@coralholt6363 Thank You
What was your Study Duration. How Long You study like How many Months
Hi Coral! I really appreciate this video! You took the test in your junior year correct? Are you taking a gap year before med school? Or are you doing it right after undergrad? I saw some sites online saying to take it after sophomore year if going straight to med school
Hey! Yes, I took it in the spring of my junior year. I then applied that summer and matriculated the next summer, going straight into med school from undergrad. So it's definitely doable, it just leaves less time and room for retaking it or pushing it back. It can also potentially add stress to getting your score with enough time to be informed while developing your school list. Taking it in March and applying in May, I didn't feel much stress, but if you take it in May or later you may run into that. I personally didn't take it after sophomore year because I was doing shadowing and taking biochem at that time. It worked out for me because I felt taking anatomy and physiology and cell biology my junior year before the MCAT was super helpful. Hope that helps, and good luck!!!
@@coralholt6363 thank you so much for your reply!!
I have a question about the earplugs, the link provided no longer works, by any chance do you know the product name. Thank you in advance
Yes it does look like those earplugs are discontinued! Honestly there is nothing special about those specific ones, so I'd just find a big and cheap pack on Amazon!
Did you do content review before you took the diagnostics or did you just take the diagnostic with prior knowledge from classes?
I took the first diagnostic by Kaplan without any studying. I had done very minimal studying before the other two I took (NextStep/Blueprint and Altius) about a month later, so I guess that goes to show how different the scoring is based on the test company!
Taking my MCAT in may. A lot of people have told me to focus on studying high yield material such as Amino Acids, enzymes, etc. From your experience, what would you say was the most high yield material on your exams?
Best of luck! Definitely the amino acids are needed. Other than that it’s just up to chance and anything is fair game. Some tests are more heavy on some topics than others, so you just gotta study everything! Sorry that’s probably not the answer you were hoping for but that’s the reality of it!
how did you do
How did you balance your school work along with studying for the MCAT?
I focused a lot on rigid time management. I set aside 2-3 hours a day during the school week dedicated to MCAT studying, and outside that time I had all day to do my school/extracurricular work. For me, it worked out really nicely to get my MCAT studying over with before I started classes for the day, and getting up early to study helped adjust my sleep schedule for my exam too! On weekends, Saturday was often dedicated to taking a practice MCAT exam and Sunday was for school work.
How long did you spend on content review / reading those Kaplan books?
Emily I started reading them casually around October but really picked up the pace in mid-December until mid-February for my exam in mid-March!
Any suggestions for MIT
Hi can you please provide a link for the outlines u created?
Hi! The only full content review outline I have is for the Psych/Soc section. Send me an email coralholt@gmail.com if you are interested!
Do you have any memorization tips for people who keep forgetting facts or formulae or content for the mCAT?
Use Anki! You need to repeat these facts throughout the day and at different intervals for it to stick from your short term to long term memory. not only is repetition important, but you need to space out those repetitions.
How does the official guide compare to the free outline of content on their website? Is the official guide more detailed?
I don't have the Official Guide with me anymore to look at the specifics for you, but it did have the content outline as it appears on the website along with a lot more supplemental information about the test not found for free online, so I personally thought it was worth getting the book (they have an electronic version too!)
How did you read 7 Kaplan books in 3 months?
How You kept yourself Motivated
I know it’s not directly connected, but I was wondering how you did on the ACT or SAT, I’m curious if someone can score that high on the mcat if they get a slightly above average ACT score
Nicholas Cheney hi! I scored in the 95th percentile on the SAT and 97th on the ACT. So they were around the same percentile as my MCAT score, but considering the differences in competition between college entrance exam and medical school entrance exam test taker pools, I personally considered my MCAT score an improvement from my SAT/ACT scores
My SAT was only average (57th percentile) and on the MCAT I scored the equivalent of a 514 (my score was a 33 as I took the older version, 91st percentile). I also studied hard for the MCAT and not at all for the SAT. But yes, its very possible.
So the Kaplan is better than the Princeton one?
Alina Ashfaq I think either gets the job done! I haven’t used Princeton but know some people who did and loved it. I used the Kaplan books and they got the job done. I’d recommend looking at the styles of the books if you can and choosing which appeals more to you!
where is the 300 pg reddit doc? I cannot find it!!
The link is in the description! You have to join the MCAT Bros Facebook group to get access to the Box folder with the 300 page doc
Can you make a videos about studying and revising for final exam🙏🏻
Hi! Are you looking for a video on studying for the MCAT or for high school/college final exams?
@@coralholt6363 Hello, final exams for medical school please 💜💜
I just scored a 515 without studying and right after taking my prerequisites💀
Awesome video! I also make MCAT videos and subscribed to you, let’s be friends 😇 can’t wait to see more videos!
Sohini Halder hey for sure! I subbed back, thanks for reaching out!!
@@coralholt6363 aww thanks! Great job on the MCAT btw that score is gonna take you so far!
Did u use anki at all?
No, I tried Anki at first and realized it was going to be a big adjustment from the normal way I study. The way I have learned to study throughout college works really well for me, so I decided to stick with it for the MCAT. I took notes on Google Docs from raw material like Khan videos or review books and further condensed it through highlighting/annotating and making summary sheets. Then, I made flashcards on Quizlet with things that needed to be straight-up memorized like amino acids. The rest of the material I focused on understanding the big picture so I could apply it on test day!
@@coralholt6363 appreciate the response. I like how quizlet looks compared to anki so good to hear others are also using it for the mcat
@@arqumabdullah2462 Yeah of course! I used the Quizlet long-term learning feature (which is really similar to Anki's spaced repetition) until they got rid of it. Quizlet's user interface is a lot more visually pleasing and easy to use!
And when did you start studying?
And how many hours a day did you study? Curious of your schedule for taking it in March
Emily I started casually studying in October but ended up getting swamped with school work until mid-December when I started my really dedicated studying! I did probably an average of 3-4 hours a day during those 3 months until my test in March
Why do they offer you ear buds?
They offer you the options of foam earplugs or headphones to block out the noise going on around you! Some testing sites are in noisy areas, and everyone's tests are paced differently based on when they started and how long they take on each section so there will be people up and moving around during your test. The earplugs/headphones help keep you focused!
is a 128/132 literally getting one question wrong?
I don't think so, at least probably not normally! It depends on the test how many you have to miss to get what score because it's a standardized test, but I would guess that only missing one question on a section would put you at a 132 or 131. Hope that helps :)
What was ur pre med
Biology!
Also I’m a freshman in high school I’m just looking tips even though I have like 6 years
I’m just curious not trying to be rude or mean at all, but why did you decide to buy the latest version of the books, I’ve heard past 2015 is fine for the mcat and you can get a used copy.
Hi! I have also heard that as well. I decided to get the newest version because I wanted to make sure it was as up to date as possible and was fortunate enough to be able to afford a new set of books! They make small changes each year, so I just wanted to make sure everything was up to date. I was also able to sell mine for a reduced price to a student a year younger, so I ended up paying only half the price in the end :)
Can I buy your books off of you? lol
I already gave them to somebody, sorry!
Great video ❤
I could not find your instagram so that I could follow you..
Congrats :)