The ii weeks before the MCAT can be nigh daunting of all. Never has the expression "work smarter, not harder" been more than applicable.

This key period is when you demand to shift your focus from private subjects to the whole test, refining your test-taking strategies and reviewing merely broad science content—because you'll accept finished all of your specific topic studying by at present! You're in the homestretch, and you can do this. Permit'due south intermission down how to make the most of this time.

Two Weeks Before the MCAT

Ready a schedule ahead of time then that in one case you hit those concluding 2 weeks, you lot know exactly what you want to achieve and what you will be doing each day. It is piece of cake to get overwhelmed—especially if you have work, school, or family commitments. Having a solid schedule will ensure that you reach your goals.

Programme on taking at least ane, and no more than three, full-length exercise MCAT exams during this time catamenia. You lot should non take a full-length test in the iii days leading upwardly to your existent MCAT. (That would exist like running a practise marathon three days before running the real race.) Programme your exercise test schedule to allow yourself a full day to take the practice examination, and then at to the lowest degree a few days afterward to expect at your results, practice a little content review, and complete do passages.

By this time, you lot should already be used to a cycle of testing, reviewing, and drilling; the change you'll desire to make at this signal is to omit nigh content-centered studying—such as reading your textbook, watching videos, or drilling freestanding questions. Your test-and-review schedule during the two weeks prior to the MCAT might look like three repetitions of this:

Day one: Take a full-length practice examination starting at 8 a.m.

Solar day ii: Review the test in detail, filling out your CARS Test Cess Logs and Science Question Review Worksheets. Identify science areas for which you could utilise some review (east.g., definitions, lists, and equations for high-yield topics simply)—but focus mainly on the passage types that gave yous the about trouble (e.g., long conceptual passages, or passages with complicated tables and graphs). Additionally, go over your Practice Now/Do Afterward strategies: Did yous correctly predict which passages would exist the almost difficult? In other words, did you perform all-time on the passages you completed on your first pass? If not, revise your Do At present/Exercise Later strategies for the next practice test.

Mean solar day 3: Review the scientific discipline topics you have targeted, and do exercise passages of your most difficult types to fine-tune your strategy. Review your practice passages just as carefully as y'all reviewed the practice test, standing to target areas where you lot tin can brand the biggest improvements.

Day four: Continue working on practice passages and examination sections (y'all can utilise the CARS practice tests in the CARS workbook every bit well as private sections of any full-length practice exam from The Princeton Review). Review these drills only equally carefully as you reviewed the full-length test, assessing your comeback in your targeted areas and setting new goals every bit needed.

CARS-Specific MCAT Tips

As noted above, you should programme to review the CARS section of your total-length tests and fill out your cocky-evaluation logs as soon equally possible, no later on than the solar day after yous consummate the exercise test. When doing practise passages (which at this betoken should exist done at least iii at a time) or standalone CARS practice test sections, fill out your logs immediately afterward.

Refining your MCAT CARS strategy requires remembering how yous read a passage, what you understood a question to be asking, and exactly why y'all picked a incorrect answer over the right answer. To improve your pacing, you'll also need to remember where you spent too much or too little time. Once you become more than a day past the examination, your memory will fade, and you won't go as much out of your test review.

When reviewing your CARS passages, ask and respond the following for each question that you missed or struggled with:

  1. What virtually the incorrect respond attracted you to it?
  2. What led you to eliminate or just not pick the correct reply?
  3. What is at least one difference between those 2 respond choices you could have recognized?
  4. What will you do differently in the future?

Make a listing of three practical things—based on your nigh recent cocky-evaluation—that yous will focus on during your next CARS passage or test department. Those might await like the post-obit:

First, don't try to memorize the passage the beginning time through.
Second, read each question and answer option discussion-for-give-and-take—don't skim!
Tertiary, become back to the passage for information rather than relying on retention. After each test or set of drills, revisit your list and assess your progress, revising the list as needed for your next drill or exercise test.

One Week Before the MCAT

Start tapering now. Remember our marathon analogy—you'll need to save your energy for test day! Information technology is fine to have one last practice test during this week, but—equally we said earlier—non in the three days earlier the exam.

Keep targeting strategies that yous tin can refine (due east.k., POE for unlike question types, techniques for dealing with data, and and then forth). At this indicate, however, don't brand major strategy changes. Instead, write down your plan for each examination section and review it. For case, your Chem/Phys Section program might include: "Practise Later passages—anything on circuits or equilibria; passages with hard-to-read graphs. Skip/Do Terminal questions within passages—conceptual answer choices or ugly numbers."

In addition, y'all'll want to take three more proactive steps to ease your path toward the MCAT. Adjust your sleep schedule to match the dark before and day of the MCAT. (Keep in mind that you'll need to arrive at the test center by seven:thirty a.m.) Go to the test center before examination day. Non just will yous know exactly how to get there the morning of your MCAT, but y'all may also find that being familiar with the site reduces your anxiety. Finally, visualize success. At to the lowest degree once a day, envision yourself walking into the test center, sitting down at the reckoner, and beginning each exam department feeling confident and in command. Anxiety is normal and expected; plan what you will do during the test (for case, taking iii deep breaths and reminding yourself of how totally prepared you lot are) if you feel that your stress is getting out of control.

Day Before the MCAT

Relax! This is non the kind of exam you can cram for. Practise something enjoyable that will relax your listen and body. Endeavor to get outdoors; yous're going to be cooped upwardly all day taking the MCAT tomorrow. If not studying at all will freak yous out, then work for just an hr or and then, in the morning if possible. Do basic science content review, and take a CARS and/or science passage you lot have already washed—and walk yourself through information technology, pace by pace, as a final solidification of the strategies you lot want to use on test day.

Have everything you lot program to bring to the test middle laid out the dark before, including your ID, keys, snacks, dejeuner, something to drink, and a jacket or sweater in instance you become cold. The test eye will provide y'all with a storage central, noteboard and mark, and wireless foam earplugs.

Day of the MCAT

Get upward early, and take a good breakfast. Don't report. When you go out for the examination, don't bring books or notes. You aren't allowed to study during the test, and you lot wouldn't want or need to anyway! You've washed all the hard piece of work already, and your preparation these past two weeks ways yous will not be surprised or confused. Go get the smashing score you've earned!

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