How to destroy the MCAT with minimal study time (Part 4- Putting it All Together)

Update (7/18/2014): Commenting has been disabled- it's been more than 4 years since I wrote the MCAT & I don't think I should continue giving out random advice & the new MCAT will render a good chunk of my MCAT-related writing obsolete. Good luck to everyone, regardless.

In my past posts I focused on strategies for each section of the MCAT as well as the best study materials/tactics. I noticed that a lot of Google search words that lead people to this blog are something along the line of:

• average mcat study time, how to study for mcat in a month
• studying for MCAT in a month
• did well on the MCAT with minimal study
• ...and a lot more. These are actual search words I get from Traffic Sources statistics.

So I thought I would elaborate a bit more on how to really destroy the MCAT with minimal study time (<1-2 month) based on my (and other's) experience, and why it works:

• Acquire a very large amount of practice tests, both full-length and sectional (as in my previous posts, I prefer Kaplan for science sections due to its difficulty and EK 101 for its awesomeness).
• As you solve through the questions, your mind begins to form a sort of database of patterns, questions & answer types/stems that's typical for each section of the MCAT.
• There are only a finite number of types of questions and answers that can be used in an exam like the MCAT- over time, your subconscious and/or conscious mind begins to recognize similar patterns, questions/answer types and solving them becomes easier.
• After a certain point of solving & registering a large number of said patterns & types, you begin to realize that all the other questions types will basically be derivations of previously seen patterns and types. 
• If done over a short period of time, there is greater retention of the "data"- you remember more of the patterns and types.
• At the end, you will be able to intuitively solve & pick out answers.

This is how I improved my score- by solving through a very large number of practice questions, I improved my "MCAT intuition".  I solved through the following:

• 5 online full-length tests
• 10 paper full-length tests
• 8 sectional tests on paper for each BS, PS, VR + 12 EK 101 Verbal tests
• ~13 topical tests for subjects I was weak on (electrochemistry, thermodynamics, etc)
• 2 AAMC tests
• Paper tests totalled ~1800 pages.

...in 10 days. I solved all my questions using the methods I wrote in previous posts, and always under timed conditions. For some of them I even solved 2, 3 times as I went through and reviewed wrong answers/particularly bad tests. Solving through so many questions in a short period of time really helped me see "through" the MCAT.

I always say (IRL and on premed101) that "studying" and memorizing the material helps very little for exams like the MCAT- but rather solving through as many questions as you can (or as many as you can get your hands on) is the best way to go, not just for short-term but for long-term studying as well. This holds true for undergraduate exams as well- I think most will agree that solving past exams and sample questions works best for midterms & finals in university.

A method like this may not work for everyone, but probably will for most with a good grasp of English (VR would not work out well using my method for someone who struggles with English). 

Figure 1. How I feel after answering inquiries regarding MCAT studying.

A final caveat: if you think you will be unable to commit yourself entirely, don't go for short-term studying. If you're writing after < 1 month of studying, you seriously have to go all out crazy or you'll have a bad time.

Matt

Big List of "Back-Up" Plans for Premeds- Part 1: Dentistry

This is Part 1 of my Big List of "Back-Up" Plans for Premeds series, intended to give a brief introduction to some alternate careers in health care that premeds might consider pursuing.

Dentistry is not a "Back-Up" in the traditional sense, in that it's almost as difficult to get into compared to medical schools (in Canada). Instead of "Back-up", "alternate" should be more appropriate. However, it is true that there are many people that switched from medicine to dentistry for various reasons.

Some important points regarding Canadian Dental Schools:

• Limited # of programs & very limited # of seats.
• Required/competitive GPA is often higher than med school admissions, unless you're considered in-province in certain provinces.
• Much more emphasis on GPA, while there is much less on DAT and extracurriculars.

I noticed that when people start looking into fields other than medicine, some of the things that everyone is concerned about are: GPA, DAT scores, number of interviews vs seats, prerequisites, as well as extracurriculars. So I tried to compile most of them here:

Figure 1. Most recent statistics available for Canadian Dental schools admissions- click to enlarge.

Figure 2. Required courses for Canadian Dental schools- click to enlarge. 

Non-academic
As previously stated, dental schools tend to put much less emphasis (or almost none) on ECs- check individual school websites for further information.

Deadlines
Generally much later than med apps, often in December. Again, check websites for information.

Potential salary & Job security/market
Average income: $166,885 (2005). Similar to physicians, dentists are also decently saturated in urban areas, but still needed in less-than-urban regions. Consult the Dental Student section on Premed101 for more information.

Links to school websites

Dalhousie University

McGill University

University of Alberta

University of British Columbia

University of Manitoba

University of Saskatchewan

University of Toronto

University of Western Ontario

Université de Montréal

Université Laval

Note: All statistics used for this post were retrieved from individual school websites.

Part 2 will feature PA (Physician Assistant) programs in Canada.

Matt