MCAT PRACTICE OPTIONS

Taking practice tests is a very important part of your MCAT exam preparation, and you should plan for them accordingly. However, simply budgeting time to take practice tests is not enough—you also have to account for the time you’ll spend thoroughly reviewing the correct answers and using them as a learning tool. In general, we recommend students take a minimum of 6 full-length practice tests, with a cadence of one exam per week in the final month leading up to the MCAT exam. In the early phase of your preparation, try taking one exam per month. That way, you will spend more time learning and reviewing scientific material and honing your critical thinking skills. As you get closer to the exam, you can transition to a one-exam-per-week cadence. Of course, you can always take more. All MCAT prep courses from Kaplan include 21 full-length MCAT practice tests—more than any other major provider—including 7 AAMC exams. Our industry-leading practice tools give you the competitive advantage needed to secure a top score.

Kaplan offers the most realistic MCAT practice tests, so you have a clear picture of what to expect on test day. To develop each of our MCAT practice exams, 100,000 data points are analyzed from thousands of pre-med students. Our practice exams undergo 2,000+ hours of rigorous development, and 20+ MCAT experts scrutinize every question to give you the most accurate test experience. Frequent, realistic practice is the key to tracking progress and mastering the test. Prep with total confidence when you use MCAT practice tests from Kaplan.

The average amount of time pre-med students spend studying for the MCAT exam is 240–260 hours across 4 months. That said, we know you want to score better than average, so we recommend closer to 300–350 total hours of study. Of course, this can vary person-to-person, so there’s no one number that is right for everybody preparing for the MCAT exam. By spreading your studies across 6 months, you will give yourself the best chance of meeting your MCAT score goal. While you can prepare sufficiently in a shorter time, your prep schedule will likely be more demanding. But it is not just the number of hours that matter. Your preparation should be structured and personalized to your areas of opportunity.

A good MCAT score is generally considered to be 511 or higher, with no section score below 127. The MCAT exam, also known as the Medical College Admission Test, is a computer-based standardized exam designed to assess your potential as a medical student and doctor. Earning a good MCAT score is crucial to gaining acceptance into a top medical school. There is no set passing score on the MCAT exam; therefore, understanding the different MCAT score ranges and which percentile you’ve scored in will help you set realistic goals.

Unlike the exams you’ve taken in school, the MCAT exam does not reward you solely for content knowledge. The MCAT exam rewards your ability to apply your scientific content knowledge. This requires a level of critical thinking and problem solving that you must prepare for through practice. Further, the MCAT exam is even more challenging than other exams since it requires the integration of multiple sciences to interpret presented passages and answer questions—all in a timed testing environment. You will be required to apply concepts that are historically learned in one field to another.

The MCAT exam is designed to find test takers that have certain unique skills that are directly correlated with success in medical education. The MCAT exam is not meant to be a barrier to entry into the field of medicine; rather, it is meant to identify those who will succeed and even thrive in the challenging environment of medical school and medical practice.