How to Study for the MCAT in 2 Months

Creating your MCAT study guide can be one of the most important but challenging aspects of preparing for the MCAT. The AAMC recommends that the average pre-medical student should study for an average of 240 hours for the MCAT over a three month period, and we recommend 300-350, because you want to be above average. With two months to prepare, you will need to put aside a significant amount of study time per week in order to attain a competitive score on the MCAT. This is a week-by-week plan designed to help you achieve this.

[Related: How to study for the MCAT in one month >]

Before you get started, you’ll need to gather together your study materials. Here is our recommended list:

 

 

• Start by taking a practice test or question set that covers all the topics from the MCAT to familiarize yourself with the test and establish your baseline performance. The MCAT Sample Test is a great resource for this. There are also free online practice tests available from Kaplan, as well as 3 Full-Length tests included with the Kaplan MCAT Books.
• Use your initial test results to determine which content areas you need to work on. Modifying the study plan below accordingly. For example, if you did well on all cell biology and genetics questions, you might only study those topics briefly and spend more time on a Biology subject you didn’t do as well with, such as the endocrine system or immunology.
• Build a weekly study schedule. Proactively fill in your calendar with study blocks, planning to study at minimum for three hours per day, six days per week. Take one day off from studying each week so you have time to recharge. Put specific topics to study into each block so that you ensure that you have sufficient prep time set aside.
• Set up a rotating schedule that works through these topics:
  • Biochemistry
  • Biology
  • General Chemistry
  • Organic Chemistry
  • Physics/Math
  • Behavioral Sciences
• For test-like practice, use the AAMC Sample Questions and Sections and choose passages based on the content areas you have reviewed.
• In addition, study for the Critical Analysis and Reasoning (CARS) section on a daily basis. Use the AAMC Sample Questions and Sections to read passages and work on passage-related questions.

Start with the fundamentals of each subject area, and split your time between different topics each day. You’ll want to spend at least an hour to an hour and a half on each topic in order to really focus. Here’s a sample calendar of what your first week of study might look like:

Specific content areas for Week One include:

• Biology: Cell Biology
• Biochemistry: Amino Acids, Peptides, and Proteins
• General Chemistry: Atomic Structure and the Periodic Table
• Organic Chemistry: Nomenclature
• Physics: Dimensional Analysis, Basic Math and Statistics
• Psychology and Sociology: Biological Basis of Behavior
• CARS: Reading to Find the Most Important Information

• Devote study blocks on a rotating basis to Biochemistry, Biology, General Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, Physics, and Behavioral Sciences.
• For test-like practice, use the AAMC Sample Questions and Sections and choose passages based on the content areas you have reviewed.
• In addition, continue to study for the Critical Analysis and Reasoning (CARS) section on a daily basis. Use the AAMC Sample Questions and Sections to read passages and work on passage-related questions.

Organize your time around your existing commitments. Some days you may be able to schedule more than one topic; on other days, you may be able to fit in only one subject. Remember to work on CARS every day. An example week might look something like this:

Specific topics to study each week include: