The Med School Pulse

Following up on last week’s entry on Study Schedules, I want to continue the focus and narrow in on what “study blocks” are and how to best implement them.  Many of you were asking what a typical day in the week would look like. Remember, the focus of re-thinking your MCAT studying is to build consistency over to aid in preventing burnout and producing a happier you!

The first question that many students ask is how long they should be studying for.  Right away many say “9, 10 hours? All day even?” I am here to tell you that is …

In part one of “MCAT Re-booted”  I want to cover what is going to make the ideal MCAT study schedule. The AAMC recommends on average 300 total hours to study for the MCAT.  They also have a “Creating a Study Plan” listed on their web-page. With all of this information out there and the rumors that run rampant in the pre-med community on “secrets” of MCAT studying, where does a student go to get the real answer? Well right here of course!

Now how long is 300 hours in reality? You could easily break that into 10 …

With the major MCAT revision coming up in 2015, many students are starting to ask:  which MCAT should I take?  Is there an advantage to one test versus the other?

The short answer is:  it’s possible to do either and score extremely well, but you’ll have to plan starting today.

What’s changing in the 2015 MCAT?

If you haven’t read our other articles about the MCAT 2015 exam, make sure to go back and check them out:

• The 2015 MCAT – Thoughts and Statistics
• The 2015 MCAT – What’s the Big Buzz?
• Keeping Up with the MCAT Test

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On behalf of the Kaplan MCAT Team, we want to wish each of you a very Merry Christmas and happy holiday season.  With Santa come and gone, we want to share with you what came for Christmas this year.  We know you have all been good pre-meds and were hoping for no coal in your stockings! So here is our top 5 list!

5) Anatomy Coloring Book

4) Coffee

3) Book: Mountains Beyond Mountains by Tracy Kidder

2) Fake Skeleton

1) Kaplan MCAT Flashcards Mobile

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In my MCAT prep courses, I have been getting a common question from many of my students. “When is it appropriate to change your MCAT test date?”  Now there are many factors to consider in this decision and it is not something to take lightly, but first to get the facts straight from the AAMC policy on changing the MCAT test dates.  Yes, you are allowed to change your testing date, provided there is an open spot on the date you are newly considering.  You will be charged a $70 fee when changing your testing date and center.  …

Oftentimes, we are asked about the performance of our past MCAT students; how they did on the test, where they went for medical school, and where they are today. Recently, we had the opportunity to talk with one of our many amazing Kaplan MCAT course alumni, Dr. Ricky Grisson, about where his journey in medicine has taken him and the role that Kaplan played along the way. 

1. What was your reaction to taking the MCAT for the first time?

Wow! I was surprised by the difficulty and really disappointed in myself. I performed poorly and felt really terrible about …

Every Monday morning during the months of September through December, professional football players gather at their respective team’s facilities tired, weary, and groggy from the previous day’s game. They spread out based on their positions and assemble in dark rooms where video projectors display game film while position coaches break down the plays screen-by-screen. The players hate this. They just finished playing barely 24 hours ago. The last thing they want to do is watch the game again. If they won, they want to storm the practice field and keep up their positive momentum. If they lost, they want to …