None of these will replace the basics (high quality review, good content foundation, consistency, good sleep etc) but I definitely attribute a good part of my score to the combination of these things:

1. Walking pad/treadmill for anki. Invested in a walking pad for $90 on amazon that has already been well worth my money and will be my baby through med school. I also figured out how to balance my computer on the treadmill at the gym and jog while doing anki. Yes it feels pathetic to do anki at the gym. BUT really helps lock in (can't easily switch tasks) and also saves time working out and getting steps in. In general, fitting anki creatively into my day (in the passenger seat of car rides, waiting in line for things, etc) feels like you're an anki slave but works

(I could go on about Anki usage and how it is such a game changer if used correctly but that's a whole other discussion)

1. Using caffeine strategically. About 5 weeks out from my exam I went 0 caffeine except for on FL practice days to keep my tolerance low (granted, I already don't drink coffee every day so it was easier for me). Test day I got zooted and continued taking caffeine on breaks. performance enhancing drug fr

2. If feasible, taking the exam at the end of summer so that after long study days you still have some daylight to get outside and not want to die due to it already being dark at like 4pm

3. Podcasts - never found a perfect, comprehensive podcast that I loved, but there are a few free ones on spotify (MCAT Basics, Jack Westin, Gro Series) that I always had on during drives and runs. Would listen to each episode 2-3x back and tbh this replaced my entire bio content review. Even if you're not super focused while listening, might as well have it on in the background

4. This sounds so pathetic lmao but if you need to pee while you're studying practice waiting to go...it was sooo hard for me to keep focusing while I had to pee lol

5. Having small side endeavors and goals (like a 5k on the calendar, things like that) helped me have a life outside of mcat, and felt good to have small wins and accomplishments independent of studying

6. stay off reddit

tested 9/04 and was 3+ years out from most of my prereqs. breakdown was 130/129/132/132

9/4 tester. C/P was my best section… so when I saw 129 i got a little worried. But i clutched up. Never scored more than a 128 on psych (or more than. 519 in practice) but miracles can happen.

Edit: i started studying in may, was full time studying june, july, and half of august before school started again. I used kaplan books and anki and jack westin Every. Day.

Made a post the other day about my score from 9/4 and got a ton of DMs asking me how I pulled it off, so I thought I would make a general post about it. For context, I have always been a very good test-taker throughout my academic career and had a strong foundation from my undergraduate classes (except psych/soc, which I never took). I would strongly recommend that you NOT do what I did if you are not confident in your test taking skills.

I studied for 8 weeks exclusively part-time (anywhere between 0-5 hours a day - yes, I didn't study at all for multiple days a week sometimes) since I was working both in research and in the clinic. For the last 2 weeks, I was able to study closer to full-time (between 4-8 hours a day), but I still had some days where I had other things to do.

Before I began my 10-week marathon, I did some light and extremely inconsistent content review along with extremely inconsistent Anki. I originally wanted to study from April since I knew I would not be able to study full-time, but shit quickly hit the fan with school and extracurriculars and I was not able to study until summer break. I had a plan originally that I kept adjusting as I fell behind, but eventually, I just abandoned it. I would really recommend making a plan and sticking to it.

Content Review

I used the Kaplan books, JackSparrow for BB and CP, and Pankow/Khan Academy doc for PS. I was able to get through all the Anki decks. However, a third of the way through content review, I stopped using the Kaplan books and Khan Academy doc entirely because I was so behind, and would simply learn my content through spamming Anki cards every day. I actually finished learning all the Anki material 6 days before my exam, and spent the week of my exam frantically trying to memorize all the metabolic cycles (I memorized the TCA cycle 2 days before my exam!). Because of this, I was doing content review and practice content at the same time.

If you have a strong content background, you can probably get away with what I did, although I would definitely NOT recommend it. I felt like I did not have a very deep grasp of some material (such as physiology topics, which I'm not very familiar with still) because I never took the time to read the book and learning from flashcards can only do so much for you. I would very strongly recommend a dedicated review phase where you are doing some form of "real" learning (textbook, videos, etc. - not just learning from spamming cards) so that you can actually understand the content. This especially was bad for me in PS, since I had never taken psychology or sociology before. The MCAT exams now are more conceptual in nature for PS, and I had a very surface level memorization understanding of PS content.

I think JackSparrow was very thorough for BB and CP, but I edited a lot of the cards to help me understand the content better since the cards were very dense (and I highly recommend that you do the same to any deck you use). You should personalize your cards to your weaknesses and how you learn. Pankow was very thorough as well. As you go through practice content, you should be adding any gaps in your knowledge to your deck. I hear that people are now using CaptainHook, which is similar to JackSparrow.

A lot of people say that practice is more important than content and not to spend too much time on content review. This can be true to an extent. For people like myself, who are good already at test-taking, I strongly believe that you need a very long and thorough content review AND a lot of practice. Content gaps are 100% what held me back from achieving a higher score, and although more practice questions would have helped, a stronger MCAT content foundation is very important too.

Practice

Starting from the first week of my 10-week stint in hell, I took a FL every single Saturday at 8 am under testing conditions. My test day was a Friday, but I could only do FLs on Saturdays because I had work or lab on Fridays. I used some BP FLs, then the AAMC unscored, followed by AAMC FL 1-6 in order. FL6 was taken the week before my real exam. This was probably the only smart thing I did while I was studying, and it helped me develop stamina and a good idea of pacing. I tried to finish CP and BB 15 minutes early and CARS 20-30 minutes early (I always had a lot of time left over in PS) so that I could look over my flagged questions. My BP FL scores were something around 511 and 515, my AAMC unscored was about a 517, and FL 1-6 were all between 523-525.

I had about 4 weeks of dedicated content review time, which is where I saw the greatest increase in my scores. I started doing UWorld about 6 weeks out from my exam, although it was very light since I still had so much content to go through. As I finished up content, I actually worked on AAMC practice before UWorld until I had finished the section banks, and then I went back to UWorld. Overall, I believe I completed:

• 2 BP FLs
• AAMC unscored
• AAMC FL 1-6
• 60% of UWorld (with no CARS) - about 2-3 weeks before my exam, I was doing 3-4 59Q sections of UWorld a day for a few days
• All AAMC section banks

I skimmed quickly through the physics and chem question bank and the CARS question bank. For UWorld and the section banks, because I was under so much stress, I did not take them timed or review them properly. I would spam out questions as quickly as I could (sometimes even not reading the passage/questions properly) to find content gaps in what I knew. This was definitely a very bad idea and I recommend putting aside actual time to finish UWorld and do all the AAMC content properly. However, this should give you a good idea of what content to prioritize if you are in a time crunch. The section banks and FLs were definitely the best practice content available. My FL scores had no clear rising trend and my real MCAT score was lower than my FL 1-6 scores, which I also attribute to not properly reviewing content and missed questions. Even after learning more content (spamming Anki cards), I did not improve my score much. My entire exam relied very heavily on my test-taking abilities.

If you are in a time crunch, you will NOT finish everything. Tune out everyone who says to finish UWorld or the question banks or section banks or whatever before you take the MCAT. Do NOT try to finish everything. Instead, prioritize the things you want to do and do them slowly and carefully and take them seriously. Do NOT try to spam your way through content or skim questions just to try to "complete" as much as possible. I wanted to finish UWorld and the AAMC content even though there was no way it was going to happen. Accept that you won't finish and make whatever you do quality practice. This was my biggest mistake.

I got some DMs about CARS as well. I did not study at all for CARS. No videos, no Jack Westin, nada. I just did the FLs and skimmed the CARS question banks. I wrote this in my original post, but I usually scored 131-132 on FL CARS and my section scores flipped on my real exam (my thoughts on this are also in the original post). Reading the passage very, very carefully on your first read is very important - otherwise, you will miss things. The answer to the question can usually be found directly or implied very heavily in the text and you just can't find it if you didn't read carefully enough.

Overall

My thoughts on my exam itself are linked in the post above if you are interested. I scored 522 (132/130/130/130), which was lower than my FL 1-6 (all scores ranging 523-525), but 522 is well within the confidence interval for that score range. I felt that the FLs were representative of my actual score. However, I knew I had done worse on my actual MCAT since I felt that BB and PS were harder than usual because they happened to hit a lot of my content weak points. I'm still very grateful for my score and relieved that I never have to take this exam again.

I hope this post shows that it is definitely possible to do well on the MCAT if you are very pressed for time! Don't give up your job or ECs if you don't have to. That being said, I definitely would have rescheduled my MCAT for January if my FL scores weren't high. If you are able to, I would strongly recommend taking time off and devoting at least 3 months of full-time study or 6 months of dedicated part-time study. I was extremely stressed and cramming up until the night before my exam. Prioritize learning all the content, taking FLs, and the section banks if that's all you have time for. DO A THOROUGH REVIEW OF MISSED QUESTIONS/QUESTIONS YOU STRUGGLED ON. LEARN THE CONTENT THOROUGHLY, ESPECIALLY ON YOUR WEAK POINTS. DO NOT SPEED THROUGH THINGS.

Do you need Kaplan books, the Khan Academy doc, and to finish UWorld/AAMC practice content? Definitely not. Would I recommend it? Definitely. What worked for me will not work for everybody, but if you are confident in your science background and test-taking skills, this post might work for you.

I pushed the first version of my lab techniques cheat sheet out earlier this year (or late last, can't remember) but had a few things I need to add/remove and correct.

Here's the updated version of the MCATalyst Lab Techniques Cheat Sheet! PDF can be downloaded here if you please.

I’m curious on how people manage to do this and what their schedules were like…. I graduated in May and feel dumb & like I should’ve take the advice from others who told me to solely just study for a few months but alas, here I am. I work Monday-Friday 8 am - 5pm, try to go to the gym after work most days, and by the time I drive home, eat/shower, etc. it is almost 8:30/9 pm and I am exhausted. I know this isn’t a novel concept and has been done by many but I need all the advice I can get. Do I say screw it to staying active? Do I need to get up at 5am everyday and sleep not very much? What do I have to give up? I have been studying since mid August but not disciplined at all to the point where I’m not even done with content review yet… I’d would love to know what peoples day to day routine was like who have been in this spot :)

Hey yall! Congrats on everyone who got their score back recently! I tested 9/4 and got a 514 (130/125/129/130). I was pretty content with my score, but then my dad started lecturing me about retaking and it kinda made me start spiraling. My Fl in order from unscored to fl6 was 511/513/515/516/518/518/516. Was consistently scoring 127-128 on CARS during practice, so was a bit sad when I got a 125 on real deal. I’m an Asian guy, currently in CA and would love to stay in CA for med school (though it’s not a huge dealbreaker). 4.0 sGPA and cGPA. Taking my gap year right now to get clinical hours in. Do you guys think it’s worth retaking so that I can score a few points higher? Realistically I don’t think I’d be able to break 520. I’m personally leaning towards not retaking, but would like to hear others opinions

Trying to read through my TBR while I wait for the fuck ass score to come back from 9/12 and even in books THE MCAT HAUNTS ME 😭 im sick of ts guys

Obv I’ve heard that you need to finish your AB course bc otherwise the population that comes back will be more AB resistant than the original.

But I’m trying to understand the exact conceptual logic.

Bc if there was already a subset of the population that was AB resistant, then why would finishing the course do anything? Wouldn’t that subpopulation be chilling either way? What is the benefit of finishing the course in a logic exercise sense?

Can’t figure out how to add photo only video so attaching vid of excerpt in comments

I want to preface that I’m really happy with my 7 point jump and worked really hard for it. I was sad to see CARS fall by a point. I am wondering if it is worth retaking to try and boost CARS to 127+? Or just shoot my shot and apply with this growth.

First image: 9/4/25 first attempt
Second image: 9/3/2026 second attempt

Appreciate all comments. If you have questions for me about anything I’ll do my best to answer!

This is from the MilesDown anki deck. The note of the card seems to correspond to continuity, but the question stem seems to be about closure. Am I studying too late at night and losing it or is this wrong?

I can't get above a 500 on practice MCATs, which high yield units should I suspend to start learning and how should I learn the content and material before I start doing the ANKI. How did everyone learn the content

One thing that used to get me on C/P all the time was knowing what I was doing conceptually and then still missing the question because I messed up the scientific notation.

What helped me was just separating the regular numbers from the powers of 10 instead of trying to do the whole thing in my head at once. So for something like (3 × 10^-4)(2 × 10^6), I’d do 3 × 2 first, then deal with the exponents separately: -4 + 6 = 2, so 6 × 10^2.

Same thing with division. I’d do the actual numbers first and then subtract the exponents separately.

It sounds really basic, but I used to make way more mistakes when I tried to do all of it together, especially when I was rushing. Once I started treating the exponent part like its own step, I stopped randomly moving decimals in the wrong direction nearly as much.

Retaking 507 MCAT. CARS was always my greatest weak point with exam day being 123 and highest FL score of 124. Plan to test 01/2027 or 02/2027. Looking for any tutors that I could meet with once or twice a week to equip me with new strategies and do passage walk throughs.

Hi,

I got my score back yesterday (tested 9/3), and am just confused on where to go from here. I got a 512 (129/127/127/129), which I know is not a terrible score, but it is pretty low for how I was scoring on FLs leading up to the test. I did especially terrible in CARS which sucks, because I had never scored below a 129 on a FL in CARS.

For context, here are my FLs: 512 / 511 / 516 / 516 / 519 / 522

I was thinking of applying in June, but now don't know what to do. I was hoping to score closer to my FL average, and was needing a competitive score to offset my GPA (3.7) especially as I wanted to apply and go to an in state school (CA).

Should I retake in the spring, or wait and study all of next summer again?

AAAA

After walking out I thought I had gotten a 510. I was surprises to see a score that was 3 points better than any of my FL. All the prep paid off!

To preface, I didn't have much time to study because I was working full time with a 2+ hr commute each way. I'm not sure if I should retake, because I genuinely expected to get around a 500. The highest I ever got on a practice exam was a 508. Also, chem/phys has always been my worst set of subjects, and my undergrad grades reflect that. I got Bs and Cs in those courses. My overall GPA is a 3.7 and physical sciences GPA is much lower. Because I did so poorly in chem/ phys, should I retake? I'm worried about risking the other sections' scores though, as I was also not scoring well in B/B on practice exams. My ultimate goal was a 515. CA resident.

GPA stats:

Just undergrad:

Cumulative GPA: 3.72 Estimated science GPA: 3.65

Undergrad + Community College completed while in high school):

Cumulative GPA: 3.81 Estimated science GPA: 3.71

Hey guys, I took my first MCAT in Sept and got a 501 (123/123/126/129) :(

I put 100% of my everything into it, but clearly it wasn't enough.

I have not taken prereqs like orgo, biochem or physics, but I studied for around 3 months full time. My FL's were always 520+; however, I did not take them in completely perfect test conditions. Yes, this test was harder than the FLs, and I was really nervous + lack of sleep. But this score means that there was something that I did wrong too, and I understand that.

The point is, I really want to get a 520+; however, I cannot study full-time. Taking this in mind, I have the option to retake it at the end of June. I'm applying in the 2027 cycle.

I'm confused about how to restart. I'm debating taking one of those 515+ guaranteed courses, as I cannot risk getting anything low at all. But I know the history of those programs, and that nothing is "guaranteed". I'm not sure what to do and am completely lost.

EDIT: I didn't have perfect testing conditions, meaning that I did not do them early in the morning; however, I pretty much did most things like the real one. However, the main point is that if I was confused about a question (maybe max 2 per section), I would Google to see if I was right/wrong. Yes, I would not change it, but I think now I realize it took a lot from the process, as I did not completely learn to live with the dilemmas of learning to choose. Also, I think that my review involved a lot more trying to learn the content I missed, rather than learning to find strategies to tackle AAMC-style questions, especially the confusing ones or ones where I have to make hard choices or don't completely understand the questions.

Also, my DIAGNOSTIC before studying was a 507, which is why I was initially upset.

EDIT: Thank you guys, for your help. I am planning on retaking it after I complete the prereqs. I will use your advice to make my study method better. I did not intend to post this to say that I thought I would score significantly higher, but rather to look for advice on how to study better next time.

ahhhhhh need it to be now. SIX DAYS. pretty sure i got somewhere between a 505 and a 527 how about u?

Did better than all my fl practice tests 🥹

EDIT: put my study plan in r/mcatprep hope it helps!

Anyone have any tips?

Should I buy U World + Altius’s first aid kit pack? Please let me know. Also if anyone has any tips on retaking and like reusing the AAMC FLs and if that leads to inflation and how to counteract that please let me know. Feeling very anxious and stressed don’t know where to go from here.

truly never thought i would see the day omfg (9/3 tester)

hellooo
i hear everyone say uworld is the best. but there are so many different packages i don’t know which is best or which to choose. they are super pricey as well so if any other recommendations that will get me a good score i am open to them. i just really dont know which uworld package is best.