MCAT 2017 Registration is Open!

You’ve been preparing for this day for a long time and now it’s time to set a date!

Are you ready for the MCAT?

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Let’s talk about what you need to now about registering for the Medical College Admission Test in 2017!

 

Firstly you’ll need to create your AAMC ID here!

 

Registration for test dates January through June 2017 are now OPEN!

In the chart below you’ll see the testing dates laid out with the corresponding registrations deadlines.

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Registration Fees and The Zones

The different zones of registration refer to the amount of time you register before for your selected test date. The Gold Zone is a month or more prior to the exam date, Silver Zone is approximately 3-4 weeks before, and the Bronze Zone refers to signing up for an MCAT date 1-2 weeks out.

It is encouraged to register early within the Gold Zone because test centers and dates do fill up. Also if you do end up having to reschedule and cancel your MCAT exam you can receive a smaller cancellation fee and larger refund. Check it all out below…

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Fee Assistance Program

The FAP provides financial assistance for the cost of MCAT registration and AMCAS submission fee. To learn more about FAP and to see if you’re eligible for assistance go here.

 

Retaking the MCAT? 

Check out our blog post about the AAMC rules and what to keep in mind about retaking here.

 

These are all just the highlights! You are off to a great start here so be sure to check out AAMC’s MCAT Essentials here for any further questions you may have!

Don’t forget to check out the blog for more things pre-med and on conquering the MCAT including test section breakdowns and study tips! Practice with MCAT Cracker to ace it!

 

Happy Registering!

Creating Your MCAT Study Guide!

Preparing for the Medical College Admission Test is a daunting undertaking and you need a proper plan of action to succeed! If you’ve been following along the blog for a bit the idea of creating your own personalized MCAT study guide has come up before so now let’s really get into it!

wikihowstudyguide

There are actually quite a few study guides and strategy suggestions floating around but unfortunately, like a lot of MCAT information, it’s likely wildly outdated! With the major overhaul of the MCAT in 2015 much of the advice and general thinking around how to study for the big test reflects the old exam. It would be better to create a personalized MCAT study guide that is catered to you anyway so let’s explore how to do that!

 

AAMC’s Suggestions

The 5-part guideline outlined by the American Association of Medical Colleges is a pretty good place to start and adding in the blog wisdom

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  1. Understand – Know The Enemy

 Learn all the ins and outs of the MCAT! Check out this quick overview video from AAMC. Luckily there’s conveniently quite a few MCAT Cracker blog posts focusing on breaking down the test! Example: CARS Section Breakdown

  1. Establish – Know Where You Stand

 Run a MCAT Cracker diagnostics test to discover your starting point and find out where you stand with the material so you can best decide how to move forward!

  1. Study – Know Your Stuff

Personalize here! You know yourself best so set yourself up for success and get organized! Explore further with the blog posts we’ve covered in the past  MCAT Study Tips and MCAT Tools & Resources! Work smarter not harder.

  1. Practice – Practice Practice Practice

And Practice! Knowing the mountain of material is important but don’t underestimate the power of practice! Not only have we’ve been preaching the importance of practice here on the blog…MCAT Cracker  specialize in it! Did you know you can take practice exams focusing on a specific section? So if you’re less strong on one section you can focus on working on that!

  1. Simulate – Dress Rehearsal

Test day is a big day!

Gain some confidence and calm your nerves by going through test day like a practice run. This means wake up and prepare to take a full timed test and simulate the real thing at least once before real test day!

Check out the AAMC guide in full here.

 

You Do You.

By now throughout your many years of schooling you know what works best for you so don’t stray and stay true to what works. Basically you know you best and if that means studying in the early mornings versus late afternoon or visual tools instead of textual guides then no need to drastically change your all study habits just adapt and expand! Check out Wikihow’s guide to formatting a personalized guide for you here.

 

You now hold the keys to success in order to create your very own MCAT study guide to conquer the test! As you may have noticed we have covered a lot of these topics already so stay tuned for more MCAT and medical school insight around the blog 🙂

Happy Practicing!

Should You Retake the MCAT?

Maybe you freaked way out on test day or your scores turned out wildly unbalanced.

For whatever reason you might be considering retaking the MCAT, deciding to retake really depends on you!

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Here are things to consider when facing the decision to relive test day…

 

The Rules.

First off, you need to know the official word on retesting from the AAMC…

  • In a single testing year, the MCAT exam can be taking up to three times
  • In a two consecutive-year period, the MCAT exam can be taken up to four times
  • In a lifetime, the MCAT exam can be taken up to seven times

Also worth noting: you can only be registered for one seat at a time and that no-shows and voids count as attempts!

 

Potential Med School Policies.

Don’t forget to check in on the medical programs you’re applying to and research specific MCAT retake rules! Different schools may look at multiple scores in a ways that can influence your decision to retest.

It’s imperative to note whether the schools you’re eyeing consider

only the highest overall score, average all scores or they might only consider the most recent score.

 

Prep Check.

Now that you’ve taken the test once and want to improve here are two important questions to ask yourself and answer honestly:

• How did you prepare the first time?
• What will you do differently in preparing this time?

Pinpointing the issues and deciding how to move forward in studying for the next time is key. Is it just that you didn’t prepare enough or was it the way you studied? We would suggest that the essential factor in improving you score is PRACTICE. With MCAT Cracker practice tests you will get better at testing taking in general while also studying the content tested.

 

Postponing Instead.

If you having serious concerns before the big day and are already thinking about retesting, consider postponing your test instead. Depending on how far out test day is you might even be able to get a slight refund. Check out the different MCAT rescheduling fees according the different zones below:

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Basically the only acceptable answer to

‘Should I retake the MCAT?’ is

it depends.

 

If you go with retesting, remember with MCAT Cracker you build on your test taking skills, time management, accuracy, confidence, and improve you MCAT scores!

 

Benefits of Joining a Pre-Med Organization

Imagine that crowded and bustling organization fair at the beginning of each semester. There is likely a wide range of different pre-med or pre-health professional organization tables vying for your time and membership. There’s really a lot out there so how do you choose?

Or perhaps…

You may have strolled through that fair and thought something along the lines of…

“Hey I know all about applying for medical school and I got a pretty good handle on the MCAT so I don’t need those meetings and membership fees, right?!”

 

…but let’s take a closer look, shall we?

 

CADUCEUS.1

 

 

Gaining Relevant Experience

Simply putting down on your resume that you were a part of some pre-med society isn’t much help but there are plenty of ways to get involved in events and programs put on by the organization. Pre-med clubs offer a wide range of opportunities to be proactive in bettering yourself through things like for instance mentoring programs or gaining experience volunteering in the medical world.

Make the most of your time and membership fees frankly and get involved!

 

Leadership Opportunities

Within the ranks of the organization you can lead peers and drive the club to success.

Taking on a leadership role can be challenging but you gain the very valuable skills for a future in medicine in communication, negotiating, and problem solving just name a few. Besides leadership positions always look great on a resume. Taking the lead and the subsequent skills gained are extremely beneficial for a future medical professional.

 

Access to Resources

These organizations have resources you may not even be aware exist and in order to take advantage of them you have to be in the know!

One of the perks of a pre-med organization is that school representatives from the different medical programs will schedule more visits should they anticipate an audience of pre-med students. That means many clubs will host these representatives to come and talk to the group and answer any specific questions or even host a whole panel of representatives to speak!

 

Figure Out Exactly What You’re Doing

Anesthesiology, Internal Medicine, and Neurology, OH MY!

So what exactly are all the specializations and what is it exactly you want to do? Student orgs may bring in a wide range of people in the medical profession to talk on what they do and offer advice and help you discover exactly what you’d like to do someday!

 

Misery Loves Company

You’ll meet other pre-med hopefuls to share the woes of preparing for medical school. With everything from the AMCAS, the MCAT, letters of recommendation, etc making connections with fellow students that know exactly what you’re going through can be both comforting and helpful! You can even share your wisdom about how great MCAT Cracker is! 🙂

 

 

The real trick is finding the pre-med club for you. I wasn’t kidding when I said there’s a few out there. Check this list from the University of Texas at Austin of Pre-Health Profession Organizations here.

 

BONUS: The AAMC has even created a resource of potential pre-med organization lesson plans! It is a really neat tool. Check it out here.

 

In review, pre-med clubs can offer many benefits helping members stay on the track with things like career panels and mentoring programs!

So why would you want to join? The better question is why not?

 

The New MCAT: What The First Test Takers Are Saying!

CONGRATS to the first test takers of the new MCAT!

So what’s the verdict?

 

Was test day a complete unprepared fail? A complete crash and burn?…

plane crash

 

…or maybe a pleasantly surprised victory?

Were you like Bill and remembered all your science?

bill science

 

 

The word on the street aka Reddit and the SDN is that the test was hard.

Not so surprising there, we knew the test would be tough.

Score reports will be out very soon so we’ll see how the early test takers fared.

 

 

Here’s a small summary of the common comments from April test takers about the all-new MCAT:

 

  • Yikes: “By FAR the hardest, most exhausting exam in my entire life.”

 

  • A new focus on procedural interpretation of experimental data on top of content testing. Basically, you have to know your stuff and how to apply what you know.

 

  • The CARS section is generally the same.

 

  • Reading comprehension is heavily tested all throughout the exam.

 

  • Most people found less physics than expected and more bio/chem/biochem.

 

  • Biological section the hardest especially biochem questions

 

  • Data interpretation. Reading peer reviewed articles isn’t just good habit for med school but it seems like it’ll help greatly here too.

 

  • The Psychological, Social, and Biological Foundations of Behavior section featured a lot of unfamiliar terms and theories and it’s the understanding and application of these things that is imperative.

 

  • Practice. Practice. Especially with reading passages.

 

 

FYI: Registration for September test dates is now open! Go here to register.

 If these first reactions to the brand new MCAT concern/scare/worry /etc. you, study up buttercup! Practice with MCAT Cracker to get you ready for your test day!

 

 

MCAT 2015 Registration is Open!

The day has finally arrived! Drum roll please…

MCAT 2015 registration is officially open!

Are you excited?loki yes

 …Or completely freaking out? new girl freaking out

 

It’s here! The all-new MCAT rolls out in April & registration is opened for the April – June dates!

 

Go forth with your AAMC ID and register to conquer the MCAT here!

 

Remember there is the Fee Assistance Program to aid the cost of registration for the those who apply. For other concerns on MCAT registration like deadlines, reschedulings and cancellations see here.

Registration for the July – September test dates will be available in late April. Check out the full testing date calendar here.

 

For now here are three reasons to register for the MCAT 2015 early:

  • Preliminary percentile ranks will be sent to you about three weeks after testing meaning learn more about your scores earlier in the application process!
  • Med school will get your MCAT 2015 scores at the same time as the applicants that took the old MCAT since your scores will be added before the first round of verified applications are sent by AMCAS to medical schools in early July!
  • April test takers get a $150 Amazon Gift Card!

 

An official breakdown of the new monster exam can be found here and be sure to check out a breakdown of each of the sections in the blog!

Whether you’re registering now or waiting for a later date practice with MCAT Cracker to really get the edge over the new exam!

 

5 Awesome YouTube Channels for MCAT Studying!

Registration for the all-new big, bad MCAT 2015 opens soon (like next month soon) and while you’re tirelessly hitting the books studying sometimes a nice visual aide in the form of a YouTube video can be a nice break or even a new perspective for understanding a difficult concept!

While you cannot rely solely on YouTube for your MCAT prep, these videos can be fun while extremely informative and there are great videos out there!

So how about a fun post on a few great YouTube channels to check out for supplemental studying material?

 

Khan Academy

As previous mentioned before in the blog, the Association of American Medical Colleges (the makers of the MCAT) and Khan Academy worked together to create these video tutorials on a wide variety of MCAT subjects. With the brand-new sections in the MCAT 2015 these videos will be extra helpful! For example there’s a playlist on Social Inequality with this video on Intersectionality:

 

CrashCourse

Everybody loves the Green brothers and they have great videos on a variety of topics from history to ecology! You should specifically check out their ones on chemistry, psychology, and biology like this awesome one on Why Carbon Is a Tramp:

 

Biology / Medicine Animations HD

Cool, detailed 3D animations to give additional visual understanding on tons of topics, like this video on Muscle Contraction:

 

OneMinuteMedSchool

Short and sweet mini-lessons! Great for quick but educational break!

Try out this one on the 5 Antibody Types:

 

ScienceMusicVideos

Super fun and actually helpful lessons for MCAT studying but in song form!

Just as Barney the purple dinosaur once taught us about sharing and caring…

Mr. W sings and raps on subjects like Mitosis and Glycolysis below:

 

Happy Studying!

P.S. Right now on MCAT Cracker gain an edge on your MCAT for only $49, regularly $99! Get access to full-length practice exams here!

 

Applying to Med School: Letters of Recommendation

Applying to med school is a long, trying process and while your probably stressing out already taking the new MCAT soon, it’s time to start thinking about your application too! If you’re currently studying to tackle the new MCAT 2015, you’re most likely planning on applying to enter med school in the Fall 2016.

Which means… RIGHT NOW is the time to be making the connections and developing relationships with future letters of recommendation writers!

 

You CAN’T just go around asking like this: “I’m great! Write about it!” *self-five*

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So here’s the lowdown letters of rec:

 

Who to Ask?

Professors are bombarded with students asking for letters so the key is to ask the people who know you best in order to get the best letters. This is the time to be making nice with future potential letter writers and develop the kind relationships that make for compelling letters.

Basically you are recruiting for your med school application team, so choose them wisely!

Schools sometimes ask for specific letter writers (like one from a professor, one from an employer, etc.) so research your potential med schools’ requirements and plan accordingly.

 

Ask In Person.

Everyone really harps on this, as they should! You can set up an initial meeting through email to discuss the possibly of them writing a letter for you but you shouldn’t ask outright over the internet; that’s an in person question! Plus what’s that saying, “it’s harder to say no to someone in person”, right?

 

Ask Early.

As mentioned before professors are getting flooded with requests and you want a good letter not a rushed one! The absolute least amount of time is three weeks to ask for a good letter.

 

Go Asking Prepared.

This last tip will really set you apart from what could be many letter of recommendation a professor has to write. Go to your letter writers with all the materials they may need when writing a beautiful letter about you. These things can include your resume, CV, and at least a draft or bullet points from your personal statement. You want to set them up and make it easy for them to write a great letter so they can get a feel for exactly what you’re going for your application.

 

With these things in mind go forth and prosper setting yourself up for the best letters of recommendation possible! P.S. If you’re still stressing about that new MCAT fast approaching, practice and ace it with MCAT Cracker of course!

 

MCAT 2015 Survey

online poll by Opinion Stage