Every pre-medical student has a love-hate relationship with the MCAT. The exam looms over us throughout the first few years of undergraduate studies and we become increasingly stressed as the years go on and the test approaches us. However, completing the MCAT, as daunting as it is, is a huge step toward the dream: medical school. So, while we sit in fear for the exam to approach us, we also find ourselves excited to grow in our pre-med journey. I took my MCAT at the end of August, and if I had one word to describe the process and the exam, it would be: humbling. Don’t let the sugar-coated stories circling around social media fool you– if you find this exam and everything that comes with preparing for it difficult, you are not the exception; rather, you are normal. The exam is designed to make you think harder than ever about almost every subject you’ve encountered in school, starting from middle and high school all the way into upper level science courses in college. It tests your stamina and reading comprehension over the course of 7.5 hours, something that has never been asked of us before. While my memories of this summer and the exam are still fresh in my mind, I’d like to share my process and how I felt throughout the past 3 months with you, friend to friend!
February 2023: I remember the exact moment that I registered for the MCAT. I was sitting with a friend in our Physics lecture, and I created an AAMC account for myself for the first time. I knew I wanted to take the exam toward the end of summer, so I looked through August and September dates. I narrowed the options down to two, both one week apart from each other. At this point, I spent twenty minutes debating between the two dates. On the one hand, I didn’t want school to get in the way and cloud my ability to focus and study leading up to test day. On the other hand, I worried that taking the test one week earlier would take away valuable time to study and let everything sink in. I finally chose the later date and navigated to the payment screen. I remember my jaw dropping at the price listed: $330. I felt an overwhelming sense of responsibility, for this amount of money, I absolutely couldn’t let myself put in anything less than 110% into the upcoming process. After staring at the screen and trying to calm my nerves for twenty more minutes, I finally registered for the exam. The nerves quickly wore off and I found myself beaming with excitement. The excitement is the part most people don’t talk about when it comes to the MCAT – but the process is exciting. Taking the MCAT made me feel like I was a legit pre-med student; it made going into medicine feel so much more real. I texted my family with so much joy and awaited the study process to come.
May 2023: The end of the school year was incredibly exciting – my roommates were going on a trip with me to visit my hometown of Portland, Oregon. We had such a relaxing trip and it was the perfect end to a stressful and hectic nine months at school. However, as soon as I said my goodbyes to them at the Portland airport, it dawned on me that I would actually have to begin studying for the MCAT, which was now three months away. I spent the next two days putting together a detailed plan for the end of May, June, July, and August – every hour of my life was planned out in a Google document, down to when I’d give myself lunch breaks and time for the gym. Wow, I thought. This is really happening.
June/July 2023: I spent June at home studying every day. Wake up, go to the gym, study, eat, sleep, repeat – this was my daily routine for a few weeks. Thankfully, my parents had planned a family vacation to Iceland already so I had a relaxing, much-needed break abroad. As soon as I was back, however, I went back to the same daily routine. I spent the first six weeks of the summer doing content review; the Kaplan review books and Milesdown Anki deck were my lifeline. Then, in early July, I flew back to my college campus to study for the remainder of summer. I heard mixed opinions about this from people around me: some said it was smart, as I’d be less distracted and more focused, while others were worried I would become homesick and tired of the household chores associated with living alone in an apartment. Here’s what I’ll say: I don’t know and I will probably never know if leaving home to study was the right decision, or if it will have any positive impact on my MCAT score. I do know it made my mental state easier for studying. I wasn’t worried about disappointing my family since I spent so much time studying instead of being with them. I wasn’t sad that I had to study for hours everyday while other friends back home had more exciting summer adventures. Being back in my own apartment at my college made me feel so much more focused about studying effectively.
August 2023: I spent the final seven weeks of summer in a purely practice-focused phase. My favorite resources included the AAMC practice tests, AAMC question banks, UWorld question banks, and Kaplan practice tests. The Kaplan practice tests were constantly humbling, but it was really encouraging to see my AAMC test scores increase over time. As time went on, I felt more confident about taking the MCAT. That was, however, until early August, when I realized that the test was around three weeks away. As soon as the countdown switched from one month to three weeks, my outlook changed completely and I noticed myself feeling much more stressed. Not only was I stressed, but I was mentally and physically tired. I was no longer able to take myself to the gym after a long day of studying – all I wanted to do was lay in bed. I didn’t have the social battery to see my friends since my mind was already drained from all the practice questions I did earlier in the day. It became hard to push through, especially when classes started during the week leading up to my exam. Despite this, I tried to keep my mind set on the goal and woke up ready to study each day.
Exam day: My sweet roommates drove me to my test, cheering me on during the car ride. On the way, I picked up my favorite Dunkin breakfast: an egg croissant. The testing center felt very formal and quiet – even though I expected it to be this way, it still took me by surprise. What surprised me the most was how few people were taking the MCAT at my center. I pictured it to be more like the SAT, sitting in a big room with others taking the same exam as me, but instead it was a small group of people taking various exams. After verifying my identity and having me lock my phone and belongings away, the proctor escorted me to my computer. Before I knew it, Chem/Phys was done. My 10 minute break felt very quick, and the next thing I knew, I had finished CARS and was on my lunch break. The rest of my test felt just as quick, and when I finally hit “end test” after the final section, I felt myself let out a deep breath I didn’t know I’d been holding in. I ran outside, called my mom and friends, and waited to be picked up.
The MCAT was finally over.
I calculated it: there were 2,327 hours between my first day of studying and the day I took my test. It’s hard to believe it’s done. Now, I’m waiting quite impatiently for score release day. If you find yourself feeling like this too, and thinking about the test over and over again, you are not alone. We spend so many hours on this exam – it’s normal to keep thinking about it even when it’s done. My biggest piece of advice would be to lean on your support system, whether that’s family, friends, or fellow MCAT-takers. Then remember, no matter what the score says, be proud of yourself for preparing for and taking this test – I know I am.