By Niki Cunningham, Senior Advising Dean, Columbia University in the City of New York, and Janet Snoyer.

Now that you have decided the best time to take the MCAT—how do you actually prepare for it? As I’m sure you know there are any number of test prep companies out there ready and willing to help you prepare—the problem with them is they are very expensive. They also may not suit your learning style or timetable. What you may not know is that it is totally possible to prepare for the MCAT without shelling out the proverbial arm and leg! The AAMC (Association of American Medical Colleges) has created a number of no-cost and low-cost exam preparation materials that are accessible via their website. They have also partnered with Khan Academy to create exam prep video content that is excellent.

Take Practice Exams

The key to a successful exam, regardless of the materials you use to prepare, is taking a number of full length, timed exams under test conditions (that is, only take the breaks they will give you on exam day, only eat what you’ll be able to eat, only move around as you’ll be able to move around). The MCAT is a seven hour exam and is unlike any test or final exam in college. In order to be ready to take such a long exam, you need to practice taking such a long exam! It’s like running a marathon—you can’t just jog three miles a few times a week, you have to practice the longer distance.

Applicants who take as many as 8-12 practice exams seem to be the best prepared. Thus in your exam prep period, you need to move from global review to taking practice exams somewhat quickly. In the last couple of months you should plan to spend a day taking a practice exam, spend the next day looking at what you got wrong, and then spend time the following week reviewing that content. And then do that all over again for a number of weeks!

Prepare Your Mind and Body

It’s not just your brain taking the exam, your body and emotions will be there with you, too! MCAT preparation includes preparing your body, monitoring and regulating stress levels, building awareness of anxiety, shedding it with ease, and even knowing how to face and work through the inevitable boredom and attention fatigue that accompanies long term test preparation. Spend some focused time considering these things and prepare an individualized systematic plan for physical fitness, psychological wellness, and overall energy optimization to become ready to sit for the test.

Rest Before the Exam

One final word of wisdom: give yourself a few days of complete rest before taking the exam. You don’t want to cram for it right up to the last minute. That is a surefire way to go into the exam with test fatigue. Take off from work or school the day before your exam just to have a quiet day.

We know that preparing for the MCAT is a daunting prospect. However with disciplined preparation and good timing, you can knock this out of the way and be ready to focus on the rest of your application.

Photo by Craig Garner on Unsplash