“Q:A” How much time per day should I study while preparing for the MCAT?
QofQuimica: This question depends on so many factors that it is hard to answer it generically. There won’t be one answer that is right for everyone. First of all, you need to honestly assess how much preparation you need for the MCAT. If you are a current student who has just finished the pre-reqs and who did well in them, you will not need to study as extensively as those students who have been out of school for many years or who did not do very well in their pre-req courses.
What I recommend that you do is decide how many hours to study per day based on how much studying you need to do for your individual situation, divided over the number of weeks or months that you plan to study. Ideally, you should have a plan for every day. For example: read Ch. 1 of Biology on Monday, take a biology practice test on Tues, go over the test on Wed, and so forth. If you are taking a prep course, you will receive a study schedule as part of your course, and most of this work will be done for you. If you are self-studying, however, you will need to make a schedule for yourself. Invest in a calendar and make assignments for yourself for each day between the day you plan to start studying and the day of the test. This will give you an idea about how many hours per day will be necessary to accomplish your studying goals. Finally, you need to be practical about your outside obligations. If you are in school full-time or working full-time, you will not realistically be able to study for the MCAT eight hours per day on weekdays. So make your schedule flexible enough to accomodate the other things going on in your life. For example, study more hours on weekends and fewer hours on weekdays. I also suggest adding a catch-up day every week or two in case something comes up and you get behind.
