To Get Into Med School, Don't Underestimate the MCAT

The seven-hour MCAT exam is considered by many to be the most difficult of all the graduate school entrance exams. About 60,000 students take it every year and, but only a third ultimately get accepted to med school. Should you be worried about it? Not if you really prepare.

According to 10 Things I Wish I Knew Before I Started Studying for the MCAT, by a student who “flunked” the MCAT the first time around, one of the mistakes many students make is treating the MCAT as just another end-of-semester exam—i.e., a few hours spent going over notes and readings. Instead, treat it like you are training for a marathon, allocating solid, dedicated time every day. How much is enough? According to 4 MCAT Myths, most students who do well on the MCAT spend between 200 and 300 hours preparing for the exam.

And it’s not just about hitting the books. You also need to eat right, manage your social life, avoid straining your eyes and don’t plan something big for right after the exam—that’s likely to be an unnecessary distraction that will rob you of precious points on your score.


Get in touch for more information

Related Blog

Top 10 free resources for medical students

Careers and residencies

We’ve set out our top 10 free resources for medical students in this handy guide.

Read more
top free resources for medical students

How to hone your clinical medicine knowledge

Careers and residencies

Learning how to hone your clinical medicine knowledge can be an ongoing challenge.

Read more
How to hone clinical medicine knowledge

Why you should study medicine abroad

Careers and residencies

There are many reasons to study medicine in another country, and we'll outline just a few of them here.

Read more
Apply to study medicine abroad

How to ace your virtual medical school interview

Careers and residencies

Focusing on these valuable tips for virtual interviews can help you prepare and boost your confidence.

Read more
Virtual med school interview tips

How To Improve Your Med School Application

Careers and residencies

If your dream is to become a doctor, you'll soon discover that medical schools are highly competitive, and getting accepted can be complicated.

Read more
How To Improve Your Med School Application

How to Succeed in Medical School

Careers and residencies

One of the most important things you can do in medical school is to learn how to study efficiently. You will have a lot of coursework and material.

Read more
Tips for succeeding in medical school

A guide to writing a medical school personal statement

Careers and residencies

If you are like most prospective medical students, you would have spent a significant part of your life preparing to submit a personal statement.

Read more
How to write a personal statement for medical school?

How to get a successful residency match

Student life Careers and residencies

Residency placements are decided during the match process on what is referred to as ‘Match Day’ and mark an important point for every medical student

Read more
Residency Match

What is hematology and what does a hematologist do?

Careers and residencies

Hematologists are internal medicine doctors who specialize in disorders related to blood and the lymphatic system.

Read more
What does a hematologist do?

How to become an Endocrinologist?

Careers and residencies

Endocrinology is the study of hormonal glands and the diseases and disorders that affect them.

Read more
How to become an endocrinologist?

How to become a pediatrician?

Careers and residencies

Discover pediatric medicine and how to become a pediatrician, with average salary information and how you can start your pediatric medicine journey

Read more
What is a pediatrician?

How to become a psychiatrist?

Careers and residencies

Learn about the critical role of psychiatrists, as well as how long it takes to become one and average salary data for psychiatrists in the US.

Read more
What is a psychiatrist and how do they differ from psychologists?
Back to top