MCAT FAQs

This resource was developed by Helen Cai, YC’20/YMed’26. During her time in med school, Helen worked for the Office of Career Strategy as a Quick Question advisor and spoke with many people about their MCAT Prep Plan.

Format and content

What is tested on the MCAT?

The MCAT has four sections on it: Chemical and Physical Foundations of Biological Systems, Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills, Biological and Biochemical Foundations of Living Systems, and Psychological, Social, and Biological Foundations of Behavior. These are often referred to colloquially as: chemistry and physics (“chem/phys”), CARS, biology and biochemistry (“bio/bio”), and psychology and sociology (“psych/soc”).

Do I need to have taken these courses at Yale before starting to study for the MCAT?

No. If you haven’t taken these courses, however, that may change the amount of time needed to study for the MCAT.

I’ve taken all of the pre-med requirements at Yale. What additional content should I expect to study?

There are a few areas of content which are not commonly emphasized in the “pre-med requirements.” These include anatomy and physiology, psychology (particularly developmental psychology), and sociology. As mentioned above, it is not necessary to take these courses to learn the content needed to do well on the MCAT; however, it may mean that you will take a little bit more time needed to learn the content.

Timeline

How much time do I need to study for the MCAT?

Like with many other aspects about the MCAT, there is no “one size fits all” approach to the amount of time to spend studying for the MCAT. There are several factors to take into account when determining the length of your study plan. If you are studying for small amounts each day over the semester, as opposed to “full-time” studying over the summer, you may need more months to prepare. If it has been several years since you have taken the prerequisite courses and you anticipate needing more time to review content, you may need more time as compared to a recent grad who has seen this content more recently. Taking a diagnostic exam can be a useful starting point in determining how much time you might need (see below answer to “How can I get a sense of how long I might need to study for?”).

Is there such a thing as studying for “too long?”

Yes. Studying for a long time can be cognitively taxing and stressful, which can lead to burnout and exhaustion well before test day. Furthermore, a study plan that spans many, many months or even years can lead to forgetting information that was studied at the beginning of the study period. We don’t want your hard work to go to waste!

Is it possible to study during the semester?

Yes!!! Many students have the impression that studying for the MCAT is a long, rigorous process that entails studying for 4+ hours or more each day. However, despite best efforts, blocking out these large chunks of time is not sustainable over the course of the semester. You are a busy person! One strategy that makes studying over the semester more attainable is utilizing the small “pockets” of time you have throughout each day: e.g. 20 minutes while eating breakfast, 10 minutes while waiting for the shuttle, 10 minutes while waiting for class to start. Over time, this will add up to a lot more than one 4-hour study session a few times a week.

How do I use these “pockets” of time?

It may be useful to compile a list of short, automatic tasks you can immediately start doing once you have a pocket of time available to you. By making the list in advance, you don’t need to spend any mental effort or energy deciding what to do—and instead, you can focus those efforts on doing the studying. These tasks might include working on flashcards, watching a YouTube video to review content, or doing 1-2 practice questions. (See below section on “Resources.”)

Building a study plan

How do I build a study plan?

Popular advice (including that commonly seen on the Internet) often separates the study plan into different “blocks,” or discrete chunks:

In this format, a student might spend 6 weeks reviewing content review, 6 weeks doing practice questions, and 3 weeks doing full-length exams. However, I have found it to be much more helpful to conceptualize as “layers,” which are added on over time:

Under this “layering” plan, someone would begin their study plan primarily working on content review. Then, once they feel comfortable, they would add on practice questions while continuing to work on content review.

Why is this necessary? Well, each of us will get practice questions wrong. This is a fact of life. Starting practice questions will uncover additional pieces of content review to go back to and revisit.

Once you feel comfortable with doing lots of practice questions at a time—and this may take a while—you can add on full-length exams. Doing these exams will cover additional pieces of content to go back to and review, and additional passage types where you might need some more practice. Hence, the layering. By Test Day, we should continue to be working on each of these three elements.

What are some common pitfalls or mistakes I should watch out for when putting together my study plan?

I have often seen students overestimate the amount of time to be spent doing content review. I think this is understandable; after all, there is a lot of material that can show up, which can feel overwhelming. However, the MCAT is not a test of how well you have read the textbook, or how many pages of vocabulary you have memorized.

It is, after all, a test with multiple-choice questions on it. I often see students underestimate the amount of time to spend doing practice questions. There is a vast difference between understanding the content presented in a textbook or video, and being able to retain, retrieve, and apply it to the question at hand. To get better at that process, we need to spend more time doing practice questions—and reviewing them well.

This is another reason it is often not helpful to be prescriptive about the number of weeks to spend in each “phase” of studying. As you progress through the study timeline, you will have a better understanding of what your needs are in each of the sections and contexts. So, it is totally ok to keep a flexible schedule and adapt your schedule as needed.

How can I get a sense of how long I might need to study for?

Taking a diagnostic exam can be a good starting point. Many test prep companies put out free “diagnostic” exams, which are 4 hours in length instead of 8. The utility of these exams is not in the score you will receive at the end. Rather, it exposes you to a wide range of material that you might expect to see on the MCAT.

As you take the diagnostic exam, keep a piece of paper next to you and write down topics you come across which you are unfamiliar with or realize that you need to spend more time studying. Then, at the end of the 4 hours, you will have your starting list of topics for content review!

After taking the exam, also pay attention to how your general impression of the diagnostic exam. Was it more challenging than you expected it to be? Was it easier? This can help you to determine the amount of weeks, months, etc. you might expect to spend studying.

I’m doing a lot of practice questions, but I don’t feel like I’m making progress. What am I doing wrong?

The conditions under which we do practice questions can make a huge difference. We want to treat the practice questions as a learning opportunity, and not an instance where we should be testing ourselves constantly. This means that in the beginning, it is totally OK to do practice questions under untimed conditions. It might take you 15 minutes to answer one question in the beginning—and that is perfectly fine.

Similarly, it also means that in the beginning, it is OK to do practice questions with open notes or open book. After all, even though we understand information conceptually, it might take us several repetitions to memorize it completely.

This is often where I make an analogy to sports. For instance: I do not know how to play tennis, and I am terrible at all racquet sports. If I were to play in a match today, I would lose terribly. Nobody should expect me to do well.

To improve, I would need to go back to basics: starting with simple drills, I would need to feel comfortable with that before hitting against a wall. That would take some time. Then, with some more practice, I might be able to practice hitting with a partner. With some more time and practice, I would eventually be able to play some “friendly” matches, and eventually progress to an adversary in a “real” match. This would be much more productive than trying to learn tennis by starting with playing full-length matches each and every day, without reviewing any of the basics.

The same is true for the MCAT. We don’t expect you to be able to take a full-length exam on day 1. It also would not be helpful to put you under “testing” conditions each day you are studying. Studying under untimed conditions and open-book conditions are like those basic drills: it allows you to learn the information and apply in a very low-stakes environment. Once you are comfortable with that, we will slowly begin to take away the supports: starting with closed-book conditions, then with adding more practice questions on, and eventually doing a string of questions under timed conditions.

Resources

What are the resources you would recommend for content review?

On some level, all content review resources are the same, because they should provide the same information. Knowledge is knowledge, regardless of the form it is presented in. Thus, I don’t recommend any particular textbook set, video course, etc. over another.

In reality, the best content resource will be the one that you are comfortable with and use frequently. This may take a little bit of time to figure out. It may be the case that textbooks are not so portable for you, which means that you aren’t using them as often. It could also be the case that video courses take too long to explain concepts, leading to distraction. Mix and match to figure out what works best for you.

What are the resources you would recommend for practice questions?

There are two practice question resources that are very highly discussed.

UWorld is a practice question bank that is very helpful in the early stages of doing practice questions. The answer explanations are extremely comprehensive, which make it a very useful learning tool in the early stages of studying (see my above answer to “I’m doing a lot of practice questions, but I don’t feel like I’m making progress. What am I doing wrong?”). Subscriptions are available for 90-day, 180-day, or 360-day access, and the question bank contains questions written for all 4 sections.

The AAMC also releases several question packs which are helpful in the later stages of studying, once you are more accustomed to the format and content of each section. Recall that the AAMC is also the entity who writes your exam on Test Day, so it can be quite helpful to get an idea of how they write questions. In contrast to UWorld, their answer explanations are quite scant, and so it can be very frustrating to learn from these question banks. Access to the section and question banks are sold on a per-section basis, and are available to access for 365 days.

What are the resources you would recommend for practice exams?

The AAMC has several practice exams available, some of which are for purchase.

The AAMC only has 6 practice exams available. Is this enough?

Yes, it should be. It is helpful to think about what full-length practice exams are helpful for: they are opportunities for self-assessment and to see where your knowledge is at that point in time, which will guide further content review and practice questions. Full-length exams are not a substitute for practice questions, because they are not done in a learning environment. The timed conditions and high-stress situation mean that it is not a replacement for the learning that you would gain by doing practice questions and reviewing them well. This means that there is an upper limit of practice exams that would likely be helpful, because at some point, your time is better spent doing practice questions and reviewing them thoroughly.

I’m planning to take a full-length exam every [1 week, 2 weeks, etc.]. Is this appropriate?

In the same spirit as the previous question, it’s useful to think about what that would accomplish. If you are studying “full-time,” it may well be appropriate to self-assess your knowledge each week in order to set up a game plan for your content review and practice questions for the coming week. However, it’s important to stay flexible. If you are coming up to a scheduled full-length exam weekend and you are dreading it, ask yourself why. Are you really hoping that a particular topic won’t show up, because you know that you are lacking confidence in the subject? If so, it’s totally appropriate to postpone the full-length exam in favor of content review. Do you think that your CARS section experience will be difficult, because you haven’t been able to practice several passages in a row, yet? In that case, it might be worth shoring up and practicing your CARS strategy before attempting a full-length section. If you are taking the time to assess yourself with a full-length exam, we want to make sure that assessment will give you new information about what your weaknesses and pain points are—rather than reminding you of already existing ones!

What are some free resources that I could start to use if I am not ready to buy a resource yet?

If you are studying over the semester or simply want to get a preview of what studying for the MCAT might look like, there are some free resources that can be useful. Several third-party test prep companies will offer a free “Question of the Day” which is emailed to your inbox at the same time each day. In a similar vein, Jack Westin offers a “CARS Passage of the Day.” These are also great options for your list of small, automatic tasks you can begin to work on during small “pockets” of time (see above response to “Is it possible to study during the semester?”).

Anki and other flashcard methods

I’ve seen a lot of people talk about Anki. What is it?

Anki is a flashcard software that utilizes spaced repetition to optimize the flashcards that are presented to you. It shows flashcards that you have learned and are familiar with less frequently (at longer intervals in between), while showing flashcards that you are still learning and are not familiar with more frequently (with shorter intervals in between).

Do I need to use Anki?

No. At the end of the day, Anki is simply a flashcard software. There are many different methods of making flashcards that will work just as well for its intended purpose: including making pen-and-paper flashcards, Quizlet, etc.

Do I need to use flashcards?

I highly recommend using flashcards. Flashcards fall into a category of study tools that I refer to as a “memorization strategy.” Because the MCAT study process is so long, it’s important to have some strategy in place to frequently revisit information and ensure that the information you are learning isn’t forgotten in a matter of weeks or months.

Ideally, you should revisit your memorization tool on a daily basis. It should also be flexible and adaptable, and be able to accommodate new information you need to memorize and remove information you have learned thoroughly. Because of these qualities, flashcards tend to be a natural option.

I see large premade Anki decks online (MilesDown, Aidan, Pankow, JackSparrow, etc). Should I use these?

There are several reasons I don’t recommend this.

One: It’s important to remember that flashcards are intended for memorization, not for learning. Often, I see students download these large decks with the intention of learning every single card in the deck. The thinking goes something like this: “These flashcard decks are very comprehensive and contain everything that could show up on the MCAT, so as long as I learn everything in the deck, then I am good to go.” However, flashcards cannot teach you new concepts. They do not contain any explanatory material, and furthermore do not link concepts together. This is the benefit of a dedicated textbook or video series as your content review resource: it provides lots of conceptual background and connection.

Two: These flashcard sets are enormous. They can easily contain several thousand flashcards. That means that the number of flashcards which are “due” each day can rapidly spiral out of control, and lead to spending many hours a day simply “clearing” the flashcards that were scheduled for the day. You have better things to do with your time!

Three: These flashcards were written by somebody else, for somebody else’s understanding. You may not need all of the flashcards in the set, because there are already some concepts you are intimately familiar with and don’t need to spend time seeing again to memorize. On the flip side, the decks will also be missing material that you will eventually need to memorize. Related to this, there are guaranteed to be several flashcards which appear which will appear totally nonsensical to you, simply because they were worded oddly or are not concise.

I want to use Anki, though. What do you recommend?

If Anki is preferable to you over other flashcard methods, I highly recommend that you learn to write your own flashcards. There can be a steep learning curve to this; fortunately, there are many fantastic tutorials on YouTube. Two types of flashcard that are frequently used are cloze deletion cards and image occlusion cards.

By learning how to create your own flashcards, you can address the three different issues I named above. By being the manager of what goes on your flashcards, you can ask yourself if a particular concept is something you need to go back and learn (e.g. with a content review resource), or simply memorize (which would be well-suited for Anki). This also means that you can closely manage the number of flashcards in your card set, and keep the amount of time spent reviewing flashcards to a minimum. And lastly, by being familiar with the content in your card sets, you can adjust and revise the cards on a frequent basis, as needed.

I’ve been making my own flashcards and doing Anki for quite some time, but something just isn’t working. What should I do?

There are several areas for troubleshooting this.

One area is in scheduling the appropriate amount of cards. How many “new” cards are you seeing each day, and how many “review” cards are you limiting yourself to each day? If you are seeing too many new cards without having enough time to review and learn them, you will perpetually be playing catch-up and won’t be able to see the review cards frequently enough to memorize them.

Another area is in writing the cards themselves. Are you writing dense, wordy cards with lots of cloze deletions? The wordier the flashcard, the more time and mental effort it takes to do each flashcard. Keep it simple. Each flashcard should be no longer than 1-2 sentences, with only one or two cloze deletions.

It could also be that you are creating many, many flashcards. Maybe you were creating flashcards while also doing content review, which means that you generated several dozen flashcards for one textbook chapter. It can be helpful to sit back and evaluate whether you really “need” these flashcards. Are you already familiar with a lot of these concepts? Is it unlikely that you will see a concept that is particularly detailed or granular? It’s okay to remove these flashcards from your pile by “suspending” them. By suspending the flashcards, the flashcards will no longer appear in your daily flashcards to be reviewed, but they will be kept in your database for you to refer back to.

Troubleshooting CARS

I’m seeing a plateau in my CARS progress. What can I do to fix this?

There are two key changes to consider. One is increasing the diversity and mix of your practice passages, and the second is doing more untimed passages.

CARS is a particularly challenging section to study for, because there is no content review involved. That means that the section is based entirely on strategy! How we study and practice this strategy makes a big difference. A common pitfall is in using one resource (e.g. test prep company or question bank) to practice CARS passages. Each company has their own idiosyncrasies in writing CARS passages: what they focus on, how granular the questions are, the types of passages that are used, etc. By only using one content resource, it could be the case that you have learned that particular company’s idiosyncrasies, which are not easily translatable to other contexts. We can resolve this by using a mix of different sources from different companies. For example: somebody who is subscribed to UWorld and also has access to the AAMC question packs could also take advantage of Jack Westin passages. They could alternate days of practicing with Jack Westin and UWorld, while using the AAMC resources in the latter half of studying when it is closer to Test Day.

Another key component is doing untimed passages. And a LOT of untimed passages. We need to focus on the basics before doing anything under timed conditions (see above answer to “I’m doing a lot of practice questions, but I don’t feel like I’m making progress. What am I doing wrong?”).

What’s the best “strategy” for CARS?
CARS strategy is very personal and unique, and will vary from person to person. For some people, highlighting sections of the text while reading will be very effective; for others, it will be too distracting. Summarizing the text after each paragraph is also an option. Another strategy might be taking the time to refer back to the text, and finding evidence for every answer option you think could be correct. It may take a while to find a CARS strategy that works for you, and that’s okay! Keep trying different things out. Do this exploring under untimed conditions—if it takes you lots of time to finish one passage but you are satisfied with your accuracy, that is a great sign.

Once you have identified the strategy that works for you, keep practicing—under untimed conditions. The time will come down on its own with more repetition and practice. One very common pitfall is practicing these passages with a 10-minute time limit per passage; however, this encourages taking shortcuts and practicing imperfectly, which makes it very difficult to improve your score once you have settled into the routine.