MCAT qbank - Best practices!!
Having looked at the MCAT subreddit a decent bit and having recommended studying using an MCAT qbank to multiple students, I realize that, like a doctor prescribing medication without clearly explaining how to take them. I’ve failed to explain how UWorld works best. In fact, there’s plenty of wrong ways to use UWorld that will leave you disappointed and spinning your wheels. So here I am compiling the best practices with the UWorld MCAT qbank after having prayed at its altar for the better part of the past four years. Feel free to reach out to me with any specific questions you have or if you’re interested in getting either individual or group tutoring from me!
7 Tips to get the most out of an MCAT qbank
1.START EARLY – Oh my god please start early. It’s easy to get discouraged. I get it. You’re used to a gorgeous 80+% on your exams. We all start at 40%. That’s because UWorld is really tough, it’s like using ankle weights so you’ll be stronger on test day.
2. Gradually work up to lots of questions – If I were to train for a marathon, I wouldn’t start running 20 miles on day 2. Don’t jump into big sets of questions, work your way up gradually to doing 40 questions a day. Which brings me to my next point,
3. High volume sets will give you the endurance you need for such a long test day
4. Dedicate a few days to one exam section at a time.
Now here comes the fancy footwork
5. Focus your precious time mainly on reading the explanations for the questions YOU GET WRONG and the questions you got right by accident 😉
6. Tailor the problem sets you do to your weaknesses. Find your weaknesses using the performance tab and then going to the reports section to see exactly where you’re going wrong. If you’re really stuck on circuits make a problem set comprised of circuits questions.
7. Biggest one people miss! Once you’re fairly deep into the UWorld MCAT qbank, roughly halfway towards your test, start incorporating incorrects into question sets. The bank of questions you’ve gotten wrong is gold. Filling gaps in your knowledge is what will drive your score up.
BONUS TIP:
If you can’t help but spend too long reading the explanation of a question and it’s making your uworld study questions take too long, use timed mode. By not getting the immediate feedback after a question, you’ll realize you’re cruising much faster through big question sets.
I'm happy to answer follow up questions and I think this is a solid start : )
Hope it helps to have some guidance <3
